Tale of the Tape
68mm conical grinders have been around a long time, and every grinder manufacturer makes a model. These are rated at the same pounds per hour capacity as the ubiquitous 64mm flat burr grinders (like the Jolly). They are more expensive, but some cafes prefer them for their longer burr life and cooler operation. 62mm conicals are something new, and there are only two models, the Kony and Macap. These are rated at about the same grinding speed as 50mm - 60mm flat burr catering grinders (like the Mini), and have a size somewhat more suitable for home use than the regular size commercial conicals. For commercial use, they are too slow except as decaf grinders. The Macap MXK is, like all Macaps, built for economy; in this case as a competitor to the Mazzer Kony. But while the exterior may not be as fine as the Kony's, there's no skimping on the innards, which are solid.
The testing today was a breeze and a joy. Both grinders poured perfect each time, and the two pours looked like a synchronized swimming team. I turned on the machines simultaneously, 7 seconds later the pours clicked on and stayed rock steady till the end. There was no need to send the grinds to the WDT beauty parlor, since they emerge ready to use from the doser. The round with the Mini was close to this, but this is the first time where I feel I could reproduce the same results ad infinitum: both grinders were that rock solid consistent. I feel very comfortable saying that with this pair what I saw is exactly what any buyer will see.
Not surprisingly, I liked the MXK's ergonomics: the grinder is quiet, the chute is very wide and easy to clean, and the doser clears out as well as most. My only niggle is that the clackety-clack of the Macap dosers is too loud.
The Fight
The two 13.5 gram rounds came first. In the first round, the Macap surprised me with an intense shot that was balanced perfectly enough to beat the Robur's sweeter, laid back one. Score 4 points for the Macap. In the second round the extra intensity backfired; the Macap's shot was slightly unbalanced towards the bitter, and the Robur took the round by 1.5 points. The first 16.5 gram round was a repeat of the first 13.5, the Macap was more intense, and balanced enough to pull it off and win by 3 points. In the last round, the tables were turned, and the Macap's shot was a hair flatter, losing by 2.5 points.
Yes folks, we have our first Robur beater: the Macap MXK splits the rounds, but squeaks by with a 3 point win. In all fairness, the subjective element looms large here: the losing Robur shots were mellower and sweeter, but I thought the nigh perfect balance of the Macap shots more than compensated.
There is something immensely solid and consistent about the way shots from the Robur taste; this is not just a psychological carryover from the size of the grinder itself, but is totally apparent in the accumulated blind tasting. If this is what you want, you are probably not going to find anything cheaper that delivers it. But this cup profile has a built in margin of safety (although not as much as the Mini's), and it can be beaten by grinders that reproduce the flavors more cleanly and closer to the edge.
Obviously, grinders walking this tightrope aren't going to pull it off each time; but the MXK is a big league grinder, and works consistently enough to be this "edgy" and remain consistent. The Versalab, yesterday, also won rounds with clearer, more finely delineated tastes; but it didn't back this up with the consistency required to walk the tight rope of intense, perfectly balanced shots; so when it lost, it lost big. The Macap MXK does have the required consistency, it won its rounds clearly, and when it lost, it was by a hair. It impressed me in the previous tests, and this one seals the deal. It gets my first, big thumbs up, "you can buy it with confidence" recommendation, especially for people who want to get very clean and crisp tasting shots, while never having to run to the nearest sink to gargle. The Versalab promises consistent clean taste; the Macap delivered in the direst of test conditions, up against the Robur.
Detailed Scores--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grinder Dose Shot ExtG ExtR CPer CApp Flav Body Swee Acid Bitr Total
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MXK 16.5 1.1 20.8 21.4 0.5 0.5 1 -0.5 -0.5 1 1 3
MXK 16.5 1.1 22.0 20.8 -0.5 0 -0.5 0 0.5 -1 -1 -2.5
MXK 13.5 1.1 20.6 21.3 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4
MXK 13.5 1.1 22.8 22.8 0.5 0 -0.5 0 -1 0 2 -1.5
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Legend:
Shot: 0 is tight, 1 is good, 2 is loose, first figure is the test grinder, second the Robur. All shots run to 50mL with crema. If the time difference is more than 6 seconds, the test is redone. Tight/Loose mean differences of 4 to 5 seconds.
ExtG, ExtR: Percentage solubles extracted, G is the test grinder, R the robur
CPer, CApp: Crema persistence and appearance. Negative scores means the Robur wins, Positive means the Test grinder. These scores are added to the final tally
Flav, Bod: Flavor and Body. These scores are multiplied by four for the final tally.
Swee, Acid, Bitr: Sweetness, Acidity Bitterness: organoleptic categories NOT added to the score.
Total: The total score, CPer + CApp + 4*Flav + 4*Body
Grinder Score Rounds Won-Tied-Lost
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Nemox Lux -7 1-0-3
Mazzer Mini -15 0-0-4
Versalab M3 -10.5 2-0-2
Macap MXK +3 2-0-2
Tomorrow, the MXK's big brother, the Macap M7KR.
The Macap is a very good grinder, nice ergonomics, and a much better fit for the home user... but you know what? Conicals shmonicals, it's not exactly knocking my socks off. Maybe I just prefer Mazzers.