I had the opportunity to play with the new Bezzera BB005 conical burr grinder. I've compared it with my Vario grinder and a Eureka MCI from a friend.

The BB005 uses a universal 100 Watt motor and 48 mm conical burrs. These are quite a bit larger than the Trespade burr set. It rotates at 900 rpm. Compared to the Lux type grinders this one is far more civilized. It's not that loud and there are not much vibrations. The fit and finish is okay but no more than that. It's a decent steel box but doesn't reach the sense of quality of the Bezzera espresso machines. The Eureka grinder has the best fit and finish of the three by far.

For the looks and specs of the conical Bezzera grinder see http://www.bezzera.it/prodotti.php?lang...&prodid=41

Dialing the grind settings is comparable to the Ascaso grinders. That means infinite control and one has to make more than a hundred turns to switch from espresso to press pot. So it's definitely an espresso only grinder. The Vario is more convenient in this regard. And the Eureka as well because it's dialing knob is less sensitive.

The grind results are in my opinion remarkably good. There's hardly any clumping and no static issues of any importance. The clumping is on the same level as the Vario and much better than the Eureka. That grinder clumps quite a lot. The static is even better than with the Vario! Maybe this is due to the large metal spout. It doses smooth and nice in the center of the porta filter. With both the Vario and the Bezzera WDT is not necessary to avoid channeling. With the Eureka the naked porta filter reveals signs of channeling when not paying close attention to distribution! I don't know if this is also the case on a less sensitive E61 like machine.

And the most important thing: Taste in the cup! Both the Vario and Bezzera grinder emphasize the floral aspect more than the Eureka does. These grinders seem to produce less bitters in the cup as well. The Eureka has an edge as far as body and earthy tones are concerned. Interestingly, with the Bezzera grinder taste is more developing and different aspects are showing up in layers of taste whereas the Vario produces a complex taste right from the beginning to the very end. At least this is what a friend of mine and I have concluded. The taste profile of the Bezzera resembles that of my old Lux grinder. One last aspect I cannot explain: With the Vario I find myself continuously changing grind settings both from day to day and from bean to bean; and sometimes the grind setting is suddenly completely out of target! With the Bezzera (and the Eureka) nothing of this at all. Only one or two turns plus or minus when changing beans. The Vario is far less stable in this regard!

Conclusion: Great grinder! Compared to the Lux type grinders far more civilized and convenient. Compared to small flat burr grinders like the Eureka richer taste and less clumping. Grind quality in my opinion on par with the Vario. Even better with regard to static issues. Even a Malabar is nearly free of static with this grinder! If only this grinder had the same fit and finish and quality feel of the Eureka...

Bas, it seems the americans here are also not interested without pictures

Or the americans aren't interested since it isn't for sale in the USA at well known vendors.