Another Coffee Grinder Question

Cantstandsya

Sorry, I know there are lots of coffee grinder threads already but just wanted to get some opinions.

I'm in the market for a good grinder. I've been looking at the Barazza Encore and Sage Smart Grinder Pro... both of these seem like a good choice (leaning more towards the Sage) for now, however, reading through various threads on the topic I've seen the Mazzer Mini mentioned over and over.

So that's significantly pricier than either of the options mentioned but if I am going to buy a good grinder I'd rather get a proper one that will last me a long time.

I'm buying this for pour over and cafetiere but I have got notions of picking up a good espresso machine at some point down the road.

So, end of rambling, my questions are, just how much better is the Mazzer Mini? Will it last for years? Would it be better to dive in the deep end or start off with a Sage and upgrade later if I do decide to plunge into espresso.

Thanks for any help :-)

donnacha

Cantstandsya wrote: »

Sorry, I know there are lots of coffee grinder threads already but just wanted to get some opinions.

I'm in the market for a good grinder. I've been looking at the Barazza Encore and Sage Smart Grinder Pro... both of these seem like a good choice (leaning more towards the Sage) for now, however, reading through various threads on the topic I've seen the Mazzer Mini mentioned over and over.

So that's significantly pricier than either of the options mentioned but if I am going to buy a good grinder I'd rather get a proper one that will last me a long time.

I'm buying this for pour over and cafetiere but I have got notions of picking up a good espresso machine at some point down the road.

So, end of rambling, my questions are, just how much better is the Mazzer Mini? Will it last for years? Would it be better to dive in the deep end or start off with a Sage and upgrade later if I do decide to plunge into espresso.

Thanks for any help :-)

For pour over/french press with espresso down the road I personally wouldn't buy a mazzer mini. The higher end grinders are going to pay dividends when you have invested in a proper espresso machine. Again there are so many pros and cons but my research on the mazzer led me to the conclusion that I'd waste a lot due to the chute storing quite a bit of ground beans.

If I was in your situation I'd consider a mahlkonig vario (Baratza in the US). It is quite easy to adjust grind and clean. You also have an option to swap out the ceramic burrs and purchase steel ones for dedicated filter/pour over/French press. Its all worth researching but I'd be confident you wouldn't be replacing the mahlkonig in a few years.

If down the road you get into espresso and purchase a machine then you may even end up buying a dedicated espresso grinder

alec76

Mahlkonig Vario my vote too.
There is another grinder from Baratza coming in next couple month,
Sette 270/Sette 270w
-almost zero grind retention
- no clumping
- speed
People calling it game changer, will see

Cantstandsya

Thanks for the replies. Interesting that the more expensive grinders are more geared for espresso. I'd really assumed that a good grinder was a good grinder, didn't realise that espresso is out there on its own.

I may hold off for now and see what type of reviews that new Baratza receives but the Mahlkonig Vario seems a good bet :-)

conjon

OP, I have the Encore. It's more a grinder for french press/filter than espresso. It's a workhorse, but personally speaking I wouldn't be looking towards it for a consistent finer grind.

If you can, spend the extra money.

alec76

Cantstandsya wrote: »

I may hold off for now and see what type of reviews that new Baratza receives but the Mahlkonig Vario seems a good bet :-)

Absolutely, Vario is the great machine , probably one of the best home grinders available .
I've got both ( Sage Smart grinder and Vario) , no comparison really.