I know this is not much info to go by - one partial pic - but nevertheless has anybody got any clue as what grinder this is? To me it might be an oldish Bezzera.



I'm going to go over to a friend to unclog and clean it, but it would be nice to know in advance what grinder I'm going to be working on. I will ask for more pics and information but in the event this isn't forthcoming anyone got any idea?

That's an Obel Jr., aka Bezzera bb004, aka 1st line Sonny. It is solid and heavy, and the doser is great, but it has the same 50mm burrs as the Rancilio Rocky. The steps on mine did not allow enough flexibility for espresso.

The Obel EB, Bezzera bb90, 1st line michael, mr espresso workhorse, is much better with 65mm burrs.

Thanks Carl.

So my intuition that it was a Bezzera was correct. Never seen one in the flesh, but I've lurked so long on these forums that I came to this conclusion.

I did own a Rocky doserless back in the day (then a Mazzer Mini E and now a Monolith Conical) so I' a bit rusty in opening these things up and working on them? Plus, I've never owned a dosered grinder. Is it just a question of unscrewing the top burr and dismantling the doser (if necessary). I imagine one loses one's grinder settings (as was the case with the Rocky and Mazzer, but not the blessed Monocon).

Yes, just simply unscrew the top burr. Can insert a screwdriver or chopstick through the grounds chute to immobilize the bottom burr holder so it does not spin when removing the burr screws (assuming you are replacing burrs).

I don't recall how the doser attaches on the Jr.

And the grinder setting numbers are pretty much irrelevant. I just tighten burr holder until the burrs touch and back off a couple of steps.

Unfortunately I found, because the burrs are small, and the holder diameter small as well, that there is a large variation in flow between clicks, so you can go from gusher to choked in a couple of clicks.

I think this grinder may work well for the pavoni levers where you have good control over the pressure. I sold mine to someone who owned the pavoni, and I think he was happy with it.

Thanks for the great info Carl.

Not sure what espresso machine my friend has. Certainly not a lever of any sort. Given the grinder, could well be one of those venerable BZ99s, which were considered to be the absolute apogee of home machines back in the day.