After pre-ordering and waiting for a few months, my LUCCA 75 Atom arrived about a week ago.

The LUCCA 75 is a customized version for the Eureka 75 grinder, and even ships in the original Eureka box. Previously, I have had Sette 270Wi, Rocket Faustino and DF64 (w/ SSP burrs) grinders. I started with a Breville Oracle, then a Lelit Elizabeth and currently have a Quick Mill Vetrano 2B Evo.

So I've tried a variety of grinders and machines over the last couple years, all with much different workflows and grind type/quality.

My initial reaction to the LUCCA 75 - it's a fantastic grinder, with an even better workflow. I would say it's like a elevated combination of my Sette 270Wi and DF64. By that I mean you get the streamlined workflow of the Sette, but with a grind quality that combines the the rich conical body of the Sette with the deeper flavors brought out by the higher-end flat burrs.

The grinder is solid, heavy, well built and very fast and quiet. I typically go through 1-2lbs of coffee at a time before changing, so an on-demand grinder suits my needs well. I tried single dosing, but grew tired of the extra prep and work it takes, not to mention the wife wasn't a fan of the extra steps.

The LUCCA 75 is 90% the same as the Eureka 75 with a few additions - 1) Integrated burr sensor, which will display your current grind setting in 5 micron increments, 2) A much better looking display with a few new settings, 3) "True Grind" app/technology.

Let me cut to the True Grind part. Even if you think it's a gimmick and have no interest in it, the the digital grind sensor and improved display are easily worth the $50 premium over the Eureka. I see True Grind a neat little bonus feature, not the primary value proposition for this grinder (despite what their advertising would suggest. You can use the grinder in a traditional time-based or continuous grind mode, and not even know or care True Grind exists.

That said, I did try the True Grind app for the very first coffee I used out of the box - and yes, it works. I was a little blown away, to be honest, as the very first shot I pulled out of the box was damn good. I made a couple tweaks to my desired shot time, the grinder updated the recommended setting, and by the third shot I'm pulling some of the best espresso I've had.

I don't think the True Grind app is a game changer, because after I get a feel for a grinder, I typically know where to dial it for each coffee anyways, but I was impressed how well it worked out of the box.

Happy to answer other questions!

Thanks a bunch for sharing!

Do you find the sensor display value helps with repeatability over time?

I.E if you were starting a certain bag of coffee today, that you also had two months ago, do you think it will help you know what the grinder should be set to as a starting point before you pull and adjust?

Oh, for sure. There is a configuration you run to find the zero spot of the burrs, so a setting of 40 for example, always means the same thing. Even if you were to disassemble and reassemble the grinder. So to your question, assuming the roaster is consistent, you should be able to use the same setting anytime you use that coffee. With the True Grind app, you can actually save your own coffee recipes, so if you have a local roast you like, you could save the settings to the grinder for easy retrieval.

Even without the app, the grind setting display is very valuable. It solves the issue most people have with stepless grinders of having no idea where you are in the grind range.

Thanks again.

If I'm roasting my own stuff then all bets are off, there is no way I'd be able to use the same setting from the True Grind sensor. Luckily the roaster I also buy from is great.

I do think this feature would be very valuable because I do have a hard time knowing where I am in the grind range. Even though this feature acts like a crutch, it's nice to see that it on such a capable grinder that will still serve people well when they outgrow the feature.

I only wish it was available outside of the USA.

FYI: Lucca Atom 75 Espresso Grinder Review

How much retention is there?

Not sure, haven't opened it up or tried single dosing. Early reviews (see link above) concluded it's not a great single doser.

I suspect there's a gram or two sitting in the grinder between shots. The grinder has a neat little "purge" button that will run the grinder for a quick 0.2s (or you can change the duration) to purge out any old grounds. So if I haven't used the grinder in a while, I'll purge it quick before grinding my next shot and that seems to work well enough.

mgwolf wrote:How much retention is there?

I single dose on my atom pro. Here is my routine and impressions.

I weigh out my beans in a tumbler.
I remove the hopper lid and keep it off (I'm not using blow up system even though it was included).
I ensure the hopper neck is closed and dump the beans in the hopper.
I place the tumbler under the grind chute.
I turn the motor on, let it spin up fully, and pull out hopper neck.
I take the (now empty) hopper off while motor is spinning and tap with my palm on the top of the grinder to get the last of the grinds out. I do this gently a few times, then cycle the power once on the motor.
I weigh the output.

Yesterday from 20g I ended up with 19.4g out. It's not a high retention grinder, but it's also not a zero retention grinder. I do believe that there is an exchange of some old coffee in this 19.4g as well. I haven't measured what that may be. The gentle taps I do actually dislodge quiet a bit of grinds. I see better results with this than I did with the blow up system attached.

I removed the clump buster (removing it increases static). I don't get clumps without it. I feel it noticeably adds to retention when it is installed. The atom pro comes with two types of clump busters. I tried each before removing them all together.

My grounds can be very staticy. I wrapped the top part of my grind chute (the part that is rubber) in parchment paper. I believe this helps with the static. I don't RDT. Lining the top of the grind chute with parchment paper reduces static enough that a very small amount of grinds end up on the counter now (this wasn't the case before). I do think the grinds can come out fairly fluffy, and so I find a deep funnel or tumbler is helpful.

Eureka makes very good hopper-style grinders. The Mythos-style burrs in the Atom 75 are well regarded for their smooth profile. Read Jim's tasting notes in the above-linked review for his opinions.

If you're using a puffer with one of the typical Eureka chassis, you should be aware that there are reports of large amounts of grinds being blown into the chassis. As the motor moves to adjust burr gap, this may be even more of a concern than just lack of cleanliness.

Ya, I certainly didn't choose this grinder for single dosing. Simply too many great options for SD grinders in this price range now. The hassle and trade offs to adapt this grinder to SD workflows sound awful, personally.

If I can get my hands on one, I'd love a P64. Until then, I have my DF64 w/ SSP, though it's gone unused since I got the Lucca, as it's so so damn good and easy to pull fantastic shots.