Two things were the impetus for this idea.
First, I just gave up sbux and started brewing at home this year. Like a lot of newbies I went for the Silvia/Rocky set up. I have found that I must do the Weiss Distribution Method in order to get consistent shots because my doserless Rocky clumps the grinds.
Second, I found a local roaster and started picking up my beans weekly from him. He used to be a Marzocco rep and he told me about a new grinder they are working on that grinds directly into the portafilter (not the Swift, the one my roaster described has no tamping mechanism).
I imagine that letting the grinds fall directly from the burrs into the basket would produce consistently "fluffy" results. However, I had another idea, I wonder if imparting a charge to the grinds as they fell from the burrs would produce even greater consistency and fluffiness in the basket. It would work like those ionizing hair brushes and hair dryers that produce silkier hair. The grinds would distribute evenly and without clumping because each particle would have the same charge.
Just thought I would throw this out there. It is probably unnecessarily complicated but what do you think. Would it work? Would the charge affect the taste?

Interesting idea if it would work, and I agree the DL Rocky does make some decent rocks. The grinder you describe sounds similar to how the Versalab M3 doses directly into the basket, which is an ideal method as far as I see it. I am tempted to try some sort of wire mesh screening at the end of the chute (the plastic external chute) to break up the clumps, very simple and it might help. The WDT really does help with the issue if all else fails.

I'm sure Sharper Image would carry it if it were to exist.

It might work, but also might require more maintenance due to oils and dust building up on the ion screen.

I personally don't touch any of those ionizing things (especially air cleaners) because, while they do smell interesting, the byproduct of their operation is o-zone emissions.

Too gimmicky... probably. I did not know about the ozone emissions. The other idea I had was some sort of interlocking whisk system that would disrupt the fall of the grinds. This could be controlled by a pull lever in order to give the operator some control over the distribution.

That is one of the reasons I haven't bought an ionic air cleaner - I read some articles on the ozone issue but that's something to be debated I guess. Maybe something that works like a sifter might be good for fluffing the grounds, that could be beneath the burr area so that the coffee is ground and then sifted? Maybe it's just not realistic, though.

Direct path cognitively makes sense. Aside from the already existant M3, I've heard some gossip about a potential LM direct path grinder in the works. If fluffiness of grind not requiring the WDT is your goal (as it is for us all), why not just buy one of the big conical grinders such as the Kony and be done with it? Mission accomplished without having to delve into charged particle physics- A conical would probably be cheaper than something sold by Sharper Image anyway...

Spresso_Bean wrote:Maybe something that works like a sifter might be good for fluffing the grounds, that could be beneath the burr area so that the coffee is ground and then sifted? Maybe it's just not realistic, though.

I swear by the sifter. I logged on today specifically looking for others that have done this. I found out that AndyS tried it, but didn't notice a difference. I think he was using a grinder with a dozer. I have a dozerless Rocky, which most of us know clumps like crazy. My results with a sifter have been much different. I put a shallow bowl below the chute and put the sifter (more like a fine strainer) between the chute and the bowl and grind. As I grind, I shake the strainer back and forth and the grinds come down very evenly into the bowl. Less than a minute later I am done, finishing by pushing the last few grinds through the strainer and dumping the 30 or so that are too big to fit through. I then take a toothpick and gently dump the grinds into the basket. They are fluffier. I can barely up-doze a gram before some falls off to the sides, so I tap the basket lightly and keep going. I do NS then EW with my finger then Staub tamp. Results: best extractions that I have gotten from my Silvia. Sometimes I don't have time to do this technique and simply Weiss in the bowl, then Staub tamp. In my experience the Weiss technique breaks up the big and medium-sized chunks, but there are still plenty of little ones in there.

I was planning to call this the Harris Dozerless Distribution Technique, but perhaps I have been beaten to the punch. I like the results so much that I am starting to put together a design that uses common items to make a device just for this purpose. I don't see any reason why we can't have M3-like piles of coffee in our baskets without having to pay $1250.

Ryan

diab0lus wrote:I swear by the sifter. I logged on today specifically looking for others that have done this. I found out that AndyS tried it, but didn't notice a difference. I think he was using a grinder with a dozer. I have a dozerless Rocky, which most of us know clumps like crazy. My results with a sifter have been much different. I put a shallow bowl below the chute and put the sifter (more like a fine strainer) between the chute and the bowl and grind. As I grind, I shake the strainer back and forth and the grinds come down very evenly into the bowl. Less than a minute later I am done, finishing by pushing the last few grinds through the strainer and dumping the 30 or so that are too big to fit through. I then take a toothpick and gently dump the grinds into the basket. They are fluffier. I can barely up-doze a gram before some falls off to the sides, so I tap the basket lightly and keep going. I do NS then EW with my finger then Staub tamp. Results: best extractions that I have gotten from my Silvia. Sometimes I don't have time to do this technique and simply Weiss in the bowl, then Staub tamp. In my experience the Weiss technique breaks up the big and medium-sized chunks, but there are still plenty of little ones in there.

I was planning to call this the Harris Dozerless Distribution Technique, but perhaps I have been beaten to the punch. I like the results so much that I am starting to put together a design that uses common items to make a device just for this purpose. I don't see any reason why we can't have M3-like piles of coffee in our baskets without having to pay $1250.

Ryan

Sounds like a fine idea to me. There's a recent post on C-G, also touting the flour sifter approach.

BTW, if a sifter screen could be incorporated directly into the doser, it would reduce the hassle factor significantly.

RapidCoffee wrote:BTW, if a sifter screen could be incorporated directly into the doser, it would reduce the hassle factor significantly.

That's a good idea as long as the screen would allow, say, a coarse press pot grind to pass through. If I had a doser, I would try it.

The doserless Rocky has those two screws on the front for the chute that could be used to mount the entire assembly. It might be a pain for drip though. That would be a lot of thwacking.

RapidCoffee wrote:Sounds like a fine idea to me. There's a recent post on C-G, also touting the flour sifter approach.

BTW, if a sifter screen could be incorporated directly into the doser, it would reduce the hassle factor significantly.

I found a cheap small flour sifter at Goodwill and it fits my 49mm baskets perfectly. What a great addition to the Rocky doserless.
Thanks folks!
rp