If you adjust the grind coarser and updose, does the macap's grind clumpness(is that a word?) become quite close to those from the mini e?

I have had the MACAP Electronic for a few months now. I can not imagine using it without the WDT. Its clumps are glorious, gigantic, virile ... The large MACAP grinder was described in the Titan Grinder Project as large without being imposing. These clumps are imposing! If the Mazzer Robur wanted to clump, it would dream of clumps like these.

Truly, great clumps.

Matt

So, do all of you MACAP M4D owners have the clumping problem, or have the issue been fixed by the factory in newer batches?

Clumping is a problem with most every doserless grinder. The only one I have seen that did not clump was the Versalab. I prefer a doser grinder, the thwacking of the doser lever breaks up most of the clumps.

Hi Kim!

I bought a Macap M4D three months ago and I've never seen those "glorious" clumps people talk about here.

Yes, there are clumps, but nothing comparable to what I've seen in the pictures posted here. And I grind really fine! (I'm Italian and my feeling is that in my country we tend to grind finer and tamp lighter than in the US, and also that what we call espresso would be closer to a ristretto there).

The blend I use most is Passalacqua Ibis Redibis (60% Arabica / 40% Robusta) from Napoli. It's usually 1-2 weeks old and vacuum packed, of course.

Why I don't see those huge clumps? I don't know, maybe Macap have made some changes to this model recently. But I'm just guessing!

I simply distribute the coffee grounds with one finger, then tamp.
The outcome is consistently good, that's why I've never felt the need of using any time-consuming distribution technique.

Saluti,

Simone

Well, I have one and it clumps really bad. Till I read here and started stirring the grounds I always had coffee squirting everywhere. I bought it from Chris based on his glowing description on the website and when I recently called Chris to complain the person I spoke to said something to the effect of you've had it too long so we won't do anything and we've decided it clumps very badly and we won't be carrying it any more. In an earlier call a different Chris employee had said you think it clumps bad now, you should have seen the earlier versions.

Ira

Other factors will play into the clumps. Blend, roast level and humidity are three big factors.

cannonfodder wrote:Other factors will play into the clumps. Blend, roast level and humidity are three big factors.

Do you think these factors is the only reason why 'RomaCapoccia' and 'ira' are having such a different experience with clumps on the M4D? Or is it possible that there is a difference in the grinders. Either a newer version or maybe random variation in the production of the grinder?

I really like the Macap M4D, but would hate to own a grinder that clumps as much as on the pictures above.

Another thing regarding Mini E vs M4D..... As far as I have seen and heard from other coffeegeeks, the Macap grinds for a double espresso in 7-8 seconds while the Mini takes about twice that time. In my opinion this is a big + to the Macap, and probably why it is not equipped with a portafilter rest as the Mini My current grinder is a Rocky who takes about 30 second to grind for a double, which I find a very long time when preparing a series of shots. How can one tell from the specifications of a grinder how fast it is? I would really like to be able to compare the speed of some machines before buying my next grinder.

Regards
Kim

cannonfodder wrote:Other factors will play into the clumps. Blend, roast level and humidity are three big factors.

Good point! I didn't think about it.
BTW, this morning I've tried Pellini Superiore (100% Arabica).
As far as I know, given that Pellini is a northern Italian blend, the roast level should be way lighter than Passalacqua's (as I stated before it's a typical Neapolitan style blend: a lot of robusta and very dark roast).

I immediately noticed that the clumps were definitely bigger than usual.
I tried three times and the outcome was always the same. Then I tried with Passalacqua again and saw what I've come to expect.

All this seems to prove that at least two of the three factors mentioned by cannonfodder above, do make a big difference.

KimH wrote:As far as I have seen and heard from other coffeegeeks, the Macap grinds for a double espresso in 7-8 seconds

Yes, I can confirm that. I have set the double to 8.9 seconds. As you can imagine I don't rely entirely on that setting: the amount of coffee in the filter varies, but after checking many times with a scale, I've found out that it's very often within the 15-16 grams range that I find ideal for my shots.
It happens few times that the dose varies more, approximately from 14.5 to 16.5 grams.

In the first case I push the grind button again to add a little bit more coffee, in the second I remove some coffee when I distribute.
And, I repeat, my shots are consistently good. Very good actually (I've just had one)!

Having said that, I must admit that the consistency of my shots has improved dramatically since I bought an Elektra A3 two months ago.
I paired the Macap with my previous machine (an Isomac Relax Automatica) only for one month before upgrading to the Elektra and, although I got very good shots with that setup too, the result in the cup was definitely not as repeatable as it is now...

In conclusion, I'm very satisfied with the M4D and I don't think I'll need to upgrade for a long while.

Simone