Thread: Burr coffee grinder recommendation

It looks like I was wrong. We just had a call to say that our automatic coffee machine, which went back for repairs under warranty, is not repairable and our purchase price will be refunded.

Ron, it is ok, it is consistent with you ability to buy faulty things
Have a look the reviews of the Rancilio Silvia machine and the grinder all the reviews about these 2 machines are excellent.

I've read the reviews and agree. However, they require a modicum of skill to make good coffee. I lack that skill. My espresso machine (brass boiler, not thermoblock) and grinder had good reviews, too, but I simply cannot make drinkable coffee. At least an auto/semi-auto makes consistently mediocre coffee whereas my coffee varies from undrinkable (bitter) to undrinkable (sour) - not that I can tell the difference.

I have made hundreds of shots and rarely ever got drinkable coffee. Most end up in the sink. Making coffee requires skill in grinding and tamping and I have not acquired those skills. It is not exact enough a science for me, e.g., x grams off coffee, ground to y fineness, tamped to z pressure, and water expressed through it for n millilitres.

I know my espresso machine has a boiler - it failed (electrically leaky to ground) not long after buying it and I had to buy a replacement boiler top with element).

I can second the Rancilio Silvia & Rocky grinder combination. Unlike most of it's peers which use an aluminium thermoblock as a heating element, the Silvia comes with a 300ml brass boiler and all brass lines from the boiler onwards, It makes a great espresso but requires a finer grind than most (and is very sensitive to grind size).

That's where the Rocky comes in - great performance and durability for the price - it shares the motor and burrs with Rancilio's commercial grinder siblings (hence why it weighs close to 20 kgs). I expect it to last as long as my 4BD1...

The only criticism I have of the Rocky is that the adjustment is stepped rather than infinitely adjustable, and the grind required by the Silvia usually varies between the finest four steps (out of the total of 40). Even so, I've never needed to use the finest setting for an espresso grind. My mum uses the finest setting for a "turkish coffee" grind, and she's reasonably happy with the results.

For the same quality of grind and infinite adjustability you'd have to go with a Mazzer mini or similar which comes with too hefty a price tag for my budget.

BTW, I'd strongly recommend the doserless version of the grinder. I'm not sure that a fresh grind makes much of a difference to the actual taste (despite what some will have you believe), the aroma of a fresh grind certainly makes the coffee more enjoyable IMHO.

Originally Posted by Offender90

The only criticism I have of the Rocky is that the adjustment is stepped rather than infinitely adjustable,

I thought that might be an advantage. My Iberital isn't stepped so it's a bit of a fiddle to get a good grind.

Originally Posted by p38arover

I've read the reviews and agree. However, they require a modicum of skill to make good coffee. I lack that skill. My espresso machine and grinder had good reviews, too, but I simply cannot make drinkable coffee. At least an auto/semi-auto makes consistently mediocre coffee whereas my coffee varies from undrinkable (bitter) to undrinkable (sour) - not that I can tell the difference.

I have made hundreds of shots and rarely ever got drinkable coffee. Most end up in the sink. Making coffee requires skill in grinding and tamping and I have not acquired those skills. It is not exact enough a science for me, e.g., x grams off coffee, ground to y fineness, tamped to z pressure, and water expressed through it for n millilitres.

Ron,

The secret to consistent coffee is to use a double basket - it gives much more consistent results. All "single" baskets are tapered at the bottom, which often results in an uneven flow of water through the coffee - this makes single baskets very sensitive to filling / tamping technique. I use a 12g untapered basket for single shots, and a 14g or an 18g untapered basket for double shots. Works great 98% of the time.

HTH

Originally Posted by Offender90

Ron,

The secret to consistent coffee is to use a double basket - it gives much more consistent results. All "single" baskets are tapered at the bottom, which often results in an uneven flow of water through the coffee - this makes single baskets very sensitive to filling / tamping technique. I use a 12g untapered basket for single shots, and a 14g or an 18g untapered basket for double shots. Works great 98% of the time.

HTH

I use the double basket..

Originally Posted by Offender90

Ron,

The secret to consistent coffee is to use a double basket - it gives much more consistent results. All "single" baskets are tapered at the bottom, which often results in an uneven flow of water through the coffee - this makes single baskets very sensitive to filling / tamping technique. I use a 12g untapered basket for single shots, and a 14g or an 18g untapered basket for double shots. Works great 98% of the time.

HTH

First up I'm not a barista's backside. I fix the machines (infrequently)

Now we have that out of the way....

A twin basket is brilliant for making sure your tamping is even, you want an even extraction out both sides.
If one side is running more quickly than the other, keep practising

Another trick to a sweeter, not as 'kicky' brew is to short extract.

Don't let it go all the way for the full 23 seconds or so, pull it early.

This dramatically reduces bitterness and reduces the caffeine content too, according to a couple of switched on barista's I've met.