In any case it looks like you need a brewing grinder, not another espresso grinder. The Vario might be a good choice, with the standard burrs you can use it from brewing, as well as espresso grinding when you have people over and you don't want to use the Pharos. You can get fancy and swap in the steel burrs and make it an brew-only grinder.

jwCrema wrote:I never imagined that a grinder like a Mazzer Mini or Vario would be unable to beat the Pharos in espresso grind. Why is that? Is there a review/article that explains this? Are the particles not consistent enough in size or ?

If you read the specs of the Pharos you'll see it has 68mm conical burrs whose inside surface gives the grind equivalent of a Mazzer Robur or Compak K10. There is so much written on this site about that from when the Pharos was introduced. Do a Search and you'll see. It was a huge price breakthrough at the time and is still the biggest bang for the buck in espresso grinding. So ... for research, read the old threads around the Titan Grinder Project and consider that the Pharos has equivalent burrs. There is another hand grinder ergonomically superior to the Pharos but not better for grind quality, the HG One. But it is way more expensive.

cnworld wrote:That is completely subjective. You won't find any review or acticle that shows that to be true. It's just an opinion.

You're the only person I've come across that argues against the pharos compared to the vario and mazzer mini. I've had a vario and I can tell you the HG One beats it in every way shape or form. Sounds like your hg one might have issues? I don't have nor have I used a mazzer mini, so I wont comment.

However, it's your opinion and its a perfectly fine one. I just wanted to voice a dissent for anyone reading this.

I cannot comment greatly on cold brew prep. I Just wanted to make one observation from having owned a mini e. If you need big changes in grind setting, I don't know that any mazzer is a good choice. That collar adjustment can be an enormous pain to move around if you are looking for more than small adjustments. It's really stiff, but then it has to be to hold the setting.

Cold brew needs a drip grind. There is a coffee shop near me that inspired me to pursue it. Their cold brew using a roast from Doma, with a drop of h&h tastes like a Bailey's without the alcohol. The best system for making it I've found is a Filtron and it costs about $40.

I'm a scientist myself, so I don't make light of a technical analysis. Never the less, the real test with coffee is the taste in the cup. My experience is that it is mostly a frustrating waste of time to seek the one grinder that can do everything. The best answer is to select an espresso grinder that works for you - and, if desired, a second grinder that works for press, drip, cold extraction, or whatever. And I say that as someone who owns a Vario. Best to set the Vario for espresso and use it that way. I personally use a Virtuoso for press and drip. From what I understand, a Pharos for espresso and a Lido 2 for coarser grinds would probably also serve you well if you prefer manual grinders.