I got a new Ceado E37S yesterday. I was happy to see that Ceado is including a short hopper in the E37S now. This is not the Mazzer Mini hopper, but a genuine Ceado short hopper, rather than the large commercial size one they have been shipping with it.

Happily it will fit under my kitchen cabinets just fine too. My light valance is 17.5 from the counter top and the unit will just slide under. Once underneath the cabinet, I can remove the lid and at least scoop beans into it.

It also came with the new metal SCC system in it.

Quiet - extremely quiet.
Fast - 4 seconds for a double (depending on grind, beans and SCC settings).
Grinds come out very cool to the touch. Much cooler than from the Baratza Vario, which come out warm.
83mm burrs look huge and appear to be well made.

On the spraying issue:

It doesn't really "spray". If the SCC gate is fully open, it "rooster tails" the grinds out. This is useful for clearing the chamber and not hard to manage IF you expect it.

The SCC adjustment is about 1/8" rotation, from fully open to fully closed. It is kind of hard to adjust because the range is so small. Fully open, the grinds are super fluffy and there's no retention. But there's lots of static and they tend to fly out (some call it spray), rather than fall down the chute. Fully closed seems to rid the static, but increases retention and increases the clumpiness. Somewhere in between is the happy place presumably, where the static is controlled and the clumps aren't prevalent. But tiny nudges of the screw are hard to judge.

The SCC and the chute really need a re-think by the manufacturer.

Dialing in is kind of hard, as there are 3 interactive parameters to adjust, grind, SCC and dose time. The grind fineness needs to be set first, so setting the SCC open seems to be the best way to achieve that in order to keep retention to a minimum. But that means the grinds will be coming out of the shoot all over the place. Best to grind into a container, then put that in a portafilter to do a test pull. Then you set the SCC control, which is kind of tweeky. For espresso, might as well close it all the way, which controls the rooster tail and static very effectively, but also increases clumpiness.

I haven't had it long enough to make pronouncements on cup quality yet. Need some more run-in time and some experience with it. But I'm hopeful.

nuketopia wrote: Dialing in is kind of hard, as there are 3 interactive parameters to adjust, grind, SCC and dose time.

I think this is a well stated point. I personally REALLY wanted to like and keep my e37s ,but, because of the above I felt a never ending cycle of not getting the 3 in alignment. It was hard enough to set a new time every time the grind was changed. But I assume this is the case with all on demand grinders.

I always had to "settle" for clumpy grind which led to stirring with a whisk THEN WDT. I bought it to ease workflow and use and found the opposite.

Also to add, I got the sense that adjusting the SCC also somehow changes the resulting grind. Probably not possible, but seemed that certain particle sizes would stick for a while, then shoot out later on.

I got the newer, metal SCC, so at least it doesn't do this unexpected "spraying" thing that the older rubber one seemed to do.

But I agree, this SCC and chute design needs a re-think by the designer.

I have a deposit on a Monolith.

Yay, another "spraying, I really wanted to love my E37S but it has major design flaws" thread......

Just kidding....after doing enough research I decided to spend another $500 and just get the K30. I think people are willing to overlook the spraying issues because of the price, and for the 83mm burrs. Brand loyalty and hubris runs deep in these parts.

On a more enjoyable note, how is the LMLM working out? Let's see some pics of that bad boy

nuketopia wrote:I got the newer, metal SCC, so at least it doesn't do this unexpected "spraying" thing that the older rubber one seemed to do.

But I agree, this SCC and chute design needs a re-think by the designer.

I have a deposit on a Monolith.

If they did/do that thing would be hard to beat and have nothing close. You have to wonder, since the SCC retains anyway why not just go with a shortened closed style chute w/no SCC, a la K30 or other on demand style grinders.

Agreed, at that price and performance....it would be a game changer/ender. But Ceado didn't listen to consumers, and it remains the little engine that couldn't, and leaves consumers wondering what if.

thecatch83 wrote:Yay, another "spraying, I really wanted to love my E37S but it has major design flaws" thread......

Just kidding....after doing enough research I decided to spend another $500 and just get the K30. I think people are willing to overlook the spraying issues because of the price, and for the 83mm burrs. Brand loyalty and hubris runs deep in these parts.

On a more enjoyable note, how is the LMLM working out? Let's see some pics of that bad boy

I'm liking the LMLM, but boy, does it ever drive home the notion that the grinder is the real star in the espresso chain.

FWIW, I'm ponying up for a Kafatek Monolith. If it is as good as reports from the first production run, I doubt I will ever have grinder envy again!

I wouldn't call the C37S quirks, "flaws" just things they could improve.

My girlfriend wouldn't approve the K30 on looks alone. LoL. Sometimes you do what you do for peace.

nuketopia wrote: Dialing in is kind of hard, as there are 3 interactive parameters to adjust, grind, SCC and dose time. The grind fineness needs to be set first, so setting the SCC open seems to be the best way to achieve that in order to keep retention to a minimum. But that means the grinds will be coming out of the shoot all over the place. Best to grind into a container, then put that in a porta filter to do a test pull. Then you set the SCC control, which is kind of tweeky. For espresso, might as well close it all the way, which controls the rooster tail and static very effectively, but also increases clumpiness.

I haven't had it long enough to make pronouncements on cup quality yet. Need some more run-in time and some experience with it. But I'm hopeful.

In my opinion you may be way over thinking the workflow for this grinder, or for similar grinders for that matter.

First, for me, the SCC was a set it and forget it. Once I found the sweet spot I have never touched it, even when cleaning it.

Secondly, most all of this class of grinders will have retention. So this is somewhat of a moot point.

Third, timed dose is going to change with all grinders when changing beans or age of beans, etc. For 90% of the time the dosed time does work, but what I found is to simply adjust time to .5-1 second higher than my 19-gram dose (again set it and forget it). I weigh every dose anyway for more accurate shot quality, so again, this is less of a concern and will be very similar to all grinders.

Lastly, once you get your workflow/routine going with a new grinder most all of concerns with new equipment seem to disappear. I call it the 3-week rule with most all new things. Give it 3-weeks and see if concerns disappear.....then throw the towel in if OCD takes over:-).

My workflow is to (first pull in the morning) is to hit the single dose button which is set to 1.2 seconds to purge retention, weigh PF, tare scale, grind into PF to 19-grams, WDT, tamp and pull shot. Pretty simply and adjusting to new beans is a piece of cake too....slight bump to the left or right.

Good luck and develop a routine and you'll find most all grinders in this category to provide many years of pleasant use.

FWIW

I'm trying to understand how the SCC is a variable? Others get it, but I'm not seeing how it affects anything other than how fast the coffee comes out. I ask because the E37S is still on my radar.

As with all these posts. I set my SCC flap and haven't touched it since. I also get no spraying. I think most people just don't wear in the burrs. You can also put a cover using the material of your choice on the chute so it isn't open.