EddyQ wrote:Roast. Another way to elevate your coffee experience.
I think you already roast, no?

I've been roasting my own coffee for more than 4 years now.

kaptain_zero wrote:
The condition is called GAD or "Grinder Acquisition Disorder".

Among photography "gear-heads" it is called GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome, and looks like it works for "grinder-heads" too . You've got GAS!

kaptain_zero wrote:
The condition is called GAD or "Grinder Acquisition Disorder". Sadly, there is no cure.... but, you MIGHT be able to control it by attending addiction meetings and allowing your better half to control your credit cards. I wish I had better news for you....

On a couple of blind tests my other half could hardly detect the difference between the MAX and MC4. However, again on blind tests, she could tell the difference between the coffee made with the MAX vs. Niche.
I'm still holding on to my credit cards for now, a cure might suddenly appear.

pizzaman383 wrote:I am really curious how much better (or different) the espresso in the cup gets when moving from a 64mm flat (super jolly clone) to a 70-83mm flat (used to be called a big flat) to the 98mm flat (ek43 and others)

Are all the grinders we used to think were good now crap?

In my experience it's easy to tell the difference between 98mm and the rest because of the different geometry. If you'd swap in 64/83mm SSP brew burrs perhaps it's not that straightforward anymore.

FWIW it's easier to find a difference than to say which grinder is better taste wise. Could tell a Mazzer Major apart from a Mini E, but not confidently say which one I preferred.

If you have great beans and good water the grinder is the most important tool to get the most out of the ingredients. It is absolutely worth getting something good for taste, ease/joy of use and longevity, aesthetics even (wife approval anyone?).

I don't get those who buy a crazy expensive machine and pair it with a barely entry level grinder. You can't get past bad uneven grinds with an expensive machine. You won't extract boulders.

Maybe it's because I try to extract light beans with soft water, but I absolutely needed a very good grinder to be able to extract well. It didn't have to be what I ended up with in the end, but it's a joy to work with serious equipment: I waste almost no beans, get almost only drinkable shots and they might even outlive me, burrs and all. Little to go wrong with a quality grinder so a good investment IMO.

It's not cheap to build a great grinder, and when starting out most newbies don't buy a $4000 grinder, one start a little lower on the ladder, get frustrated or curious and buy up a few times. Also even if you might lose a little money each time you upgrade, you can then spend say $600 the first year, a little more a year or two later, and yet a little more some years later and spread it out over many years. Some big SSP burrs alone cost more than some entry level grinders lol.

blondica73 wrote:On a couple of blind tests my other half could hardly detect the difference between the MAX and MC4. However, again on blind tests, she could tell the difference between the coffee made with the MAX vs. Niche.
I'm still holding on to my credit cards for now, a cure might suddenly appear.

Did your "other half" think one was better than the other or just that they were different?

Just different, she thought both were great.

Well, I sold the MAX and now I'm left with the Monolith MC4. I think I'm going backward now, as I'm contemplating buying the Niche again or an Atom 75, even an EK43s and selling the MC4. My wife is not impressed with my single dosing routine, she misses the Olympus, how fast it was able to grind the 18g. What a journey...

Be careful! You are approaching the point where bewilderment reigns. Unknowingly. you have become misguided, and now you do not realize that you are satisfied with your gear. Transference will soon have you contemplating your choice of spouses.