dale_cooper wrote:Curious how much better the apex is, than the LIDO variants - specifically for drip/pourover.

Lido variants and Feldgrind, et al., frankly, are fairly poor for drip/pourover coffee. Their advantage is in their small size and portability. When traveling, packability and portability trump grind quality, so then the Feldgrind comes out.

The Apex is on another playing field. Just buy it. The quality of grinds for grind drip/pourover/brew is outstanding. My Forte BG is in a storage cupboard and may or may not ever come out again.

This tells you everything you need to know

Orphan Espresso Apex Grinder

Richard wrote:Lido variants and Feldgrind, et al., frankly, are fairly poor for drip/pourover coffee. Their advantage is in their small size and portability. When traveling, packability and portability trump grind quality, so then the Feldgrind comes out.

The Apex is on another playing field. Just buy it. The quality of grinds for grind drip/pourover/brew is outstanding. My Forte BG is in a storage cupboard and may or may not ever come out again.

"Fairly poor" must be relative.... I personally think the LIDO produces very good grind quality for $200. It's the same or better than my vario with steel burrs was....


Regardless - your review and the link posted have caused me to likely purchase the Apex. .... Dammit

I used Lido 3 for 2 years, after using Apex from day 1 I packed my lido keep it on kitchen cabinet, just in case I wanna bring for traveling, next Friday I will traveling with friends and 250gr Ethio Yirgaceffe, nah that's the Lido are for...

I need a porter if traveling with Apex...

This tells you everything you need to know

Orphan Espresso Apex Grinder

That post is complete nonsense, there's no way you'd get 33% <100um with ANY grinder at any non-espresso setting. It's also comparing two completely different grind settings.

Hello,

I am interested in this grinder and I want to buy it next week. I did read about it and I really like it and it suits my needs. But there is a small problem in my head that bothers me: extraction is all about getting more out of the coffee beans. With other grinders (big flat) I get flakes types of grind but with Apex I saw people are getting more angular type of grind. The water penetrates from outside in, and I am afraid that with this type of grind EY% might be sacrificed.

I am using only really clean tasting coffee, so I don't want to under extract, I want the higher EY% I can get.

Did anyone measure or can do 1-2 measurements regarding TDS/EY%?


Thank you,

Denis

Denis, i have some experience with similar Apex type grinder. The Apex grinder uses a similar burrs to ghost burrs or crushing type burrs. These burrs are found in Fuji Royal, and many pour over grinders in the East.

I have used a grinder similar to the Apex but a motorized version similar to the Fuji Royal. These crushing burrs grinds looks very different from the the more cutting style grinders. The shapes tend to be very varied, probably due the randomness of the crushing action, which i believe contributes the the particles extracting at difference rates due the irregular shapes.

I have not done any extractions measures but compared to the EK43S the taste profile is very different. Crushing burrs give a more rounded, sweeter and complex cup in my experience which the EK43 can not replicate.

The EK43 taste profile tend to be very focused, pronounced, more single dimension, yes i believe the extraction is higher, but at the expense of complexity and balance.

Forgo TDS readings and extraction yield, have fun experimenting with these types of grinders and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Complex can be for some a wider range of aromas/flavors. This can as well be under extraction, bitter, darker spicy notes.

All I want is more equal extraction in my v60 and a grinder that is quiet and good in brew only, so I don't have to swing between espresso and v60 on my current grinder.
I am looking for a clean taste and since I am using only one type of coffee/roast level all I want is higher extractions, more rich flavors from the beans, clarity and less bitter/mud.

You can't really use a an EY rating to judge a brew grinder in this way, any readings people give won't give you any valuable information.

Each coffee you throw in will live in a different EY range (washed Kenyans generally being high and something like a Brazil tend to be lower) - Even within a grinder the setting has a monster impact. Want the highest EY? Just grind to a Turkish level and throw it in the v60 - probably won't end up tasting very nice however.

To me the words that I'd use to characterise the apex are: clean, sweet and balanced. Lots has been written on this forum about the cup from this grinder, I'd say read it and decide whether it resonates with you (and all the practical considerations of course). EY should be at the very bottom of your list of criteria for a brew grinder.

Richard wrote: Coffee this morning: Mamuto AB, from George Howell. Water, George Howell's formula. Brewer of the moment, Technivorm Cup One with Filtropa paper filters. I sampled and enjoyed the two cups for ~ 45 minutes, through a complete coolodown and related shifts in taste. The Apex cup wins.

Comparatively speaking, the Forte cup had the bright, pleasant Mamuto flavors and fruit with the expected acidity. The Apex cup exhibited similar taste but with a more fruitlike subtlety (the blueberries), better separation of flavors, and a "cleaner" mouthfeel. The Forte is back in the cupboard.

I'll play with this again in coming weeks with a variety of coffees.

Richard, I was wondering if you've done any more comparison of the Forte BG with the Apex.