Eureka Atom 75 vs Monolith/LCU/EG-1 - Page 2

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
a_carkhuff (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 7 years ago

#11: Post by a_carkhuff (original poster) »

I'm also curious to know how the Monolith/EG-1/LCU compare to premium hand grinders like the comandante in the drip range

John_M
Posts: 1
Joined: 3 years ago

#12: Post by John_M »

I also want to know if anyone had the atom 75 specialty and upgraded to a monolith flat or max, and how much of a difference they noticed.

erik82
Posts: 2146
Joined: 12 years ago

#13: Post by erik82 »

I owned the Eureka Olympus for a couple of years with the Mythos burrs so the same as the Atom 75 and now own the EG-1 for over 3 years (original, CORE and SSP burrs). And I do have some experience working with the Atom 75.

I can tell you in advance the better hand grinders won't get you near what you get from an EG-1 for pourover. And for pourover kind of only consider the Commandante to be good. The Commandante will be as good as the Atom75 for pourover.

For espresso the Atom is great if you drink medium and darker roasts. For me I only drink nordic to medium roasts and the EG-1 is a massive improvement. I currently have the SSP burrs installed for over 1,5 years and for espresso they're a tad bit less than the CORE burrs but for pourover it's a huge improvment over the Olympus/Atom 75. So it depends on your preference and brew methods.

That aside the workflow of a dedicated high-end singledose grinder is so much better than what you're gettng out of a GOD grinder.

a_carkhuff (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 7 years ago

#14: Post by a_carkhuff (original poster) »

Thanks for the reply Erik, I've actually already went ahead and pulled the trigger on an EG-1. As good as the Atom 75 is for espresso I was not loving the workflow of using bellows and decided it was time to go with something built to be a single doser. Another plus is that I will finally be able to stop hand-grinding for V60 since it sounds like the EG-1 is capable of cafe quality pourovers as well.

Do you find it pretty easy to switch back and forth from pourover to espresso? How far from the zero point do you usually go for espresso and V60? And do you find the EG-1 to be a lot louder than the Atom 75? The 75 has amazed me with how quiet it is but from what I can see online it looks like the EG won't be as quiet..

Sorry for all the questions btw haha

erik82
Posts: 2146
Joined: 12 years ago

#15: Post by erik82 »

Nice job already pulling the trigger. Buy a Rocket Blower to push the last beans through and you'll be good.

The EG1 sound depends on the burrs as all 3 burrsets make a different sound. It won't be as quiet as the Atom 75 but is far from loud. My burrs lock at around 4 and espresso is around 5.2-5.9 and pourover is at 1 or 2 so around 2/3 to 3/4 of a rotation beyond espresso. Keep in mind I'm using the SSP burrs and the CORE burrs are totally different but you can first try 3/4 of a turn beyond espresso.

a_carkhuff (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 7 years ago

#16: Post by a_carkhuff (original poster) »

Thanks I'm really excited to get it in and try it out. I've heard a few others mention the need of a rocket blower too so I'll go ahead and order one of those now

My only experience with espresso grinders have been with the Baratza Sette and the Atom 75, so complete opposite ends of the sound spectrum lol as long as the EG doesn't wake up the house like the Sette did I think I'll be fine.

I did go ahead and order the SSP Ultra burrs along with the EG since they're discounted together but I'll probably stick with the cores until I've got a good feel for the grinder, then I'll eventually switch over to the SSP and see how I like it compared to the core for pourover/espresso.

erik82
Posts: 2146
Joined: 12 years ago

#17: Post by erik82 »

Breaking in the burrs will take around 20kg so trying one burrset first and then another will take you 40kg of coffee. So choose the burr you start with as the one you'll likely be using the most.

a_carkhuff (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 7 years ago

#18: Post by a_carkhuff (original poster) »

Hmm good point I forgot about seasoning them. I do about 50/50 espresso and pourover so that's going to be a tough choice picking which burr set to use. Maybe I'll start with the cores since I've heard they're good all-rounders.

erik82
Posts: 2146
Joined: 12 years ago

#19: Post by erik82 »

In my extensive experience with both burrsets I can say the SSP burrs are a tad bit less for espresso but a massive improvement for pourover compared to the CORE burrs. I also do 50/50 and I'll never go back to the CORE burrs.

a_carkhuff (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 7 years ago

#20: Post by a_carkhuff (original poster) »

Really appreciate the insight man, it's tough to find a lot of user experience of this stuff online. Think you've changed my mind tho, I'll start with the ultras. Half the time I make espresso I make it into a cortado anyway so sounds like I'll get more enjoyment out of the improved pourovers :)