barNone wrote:When your new burrs are seasoned, I'd be interested to know how you find the difference in flavor with the K8 vs. the Ceado burrs.

I can respond now with some initial thoughts, only because I have already noticed a difference. I also wouldn't put a ton of stock in what I say, but I'll try to add enough context for you to decide that. Also, @truemagellen may be able to offer insight too.

My boiler pressure sits between 0.7 and 0.95. I think that's ok, not sure if I would benefit from lowering it. I like shots with lower ratios that lean towards over extraction and tend to stretch to ~50 seconds. I can roughly compare the k8 burrs on my Ceado, to the oem Ceado, to my eureka atom pro.

with regards to adjustment range, the atom pro seems very small. The Ceado and k8 don't seem drastically different. K8 may even be have more range, but don't take that to the bank.

The Ceado was more intense flavours for sure. It was not smooth, it seemed harsh and muddy. but burrs were not well seasoned...maybe ~10kg. Crema seemed good though.

I find the k8 burrs are way more muted in flavour, but noticably smoother. The flavours were gentle. Not muddy or harsh. More refined, but understated. Creama wasn't bad. Thee burrs screetch!!l they are so loud for some reason. This isn't bad imo, I just thought it was such a deviation I had to mention it. The Ceado is certainly louder than the eureka, but the oem burrs didn't ring. The k8 burrs ring so loud I thought I didn't tighten the screw heads at first and they were hitting each other. It is almost a hollowing sound. Doesn't bug me though.

The atom pro is impossible to dial in, but on the rare occasions I have made something to my liking (picture attached of some Brazil beans) it was outstanding. Intense, flavourful, sweet, smooth. I've realized that I don't like beans too light as they are too bright, acidic for me and I don't enjoy the longer ratio shots.

I'm not sure I'm being fair because I don't think I have a large enough sample, and also question if my machine is functioning optimally. But it is what it is for now. I should probably have tried to season the Ceados more before jumping ship. I think I was biased based on the good shots I've had from my atom pro and how different the cut of the ceados is. I don't think I'd jump ship to SSP burrs unless 83mm casts are released.

@buckeress
How are you finding the Compak burrs after several months of usage?
I saw a Compak version from Boyt Enterprise and was considering getting it as an experiment given their low price tag ($50)
https://boytenterprises.com/products/compak-e8-f8-k8

I wish I had seen those Boyt burrs before I purchased oem. I would have grabbed those at the lower price for sure. Also I have had a few emails back and forth with Pat on other topics, so given the chance would love to support Boyt.

Overall I'm very happy with this purchase. I definitely enjoy them more than the stock 83mm Ceado burrs. In comparison I also enjoy them more than stock mythos 74/75mm burrs I have.

Certainly a mellow burr. I don't drink a ton of light roasts but I find these burrs accentuate the chocolate, tobacco, and berry flavours of my coffee (Sumatran). I pull shorter ratio and there is some bitter notes in my shots, but not overly present, and they don't bug me. That could also be the limitations of my machine shining through there.

I would say that it's a toss up when it comes to comparing these to my atom pro burrs. I like the atom pro burrs a lot, but I have a hard time pulling espresso with them on my pump machine. On my pump machine I use these k8 burrs and they are great. I believe the 9barista is a declining pressure profile (I think). On the 9barista machine, the compak K8 burrs still work well... but the atom pro does tastes better.
Having said that, I find I'm not in a hurry to grab any of the new 83mm SSP burrs. I'm sure I will eventually, but the itch compelling me to upgrade to those is not strong at all.

I put in an order for the Boyt Compak burrs.

You're insights helped, thanks!

It's hard to truly know the profile of a burr set without trying it for a while with various coffees and recipes. Add to this seasoning period and break-in when it's needed...

There's not much info on the original Compak burrs but you seem to enjoy them and so did @truemagellen.

So far, I thought the stock DF83 burrs were good. 83mm SSP HU are sometimes great, sometimes a little harsh. Like very sharp which can help tell apart the tasting notes but other times, too punchy when mellow and sweet would seem like a better fit for a certain coffee.

To be honest, the new SSP Lab Sweet or Cast 83mm (there's no right way to name them it seems) would probably be a very good match for me although there's nor enough reviews yet to justify spending that kind of money on them. Add to this the 10kg or so needed to season them...

We'll see how the Boyt hold up against the other 83mm sets I own at the moment.

Cheers!

LObin wrote:83mm SSP HU are sometimes great, sometimes a little harsh. Like very sharp which can help tell apart the tasting notes but other times, too punchy when mellow and sweet would seem like a better fit for a certain coffee.

To be honest, the new SSP Lab Sweet or Cast 83mm (there's no right way to name them it seems) would probably be a very good match for me although there's nor enough reviews yet to justify spending that kind of money on them. Add to this the 10kg or so needed to season them...

I'm very interested to see what you think of the 83mm boyts.

That's surprising about the 83mm HU. At times, I had thought about picking those up. But you are making me rethink that. How you describe the 83mm HU, is how I would describe the 74mm mythos burrs. I'm not a fan of those.

Agree on the lab sweets. I think "reworks" of them will inevitable, and I don't want to be a guinea pig. So I expect I'll be waiting a while before taking the plunge on those.

I think 83mm MP burrs are coming. Those seem as interesting to me, if not more.

buckersss wrote:I'm very interested to see what you think of the 83mm boyts.

That's surprising about the 83mm HU. At times, I had thought about picking those up. But you are making me rethink that. How you describe the 83mm HU, is how I would describe the 74mm mythos burrs. I'm not a fan of those.

Agree on the lab sweets. I think "reworks" of them will inevitable, and I don't want to be a guinea pig. So I expect I'll be waiting a while before taking the plunge on those.

I think may be 83mm MP burrs coming. Those seem as interesting to me, if not more.

The 83mm MP version will probably be superior but 64mm MP were a one trick pony for me. Not versatile enough for our needs which is anything from a 1:3 light roast or filter 2.0 to a medium-dark latte. That's more my fault then the burr's fault obviously since they do please those who want clarity above all and a great filter capable burr. I wouldn't be surprised if the 83mm MP were clearer with more pleasant acidity vs the 64MP.

I find the 83 HU to be much better than the 64mm version with quite good clarity (I often can pick out 2 if not 3 of the coffee tasting notes) and good versatility. I'm just being picky or slowly moving towards the SSP casts...
To me the HU have been sometimes wow and other times leaving me wanting more...

The Boyt will be a great affordable experiment and hopefully more. Not many similar geometry burrs except maybe with some 98mm burrs, although not exactly the same.

I have a pound of dark Costco beans to get the seasoning process started. I'll report back.

@LObin,

Early days I'm sure but any thoughts on the boyts vs 83mm HU? I'm eager to hear the scuttlebutt.

The Boyts are still in transit
The HU were sold before I even put them for sale
Won't be able to do a side by side shootout but I'll be able to tell how they compare.

I'll test alignment, put 1kg of dark Costco beans through them and will pull some shots. I'll make sure to post my impressions here.

Cheers!

Boyt K883EL (Compak E8) first impressions:

1. They fit in the DF83.
2. Geometry is unique in the 83mm size. Closest resemblance would probably be major ZM.
3. Machining job is not 100% perfect. There are a few flat edges that aren't as flat on one burr. You can see it on the pictures. It's to be expected with a $50 burr set vs $400 SSP's.
4. For the same coffee, I have to grind 5 marks closer to the 0 point in order to get a similar pull vs the stock Italmill. Same territory as the 83mm HU (my set had 50lbs+ through them), maybe a bit finer. First guess would be more uniformity, less fines.
5. Sound and pitch is similar to other 83mm burrs. Nothing like the 64MP.
6.I really, really like the results so far. Seasoned them with 1kg of med-dark Costco beans and I feel like they just keep getting better and better. I'm a bit of an odd one since I like medium-dark (never oily) for milk drinks but mostly light roasts for espresso and Americanos. These have been able to provide more sweetness with darker beans, quite noticeably actually, which is surprising given how good the stock Italmill are with med-dark roasts.
They've also provide more clarity but without the "punchy" acidity that I sometimes noticed with the HU.
I've had to pull 1:2.5 and 1:3 with shorter contact time with the Italmill and SSP HU in order to reduce astringency and either the acidity or the bitterness, depending on the coffee.
With the Boyt, 19 in and 40-42 in 30-40 seconds have been my go to for light roasts. There's a bit of astringency left but far less than with the stock burrs and more perceived sweetness. Clarity is comparable to the HU although it's a different presentation. Can't compare side by aide anymore since I sold the HU but I think I would prefer the Boyt with most light roasts while definitely like them better for medium-dark.
7. I had the 83mm LS/Cast in my sight but I may just have saved myself a $350.
To be continued...

LObin wrote: 3. Machining job is not 100% perfect. There are a few flat edges that aren't as flat on one burr. You can see it on the pictures. It's to be expected with a $50 burr set vs $400 SSP's.

Ty for the write up!

Excuse my ignorance, can you help me see the machining issues you describe in the pictures? I'm not sure I know what I'm looking for.

Is one of the bottoms bowed out a bit?

The cutting edges don't have as many knicks as my oem compaks have.

Agree they are not punchy.

I find them sweet in a fuller, but slightly toned down, not intense way. And while I don't think they are intense, I am able to make shots, using these burrs, that linger on my tongue.