The best grinder is the one you know how to tweak to effect change in your shot. A titan class grinder just makes it easier to figure that out and puts out consistent grinds given a setting and the same coffee.

Right now, probably EK with SSP burrs. Or perhaps some other grinders with SSP burrs, but I don't have much info on that (Yet, I plan to get a set for my EG and see if it's their EK burrs specifically or all of their stuff). There's people getting delicious >25% extractions in ristretto ranges in normal shot times.

I don't care how skilled you are, that result is completely impossible with most even "titan" class grinders. Equipment can't increase your floor, but it can certainly increase your ceiling.

In the past I've gone pretty hard down the grinder rabbit hole.

Right now I'm running a EK43 and Titus. They're both capable of making great high EY shots, but the workflows are very different.

Imho once you reach a certain point, there isn't better, only different.

I use the Titus for espresso and I'm delighted with it. It's got a very easy workflow with no RDT or WDT needed. I can easily adjust the RPM to tweak the grind (to stop channeling, especially with lighter roasts) which also allows me to run the grinder at different burr gaps, to again tweak the flavour. I think it also has a great look/design, it's small and unassuming, and you can modify the surface finished to suit your design tastes. I don't think I could ask for more. Taste wise you can hit 25% EY range. You end up riding the line between high yield shots where you get great flavour, but start getting a papery taste. With the L1 I'm running 2:1 shots because it's easy. I could probably run a higher shot if I wanted. The Slayer is in it's crate right now (house under renovations), so I'm not sure how right of ratio I could run with it.

The EK is good too, but a lot more work to get a shot. RDT the coffee, grind into a bowl (no aftermarket PF holder), quick WDT and dump into the PF using a jam funnel, then a nutate/tamp. Since I have the older style cast burrs (before MK started milling down the fines section of the burrs during the early Perger days) so shots run fast and long. Going to new style burrs (or the SSP's) would help. And if I modded to adjust for RPM you could slow it down / tweak it further. I end up running in the 2.5-3:1 area. Still get a high EY with great taste, which highlights the original flavours, but it's thinner shot. You could "fix" that with mods and upgrades, but even with mods I prefer the aesthetic of the Titus for espresso. So I used the EK for traditional brews.

I haven't had the pleasure of using a Monolith or LW yet.

CwD wrote:Right now, probably EK with SSP burrs. Or perhaps some other grinders with SSP burrs, but I don't have much info on that (Yet, I plan to get a set for my EG and see if it's their EK burrs specifically or all of their stuff). There's people getting delicious >25% extractions in ristretto ranges in normal shot times.

There are two posts in this thread about SSP EK burrs - have you guys used them and compared them against the latest EK "coffee" burrs? I am trying to work out if it is worth "upgrading" or if it is merely a change in taste profile, but not necessarily an improvement. I haven't been able to find much on this; I think that John Gordon basically said of his Gorilla burrs that they taste different but not necessarily better. I really like EKspresso and the ability to use filter roasts; if the SSP EK burrs emphasise roast flavours/make espresso close to a Robur/Mythos, I don't know that I'd really consider that an upgrade.

My considerations for a grinder are extremely simple:
1. Does it grind uniformly to get good extraction at low CBRs?
2. Does it need excessive grooming WDT and am I willing to live with that?
3. Maintenance.

1 is easily verified using a refractoneter.
2 needs a few sessions with a grinder.
3 needs long term...

I have a Versalab which suits me fine (I have yet to find an improvement in terms of 1&2 above). As for maintenance the Versalab is indeed a chore and after quite a bit of modification is now entirely reliable.

So while not "best" across the board it is the "best" for me. One day when there is a better grinder I'll replace it.

It's a simple matter of extraction. The more even, both in spread and peak, your grind, the higher the ceiling of what you can extract from the coffee. Mythos can extract a lot more than a Robur. EKs can extract a lot more than that Mythos. And SSP'd EKs are consistently getting somewhat higher extraction than stock from all reports I've seen.

It really doesn't surprise me Gorilla isn't better, they graph horribly. People love to hide behind "different" instead of facing objective measures.