Do you really need the biggest and best grinder, or can you just puck prep your way to greatness? Many of the benefits of bigger burrs can also be found using WDT, shakers, and puck screens, but how will they hold up in a triangulation taste test?
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13 Comments
Thanks! Really interesting.
Btw, which burr set did you use on the Mazzer? Also what type of coffee, ie roast level?
Consistent puck prep is key!
Great video & information.
Interesting! I have yet to find a coffee shop that produces a better milk drink than I do with my Mignon zero. In all fairness, I've perfectly aligned my burrs and slow feed (per James Hoffmann's advice years ago).
I'm useing a CF64V. SET on 1,000 and a good grind..I mostly drink Saka Crema Bar. It's good without prep but super smooth with prep.
Great video. It will also be interesting if you could make a comparison slow feeding the beans in the Mignon Zero vs dumping the beans all at once in the Philos. Another one, slow feeding in both. I had tried slow feeding in a budget grinder, it made dramatic improvement in cup clarity.
Do you have 200 or 189 burrs in Philos?
I dont think Phillos is an endgame grinder
Many, many years ago, I bought the cheapest burr grinder that you sold. (I don’t remember the model name.) It had a plastic part that broke within a year. The next day, I had guests coming. I drove to your store, and as soon as it opened, I bought a Mazzer Mini.
I fixed the cheap grinder and sold it. The Mini is still my son’s daily driver.
I now have the Philos. And yeah, I do fastidious puck prep. My shot consistency is wildly good.
The lesson? Puck prep might make a cheap grinder more effective, but it won’t fix plastic parts in the driveline. 😉
I have the zero and its a very good grinder
I think comparing one to one is more useful, because you don't need to taste the different one.
At espresso level grinding fines and particle distribution is more on the negligible side. Heat introduced at grinding is the bigger factor imo
From a methodology standpoint, all options should have the same number of cups. You may detect, consciously or not, that two drinks are identical, and rightfully conclude that they were made using the Mignon, whether they’re actually better or worse.