I believe the alignment is all done by feel. Constant and even touching of the burrs when carefully turned, then lock that position in place.

Yes, but you can get 'no touching' of the burrs if you over tighten the inner burr too much into the outer burr. Yes, there's no rubbing of the burrs but you're still not aligned.

just a bit more feedback on the different burrs...keeping in mind that neither of mine have really been broken in

for some reason on my BB even without break in I was only having to do about 20 (+ or - 2) rotation for 18-20g...that being said, it was a bit difficult for the Mrs...put the TiN burrs in...very easy to turn (right out of the box) but way more than double the amount of rotations...from reading other posts the number of rotations should come down quite a bit as the burrs season...at any rate, I have both now

I might add...changing the burrs was cake (as expected).

...I'm a happy new HG One owner...

I just want to thank everyone in this thread. I've been researching all things home espresso like a maniac the last month or so in anticipation of buying my first machine and dedicated espresso grinder. I've read all 41 pages of this thread and quite a few other threads as well! I currently have a BDB on order and will be using it with my Virtuoso for a little while until I can save up for an HG one.

At first I was not convinced of the importance of a dedicated grinder having use/abused/and loved my Virtuoso for about 3 years now...I just figured I would dial it down to 2-5 and be living the dream. I'm glad I found this forum and so many people just as in love with coffee as me! Now I'll have the best home espresso grinder ever made!

I know some of you look down on the BDB, but hopefully I can get 5 years out of it, at that point I'll be ready to buy a single group Slayer! What a great hobby! My fiancé thinks I'm nuts already, but she still asks me to make the coffee!

I'm trying to fine tune by prep. currently I weigh in the little metal cup. grind into a glass cup and stir. Then pour into basket and distribute. Experimenting with grinding straight into the portafilter (via that wide norpro canning funnel and the HG one tumbler). any one else find another method? My pours look fine but I know they could be better.

Chanin wrote:I just want to thank everyone in this thread. I've been researching all things home espresso like a maniac the last month or so in anticipation of buying my first machine and dedicated espresso grinder. I've read all 41 pages of this thread and quite a few other threads as well! I currently have a BDB on order and will be using it with my Virtuoso for a little while until I can save up for an HG one.

At first I was not convinced of the importance of a dedicated grinder having use/abused/and loved my Virtuoso for about 3 years now...I just figured I would dial it down to 2-5 and be living the dream. I'm glad I found this forum and so many people just as in love with coffee as me! Now I'll have the best home espresso grinder ever made!

I know some of you look down on the BDB, but hopefully I can get 5 years out of it, at that point I'll be ready to buy a single group Slayer! What a great hobby! My fiancé thinks I'm nuts already, but she still asks me to make the coffee!

Best of luck to you on your purchase(s). For my needs, I have now owned my HG One for about a year now - and it has been everything it was advertised to be - and everything I hoped it would be. I use it daily, and it works just as well today as the first day I cranked it. I have the original design (not the 2014) with 71mm burrs, but I don't think it matters as they all seem to be of the same quality and produce top notch in the cup results.

I use my with my two Creminas and a Coffex, and again could not be happier with my choice. I have no desire to upgrade, switch or otherwise.

If mine were stolen today, I would buy another in a heartbeat.... and would recommend it to anyone as a primary home grinder.

PS - regarding your fiancé thinking your nuts, I think that is the secret to a long happy marriage! Keeps her on her toes, otherwise it gets boring. I have been married for 20 years and my wife thinking I am nuts grows yearly.... then again she is usually right.

Chanin wrote:I just want to thank everyone in this thread. I've been researching all things home espresso like a maniac the last month or so in anticipation of buying my first machine and dedicated espresso grinder. I've read all 41 pages of this thread and quite a few other threads as well! I currently have a BDB on order and will be using it with my Virtuoso for a little while until I can save up for an HG one.

At first I was not convinced of the importance of a dedicated grinder having use/abused/and loved my Virtuoso for about 3 years now...I just figured I would dial it down to 2-5 and be living the dream. I'm glad I found this forum and so many people just as in love with coffee as me! Now I'll have the best home espresso grinder ever made!

I know some of you look down on the BDB, but hopefully I can get 5 years out of it, at that point I'll be ready to buy a single group Slayer! What a great hobby! My fiancé thinks I'm nuts already, but she still asks me to make the coffee!

Just to comment on the BDB, I've had the BDB/HG One (2014) combo for over a year now and I am still absolutely delighted with the quality of coffee I can make on a daily basis. I upgraded to the HG from a Vario, and I do think it made a rather large difference especially once the burrs were seasoned on the HG. The BDB is a great machine for the price, although some coffees seem to have smaller "sweet spots" than others, and some sweet spots are quite tricky to find. There are a few local roasters which I can consistently make absolutely delicious espresso with. I literally get excited when I climb into bed at night knowing first thing when I wake up I get to taste that deliciousness once again

New HG owner chiming in.
I wanted to move up one more level from my Vario W and all my research pointed me in this direction.
It's double the price but if can give me 25% better espresso I will be happy.

I got it up and running with drip coffee today before I venture into setting my espresso grind and right away I can tell how much better it is in the cup compared to the Vario with the ceramic burrs. It's an unfair comparison because I think the Vario would do a great job with the metal burrs. So in a good way this grinder does it all without have to change burrs and I don't have to worry about calibration or losing a setting with the Vario when I go back and forth.
The flavor is a lot more intense then good restaurant coffee.
A thousand dollars is a lot of money but after seeing how well it was made it seems like a great value.

Last night I went over the grinder with a fine tooth comb and it was perfect. I was concerned about the alignment of the burrs and it appeared to be dead on.

I pulled my first shot this morning and I had to dial it in twice. I want to give my A/B comparison between the Vario while it's still fresh in my mind with the HG grinder nearly virgin.
I'm using a La Pavoni Strat with a 12.5 dose of Brazilian sweet blue SO. There is a night and day difference which surprised me.

-The Vario shot was dark with a hint of bitterness.
- The HG one was sweeter, It was Black Cat sweet. It was also smooth and finished well.

I'm not new to conicals, my first electric grinder was a Ascaso Imini and although it was a good grinder my friends Rocky was notably better so that had me upgrade to the Vario to get that flat burr taste that didn't disappoint. I wanted 25% better espresso but what I got was an entirely different espresso that is not quantifiable. My Vario grinds have always been fluffy and it was reported that the HG one is less but the opposite was true.
I think my guests who like sweeter tasting Lattes will prefer the HG ones flavor profile.

Here is another thing that can be done with the 2014 HG-One with its Blind Tumbler being modded. The modded Tumbler fits 58mm baskets only and will not fall off when jostled about.

https://vimeo.com/142333777