For all their promises, it seems like we've reached the point where the vast majority of doserless grinders are more trouble than they're worth.

I read about all the insane work-arounds people have invented to deal with the negatives of doserless grinders (clumping, static) and I can't help but think that, at the end of the day, we've created something that has one positive (less messy) which requires one to practically sacrifice a white chicken while rubbing your belly in order to get good results in the cup.

The reminds me of the "flat top electric stove" nightmare.
You've all seen these stoves. They have a continuous flat top. They're marketed as being easy to clean.
But actually cooking with them is somewhere between difficult and impossible. I've stayed with a friend who had one - who tried to tell me it was fine to cook with and showed me how he'd just turn on all four burners to different temps and then rotate pans across them. He'd even marked out areas where you could be partially on a burner in order to get mid point temps.

So I said to him... "is the point of your stove for you to cook with or to not make a mess."

I was under the impression that some of the high-end doserless grinders like the Robur doserless and Kony doserless were very simple to use. Just grind into the PF, tamp and go. Aren't a lot of the barista competitors using them with good results?

I do agree that some of the lower end doserless grinders may be more trouble than they're worth though, especially since they're often just as messy as doser grinders. I remember my Rocky doserless threw coffee grounds everywhere. So if the point is to reduce the mess, then many doserless grinders are complete failures. But to dismiss all doserless grinders as gimmicks or solutions that just create more problems seems a bit unfair.

As the proud new owner of a Mazzer Major doserless all I can say is that I'm one happy camper (upgraded from a mini e doserless) - no clumping, great flavour separation, easy to use, no mess. I love the beast. I thought I'd keep the mini out for decaf but alas it's hit the storage rack. So far I've run Vivace Dolce & Vita, Ecco caffe, Stumptown hairbender and my home roast through it and all I can say is WOW WOW WOW and fast to boot -none of this waiting around for 7 or 8 extra seconds like I did with the mini. I poured a Dolce shot that pretty much brought me to tears -I'm a fan of Vivace. Very little residual grinds left over and no clogging as of yet. So far I'm up to about 300 doses through the counter so I'm not sure how well my burrs are seasoned - I checked out a Rober doserless at a local shop and it reads nearly 10,000 doses after only a couple of months so I'm thinking it may take a year or 2 to get past the fresh and new stage. Best purchase I've made in the last month.

Just for the record: flat top electric stoves aren't even that easy to clean. I felt like I was polishing mine all the time when I had one. Any little food spill likes to burn on, requiring you to use a specialized mild abrasive to remove it.

I had a moka pot that was aluminum with red paint. The first time I used it, the red paint burned onto the stove top. It was tough to clean off. The next time around, I put a protective layer of aluminum foil down in between the moka pot and the stove top. Unfortunately, a section of the foil bonded permanently with the stove top surface. I had to literally dissolve the aluminum deposit over time with mildly acidic agents like ketchup. What a debacle.

So, I got an espresso machine instead... and eventually, a gas stove.

I've been hemming and hawing for the quite some time, doing research and reading whatever I could find on the Kony E and the Robur E. I've got a Mini E and just upgraded my machine and figured I needed a grinder that would be of equal quality. Last night (before reading this post), I pulled the trigger on the K10 WBC. This will be my first dosered grinder, (first Rocky, then Mini E) I can't wait for that big ol' package to arrive from Chris!

What I'm saying is that you guys are making me feel better about my choice. Expect to see a Mini E for sale soon (I'm keeping Rocky for non-espresso use).

Thanks,

As far as flat tops go, they work great when the heating source is an halogen light (heat control is quite fast). So maybe there are some venus to better doserless grinders...

Commenting as a ex professional cook... no... no they don't. No matter WHAT the heat source is.
Gas or induction. Only.

malachi wrote:Commenting as a ex professional cook... no... no they don't. No matter WHAT the heat source is.
Gas or induction. Only.

wow that's being open minded.
Of course considering your first post you sure have tried them....

When the stars are aligned doserless grinders work perfectly... a fluffy cone of grounds right in the middle of the basket...

... but when things go wrong you get a basket full of chunks or a countertop covered with grounds.

I don't think the problem is with the machines per se (like the stove analogy), but rather has do to with our limited understanding of what coffees/roast levels/humidity levels (and?) work with the existing designs.

Regards, Henry