Hey all,
I am about to purchase a Cafelat Robot or Espresso Forge. Would the Pharos 2.0 or M47 be better for daily use? Right now we use Aeropress, but will be getting a manual espresso machine soon- probably either Cafelat Robot or Espresso Forge. I would like something that does not need burrs to be realigned or calibration, if possible. I will be using mostly city and city+ single-origin roasts, so ability to do lighter roasts important as well.

So criteria:
-Taste quality
-Ease of use with city and city+ roasts
-Easy to dial-in for espresso and possibly some Aeropress.
-Quiet

Random question- can beans pop out of the top of Kinu M47, since it does not have a lid?

Thanks & Peace.

I have the the Forge, Flair, and Robot. Each one has its pros and cons. The Flair is the most portable out of all of them, but has the lowest high dose possible (17ish grams). The robot is the most ergonomic and quickest to set up and clean, but is a bit heavy for traveling (camping/hiking). The Forge is my go-to for hiking and I actually took it with me to the Tetons. Accepts standard baskets and tampers. Can pull shots similar to what I can do with my Mistral. Set up is a bit awkward because pouring hot water into the tube can get iffy at times even with a funnel. Clean up is also a bit more cumbersome, but not too bad.


I had the Orphan 2.0, but traded it away for the Kinu. I liked the Orphan while I had it, but I had to align the burrs (meticulously) and grinding is somewhat of an ordeal (bench dogs, side grip, etc) when doing light roasts. I went for the Kinu because I've always wanted something a bit more portable and didn't want to deal with the possibility (however small) of having to align another grinder (like a lido). The Kinu should be in my hands in the next few days for some real tests, but from what I've read, I don't expect it to be anything short of excellent.

Pharos is 68mm big burrs and a short handle, direct drive, no gears. Light roasts is quite a workout. You have to clamp it down on a sturdy bench.
I expect a 47mm geared grinder will be a bit easier to crank.

Agree with cebseb

Pharos 1 is challenging on light roasts. Without a clamp, your hands may suffer holding onto the thing. Don't know if anything burr related was changed.

I took it travelling with my Flair. I enjoyed the results but I acknowledge that it's a crazy combo, but it's what I had.

At home I use a Sette and grind right into the Flair baskets which is nice.

if you like light coffees, a PID kettle might be good. I adjust my temps easily based on roast level.

I do have to admit that I'm eyeing down the Helor 106 to see how it fares against other grinders. My grinder island finally has some space for new entries.

Just another similar chime in here: I have an EspressoForge and currently using a Mahlgut MG-1 grinder (same 68mm burr set at the Pharos) which replaced my original but modded Pharos and I couldn't be happier: The occasional home use as well as my go-to set-up for traveling and camping use.

I have a very modded LandCruiser and fabbed a plate mount that permits quick attachment of the MG-1 to the rear bumper so grinding any level of roast is easy. I've served 4-6 guys in camp morning cappas as well as trail side afternoon espressos and it works great.

HTH.

Thank you all for your input and feedback. I am not a newbie to espresso, just finding it difficult to dial-in a system for high altitude and off-grid use

Btw, @spressomon espresso tastes so much better when camping!!

Do you use your Espresso Forge @ high altitude? I would like something that can have a high enough brew temp for single-origin city and city+ beans @ 7,000 feet.

Do you think there will be much difference in cup between Pharos 2.0 and Kinu M47? Shot quality is very important, but also don't want to have to spend a lot of time realigning burrs, if the 2.0 loses alignment as easily as other have reported about the 1.0 version.

Thanks & Peace.

A little too late but there was a Mahlgut MG-1 like mine in the Buy/Sell forum last week...I like it much better than my former Pharos (given the price difference this is a little unfair for comparing). But given they're no longer made, a Pharos 2.0 would be my 2nd choice. I am not a very patient person when it comes to grinding for 3-4 or more espressos...so I'd opt for a 68mm burr set hand grinder (my MG-1 is typically 30revs +/- for 18-20g of beans...whereas my Feldgrind is 100revs). I can't offer any feedback comparing 68mm & 47mm burr sets.

Yes, I've camped at 10,500' +/- on too many occasions to count and pulled wonderful espresso (dittos cappas with my Bellman stove top steamer). For higher elevation I find FC/FC+ easier and tastier to pull (generally and all things being equal) due to the typically lower brew water temp and bigger sweet spot. My go to beans for most camping excursions: Dragonfly Vesuvius Espresso, Buena Vista Black Canyon (et al from them).

Pic from another backcountry Death Valley explore & camp a couple weeks ago...on the tailgate of my LandCruiser.

Kind_Karma wrote: Do you think there will be much difference in cup between Pharos 2.0 and Kinu M47? Shot quality is very important, but also don't want to have to spend a lot of time realigning burrs, if the 2.0 loses alignment as easily as other have reported about the 1.0 version.

Thanks & Peace.

And now-to make things even more difficult-Kinu has posted a video about a new Kinu M47 traveler: New Kinu M47 Traveler

I love my M47, use it with a La Pavoni Professional and Portaspresso (as well as an array of pour-over methods). Some find it a bit heavy for travel. Now that wouldn't be a an issue!

Yeah, I posted a link to the new Kinu M47 Traveler in Grinders forum. Other than the changes in catch cup, I liked that the Kinu m47 has been around used quite a bit by others and there were no significant issues. Will have to see if Traveler will be able to match reliability and grind consistency with more portability to boot!

@spressomon Did your Pharos ever need to have burrs realigned? Not just for traveling, but could you see yourself using Pharos as daily driver? Thanks for sharing pics, your friends are lucky to camp with you!!

Thanks & Peace.