ROK Coffee Grinder - Owner Impressions - Page 5

#41: Post by **dmw010** » October 26th, 2015, 1:48 pm

I thought I'd post some thoughts on how the espresso tastes using the ROK grinder. Compared to my Fiorenzato Doge Conico, with an 18g dose and all other brewing parameters the same on my Duetto, I would say the shots using the ROK are pleasant enough but with fewer distinct flavors (I think someone else described it as "flat") and less body (definitely not syrupy). I got a similar result with my Caravel (with a lower dose and less liquid output, of course).

On the Duetto, I've noticed a fair amount of very fine, wet particles left in the basket after dumping the puck after every shot, which I do not get from my Doge. On the Caravel, my pucks are always soupy, so no change there.

The ROK is a $129 grinder that can produce an acceptable espresso, so I think I have to say that's satisfactory.

It will be interesting to see how the grinder performs over time, particularly with the amount of burr contact at espresso settings.

#42: Post by **JohnB.** » October 26th, 2015, 2:00 pm

dmw010 wrote: The ROK is a $129 grinder that can produce an acceptable espresso, so I think I have to say that's satisfactory.

We paid $129 but it is meant to sell for $250 from what I've seen. For anywhere near that price they need to cure the burr alignment issue which will improve the quality of the grounds.

#43: Post by **vit** » October 26th, 2015, 2:24 pm

Can someone post a close up photo of the burrs or say how the quality of machining looks like.
I mean, swiss burrs in Lido look really quality made, while from photos of ROK burrs available so far I''m not sure.

I never read about 5s waterfalls if Lido, Hausgrind, Rosco etc are used, unlike here, and on the other side, I also got acceptable shots with my Hario and Sözen (sometimes), which doesn't mean they are good for espresso, as they are not

#44: Post by **m03ppp** » October 27th, 2015, 5:06 am

I believe that the lido2 and rok grinder both use the same burr type. They both use 48mm conical burrs that are used by saeco and various others.
http://www.coffeemaker-spareparts.com/i ... 3818_0.jpg
http://www.coffeemaker-spareparts.com/S ... :3818.html

OE lists this technical drawing of the lido burr set. The pdf says at the top F04800100_Saeco, F04800100 is the part number of a 48mm conical burr set made by italmill.

http://www.oehandgrinders.com/assets/im ... %20Set.pdf

I don't know if there are several manufacturers of this burr set or if they all come from italmill.
http://www.italmill.it/macine_steelmill_en.php

If this is correct and the OE burrs do infact come from that fancy swiss company they may be worth a try (although the pdf contains italian so they might just resell italmill burrs) ?!

#45: Post by **vit** » October 27th, 2015, 6:04 am

Burrs in ROK grinder are definitively not the same italmill burrs used in Lido 2

http://www.poisonvine.com/wp-content/up ... G_5825.jpg

From the photo they surely look better than burrs from China used in some other manual grinders, but hard to say without closer look

#46: Post by **m03ppp** » October 27th, 2015, 6:21 am

Hmm .... I think you are right. The holes on the lower burr are positioned differently on the lido burr set. Too bad might have been a great replacement.

October 27th, 2015, 4:53 pm

The pdf on the OE website that you linked to is out of date. The Saeco Royale burrs or something very similar were in the early Lido2's, but are not currently used in the Lido2. There are other manufacturers of this burrset. Italmill's version is original-equipment Saeco/Gaggia (and presumably OE), and are roughly double the cost of the others from parts suppliers.

Current production (Lido 2/3/E) uses a burr designed and produced by Etzinger, not Italmill. Etzinger is the same company that makes Baratza's burrs, leading some people to think that the OE and Baratza burrs are the same.

#48: Post by **JohnB.** » October 27th, 2015, 6:41 pm

My Lido 2 dates back to when Doug & Barb were still assembling them. I've used it for espresso while traveling & gotten decent shots. The shots that I pulled using the ROK & Bosco the last few days were definitely better. How much of that is due to the Bosco & how much the ROK I can't say. I'm getting nice creamy shots with good mouthfeel & plenty of crema but I am grinding pretty fine. My only complaint at this point is the intermittant burr contact at slightly coarser settings. If that clears up as the burrs break in I'll be quite happy with the little guy.

#49: Post by **lpranal** » October 28th, 2015, 10:04 am

Just to update - this grinder seems to be a much better match to my machine now that I've modified the OPV down to ~10 bar. the stock is over 12 I believe - (you can read all about THAT adventure here: http://www.gaggiausersgroup.com/index.p ... 825.0.html). Still have to grind with burr contact all around, but as others have noted it's not really hurting anything. I suspect this is the 'breaking in' process rok talks about. I'm able to finally get really good shots that perform well in a naked PF, lots of fruit notes in the cup, and I can pull some pretty awesome ristrettos. I think I'll pick up a triple basket and finally do some really interesting stuff

#50: Post by **orduek** » October 28th, 2015, 10:51 am

lpranal,
do you still use the grinder without the spring?