1Zpresso J-Max Grinder Compared to Niche Zero? - Page 3

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
_Ryan_
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#21: Post by _Ryan_ »

anisevance wrote:Ryan, any kind of testing you could do would be amazing! Do you happen to have a sifter (e.g. the Kruve)? Or another tool to measure grind size and distribution?

On the off-chance that you do:

Essentially, if you dial in a 30 second shot from a medium to light roasted bean on both the Mazzer and the J-Max, I'd be interested in the particle size distribution. Of course, we'd expect the Mazzer to outperform the J-Max, but by how much? And where in the distribution does the outperformance occur?

If it's possible to run the test across multiples beans, that would be amazing -- but I won't push my luck here :)

And in the likely event that you don't have a sifter or some other tool, I'd still be curious as to your impression of the espresso produced by the J-Max v the Mazzer!
It arrived today. I was looking at the Kruve sieves last night and they're a bit over kill for once a year usage in my house. :oops:
I also don't consider myself an expert. I don't consider my Mazzer Mini E (64mm burrs) amazing but I consider it fit for purpose. I had a quick play with the J-max today and have challenged myself to put a kg through it in the next 3-4 weeks and get good at dialing it in so that I can fairly compare it as it's my first hand grinder. That won't be much use to you.

I have a medium roasted Ethiopian at home, a Kenyan arriving tomorrow and getting a blend on the weekend so should be able to compare them. It seems a poster or two above me has some experience and can provide some insights?

anisevance (original poster)
Posts: 8
Joined: 2 years ago

#22: Post by anisevance (original poster) »

Sorry for my delay in response y'all! Last few days at work have been hectic.

Jeff, Jonk, and Ryan: thank you all for your responses! As always, quite helpful. Jeff, your deep dive into how you assess quality was full of great insights for me!

Jonk, yes, if possible and if you have the extra beans, any distribution testing you could do would be great. Even given the caveats, I think it would be interesting and helpful.

And, Ryan, agreed -- for once a year testing, the Kruve sieves might be a bit much. As someone who doesn't cycle through many grinders (and who has been given a strict budget for coffee equipment at home by my better half!), I haven't been able to get the Kruve sieves (yet). That said, any reflections you have on the taste of the shots you pull from the J-Max would be very much welcome and appreciated :)

_Ryan_
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#23: Post by _Ryan_ »


Attached an image. What came out didn't look super pretty, or maybe my expectations are off. Sorry it was with the iPhone, cbf running downstairs for the real camera.

I'll run some of the same bean through the Mazzer and put the output side by side as I finish off what's in the Mazzer (a fantastic Ethiopian Sidamo).

I've had the bean in the Mazzer that I had from the 1zpresso this morning and it was lacking from the J-max. It just lacked the flavors that make a great Kenyan a great Kenyan (Chania Estate). I don't have the refined adjectives for it. :roll:
I'll do a few more shots to rule out dialling but the extraction was great and otherwise flavor balance was spot on.

Jonk
Posts: 2176
Joined: 4 years ago

#24: Post by Jonk »

I just tried out my Kruve for the first time. I'm sorry to say it's not nearly efficient enough to sieve espresso fine grounds and I wouldn't rely on any data even if someone perseveres.

ojt
Posts: 837
Joined: 6 years ago

#25: Post by ojt »

The grinding experience between these different but similar hand grinders can be quite different. From what I've observed around in the various groups is that in general the faster the grinder the harder it is to crank. Also based on just observing it seems that the Apollo is harder to crank than Kinu, which in turn is harder to crank than Comandante (which is slower I think?). Also the Kinu with the brew burr is way smoother to crank but much slower, than with the standard burr. I do not know about the 1ZPressos but I suspect they might be closer to Apollo than Kinu.. not sure at all though.

Personally with the Kinu I have zero issues cranking out 14 to 18 gram doses of very light roasts for espresso, and I am not a big guy at all.

Sorry, just a slightly OT note I felt like sharing. :)
Osku

_Ryan_
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#26: Post by _Ryan_ »

Particle distribution in a review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Pyrd_FH5o

_Ryan_
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#27: Post by _Ryan_ »

anisevance wrote:Ryan, any kind of testing you could do would be amazing! Do you happen to have a sifter (e.g. the Kruve)? Or another tool to measure grind size and distribution?

On the off-chance that you do:

Essentially, if you dial in a 30 second shot from a medium to light roasted bean on both the Mazzer and the J-Max, I'd be interested in the particle size distribution. Of course, we'd expect the Mazzer to outperform the J-Max, but by how much? And where in the distribution does the outperformance occur?

If it's possible to run the test across multiples beans, that would be amazing -- but I won't push my luck here :)

And in the likely event that you don't have a sifter or some other tool, I'd still be curious as to your impression of the espresso produced by the J-Max v the Mazzer!
After a couple of months of ownership I thought I'd provide an update.

- It's been great on camping trips with the Nanopresso, compared to taking beans ground at home. The (depressurised) Nanopresso will extract better than a pod machine and some espresso machines I've used.
- I've used it daily for v60, but have nothing to compare it to.
- Used it for cold drip (Hario WDC-6 dripper) and cold brew (Hario mizudashi) but no direct (recent) comparisons to the Mazzer.
- It doesn't seem to clump as badly as the Mazzer
- I've been doing some back to back shots to compare it to the Mazzer Mini E (64mm burrs)
-- I didn't dial in the same 'time' for the shots when comparing, but I kept the dose the same and targeted the same yield(where it made sense based on taste). I am curious if each grinder prefers a different ratio and might play with that a little more as my next bean should be almost ready to drink (was getting low when doing some tests today so I didn't try extremes). Really should be comparing the best dialed shot for each grinder.
-- It has a wider range of "good enough" shots than the Mazzer
-- I'd say the average shots are 'better' than the Mazzer.
-- The "best" shots aren't as good as what I get out of the Mazzer, but that's down to preference, I look for clarity and presentation of fruits on the palate and florals on the nose.
-- It has a lower ceiling than the Mazzer, potential wise. Seems almost muted in a way when you know what can be extracted from the bean. - Or maybe I need more time with it.
-- It produces nicer viscosity and mouthfeel than the Mazzer
-- The flavor profile is a little more well rounded, but lacks the definition of the flavors that makes the coffees I've been drinking great.
-- You can use a drill with a 1/4 inch attachment to grind when you cbf hand grinding for espresso. Makes back to back shots easier.
I've been drinking a couple of different natural Ethiopians from different roasters,medium-light (not filter light, but suitable for filter too), and had a great Kenyan (filter roast and med-light espresso roast),

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