Hello from Weber Workshops (& KEY Grinder details) - Page 3

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rhtrevino
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#21: Post by rhtrevino »

Just received an email. The grinder goes live tomorrow at 8am CST in the US.

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Weber Workshops (original poster)
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#22: Post by Weber Workshops (original poster) »

OK, dropping back in about 24 hours before the official launch. It seems the question people most frequently ask is around what differences should be expected compared to the Niche. Let me help illuminate some of the differences here.

83mm vs 64mm burrs. Yes, they are both conical burrs produced by Mazzer, so there are some fundamental similarities. It is considerably less stress on the 83mm burr to do the same work as the 64mm, so inherently less heat generation and MUCH longer burr life. Can your palette tell the difference based on that given all else is the same? Only you can answer that one.

Ability to clean. What we think is perhaps the most overlooked feature of all commercial and prosumer coffee grinders is just how nasty they are on the inside. This is why we make everything as absolutely easy to clean as possible without tools. If you have ever taken apart your grinder (even Niche owners, I implore you to do so) and scraped off all the crud onto a tissue paper and given it a sniff, you will understand what I am talking about. Old coffee grounds are rancid. Even an unsophisticated palette/nose can tell the difference of coffee that has gone through a clean machine vs. one with rancid parts left in it. Is the Niche comparatively hard to clean? No. But will you do it daily as it should be done? Probably not. You will with the KEY (or the HG-2/1for that matter).

Variable RPM. This is more a usability feature than a "quality in the cup" one. Crank it up and it just grinds super fast. Keep it lower and it takes longer but is also endearingly quiet. For us it's just a standard feature we put on grinders since we first came out with the EG-1 and started using BLDC motors -- for which variable RPM is almost a freebie. We think there's a reason that this became an industry trend afterwards.

Design/Innovation. The KEY is just built to last. No plated plastic bits, no corners cut. The Magic Tumbler is truly a joy to use and there is no cleaner workflow I've ever seen in existence. The automated WDT? Maybe not for everyone, but automatically homogenizing the grounds even for those who don't bother/need WDT is pretty special. We believe strongly in it, and there's a reason it's one of the cornerstones of a new pending patent. The built-in brush is simple and easy to use, and the tip is easily replaceable in the future. Brush comes standard with boar/horse hair, but we will be offering a Nylon bristle tip for those who prefer that as well. It's not a repurposed thing, it's made specifically to clean coffee out of burr chambers. And the magnetic "sucking in" to its little cubby is pretty magical. And did we mention it's actually a narrower footprint than the Niche? (80mm vs 122mm, although the KEY is admittedly 110mm just under the burrs)

Yes I am biased. I spent countless hours over the past 2 years making and remaking and dreaming about all the ways to make the perfect motorized conical grinder. We wouldn't bother making it unless we actually believed it was the best one money can buy. In a previous life I designed the first couple generations of the iPod nano. The same Industrial designer for that project is now on our board, and we reminisce-geeked-out all over the place making the KEY a thing of reality (he's a supreme coffee lover as well). Huge amount of grind in a tiny footprint. We're just super happy with what we made, and we're pretty sure you will be too.
Weber Workshops Team
weberworkshops.com

TenLayers
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#23: Post by TenLayers »

I appreciate the effort to bring something like this onto a worldwide platform.

Steveholt
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#24: Post by Steveholt »

Thanks for popping back in Douglas.

I think the comparisons with the Niche are unexpected, and until the Key is in the wild these questions will remain.

I think there is an implicit quality gap in the build specs of the two grinders that will be made real when the machine is in hands. The in the cup gaps, they may well remain a discussion, but such is coffee geek life.


Separately, Auctor. Thanks for your reply re:burr seasoning.

FrankS
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#25: Post by FrankS »

Indeed, thank you for the info Douglas.

May I ask for some comments on this grinder with respect to non-espresso usage?

The keycoffeegrinder web page mentions the ability to easily switch to grinds for French press, pour-over, etc., but most discussions I have seen here on Home-Barista and elsewhere have been around espresso.

I find the Key very interesting, and your design goals match a lot of what I'm looking for in a grinder. However I brew (Clever, pour-over) most of the time, and I wonder if this grinder may not be ideal for users like myself.

megamixman
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#26: Post by megamixman »

Given their similar price range and the fact that they are both conicals of large burr size, wouldn't the more appropriate comparison be the MC4?

Jshot
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#27: Post by Jshot replying to megamixman »

It would but many are focused on the Niche. The Key and MC4 are an obvious upgrade to the Niche but now that Weber claims the Key to be the best motorized conical I'd like to discuss the MC4.

versusqc
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#28: Post by versusqc »

The indiegogo campain started early it seems (it was up when I checked at 8:40!)
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/key- ... workshops/
Good luck to everyone!

sergiyr
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#29: Post by sergiyr »

And here Doug promised to return back to post a discounted link to HB members... as of now less than 50 left at the $1500 price. Wondering if I need to order now or wait for the said discount.

Edit: sold out before the campaign went live. How frustrating.

Steveholt
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#30: Post by Steveholt »

Thanks for the heads up.

They have upped the early bird slots to 150 there.
I am curious if there is now any value in Douglas' HB related link he suggested in his first post here.
For FOMO reasons, I have already ordered :oops:

But, I am not a huge fan of links live going early with apparently limited supply and unusually quiet comms.
That's maybe more feedback on the campaign than the product.