New grinder to pair with La Marzocco GS/3

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
Macphi
Posts: 46
Joined: 9 years ago

#1: Post by Macphi »

Hi Everyone,

I am on the market for a new grinder to pair with my GS3. Top considerations are quality of grind as well as small size. It is for home use, i.e. Circa 20-50 coffees per week.

I have been told to look at the M4D as well as the Mahlkonig pro m espresso.

What is your opinion? These, do they have positive review at this time and what would you recommend to consider (k30 looks awesome but is way too big for my home kitchen counter, so please do not mention it).

Thanks
Macphi

jeebsy
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Joined: 11 years ago

#2: Post by jeebsy »

K30 with short hopper is pretty compact. Can't think of anything that's smaller that would do the GS3 justice really.

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Compass Coffee
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#3: Post by Compass Coffee replying to jeebsy »

+1
Unless you're willing to manual grind with HG1.
Mike McGinness

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sweaner
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#4: Post by sweaner »

Here is a link to a picture of what your setup would look like with the K30:

https://www.coffeegeek.com/images/45514/IMG_0524.JPG
Scott
LMWDP #248

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shawndo
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#5: Post by shawndo »

There's always the versalab if you want to roll the dice



If money's no object, then call up terranova for a grinder.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

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uscfroadie
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#6: Post by uscfroadie »

I owned an M4D. Please do yourself a favor and mark that one off your list. It's on par with a Mazzer Mini, which is very sub-par for pairing with a GS/3. If you have room for an HG One, you definitely have room for a K30 (owned both of them too). ProM, I thought, was no longer made...at least it's not being imported into the US any longer. Might be different in France.

If you are really pressed for size - Versalab is a good candidate. If you don't want to single dose, maybe a Baratza Forte is a better choice (owned one of them too, but I'd highly recommend you step up to the K30 Vario).



Just my $.02.
Merle

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Peppersass
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#7: Post by Peppersass »

Among other things it depends on:

1. Budget
2. Single dose or hopper use
3. Counter space / cabinet height

To get the most out of the GS/3, you should get the very best grinder that meets your constraints and desires for 1-3 above. Otherwise, you're really not going to get your money's worth from the GS/3.

I don't have personal experience with them, but from what I've read the M4D and ProM are not up to the standards of a GS/3. ucsfroadie says the M4D is on a par with the Mazzer Mini. I had a Mini and felt it was sub-par, especially when it comes to consistency, which is crucial. Sounds like the ProM had a lot of mechanical issues, so I would stay away from that one as well.

The only "smallish" grinders suitable for pairing with a GS/3 are the Versalab (-style), Baratza Forte and HG-1. The original Versalab is about twice the cost of the other two. The Teranova-modified and Teranove-version will cost you about the same as the GS/3. To me, it would only be worth going with a Versalab-style grinder if you think hybrid burrs are the way to go. I've never tasted shots from a hybrid burr grinder, so I can't help you. The Versalab-style and HG-1 are specifically designed for single-dosing, so if that's your preference the Baratza Forte isn't the right choice. Although some claim that single-dosing is possible with the Baratza Forte and Vario designs, I had very inconsistent results trying to single-dose with a Vario. If you're OK with using a hopper, then the Forte might be the best compromise of the small grinders.

All that said, I think if you want the best consistency (and therefore the best taste), you should go with a large-burr grinder. The K30 with the mini hopper is probably the best choice if hopper feed is your style (it's not good for single dosing.) The Compak K10 with no hopper will fit under most cabinet, though you might have to pull it out to the edge of the counter to use it. Between the two, it boils down to whether you prefer flat burr to conical (the former is reputed to bring out more of the chocolate flavors and the latter more of the fruit flavors), and whether you prefer to single dose or use a hopper.

The soon-to-be-released Mahlkonig Peak may be your best bet for a hopper-based grinder with (really) large flat burrs, but it's going to be more expensive than a K30 or K10.

One of the grinders that I think gets overlooked is the Mazzer Major. It has massive flat burrs and is built like a tank. It's tall, but I suspect it could be used for single-dosing or perhaps outfitted with a small hopper. Used Majors come up for sale regularly.

Speaking of used, if I had it to do over again I might have considered going with a used grinder. As long as the motor is good and the alignment is good, and it's not impossible to clean (and you're willing to spend time doing that), a set of new burrs won't set you back a whole lot.

Macphi (original poster)
Posts: 46
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#8: Post by Macphi (original poster) »

Thanks everyone for your very helpful comments.

To answer a few questions:
Budget: ideally circa usd 1'000, but willing to spend more if there is a strong case behind it.
Single dose/hopper use: I am ok with hopper use
Counter space: this is one clear constraint for me

I haven't been able to make my mind yet but the comments on the forum have helped a lot and I have been researching all the models mentioned. In particular,I have been reading about the Baratza Forte or the k30 with mini hopper (but once again comes second in terms of counter space use) or the versalab (more expensive but what a beauty).

One question comes to mind at this stage: is the Baratza forte Available in Europe? Could it be branded differently, I have a hard time finding it on European retailers sites... And it looks similar in appearance to some Mahlkonig grinders...

Many thanks for your help,

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Marshall
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#9: Post by Marshall »

Macphi wrote:One question comes to mind at this stage: is the Baratza forte Available in Europe? Could it be branded differently, I have a hard time finding it on European retailers sites... And it looks similar in appearance to some Mahlkonig grinders....
Yes. It is branded as the Mahlkonig "Vario" in Europe (not to be confused with the "K30 Vario"). http://www.mahlkoenig.com/en_products/VARIO-home.html

In my experience, the original ProM was not ready for prime time as an espresso grinder. Calibrating it for fine espresso grinding stressed the adjustment mechanism, and it never went fine enough for some coffees. A ProM "Espresso" model went on the market, but was then withdrawn while electronic issues were worked out. My ProM now serves as my drip grinder, and I am very happy with my Mahlkonig K30 Vario for espresso.

While the Peak looks to be an outstanding grinder, expect it to be massively more expensive than the K30 Vario and noisy, with two large fans running. The noise is obviously less of an issue in a noisy shop, but even there some have noticed the noise from the K30 Air model, which is already in production.

The K30 Vario is well-proportioned to sit next to a GS/3:

Marshall
Los Angeles

Macphi (original poster)
Posts: 46
Joined: 9 years ago

#10: Post by Macphi (original poster) »

Thanks for posting Marshall,

Interestingly the pro m espresso is still on sale in Europe, but as I understand the general opinion is to stay away from it.

Hmm, decisions, decisions ....

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