Yeah, it's never 100% mess free when you use PF holders.. That's just reality talking.

Orphan Espresso used to sell short funnel which is a perfect complement to this PF holder. I ended up with one that came with one of my espresso machines. I used it and it works great, however I use my Forte now with the grounds bin since its mainly a brew grinder now.





If you want, you can create your own funnel out of InstaMorph (moldable plastic). I posted a DIY for it here a while back.. The only draw back is if the funnel is too hot the moldable plastic could get soft but I haven't had that problem yet. Anyway, you can find it here:
DIY - Dosing Basket Funnel

Good luck.

Eli

I think someone mentioned it. What I do is just tap the portafilter against the back of the wall of the grinder when it's grinding into the basket. Then i do a quick level with my finger and tamp. Works like a charm.

I never found the yogurt container to be very useful with the Vario, but that's just me.

That sort of works to keep grinds down but you will undoubtedly still shake some errant grounds loose in the process. Plus, you add wear to your PF and grinder in the process. I assume for some folks that's not an issue.

If you like knocking the pf, my suggestion. Is you tap the bottom of the handle to rock the pf back and forth on the rubber covered forks. The metal to metal contact would be limited to the basket and underside if the integrated funnel (which isn't really visible). It works just as well to level the grounds as they dispense.

I don't get excessive loose grounds but I do the tap in combination with moving the handle from side to side. I still get a nice mound in the middle but it's a little more evently spread out that just leaving it sit in there untouched. I should also mention that I adjusted the forks so the vario built in funnel is touching the basket. I can't imagine the wear would be noticeable unless you're doing your best hulk hogan impression.

I know some people don't like the tap because they think it causes all the finer grinds to go to the bottom and cause a tighter shot. Can't say i've noticed that yet as i've tried without tapping as well.

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forums and here goes my first question :

I've recently purchased a Mahlkoenig Vario Home Grinder (the European version of the Baratza Vario) from CasaBarista in the Netherlands.

It arrived with the 'old' plastic Porta Holder.

I'm interested in purchasing the 'Baratza Vario Metal Portaholder Kit' and was wondering whether it will also fit the European Variant (the Mahlkoenig Vario Home). Any idea???

Thanks in advance,

Zach.

Hi Zach. I would email Baratza to be sure. Their customer service is really good and they will get back to you with an answer quickly and probably a link on buying it.

Thanks. I will try to contact Baratza directly then...
I tried to contact Mahlkonig support though and got no reply...

The grinders are identical. Mahlkonig only makes the burrs.

I hope this answers your question as to fitment..

Thanks a lot!

I just got the Forte AP with the metal Portaholder. I haven't ground enough beans to form a realistic assessment of the grinder. However, I did have a very minor issue with the Portaholder holding my naked PF. It turns out that there are at least two forks for holding the PF in the Portaholder. The first one I had was designated as the 65mm fork. I needed the 56mm one which they shipped me immediately.

Attempting to adjust the 65mm to hold the naked PF caused the fork to protrude far enough that it was impossible to insert the Portaholder into the grinder.