Headala wrote:Wanting a weigh-dosing grinder != going superauto

I'm not talking about the superautos we know of today, mate...

High quality, third-wave-grade, auto tampers are already here. High quality, auto-microfoaming is already here. La Marzocco is already well along the way to auto extraction by weight. And we already know about the manic interest in auto-weight dispenser grinders, and that's just from Baratza, on the low end of the grinder/cost spectrum. I've been hearing that Mazzer is also well along the way to weight-based dosing.

How long before these things start coming together? Or do you seriously think they won't?

If the demand for weight-based dosing is as high as it demonstrably is here, what about weight based extraction, perfect, skill-free microfoaming, and automated, perfectly level, exact same force, tamping, is so different? Apparently not much, as the market has already responded to perceived demand. The next phase is bringing them together.

-Peter

pcrussell50 wrote:One one-hundred-thousandth is wasted with visible spillage? Hmmm...

Either way, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who disdains waste, although for me, it's not so much the waste, as the unnecessary imprecision. If I made 100shots in an eight hour shift, I can see how I might have a different perspective. But 2-6 shots over 12 or more hours? I spare no effort.

Me? My scale, like yours, weighs to the 10th of a gram. Therefore, so do I. I have found that one single bean (half) nominally weighs 1/10g...

-Peter

So it's an OCD thing. I get it.

For yucks and giggles, here's another vid:
Personally, I would not expend an iota (did I spell that right?) of effort to save .035g (1/4 bean) of coffee, but that's me. I'm very much in the "to each his own" camp when it comes to coffee.

In looking over the video again, I noticed that the grounds that were on the grinder mat were mostly in the center and possibly came through the bottomless portafilter as opposed to over the sides. Whatever.

Has anyone had experience using a smaller portafilter with the Sette? Curious how stable something like a Caravel portafilter would be.

That's what has been going on at Baratza with the new fork. I gave Kyle dimensions on 4 different machine PFs...the Oly Cremina, the La Pavoni (pre Millennium), the Elektra MCAL, and the Streitman CT1. The first 3 measurements were provided to me by our great friend, Richard Penney.
They guarantee the new PF fork will work for 49mm and up PFs.Those with caravels...it's 2.8 seconds for 12.5 grams, so use your OE small funnel and have at it! I have determined the Sette to be even superior to my lovely Kym Manual vintage grinder, and equivalent to a Pharos, but with a wee bit less body per pour than from a Forte ceramic burr or K30 Vario. The trade off with the flat burrs is the conical experience, but slightly less "out there" as to acidity. A "tweener", so to speak.

Fantastic. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for that, Rob. If it will fit down to our 49mm PreM Pavonis, glad it should also fit our Millennium versions too. Did you say you could get an OE funnel on, and still be able to hang the whole ensemble on the fork/hook, without too much ministration and gyration? This seems the crux of my argument with Al. I refuse to do without a funnel, (yogurt cup or OE), and fear that the fork arrangement might interfere with that. I don't mind a bit, holding the PF/funnel arrangement for 4.5s for an 18g load, (or less, for the Pavonis). In fact, I don't mind holding the PF/funnel for the 14 or fewer seconds it takes with a Vario.

-Peter

Do we know yet if the Sette obviates the typical grind coarseness change that occurs with changing bean weight in the hopper (since it pulls the beans in rather than gravity feeding)?

Peter, with the OLD fork, the funnel will sit slight up and the back, but nothing seems to escape. Truthfully, with the Strega I had no need for the funnel. With the Caravel, I don't use the fork...I keep the fork in "grounds bin" position, split wide.
With a yoghurt cup, you could cut a little split in the cup wide enough to accommodate the old fork's PF holder support thingy sliding through.

The new fork doesn't have that issue. The only issue would be how large from bottom to top is your PF. MOST should be able to accommodate the small OE funnel...more elegant than a cut down younger cup...and still allow free fall of all your grind. As I was reminded by I believe Alan, the caveat was to not allow the grinds to get shoved back up, or the grinder could be somehow damaged. So you do need enough clearance to allow all the grind to drop freely into the basket. Make sense?

jfrescki wrote:Do we know yet if the Sette obviates the typical grind coarseness change that occurs with changing bean weight in the hopper (since it pulls the beans in rather than gravity feeding)?

As Jim explained going back and forth is less about grind coarse to fine, and more about fines and stuff. Way above my pay grade. That said, the Sette is a superb single dosing grinder, why not just use it that way. With the timer version, just weigh you beans and go. After grinding, then run the grinder (if beans are in the hopper) to relocate your previous setting. It retains so little so waste might be at most a gram getting back.

If you MUST fill or partially fill the hopper, the grinder is so fast that you'll waste 10-12 grams, in 2.5 seconds...if you're lucky. Obviously going fine to coarser, you don't have to run the grinder. If it was me, knowing what I know (uh...ignore that one) I use the Sette as a single use grinder. What you have is an espresso grinder that single doses, with grind quality equal to grinders 3x's it's price, that wastes little, that retains .2-.3 grams at most, adjusts brilliantly, seems solidly built, has great customer service, and is a bit noisy...for 4-5 seconds. Well, 6 out of 7 positives.

Don't forget, I believe we've heard that these Baratza rascals may have a slightly different burr set designed for the coarser grind spectrum. Even so, I got more than credible grounds for vac pot and Kalita.

I've been asked privately, so I'll say publicly that if you're coming from, say a Mazzer Super Jolly, and like the deeper elements, the caramels, and darker roasts, I'd go with the Vario. If you change beens a lot, or grind fineness a LOT, I'd go with the Vario. That said, both the Sette and Vario/Forte have the "hopper stopper" so changing beans would maybe cost you 7-8 grams in the throat, unless you tip your grinder over, which I never do just to save 15 coffee beans.


Edited for egregious typos