I think it's probably "bowl" rather than "bowel," but perhaps . . .

edwa wrote:Writers on this thread have touched upon the popcorning issue a couple of times. On other posts, pictures show people using a variety of items in the tops of their Mazzers and Macaps like tampers, plumbing parts, etc. I've also read from Ken that he keeps a certain amount of beans in the hopper, I think it was something like at least 3 shots worth?

The question is what are the rest of you Cimbali owners doing?

I take after Ken in this regard, and keep maybe 5-6 shots' worth of beans in the hopper. That said, there is a "trap door" at the bottom of the hopper (like with a Mazzer) that you can close to prevent beans from descending into the burrs. On the rare instances when it runs out, I just slide that closed. No problem.

Cheers,
Jason

cannonfodder wrote:I don't think it is as big of a deal as I once perceived it to be. For me, the key is consistency. If you grid per shot, then always grind per shot and your grind will be consistent. If you put 30 grams of coffee in the hopper, than always put 30 grams of coffee in the hopper and the grind will be consistent.

Now if you put a half pound in there and set the grind, the last two shots will run noticeable fast as the grind shifts. I keep my grinder hopper full to just above the burr throat. That is around 3 shots worth of coffee. I grind make my shot and add a little back to keep the level the same.

Do you mean the popcorning isn't that big of a deal as you once perceived? That sounds like a good methodology, if I know I'm going to pull 4 shots in the morning keep 4 shots in the hopper and add 4 new shots worth before starting so that shots 1-4 are the same adjustment. Am I understanding correctly? Leaving the remaining 4 shots worth in the hopper for 24 hours won't be noticeably affected by oxidation? I think I've read that on another thread.

ken fox has commented in another thread that he is skeptical that beans suffer noticeably from being in the hopper for a couple of days. I think his comment was that if the un-ground beans go stale in that period of time, then "we are talking about something that stales faster than milk or bread." Maybe run a search for ken fox as the poster, with milk, bread and stale as the required terms.

I just dump a fresh pound in the hopper when it is empty. I finish a pound in 2-3 days, haven't had any go stale yet.

So, I did read that. Sometimes I just don't trust my memory.
I'm slower than you jmcphall, it usually takes me a full week to go through a pound but still, all this further warms me to replacing the Mini with a Hybrid if they come back in stock.

They are back in stock. Mine shipped today.

Tony at Chris' Coffee mentioned in an email last week that this shipment was small, with a larger shipment coming later in the month. So you might want to grab one now.

What can I say, I'm a coffee pig.

I think the Max/Hybrid works best with beans in the hopper, I think it's just designed that way, and it fits my usage pattern. Switching blends a lot would get old though, I don't think the hopper and throat design are as amenable to switching as other grinders are.

jmcphail wrote:I think the Max/Hybrid works best with beans in the hopper, I think it's just designed that way, and it fits my usage pattern. Switching blends a lot would get old though, I don't think the hopper and throat design are as amenable to switching as other grinders are.

I agree, John. It works fine for me with beans in hopper, but -- FWIW -- now that I think about it, my previously described methodolgy is off. I put about 0.66-.075 lbs.' worth of beans in an airtight container, and pour the rest in the hopper. When that goes, I just empty the container, refilling the hopper with the remainder of the pound. I haven't noticed anything getting stale, and I'm going through approximately a pound a week.

This isn't a "cupping" grinder. I think it would be difficult to switch blends frequently, but it's not impossible. That said, I've explored different blends and settled (pretty much) on the one blend I buy most often (Espresoo Vivace's Dolce). I have a second grinder that I use for decaf and for trying different blends -- I can grind a shot-at-a-time with little waste. If I really like something new, I'll be happy to "re-dial" the Max Hybrid with a new blend . . . but I haven't had to yet.

Cheers,
Jason

edwa wrote:Writers on this thread have touched upon the popcorning issue a couple of times. On other posts, pictures show people using a variety of items in the tops of their Mazzers and Macaps like tampers, plumbing parts, etc. I've also read from Ken that he keeps a certain amount of beans in the hopper, I think it was something like at least 3 shots worth?

The question is what are the rest of you Cimbali owners doing?

At the risk of offending some, I have to point out once again that the online coffee forums are a great breeding ground of obsessive compulsive coffee behavior.

Beans will not go bad sitting in the hopper for two or three days. Besides, repeatedly opening and closing sealed containers introduces plenty of oxygen into the container anyway. Popcorning is real. The last grind or two, if you let the hopper empty out, will nearly always be inferior (though drinkable) to grinds with a column of beans on top. Plus the grind takes much, much longer, if you are doing one shot at a time.

There is no, repeat NO reason to put one shot at a time into an espresso grinder, unless you are a professional cupper, sampling several different coffees in a row (in which case you should be using a different grinder). [EDITED]