Single dose grinder, do I want it? - Page 4

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
Mat-O-Matic
Supporter ♡
Posts: 306
Joined: 5 years ago

#31: Post by Mat-O-Matic »

Several 2-cent notes.

What about the Lagom Mini? I have no experience, yet it fits most of the OPs thoughts.

A friend has the Oro, and it performed quite well. We had several excellent shots from it.

Conical vs flat - the differences are real, but without side by side, and at this moderate price point, I am not sure those differences will actually be apparent in regular use. The clarity sought will be most important in roasts medium or lighter, which should drive other considerations.

As mentioned above, single dosing will gain a lot of advocates for reasons that may not be as crucial as some would suggest. I do think the question of retention vs purging in this case suggests SD as a better option, but with even slightly more use, hopper feeding would be fine.

Small drawbacks and the principle of cheaper-made knock-off-style grinders, as well as hand grinding on the regular are hard passes for me. My reasons are my own, and many counter arguments are valid. Any purchaser can feel good deciding their preferences in such matters.

My experience with the Niche suggests it's excellent at its ~$600 price point. At the higher premiums it sometimes commands, I am less convinced of its value.

Ugly or not, the Vario and Sette would do well, and I feel at least their finish level and design is better looking than a DF64.

Regardless of single dosing or hopper feeding, the bag of coffee show degradation by the end at the slow rate of use. Searching forums will offer solutions. Personally, I'd freeze half in an airtight container, and bring it to room temp without opening one day before using the second half.
LMWDP #716: Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

Mat-O-Matic
Supporter ♡
Posts: 306
Joined: 5 years ago

#32: Post by Mat-O-Matic »

If used works, there are several grinders in this forum that would suit. A K3 Touch, an inexpensive E37SD, a Niche, and an Atom 75 (which would need slight purging, but is big flat burrs that many people do SD with).
LMWDP #716: Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

Mirazur (original poster)
Posts: 37
Joined: 1 year ago

#33: Post by Mirazur (original poster) »

JB90068 wrote:First opinion that I'll offer is that not all conicals are alike. What I mean by that is that there are some that are more of a hybrid and bridge the gap between a traditional conical and a flat. This is where perhaps the HG-2 is a worthwhile consideration. I have a Key which has the same burrs as the HG-2. I also have an EG-1 and have played with an NZ. In my not so objective and limited experience, the Key offers shots that are cleaner than the NZ and closer to the EG-1.

You mentioned that you are considering an Oro SD. This really nothing more than a cosmetically altered Mignon XL which I used to own. This is an ok grinder, but it won't offer you the flavor separation that an HG-2 will. I wish that I had some experience using a DF64 so I could offer a firsthand comparison. Let's put it this way, my son is a few steps further down the path than you and I'm buying him a DF64 when the new variable speed version becomes available. These are just my opinions and they may or may not have any merit to you.
Thank you very much for your input! The grinders you mentioned are out of my price range but I understand what you're trying to say.

I've reached the same conclusion with the Oro SD, will be lookin at either the DF64P, the new DF64 with variabile rpm, or I found a Ceado E37SD with a great discount (hoping this offer last long enough)

Mirazur (original poster)
Posts: 37
Joined: 1 year ago

#34: Post by Mirazur (original poster) »

Mat-O-Matic wrote:If used works, there are several grinders in this forum that would suit. A K3 Touch, an inexpensive E37SD, a Niche, and an Atom 75 (which would need slight purging, but is big flat burrs that many people do SD with).
Thx for the input, I actually found an offer for a new E37SD, i'm not sure about if I can for it in the spot I want my grinder to be + i've generally understood it does have more retention then ideal

User avatar
Ypuh
Posts: 312
Joined: 3 years ago

#35: Post by Ypuh »

Mirazur wrote:Is it really that easy to stale whole beans? I usualky keep them inside a ziplock in a cupboard
I'd say while you have day-to-day variations, beans have a significant drop after being in the hopper for 3-5+ days. Most differences in taste come from already crunched beans that are left within the burrs between activations. It depends on the grinder's design but can range anywhere from 1-7 grams, which may be 1/18th or 1/3rd of your next dose.

Depends on your grinder, number of coffee's a day etc. how much this affects you, but some people prefer to single dose to avoid this entirely. Personally I just fill my hopper with 1-2 days of beans and with 5-6 cups and ~1g of retention don't have any issue. I roast my own beans and usually prefer them if they're about 2 weeks old instead of being too fresh and harsh in taste.

Just minimize the retention of crushed beans for home use since that affects taste the most.
I don't want a Decent

User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6808
Joined: 19 years ago

#36: Post by Jeff »

I would read up on Ceado grinders before buying one. At least from what I've read, their retention is relatively poor (compared to better single-dosing grinders) and they suffer from "mohawk" distribution.

A grinder that I'd look at for a few cups at a time would be the Option-O Lagom Mini. Now only available with the Moonshine burrs, I find that it does a very good job with medium-roast espresso through light roasts. It isn't out of place next to a P64 (MP), LeverCraft Ultra 98 HU, or Bentwood. I find that it has good separation and clarity of flavor and enjoy it more than 64 Cast v2 burrs (I don't have the Mizzen burrs yet). It also does a great job with filter.

Mirazur (original poster)
Posts: 37
Joined: 1 year ago

#37: Post by Mirazur (original poster) replying to Jeff »

Hi and thx for the suggestion, looking into it right now. It doesn't have the portafilter holder tho, yet another step in espresso preparation for my very tired morning self :(

Cedo
Posts: 57
Joined: 2 years ago

#38: Post by Cedo »

I have used the ceado e37 and the retention is negligible with the bellows. Can't tell if there's a mohawk distribution since I always wdt.

jgood
Posts: 893
Joined: 6 years ago

#39: Post by jgood »

Just a small note on the portafilter holder issue that you mentioned. Coming from a Vario to a Niche I was concerned about the lack of PF holder on the Niche and ordered the PF holder from Decent that is predrilled for the Niche. After using that and the stock setup I have concluded that Niche was correct in their design. I can stir the grinds in the Niche cup and because of the height it's cleaner than the PF holder. I doubt grinding into a cup that's designed to fit into the PF would bother you once you tried it.

Post Reply