My dad has a Mazzer Mini--he makes regular for my mom and he drinks decaf. So he is always dialing his mazzer back and forth and is having a lot of inconsistencies. I am thinking the Baratza Vario may be a better grinder for his purposes--or just having two grinders. Would the Vario be good for going back and forth between two different blends? I'm not sure he has enough room in the kitchen for another grinder. He could sell the Mazzer and maybe come out about even.
Rob

If you have funds I'd recommend two grinders. It is much easier if you don't have to switch grinds back and forth. Vario is pretty good, but I experienced that it needs little time to adjust between larger grind changes.

I agree with your statement about two grinders. I have two: one for decaf and one for regular.
So, are you saying that it is not necessarily easy/reliable to go back and forth between two different grind settings? I would presume that he would only have to change the micro setting.
Rob

When I had a Mazzer I would load it for each dose (with no hopper) and then pop a plastic tamper into the throat. With the Vario I have to keep a hopper on it, and it has plastic fins at the bottom to keep fingers out of the grinding chamber, so I can't use a tamper to weight the beans and I keep the hopper full. So, it is a small hassle to change beans.

If you do not mind turning the Vario over to empty it between beans, then it might work out well. I would probably keep using the Mini unless I saw a great deal and then have two grinders.

I use the baratza vario and switch regularly between reg and decaf, putting in enough for one shot at a time. About 14 g for reg and about 16 or 17 g for decaf. There are typically about 2 or 3 clicks on micro slide difference between the two and I find it easy to dial in quickly and produce consistent results when switching between types. I did the same with my previous grinder, a mazzer mini. It was doable but harder to move the collar to adjust and harder to empty between shots. I am much happier with the ergonomics of the vario and could not detect a taste difference in side by side comparisons. I recommend the change.

rbh1515 wrote:Would the Vario be good for going back and forth between two different blends? I'm not sure he has enough room in the kitchen for another grinder.

I have no trouble switching between settings on the Vario. I grind only for the coffee that I am making (espresso or syphon) so there is no issue with refilling the hopper. I switch frequently between different coffees as well as methods of making coffee. The Vario will grind all of a single dose without leaving significant residue.

Good information! Thnx.
Rob

As much as I like the Mazzer Mini, I think the Vario is a better "Dad grinder" in general. I say this because my Dad has no interest in pro-style dosing, brushing out dosers, etc.

I do prefer to operate the Vario with a full hopper -- the timer is much more effective, the grind is faster, and I think the cup quality is improved. I wouldn't want to alternate between coffees every-other-shot on a Vario, personally.

Get the Vario, keep the Mini?

portamento wrote:I wouldn't want to alternate between coffees every-other-shot on a Vario, personally.

If you are grinding by weight it works fine. Did you have a problem alternating between coffees?

hperry wrote:If you are grinding by weight it works fine. Did you have a problem alternating between coffees?

I started off weighing the whole beans on a gram scale and single dosing. It works, but I don't like it as much. To its credit, the Vario doesn't popcorn a whole lot, but it definitely grinds less efficiently when it's down to the last few grams in the hopper. I feel the grind quality suffers slightly when single-dosing. And you completely lose the killer feature of the Vario, which is timed grinding to a tenth of a second. If you fill up your hopper with one coffee, you can dial in pretty consistent doses with the timer.

Also, when switching from caf to decaf, you'll want to sacrificially grind a bit of decaf to purge the last bit of caf out. Retention on the Vario isn't much, but pulsing the empty grinder does not purge it completely, I find.