LAGOM MINI for espresso?

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
Guyeinan
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#1: Post by Guyeinan »

Hello

I am espresso lover that uses la Pavo Professional with Maromas Orphea beans and until now used Eureka Notte grinder.
I'm really attracted to the Lagom mini for my next grinder and wanted to know if I should take it with the Moonshine or obsidian burrs according to my preference on the machine and beans.

As you can understand I don't make lots of cups of coffee a day it's only for myself because I saw it's the major concern with that machine in all the reviews I have seen. But maybe this grinder is not for me at all? What would you recommend me for my gear?

Thanks a lot

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Jeff
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#2: Post by Jeff »

At least as I understand the Maromas Orphea blend, it looks like a robusta / arabica blend and is probably reasonably darkly roasted. I would guess that is might have some hints of oil when you get it, if not more shiny.

I have seen Moonshine burrs for sale, so I am guessing that Option-O is selling them separately from the grinder. It was a private party sale for $60, so they don't seem to be exceptionally expensive. If so and they are available from Option-O, should you decide you want try a slightly different profile, you're not stuck with a decision you make this month.

Generally the darker the roast, the easier to grind the beans. There have been some reports of the early Minis stalling with very light beans at espresso grind levels. The current units are, from what I understand, shipping with a power supply that resolves that.

I enjoy light-roast espresso. It tends to have an acidic balance in its flavors. More classic espresso tends to be much lower in acidity. Because of that, I chose the Moonshine burrs. I have limited experience with them on some light-roast ("filter") coffee as espresso (Coffee Collective and Tim Wendelboe, both in the Nordics). I am enjoying the first few shots I've been making. My guess is that it will be "a keeper" for me. I don't know of someone whose taste I trust that has the Obsydian burrs.

Between two, very good burr sets, I think the differences in the cup will be pretty subtle. From what I know of the Mini so far, I think it is a step up in the cup from what I remember of burrs in the Rocky, Mazzer Mini, or original Vario. Old memories, but I think that you might find that it is easier to turn down excess bitterness. I honestly can't tell you that there would be a day-and-night difference between the Obsydian and Moonshine burrs with darker-roast espresso. If you're making filter coffee (from a filter-level roast) as well, the differences might be more apparent.

I don't think that there is a "wrong" choice between the two, more of a personal preference as to the style you like.
Option-O FAQ wrote:Obsydian Burrs: For espresso and filter, higher body, medium clarity with slightly more blended cup profile (relative to Moonshine)

Moonshine Burrs: For filter and espresso, juicier, higher clarity, medium-high body

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katkat
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#3: Post by katkat »

I am looking into buying the Lagom Mini for a travel setup. I only use my grinders for espresso, no light roasts (only northern-Italian type blends.) It seems that there have been some recent changes to the Lagom Mini (Link):
  • Espresso is officially "supported" - June 2022
  • Updated the motor/gear component - July 2022 - "for more demanding Espresso applications"
  • "As of 2nd Jan 2023, our new 48mm Moonshine burrs will be offered as the standard" - I cannot find an option to purchase the Obsidian burrs which were previously recommended for Espresso
Any advice or real life experience with the Lagom Mini for espresso with the Moonshine burrs?

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Jeff
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#4: Post by Jeff »

Mine with Moonshine burrs stands up well with the other grinders in the stable being 98HU in LeverCraft Ultra, 64 MP in Lagom P64, and a Bentwood. For my tastes in light-roast espresso it has good clarity and sweetness and does a great job. I'm happy with its performance for filter as well. I have one from this summer. Tim Wendelboe or Coffee Collective tend to be the darkest coffees I get. I've run lighter up through Manhattan and Apollon's Gold at espresso grind without notable issue. It may occasionally "hiccup" with the lightest roasts, but it starts right up again immediately. It's still something of a sleeper, but I think it is superior to the Niche Zero in the cup for medium or lighter roasts. I haven't pulled anything darker than George Howell Alchemy or B&W The Natural in a long time, so I don't think it is fair to generalize to what I haven't tried on the Mini.

I do know that some of the locals that I hang out with are looking to swap Obsydian for Moonshine burrs. It may be the case that there is an early adopter in your area or one willing to do the swap if you really crave Obsydian. I do know that another of the locals wrote Option-O and got pricing on Moonshine burrs for an existing owner and found that they aren't selling the Obsydian burrs.

esporfa
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#5: Post by esporfa »

I do know that some of the locals that I hang out with are looking to swap Obsydian for Moonshine burrs.
Is that still the case? Looking to swap Moonshine burrs for Obsydian burrs to reduce clarity for traditional dark roast espresso.

katkat
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#6: Post by katkat »

Can somebody please measure the outer diameter of the dosing cup? I cannot find this measurement anywhere.

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Jeff
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#7: Post by Jeff »

43.85 to 43.95 mm on a black one. It doesn't seem to be perfectly cylindrical.

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katkat
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#8: Post by katkat »

Wow. It should fit my travel PV Export portafilter. Thanks!

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Spitz.me
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#9: Post by Spitz.me »

Jeff wrote:Mine with Moonshine burrs stands up well with the other grinders in the stable being 98HU in LeverCraft Ultra, 64 MP in Lagom P64, and a Bentwood. For my tastes in light-roast espresso it has good clarity and sweetness and does a great job. I'm happy with its performance for filter as well. I have one from this summer. Tim Wendelboe or Coffee Collective tend to be the darkest coffees I get. I've run lighter up through Manhattan and Apollon's Gold at espresso grind without notable issue. It may occasionally "hiccup" with the lightest roasts, but it starts right up again immediately. It's still something of a sleeper, but I think it is superior to the Niche Zero in the cup for medium or lighter roasts. I haven't pulled anything darker than George Howell Alchemy or B&W The Natural in a long time, so I don't think it is fair to generalize to what I haven't tried on the Mini.

I do know that some of the locals that I hang out with are looking to swap Obsydian for Moonshine burrs. It may be the case that there is an early adopter in your area or one willing to do the swap if you really crave Obsydian. I do know that another of the locals wrote Option-O and got pricing on Moonshine burrs for an existing owner and found that they aren't selling the Obsydian burrs.
This sounds like a grinder I may want to have on hand for it's value proposition. The fact that you - with your grinder experience - believe it's superior to the Niche Zero for medium roasts that I tend to drink makes me curious enough to want to buy at that price point.

I keep reading about how it's limited in terms of how much you can grind in a DAY for some reason. Like, "just a few espresso". I may need to grind a max of 4-5 with 2-3 guaranteed in one session where I can easily spare the like 90 seconds to have the motor off between uses. Jeff, in your opinion, do you think it'll hold up for daily espresso use at that rate.
LMWDP #670

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Jeff
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#10: Post by Jeff »

Check the Option-O recommendations at https://www.option-o.com/faq-lagom-mini ... 13728_4174

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