I started out loving my Eureka Mignon Specialita. Why don't I love my Eureka Specialita as much as when I first got it nine months ago? In spite of it grinding well, the settings are not repeatable or consistent. This is not to be confused with a given dose being ground evenly throughout. But I switch up my grind for different machines and brew methods. In my case, I have two main espresso machines that I use almost daily- a Profitec Pro 700 and an Olympia Cremina lever machine. Occasionally I like to make pour-over coffee too.

I initially bought the grinder after searching for something as quiet as possible and suited for single dosing. Although I liked my Baratza Forte AP, like most grinders, it was loud. I felt a little uneasy buying a "cheaper" grinder than what I had but I was pleasantly surprised by the grind quality. The grounds came out like a fluffy cascading waterfall, and very quietly.

At first I loved it and found the grind settings to be repeatable when I went back and forth from the tighter grind required by my Profitec and somewhat less fine for my Cremina. Typically I use the same beans which are a favorite I've been using for years and they tend to be very consistent (Vita from Espresso Vivace)

Now after a few months of rather light use (1-2 macchiatos a day), it is no longer repeatable. When I contacted the Clive tech team they suggested grinding 20g through the grinder each time I change the setting or change beans before grinding the dose to pull my shot. That's a lot of wasted coffee and money and something I didn't have to do previously.

Is this really "normal"? As a compromise I have found that if I run 2 or 3 grams through first, it's a little better but still not as repeatable as it used to be or as I would expect from a good grinder.

I find it disconcerting that this grinder started doing this after less than a year. I checked in with my brother who owns a similarly priced Niche Zero grinder and has similar espresso machines. He has no problems with repeatability and he is even more compulsive about his coffee than me. So now I am faced with a dilemma. I still have my Baratza Fortè which was recently refurbished by the factory but I was planning to sell it because of my wife and daughters' requests that I have a quieter grinder. Or I could buy a Niche grinder for about the same as I paid for my Eureka. But either way I will take a loss when I sell my Eureka and it's not even a year old.

Also not sure of the quietness of the Niche grinder.

I appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Joel

The Eurekas are tradtional flat burr grinders, not really suitable for single dosing. I've used several Mignons and one of their 64mm grinders, and they become mediocre to poor when the hopper is not full enough. This becomes especially apparent for finer grinds, when the grinders slow down and the grinds become inconsistent. This is on the same grinders that will happily churn out Turkish powder if you do fill the hopper.

The Niche is designed for single dosing and is highly consistent. My off-the-cuff impression is that it is a tad louder than the Eurekas, but that its grinding sound is quite pleasing.

Thanks. This is great information. I appreciate the insights and your comparison of noise level too.

Cheers,
Joel

Howdy AZ, thanks for the report about your Specialita - sorry to hear it's not working out. I've had a Spec for seven months and so far have only used it for pour-over. I upgraded (or maybe side-graded?) from a steel-burred Vario. The Vario was great in the cup, probably better than the Spec, but I got tired of losing my settings after every cleaning. And the Spec is way quieter and faster.

My range isn't wide, probably between 3.8 and 5.6 (that is, after a few rotations of the dial into the medium coarse range). I go slightly coarser for large Chemex brews (32 oz.) and finer for small Kalita brews. My settings seem to stay consistent, but I can't say for sure.

i did a partial cleaning (only removed the top burr) and my settings didn't budge, which was nice. But reports like yours make me worry the machine will fizzle at some point.

Anyway, just wondering how your loss of consistency shows up - are your grinds tending coarser or finer? It sounds like you lose consistency when shifting between settings, but do you also get variation even when you stay in one setting?

Thanks!

I had the old 50 mm Eureka Mignon for 8 years. One thing I did find was that it was quite reactive to a change in the weather. From what I read at the time, this equates to being affected by humidity. Where I live, the weather is really changeable, so that the grind you set in the morning, may be out by quite a bit by late afternoon. My understanding is that this is a problem that affects all grinders - whether some more than others - I don't know. I think there's a new Fiorenzato that even has a humidity meter built into it.

I used to single dose on Mignon as well, by closing the hopper seal, but also, I'll freely admit my palate is not refined at all. Jim may be exasperated to know that I do the same on my Eureka 75 HS also. But, I'm almost certain I don't have the capability to tell the difference between a full hopper and single dosing.

Keep in mind that a singledosegrinder grinds the same as a GOD when singledosing. The difference is in the retention so an altered grindpath which doesn't hold any grinds. Grinding with a GOD with a full hopper does give a different result in grounds but leads to a massive amount of retention even on smaller grinders. It isn't the case that singledosegrinders in a magical way grind the same as a GOD with a full hopper.

A Mignon will always be a grinder with fairly small burrs so lack the consistency of bigger burrs. Also weather changes have a bigger effect on smaller burrs and on flat burrs. If you only want great consistency than buy a large conical burr grinder.

AZWolf wrote:I find it disconcerting that this grinder started doing this after less than a year. I checked in with my brother who owns a similarly priced Niche Zero grinder and has similar espresso machines. He has no problems with repeatability and he is even more compulsive about his coffee than me. So now I am faced with a dilemma. I still have my Baratza Fortè which was recently refurbished by the factory but I was planning to sell it because of my wife and daughters' requests that I have a quieter grinder. Or I could buy a Niche grinder for about the same as I paid for my Eureka. But either way I will take a loss when I sell my Eureka and it's not even a year old.

Also not sure of the quietness of the Niche grinder.

I appreciate any input.

You won't find the Niche noisy and in my videos the agc on the camera mic make it sound far louder than it is. The 63mm conical burr is of course larger in surface area than an equivalent size flat burr and it's a really good quality Mazzer burr. I'd say buy the Niche, compare it to what you already have and if you like it sell the Eureka and take the hit. Even if that hit is 100-150 usd, it doesn't matter because the lack of purging even 3g per shot means you will make up that hit in about 18 months purely on the savings in coffee (based on 3 shots per day only).

Sometimes lifes too short to use something you are not enjoying and a grinder is with you for many many years.

Large conical burrs do not require daily adjustments of small flat burrs. I have a Mignon and since I replaced it, at home, by the NZ, the latter, used in single dosing, offers a fantastic reproductibility. The Mignon is used in the office with the Robot Cafelat and the pressure one exerts personally catches small adjustments.

In this page http://escapadoenophile.com/niche-grinder/ there is a small video to appreciate the sound. The smartphone has been placed at a distance giving a good idea of ​​what the user who is near the NZ is saying. In reality, it looks even less than what the video shows.

based on reviews and even distributors, the mignon is just slightly under the needs of high end espresso. You can reduce problems by not single dosing it but it appears the Atom 65 or larger is the way to go and is super consistent and easy to work with. I have a K8 and it is amazingly consistent but single dosing does not go well unless I put a weight on the beans which is how we all used to do it.