I recently bought a used Linea Mini and am trying to figure out whether i should upgrade my grinder as well to get the most out of my LM. I currently have a Baratza Preciso that I'm reasonably happy with but was thinking about a Sette 270. What do people think?

What's your budget.

The Preciso isn't nearly up the LMLM. Look at the Niche which is very reasonably priced and, I think most here would agree, is a better grinder than the Sette.

Yes, if I had a Linea Mini I'd definitely be upgrading my grinder now. I recently upgraded from a Vario to a Eureka Atom Specialty 75, which is paired to my Rocket Appartamento. I agree it all depends on your budget but I'd say it's timer to step up a bit, if you want the most out of your Linea.

Wow, the Preciso is really holding you back.

Actually the ideal situation would be if you first upgraded your grinder to top level and then your machine, but since you already have the LMLM, and you want to get out the potential it is capable of, you should invest at least to something like Niche Zero. IMHO, Sette looks like a plastic toy beside LMLM. You should, btw also decide if you want to single dose or feed from the hopper.

But if you've already stepped to that level, you should seriously also consider another grinder to accompany Niche Zero. Some top-end large flat burr grinder would complete your setup.

But first you may want to begin with Niche and see how far that can take you. It is an excellent grinder for the price, but a big flat will be able to give you different taste profile. It depends on the beans, which one will suit better for a given situation.

Naturally your budget will determine what choices you have, but with the LMLM I suppose you don't want to go cheap with the more important part of the chain.

Thanks everyone. I also recently picked up a (used) Nuova Simonelli MDX (with a doser) hoping it would give me the extra power to go along with my LMLM but the retention has been frustrating. Ignoring retention, would that be a better grinder to stick with than buying the Niche?

Eureka Atom Specialty 75 is pretty impressive IMO. A bit more money than Niche but a commercial grade grinder that would match LMLM better...

While I've never had an MDX, I have owned a couple of very similar grinders.

Neither of them are on par with the Niche. I find both the taste and workflow with Niche are way above grinders with similar specs than MDX.
With a top-level flat burr grinder I was referring to the likes of Mythos/Olympus (75mm flat burrs) or Ceado E37S (83mm flats).

Traditional espresso grinders with 65mm flat burrs are not bad by any mean, but they're probably something like the next step from the very first entry-level grinders.

Your espresso machine is a lot more than just the second step on the ladder. And we should always keep in mind that the grinder is more important than the machine.

Capac wrote:Eureka Atom Specialty 75 is pretty impressive IMO. A bit more money than Niche but a commercial grade grinder that would match LMLM better...

That would also be a solid choice. But by matching better I think you're just referring to the looks. The taste profile is quite different, but it is hard to say which one is better - large conical or large flat. That's why I was suggesting to get both eventually.

If the budget allows Cafatek Monoliths (flat and conical) match well together. If the budget it on the lower side, then the Niche has hardly any competition (apart from hand grinders).

With niche, you're not gonna be dosing directly into the portafilter, so the workflow will be a little different.

Atom S75 doesn't retain much, but niche doesn't either.

I'd argue that 75mm flat burrs taste better than 63 mm kony burrs, but that's personal preference...

It ultimately comes down to workflow.

Forgot to mention, S75 is a lot faster...