Hey HB members,

I would like to use this community to bounce some questions off please.

What do you consider to be balance in a cup? the reason I as this is that some of the best coffees that I have had have not been 'balanced' in that all things were present. Some of the most interesting coffees that I have not been balanced( hope you understand what I mean).

Secondly, what is the milk like in Italy, are there any milk suppliers there that you would recommend?

Thirdly, I have used a Kony and my blue Major before in a competition where I used them to emphasise different things in the coffee. The Major tended to emphasise the body making the coffee more bold and the Kony emphasised the complexity. I am thinking about getting a Robur for the worlds and doing the same thing. The major would be used for my Cappuccino's and the Robur for my Espresso's.

The question is this, Do you think that the Major is a good enough flat burr grinder? The reason I ask is that the k30's blades look more advanced(i am a sucker for shiny things )

Thanks for your guys help in advance.

Well, Pete did win with a double k30 last year.

Third place had a Robur, we all know what second place used.

I would think a major will do you right, given the propensity for flat burrs showing bass notes, which I like in a capp. Having said that, this is the big leagues, why compromise?

As far as balance goes, I see shots to be balanced if they're in a range of extraction that is not dominantly bitter or sour in a way that detracts from the optimal taste the coffee can offer. A shot can still be balanced, but pushed toward acidity to bring out fruits, or more toward bitter to accentuate chocolates. It becomes unbalanced to me when bakers chocolate becomes woody instead, or when fruit becomes sour. I would tend to agree that interesting coffees are not necessarily balanced completely.

Good luck in the WBC, and please share with us any video of your performance.

Third place had a Robur, we all know what second place used.

What did second place use?

Matt Perger's mind blowing WBC performance

i use a k30 and a major-e side by side everyday...

from purely a ease of use, speed and consistency standpoint within a commercial environment, i much prefer the k30.

the major-e has an issue for us where the grinds shoot out of the chute with so much velocity that the coffee will build up at the front of the dosing funnel. There can easily be 5+ grams of coffee stuck there so we do a tap on the funnel while it's grinding.

as far as speed, i can get a 18 gram dose from the k30 in about 3.5 seconds compared to about 6-7 seconds on the major. also the k30 has the advantage of being able to just insert the portafilter on the fork and doing other tasks while dosing.

taste standpoint...i havent noticed much of a difference but i feel like the k30 results in better body and mouthfeel.

oh, a complaint about the k30, when the bean level drops to a certain level, the espresso will run long. it's really annoying. i wish mahlkonig would redesign their hoppers to something like the mazzers that have the little bean weight reducing thing in it.

Hi guys,

I have modded my major to a point where it can outperform the k30 in terms of speed, distribution of grinds etc. I have a k30 in my cafe as my main grinder because of it being able to hold a portafilter and use my Major as my decaf(not really coffee:))

I am interested in the quality in the cup. Money isn't really a issue, there has been an overwhelming response from the coffee people here. Im sure I could get any grinder I need.

Modding the Mazzer 2

I have done some more mods to the grinder since then, this is a really old video.

Has anyone used the Compak K10 fresh?

I do, it was my upgrade from a Mazzer mini E It gives very fluffy output, and a huge stepless range. The digital readout counts from 1-100, all espresso, and it takes several full turns of the adjustment knob to go from 50-60, and maybe a half turn to go from 50 to 52. Takes a lot of getting used to. I use a Mahlkonig Pro-M espresso next to it, if it somewhat compares to the K30 vario. The K30 is also fluffy, but not as fluffy as the K10F. The k10F would overfill a 15 grams basket with 15 grams of coffee, the Pro M may need 17 grams. But the Pro M needs no prep work to show a nice naked extraction, the K10F needs settling of half the dose in the basket then filling the rest and leveling, so the K30 is more forgiving of technique.

Taste wise, The K10F gives more defined notes, while the Pro M mellows the notes and add more body. The K10F can go much finer than the Pro M, so I can pull some really sweet shots of smaller doses.