... I thought Baratza was the $-it - and that I could get that grinder + Gaggia Classic = boom *god shots*...

... plus someone who really knows what they are doing - in other words, they can work around the limitations of the machine and the grinder - and with the right beans.

I know that I couldn't get a consistently decent shot from a Gaggia. The more you pay, the easier it is to play.

How to choose an espresso machine and grinder at the "right" price

Espresso 101: Newbie Introduction to Espresso [videos]

Hi All,

Got the grinder tonight. Put some approximately 3 week old medium/dark [Kicking Horse Pacific Pipeline] beans through it on #17 [60 settings, #1 being the finest]. I'd say it's pretty fine and close to the Zass on the finest setting. I can't comment on the particle distribution [where's a SEM when you need one] - but it feels decently uniform...

I'll do a long-term review comparison [say 4 weeks from now and 6 month] against a hand grinder just for records/comparisons sake..

Thanks for all the help.