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I have had the opportinity for the last seven weeks to use a production version of the third generation Kafatek Monolith Conical, hereafter called "MC3."

Since the initial design and release of the Monolith Flat, Denis has been considering the application of the angled design to the Conical. Other things have been more important in the meantime, and he was finally able to prioritize the project in late Fall, after perfecting the new alignment technology for both grinders, and shortening the Conical a bit.

Design goals for MC3 were as follows:

1. Improve workflow of the Conical by decreasing the clearance time of ground beans from the grinder, while reducing the need for palm taps and blowing in the top of the grinder. Angling the grinder allows the exit path to be more vertical and shorter. It is not straight down out of the burrs like an HG1. The grind chamber has been shrunk to decrease retention even further than on the previous Conicals. Grind speed itself is unchanged, as this is related to motor speed and burr geometry, both of which are basically unchanged.

2. Create cosmetic consistency and production efficiency optimization across the Kafatek grinder lines. Slanting the grinder does not make it look any worse, and many will prefer it. It allows use of the upright posts and PF Forks across Flat and Conical. It eliminates a further source of noise from the PF fork plate, which would shake the PF often after grinding was completed.

3. Improve the function of the grinder a bit. As Denis was planning to redesign the burr chamber anyway, he decided to switch to 71mm burrs. The cutting surface dimensions are the same as the 68mm ones, but the outer burr is bigger in outside diameter. The screw holes on these burrs are completely circumscribed on the 71mm version, while they are in a cutout on the 68mm one. Denis preferred the 71mm version for use with his new burr chamber design. The stock burrs will be the same custom (tool steel and quality specifications) European burrs on the previous Conicals. Mazzer 71mm (+ $150) and TiN coated burrs (+ $250), as well as Gorilla Burrs (+$280) will be available as options. We don't think the Gorilla Burrs are necessary, as they taste no different, and take forever to break in. An anti-popcorning deflector was implemented in the safety funnel, and a sweeper in the funnel was added to decrease sticking of beans in the event of excessive RDT or oil. These features will migrate to future Flat and MAX grinders at some point.

My impressions:

Grind speed is unchanged, but the grinder does indeed clear faster. Ergonomics are identical to the Flat and MAX at this point. I have the 71mm uncoated preseasoned newest version genuine Mazzer burrs. Side by side with the previous generation Conical (new locking mechanism, 68mm uncoated European burrs of Denis' spec), there is no significant difference in cup quality. Taste is essentially identical, with subtle difference due to the very minor differences in burr geometry. They both are a little better than the ones with the older locking mechanism, as the more precise alignment gives a larger useful adjustment range for espresso grind, and seems to allow better tasting extractions from very light roast coffees if they are well-developed. Poorly developed acid bombs probably are still best done on MAX or Flat/SSP, though the Conicals with new locking mechanism come closer than less precisely aligned grinders. All the Kafatek grinders perform well with medium or dark roasts, and for these, we like the current Conicals over the Flat grinders, but you can do great with the Flats too. I have not tested MC3 for brew/press/pourover, but the older version worked fine for such things. If you like conicals for that kind of coffee, you will like these. Coava used to grind for pourover Chemex on a Kony E, even though it sat right next to a Mahlkönig Tanzania. I have a MAX, so I use it for these applications, on the rare occasions when I do not prefer espresso, or for guests. I tried so far about 12-13 coffees at ages from 0-4 weeks for espresso, and was able to easily make great espresso with the MC3 with anything I threw at it. All but 2 were light roasts. I have a MAX, but I find myself using MC3 almost 50% of the time. The profiles are different, as you would expect between flat and conical burrs, but only rarely did I strongly prefer one to another. I found no sensible pattern as to when I had such a preference, so none will be articulated here.

Comparisons: I no longer have my Robur. I tested against my Helor Flux, which I have aligned very well, but I am sure not to the tolerances that we have come to expect from Kafatek and Titus (and ok, props to Versalab for finally tasting the Kool Aid). It has the exact same burrs as my MC3. Pulled to the same parameters, the espresso tasted very similar. Perhaps a little more complexity and clarity with MC3, but this could be dial-in laziness with hand grinding, or variation with manual grinding speed. I am willing to call it close enough to a draw, but I vastly prefer the Monolith workflow!

Workflow was good before, and to be honest, I did not expect to find the changes to be as noticeable as they were. The new grinder is quieter and vibrates less. I measured sound levels with my Watch 4 at a distance 20cm (probably too close) from grinder at level of spout, directly in front of grinder. Empty: 61dB, Load: 71dB. For reference, Flat is a little quieter, and MAX is 68db/78dB.

Grinds clear considerably faster, with less effort. Retention is essentially nil. It clears almost entirely on its own. Often nothing remains to tap or blow out. With the safety funnel deflector shield, there is no popcorning of beans out of the grinder. The sweeper works as it should, though it is not strictly needed unless using oily beans or getting a bit too excited with the RDT. Distribution seems better than for previous Conicals. After adjusting PF forks to center the grinds stream, a leveling shake, vertical tap, and LevTamp to just to compact makes a great shot most of the time. My usual routine is a bit more anal, and makes a great shot every time. WDT is not strictly necessary for this grinder, in my opinion, once burrs are broken-in at 5-7kg. Being well accustomed to Monoliths, I can operate this grinder in a completely mess-free fashion, but I think this and the Flats are a little better than the vertical Conicals.

All in all, the MC3 is a solid, logical, and inevitable evolution of the Kafatek Conical line. There are no surprises in the cup, nor should any be expected. The minor additions of deflector and sweeper improve the workflow experience of the grinder. Workmanship, material, fit and finish are stellar as expected. As always, the grinder is an outstanding value in the now rather crowded space of single-dosing Titan conical grinders (with or without motors).