So, I'm close to putting in my order for my VII. I talked to Mary @ Chris's today.
The only real hold up is the grinder (this is a complete new setup for me; I'm too embarrassed to say what my last was.)
Most of the reviews I've read have led me to the Mini E. It appeals.
Most people seem to like the Type B and that's what Chris has in stock. But talking to Mary, she brought up the 53mm portafilter. Is this an issue? First, on either type of Mini E, does the portafilter holder hold the 53mm centered if it's designed for a 58mm pf?
Second, what about when using the pf to press the grind button? If you're using manual mode on the B, you have to keep the pf in contact with the button. Again, does this put the pf off center from funnel? Is it hard to fit that button if you're doing what people often seem to do, under spec for the auto button then top off manually?
Would a Type A be better for these reasons?
Mazzer Mini E Type A or B?
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zak42
I have the type B w/ S1, but i wouldn't recommend an S1 + MiniE combo, the deeper baskets of the S1 really highlight the distribution issues the MiniE has, I found it was a ton of work to get the process down to get a decent shot, I eventually gave up and got a second hand mazer major w/ a doser, which is way way way better.
The distribution problem is the fact that the ground coffee slides down the side of the shoot in the miniE and so enters the basket at an angle, this causes all sorts of weird density mismatch problems across the grounds in the basket, and unless you use something like the WDT or grind into a container and dump that into the basket, the result is a big messy channelling nightmare.
I'd suggest you look at a dosered grinder, either the regular mini, or step up to a super jolly, but skip the miniE for use with the S1. (BTW, I've also used the MiniE with a 58mm basket machine, and it shows the distributation problem to a far lesser degree, its surprising how much difference the fairly small changes in basket geometry make here).
The distribution problem is the fact that the ground coffee slides down the side of the shoot in the miniE and so enters the basket at an angle, this causes all sorts of weird density mismatch problems across the grounds in the basket, and unless you use something like the WDT or grind into a container and dump that into the basket, the result is a big messy channelling nightmare.
I'd suggest you look at a dosered grinder, either the regular mini, or step up to a super jolly, but skip the miniE for use with the S1. (BTW, I've also used the MiniE with a 58mm basket machine, and it shows the distributation problem to a far lesser degree, its surprising how much difference the fairly small changes in basket geometry make here).
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Niko
I have an S1 VII and a MiniE doserless. I use a modification of the WDT with excellent results. I think its a great grinder. Very easy to keep clean, nice and quiet and easy to change beans. I don't really use the auto dosing feature (other than as an auto shutoff) since I weigh the grinds.
My 2 cents.
Martin
PS - I have had occasion to open it up and can vouch for its quality construction on the inside as well.
My 2 cents.
Martin
PS - I have had occasion to open it up and can vouch for its quality construction on the inside as well.
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Niko
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zak42
:) Well, I call it modified because I haven't (yet) devised a plastic cup that fits into the pf basket and has also has a slide out to release the grinds (like the slide at the bottom of the bean hopper on the Mazzer). I want this kind of setup because I find the most reliable way to get good pours is to weigh the grinds.Niko wrote:Martin,
Please go into detail about the modification.
I'd like to see/hear about it some more...
Thanks.
What I do in the interim is grind directly into a small plastic cup, weigh the ground coffee, then break up all the clumps with a metal awl-like tool and then (yikes!) dump the grinds into the pf basket and distribute with my finger. I know this sounds like sacrilege, but I am getting consistently good pours. (I do check my technique with the bottomless pf).
Martin
Hmm, perhaps you are expecting too much from the grinder? I went with the doserless since I didn't want stale (> 1 hour) grinds in my pf. The mini does have a little screen which helps cut down on the clumping, but I think there are so many other factors involved here. For example, the type of bean, the humidity in the house, the phase of the moon and perhaps the attitude of the barista!zak42 wrote:Yeah, it's certainly a well built grinder, i just felt that for ~$700, a complex dosing & distribution approach like the WDT shouldn't be needed, YMMV.
All kidding aside, I do think that one needs to do manual de-clumping and distribution to get consistent pours with any grinder. That's my experience anyways....
Martin
Last edited by raf on Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Niko