I am looking to buy a Mahlkonig EK43, hoping to single dose, both espresso and pour over.

Will I be able to switch from one setting to the other very easily ? Or is a significant purge involved.

Also if anyone has experience using it for espresso, would be great to hear. Thanks.

This is an informative thread on the EK43: https://robdoescoffee.com/2015/11/11/ev ... -espresso/

Although the retention is very low on an ek, you still need to purge when changing grind setting, for the setting to take full effect.

But a more interesting question is, why do you want an ek? Is it because of reputation or do you have tasting experiences with it.

If you have not enjoyed at least a few dozens of shots, then I wouldn't advise you to get one!

And it is a grinder that needs more maintenance then the usual suspects, and yes you should disassemble the burr chamber, clean and lubricate it a "few" times a year.

To be honest only tasted ek for pour over at my local coffee shop, and few others. However never tasted it for espresso. My aim is to have one and only one grinder.

Look into both Monolith options - by the reviews here on the forums you will clearly not be disappointed ... and you'll save money!

If you have not tried espresso from an Ek, I would strongly advice you to do so. Espresso from an ek is not the same beverage as those you would usually get from an espresso grinder. The Body is thinner, more clean and transparent, with allot of sweetnes that I have yet to experince with other grinders.

Personally I have never been a huge fan of ek shot in milk, defiantly prefer normal espresso grinders for that type of beverage

From what I have been able to get from users of the monolith flat, the tasting profile seem to be somehow more in line with espresso grinders. How it performs in regard to black coffee is up in the air, you'll need to ask somrene who has allot of experience with both brewing methods with that grinder.

If I where to brew espresso again, the ek would not be my sole grinder, that much is sertain!

The ek is not exactly a cheep grinder, you can get other grinders that can be SD and be used for all types of coffees for less, these might not deliver exactly the same results..

In addition to the Monolith suggestion, the EG-1 is a fair bit pricier, but the stepped dial works well for switching between brew and espresso settings without losing your place. Can open the chamber and totally clean it with a rocket blower real fast too to make those big setting changes without purging anything. I wouldn't guess the Monoliths would need much of any purging either.

I keep my Bunnzilla around since it is still easier to have two, and I'm not short on space, but I'd be perfectly happy with just the EG with the amount of brew I do.

As with anything in life, there are tradeoffs between how well a grinder works for brewing and how well it works for espresso. Bulk grinders like the EK43 are best-in-class for batch brewing, and can also make delicious shots, featuring tons of clarity and sweetness. Where they struggle is in the ergonomics of dialing in a great shot. Because they are designed to make it quick and easy to make large grind-size adjustments, the micro-adjustments required to dial in a shot's flow-rate are harder to execute repeatably. For that reason, many who use these grinders end up searching for other means of controlling their flow rate (reduced pump pressures and nutation are both common among users).

With a purpose-built bulk-burr espresso grinder like the EG-1, you can precisely dial in a shot to a desired flow rate with great repeatability. But what is an advantage for the purpose of making espresso becomes a hindrance if you want to switch back and forth with batch brewing, because it will be a bit awkward to move all the way their and back using a very finely pitched adjustment dial. Like Mitch, I own both the EG-1 and a Bunnzilla, and since I do at least one batch brew per day as well as several shots, I wouldn't want to get rid of Bunnzilla because it is just so much easier for dialing in a batch brew setting.

If you have to choose just one grinder for both, I'd say start by saying which you want to do more of, filter brewing or espresso. If filter brewing predominates, the EK43/R120/Bunnzilla style grinders will be your best choice, and you can find workarounds to the ergonomic issues for shot pulling. If espresso predominates, consider an EG-1 or Monolith Flat, and deal with having to spin their adjustments all the way up and down every time you switch back and forth from espresso to batch brewing.

If you already have the budget for the EK43, and you have some space available in your setup, you could always purchase BOTH a Monolith Conical AND a Bunnzilla (requires slight mods) for the approx price of the EK alone. That will truly give you the best of both worlds, as other folks here have come to appreciate.

It gets you into 2 grinders instead of one, but it would last you a lifetime of variable coffee goodness.

When I was using the Bunnzilla for espresso I did find myself controlling flow with variables other than just grind setting a fair bit, but it still worked really well. That being said, I don't think I could recommend a single Bunnzilla for espresso and brew. It's fast to switch settings and the brew setting is repeatable, but it takes too much getting back where you were for the espresso setting. I can't comment on if the EK43 or Compak R120 are this way or not, haven't had a chance to use either.

As for the EG with brew, there is quite a lot of spinning. I wouldn't mind having to do it a ton since I don't do brew all that often, but if it's a daily thing for you it's probably best to get two grinders. I can see it getting old fast doing it daily.

If space is too tight for a Monolith/Bunnz combination and you're not grinding a lot of coffee at a time, you could get a dedicated espresso grinder and a nice hand grinder (e.g. Lido, Feldgrind, Helor, etc) for brew.