Any inputs from HB users? I just got mine last week and its working well so far for my dark roast beans espresso.

Still getting used to the notched grinder settings compared to DF64 as the espresso range marking in the SD40 is a too narrow.



Moderator note: This thread was merged from two threads, so there may be a seeming of lack of continuity between some posts.

Just got mine a few days ago. Build quality seems very good. Heavy little thing lol. Compared to a Baratza Encore and Sette, I appreciate the lack of plastic and the MUCH quieter grinding. It's definitely not as fast as a Sette, but grind quality seems good. I'm enjoying the filter coffee quite a bit.

I plan to do a deeper dive a little later this week on the espresso side. I would agree that the suggested grind range is pretty small. Fingers crossed.

Really enjoying the grinder so far. I'm using it as my dedicated decaf espresso grinder at my roastery. Probably only a handful of shots per day, so nothing strenuous. Dialed in quickly and I've been able to switch from one bean and grinder setting to another with good repeatability. Shots are comparable to my Sette, which makes sense given the burr similarities.

I've not tried anything too lightly roasted, so there may be some issues there given the stepped adjustments.

It's a quiet, nice looking single dose machine, with good grind quality, at an attractive price point. No regrets thus far.

The makers of the DF64 have come out with a 40mm conical burr low retention single-dosing grinder.

Not many impressions of it out yet, here's a video it features in with a brief comparison to the DF64;
Has anyone tried it yet?

Best case scenario is that it turns out to be a Niche Zero equivalent for one-third to half the price...

Best case scenario is that it turns out to be a Niche Zero equivalent for one-third to half the price...

I consider this as wishful thinking

Much smaller burrs size. More a modern Nemox Lux, Ascaso i-mini or Bezzera BB005 etc.

It's a shame they didn't really go after the niche and use some Italmil 68mm conicals, like the Pharos uses. Great burrset!

My bet is cost. It seems more like a competitor for the Sette than the Niche. Maybe they will target the Niche more directly in the fiture

Although the 40mm burr set doesn't impress me, this grinder seems to be extremely attractive in terms of the cost. I watched the video posted above and it actually took less time to grind than the D64 and was a lot quieter.

My electric powered grinders are all flat burr and my conicals are hand-cranked. There ARE in-the-cup differences of coffee taste between the two grinder types. I would probably use the conicals more if they were not more laborious to use than the in the flats.

If I had an SD40 I'm sure I would be using it than my manual grinders. I've considered the Niche Zero, but am not inclined to invest $600+ just to try it out. The SD40 is priced low enough that I would consider it.

staymesso wrote:My bet is cost. It seems more like a competitor for the Sette than the Niche. Maybe they will target the Niche more directly in the fiture

I've seen multiple reports that the SD40 can go coarse enough for pour-over though, which is something the Sette couldn't...

Pressino wrote:My electric powered grinders are all flat burr and my conicals are hand-cranked. There ARE in-the-cup differences of coffee taste between the two grinder types. I would probably use the conicals more if they were not more laborious to use than the in the flats.

What flat burr grinders are you using and with what burr sets?

I always wondered is there only a discernable taste difference between flats and burrs if you're comparing the most top-of-the-line ultra unimodal solid diamond SSP burrs to the dirtiest most fine-producing conicals - or is there still a difference just comparing an average flat to an average conical?