On my Tanzania (Ditting KR805) I can get everything from the finest dust to extremely coarse boulders if the zero point is set correctly. Is that not the case for most shop grinders?

Do competitors typically single dose or use a filled hopper?

Had a few rather amazing brews from a Mahlkonig Guatemala, so I got myself one. It's massive, heavy, barely fits under even high cabinets (that is with the hopper off, which effectively half top of the grinder off), loud and has really expensive burr sets (71mm). It does make a nice brewed cup, although what you need to be aware of, it's not really as retention-less as I thought it would be (just only discovered this, due to the way the auger feeds the burrs) and not super perfect for single dosing.

I'm with Bob, you can go all the way down to super fine on the Guats, all it needs is removing the adjustment knob bolt and resetting the 'zero'.

Regards,
dsc.

Another option is to pick up a used Bunn G series & install the Ditting 804 machined burrs. Very low retention & it works great for single dosing. With the 27 detent adjustment plate the adjustment becomes stepless as the adjuster stays where ever you set it. Accessing the burrs for cleaning is as easy as it gets & the auger feed eliminates popcorning when using small doses.

deity6667 wrote:Do you single dose - if so how do you find it? I've read retention is pretty minimal on the 805...

Essentially nothing at the coarser settings, and minimal at medium. It is something to consider if you want to grind Turkish dust, but that is mostly due to static and clumping. 80 mm flat burrs eject coffee rather efficiently, the sweepers have no gaps underneath, and the Tanzania's grind path is pretty simple.

JohnB. wrote:Another option is to pick up a used Bunn G series & install the Ditting 804 machined burrs. Very low retention & it works great for single dosing. With the 27 detent adjustment plate the adjustment becomes stepless as the adjuster stays where ever you set it. Accessing the burrs for cleaning is as easy as it gets & the auger feed eliminates popcorning when using small doses.

This was my original first choice. I think the auger and horizontal burrs are probably the best system, but it is a real pain to source an inexpensive Bunn G-series along with all the parts up here in Canada. The other major consideration is that the Tanzania is only about the same height as the Compak K10 without a hopper (around 16"), while even the G1 is almost 23" tall.

The Tanzania does really need some modification to remove the silly bag shaker. That entails removing the bottom, disconnecting the mechanism from the drive shaft, and fabricating an angled knock bar to replace the large shaker plate like on the Marco Über grinder. It's also a very loud grinder; I usually cover my ears while grinding.

Bob_McBob wrote:On my Tanzania (Ditting KR805) I can get everything from the finest dust to extremely coarse boulders if the zero point is set correctly. Is that not the case for most shop grinders?

Do competitors typically single dose or use a filled hopper?

-- I meant the fine adjustment. The person I spoke to thought the steps in the grind were too wide, as if she were critiquing an espresso grinder.

-- they need to make four separate coffees, but (I think) can grind all the coffee in one batch. Mostly the competitors use weighed portions and provide each judge with a ground sample so they can check dry aroma. If they are using the Guatemala, they also have to sacrifice grind five to ten grams before making their competition batch.

After using the Vario with the Ditting burrs for about a week now, and my previous experience with a Bunn G2, I can say without fail, the Vario with steel/ditting burrs produce the best grind for brewing you will get until you spend big money on a grinder. And even then, its very close.

French Press CHUNKS, for the full four minute steep times, are possible with little to no dust.

And the grind you would use on the V60, is just as consistent.

IF you don't use your vario for espresso, you NEED these burrs.

Maybe instead of discussing which grinder is best for brewed coffee, we should be discussing which burr set is best for brewed coffee as in the end, this is what it boils down to.

Regards,
dsc.

dsc wrote:Maybe instead of discussing which grinder is best for brewed coffee, we should be discussing which burr set is best for brewed coffee as in the end, this is what it boils down to.

Isn't there a difference in the post-burr path where the grounds go? In most espresso grinders the grinds are clumped up at least a little. I thought many of the bulk drip grinders don't clump up the grounds this way. What is the typical grind path of the bulk drip grinders?

My two drip grinders are a Mahlkönig Tanzana (Ditting 805) and a Baratza Vario with Ditting machined metal drip burrs. The grind quality from both is outstandingly uniform, and clump-free. The grinds have similar appearance, unmagnified. Perhaps Tanz has a slight edge, but the Vario Ditting burrs are not yet broken-in. There is absolutely no clumping with either grinder for me, but I never use any beans that show oil, and static in my environment is a rare thing.

The Vario with Ditting burrs is an exceptional value for the money, and can actually make fairly decent coffee with a K-cup machine (at work... not mine... really!), and is exceptional with CCD or Brazen.

-Mike