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Date: 30 Nov 2006 11:23:18
From: Deggy
Subject: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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Hi,
I'm looking for my ideal grinder and was wondering if anyone on
alt.coffee could point me in the right direction. I just took delivery
of an Iberital MC2 to replace my Solis starter grinder. The Iberital is
a great quality machine and it's build quality, weight and looks really
impressed me. The grind was also absolutely excellent and the few shots
I pulled showed a glimpse of espresso heaven with a nice
bronze/gold/brown crema flowing.
What kills me about the grinder though is the fact that it has a
horizontal platform onto which grinds fall and when enough have build
up they are forced out into the doser, and as a result the amount of
wasted coffee makes it totally unsuitable for domestic use, in the one
or two shot a day scenario i'll just waste a ton of coffee and be
constantly cleaning it. This design seems completely nonsensical to me
as well, it would be so easy to have a 45 degree incline into the doser
from the 'drop' out of the burrs and waste would be zero with a
smoother delivery.
So the Ibertial is going back, no good for the home.
Which leaves me using the Solis for now, because if has a sensible
design for a low-use grinder. A inclined delivery into the hopper and
so no waste although compered with the Ibertial it's grind is terrible
for espresso and now i've had a taste of something better!
Does anyone know of a grinder up there with the Ibertial/MDF/Rocky
that has a sensible design for the home user, probably with _direct_
drop into a hopper or portafilter. The Kitchenaid looks good but I hear
bad things about production models performance on espresso grinding.
And the doserless models all have the same basic flaw, there's no
doser for grounds to go stale in but that horizontal plate onto which
the grinds fall is still there and harder to clean as a delivery chute
will stop access with a brush.
Please, I need a new grinder and some advice.
Dan.
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Date: 30 Nov 2006 11:54:06
From: DavidMLewis
Subject: Re: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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Deggy wrote:
> What kills me about the grinder though is the fact that it has a
> horizontal platform onto which grinds fall and when enough have build
> up they are forced out into the doser, and as a result the amount of
> wasted coffee makes it totally unsuitable for domestic use, in the one
> or two shot a day scenario i'll just waste a ton of coffee and be
> constantly cleaning it. This design seems completely nonsensical to me
> as well, it would be so easy to have a 45 degree incline into the doser
> from the 'drop' out of the burrs and waste would be zero with a
> smoother delivery.
>
> Does anyone know of a grinder up there with the Ibertial/MDF/Rocky
> that has a sensible design for the home user, probably with _direct_
> drop into a hopper or portafilter. The Kitchenaid looks good but I hear
> bad things about production models performance on espresso grinding.
>
> And the doserless models all have the same basic flaw, there's no
> doser for grounds to go stale in but that horizontal plate onto which
> the grinds fall is still there and harder to clean as a delivery chute
> will stop access with a brush.
>
Well, I don't know about its performance for espresso, but the Virtuoso
does seem to have solved the problem you're asking about. Alan Adler
ran an experiment in which he carefully cleaned one, then ran a weighed
dose of coffee through it and weighed the resulting grounds. The
difference, as I recall, was only a couple tenths of a gram, if that (I
recall 0.05 g). It's in the endless AeroPress thread over on
CoffeeGeek.
Then there's the Versalab, of course, but that's another topic.
Best,
David
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Date: 01 Dec 2006 08:14:27
From: Deggy
Subject: Re: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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Thanks to all the respondants so far.
Unfortunately I can't make the budget stretch to a Rocky so I think
i'm going to go for the Ibertial automatic model. I'll probably spend
other week or so shopping around though and keep lurking on alt.coffee
to see if anyone else has any good ideas.
Dan
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Date: 01 Dec 2006 08:03:22
From: phreaddy
Subject: Re: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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You said, "Does anyone know of a grinder up there with the
Ibertial/MDF/Rocky that has a sensible design for the home user,
probably with _direct_ drop into a hopper or portafilter ... the
doserless models all have the same basic flaw, there's no doser for
grounds to go stale in but that horizontal plate onto which the grinds
fall is still there and harder to clean as a delivery chute will stop
access with a brush."
Since you mentioned the Rocky doserless, I would recommend it. I can't
figure out what you mean by this problem with the horizontal plate. The
Rocky-D is great for low-volume, home use. I generally make two double
cappucinos per day. You can put the portafilter right up to the chute
and premeasure your beans when you dump them in the hopper. Or if you
want to be more precise about the exact amount of coffee you dose
(which I recommend, because some grounds do inevitably get left in the
works) you can use an interim, small container to catch the grounds
(like a four-ounce Tupperware), and then use a measure to scoop them
from there into the PF. Works great for me.
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Date: 01 Dec 2006 08:32:53
From: Bill Taylor
Subject: Re: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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On 30 Nov 2006 11:23:18 -0800, "Deggy" <dangrayorg@gmail.com > wrote:
>Hi,
>
> I'm looking for my ideal grinder and was wondering if anyone on
>alt.coffee could point me in the right direction. I just took delivery
>of an Iberital MC2 to replace my Solis starter grinder. The Iberital is
>a great quality machine and it's build quality, weight and looks really
>impressed me. The grind was also absolutely excellent and the few shots
>I pulled showed a glimpse of espresso heaven with a nice
>bronze/gold/brown crema flowing.
>
> What kills me about the grinder though is the fact that it has a
>horizontal platform onto which grinds fall and when enough have build
>up they are forced out into the doser, and as a result the amount of
>wasted coffee makes it totally unsuitable for domestic use, in the one
>or two shot a day scenario i'll just waste a ton of coffee and be
>constantly cleaning it. This design seems completely nonsensical to me
>as well, it would be so easy to have a 45 degree incline into the doser
>from the 'drop' out of the burrs and waste would be zero with a
>smoother delivery.
>
> So the Ibertial is going back, no good for the home.
>
> Which leaves me using the Solis for now, because if has a sensible
>design for a low-use grinder. A inclined delivery into the hopper and
>so no waste although compered with the Ibertial it's grind is terrible
>for espresso and now i've had a taste of something better!
>
> Does anyone know of a grinder up there with the Ibertial/MDF/Rocky
>that has a sensible design for the home user, probably with _direct_
>drop into a hopper or portafilter. The Kitchenaid looks good but I hear
>bad things about production models performance on espresso grinding.
>
> And the doserless models all have the same basic flaw, there's no
>doser for grounds to go stale in but that horizontal plate onto which
>the grinds fall is still there and harder to clean as a delivery chute
>will stop access with a brush.
>
> Please, I need a new grinder and some advice.
>
> Dan.
Iiberital MC2 doserless. Short chute, as few ledges as you're likely
to get and easy to clean wth a small brush.
Bill
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Date: 01 Dec 2006 05:26:35
From: Bill (Adopt)
Subject: Re: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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In article <1164914598.775585.242990@16g2000cwy.googlegroups.com >,
Deggy <dangrayorg@gmail.com > wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm looking for my ideal grinder and was wondering if anyone on
> alt.coffee could point me in the right direction. I just took delivery
> of an Iberital MC2 to replace my Solis starter grinder. The Iberital is
> a great quality machine and it's build quality, weight and looks really
> impressed me.
:))
> The grind was also absolutely excellent and the few shots
> I pulled showed a glimpse of espresso heaven with a nice
> bronze/gold/brown crema flowing.
Now /that/ - the quality of the grind and the espresso it
produces - is the most important thing! :))
There may be those (I guess I be one after only a short
while), who'd say that is the /only/ thing..
> What kills me about the grinder though is the fact that it has a
> horizontal platform onto which grinds fall and when enough have build
> up they are forced out into the doser, and as a result the amount of
> wasted coffee makes it totally unsuitable for domestic use, in the one
> or two shot a day scenario i'll just waste a ton of coffee and be
> constantly cleaning it. This design seems completely nonsensical to me
> as well, it would be so easy to have a 45 degree incline into the doser
> from the 'drop' out of the burrs and waste would be zero with a
> smoother delivery.
Apart from a vertical drop-through - expensive? rare?
toy? just about all grinders seem to share the same
awkward design 'features'...
> So the Ibertial is going back, no good for the home.
Might be a bit drastic! ..especially as you very wisely
like the actual espresso heaven that you've discovered.. :))
I have (mentioned elsewhere) a Cunill CT1 (commercial type)
grinder which I rather suspect is very much like your Iberital.
If they are similar, then the chute from the grinding chamber
does seem to pack up to a couple of grammes of grind before
they splurge into the doser.
However... ;))
..after using the CT1 for only a very short while, I
discovered that this is not the difficulty that I first
thought. Two reasons:
..grinding for one or two doses daily (around a minimal
14/18gm), I use a cheap child's (non-toxic!) paintbrush
to scoop out the chute. Having brushed out the chute,
a quick couple of a second 'blow' on the motor - and
anything that's been pushed back into the chamber is
blasted back out into the doser.
..at the end of each day's use in a commercial environment
I would think it good practice to give the shute and doser
a quick brush down so that stale grind isn't left festering
overnight..
Unfortunately this is a housekeeping chore that applies
daily, whether you're grinding 14/18gm or several hundred
gramme. The amount of grind that remains to age
ungracefully is the same in each case.
Result ..no real way to avoid the labour - or the time
spent cleaning up your equipment.. It's the same, no matter
the daily useage of your machines..
> Which leaves me using the Solis for now, because if has a sensible
> design for a low-use grinder. A inclined delivery into the hopper and
> so no waste although compered with the Ibertial it's grind is terrible
> for espresso and now i've had a taste of something better!
> Does anyone know of a grinder up there with the Ibertial/MDF/Rocky
> that has a sensible design for the home user, probably with _direct_
> drop into a hopper or portafilter.
> The Kitchenaid looks good but I hear
> bad things about production models performance on espresso
> grinding.
The Kitchenaid, (if it's the pretty little thing I'm
thinking of), grinds - but only up to a gross point!
There's not a whole lot of adjustment - and I guess
nothing like the fine adjustment possible with your
Iberital.
Stand the two alongside each other and I think I can
easily guess the one you'll consider the 'toy'...
> And the doserless models all have the same basic flaw, there's no
> doser for grounds to go stale in but that horizontal plate onto which
> the grinds fall is still there and harder to clean as a delivery chute
> will stop access with a brush.
Dunno whether this is the same as your Iberital but,
for the CT1, I take the plastic lid off the doser and
the chute is immediately visible and wholly accessible.
This does facilitate brushing out to get the full amount
of measured grind into the doser - also keeping both clear
and clean at the end of the daily use...
> Please, I need a new grinder and some advice.
..are you sure? :)) .."espresso heaven"..? ;))
You could buy a commercial type Cunill CT-1, cheap
either refurbed or even new ..(honestly, it's not
that big with the interchangeable Tranguilo flatter
hopper, a little less than the size of a Kenwood Chef
..about the same size as a Gaggia Coffee or Classic
..(although compared to my original little Hitachi
lightweight, it appeared huge for the first couple
of days after it arrived)!
At least it will last for decades in domestic use -
and will continue to produce top quality grind no
matter how cheap or expensive the rest of your espresso
facilities become. Upgrading the grinder will no
longer be seem as immediately important...
For the moment, keep your Iberital.. You've said it all
..espresso heaven! What more do you want? ;))
Bill ZFC
e&oe..!
--
Adoption InterLink UK with -=- http://www.billsimpson.com/
Domain Host Orpheus Internet -=- http://www.orpheusinternet.co.uk/
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Date: 01 Dec 2006 18:37:41
From: Danny
Subject: Re: Looking for my ideal grinder.
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Deggy wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking for my ideal grinder and was wondering if anyone on
> alt.coffee could point me in the right direction. I just took delivery
> of an Iberital MC2 to replace my Solis starter grinder. The Iberital is
> a great quality machine and it's build quality, weight and looks really
> impressed me. The grind was also absolutely excellent and the few shots
> I pulled showed a glimpse of espresso heaven with a nice
> bronze/gold/brown crema flowing.
>
> What kills me about the grinder though is the fact that it has a
> horizontal platform onto which grinds fall and when enough have build
> up they are forced out into the doser, and as a result the amount of
> wasted coffee makes it totally unsuitable for domestic use, in the one
> or two shot a day scenario i'll just waste a ton of coffee and be
> constantly cleaning it. This design seems completely nonsensical to me
> as well, it would be so easy to have a 45 degree incline into the doser
> from the 'drop' out of the burrs and waste would be zero with a
> smoother delivery.
>
> So the Ibertial is going back, no good for the home.
>
> Which leaves me using the Solis for now, because if has a sensible
> design for a low-use grinder. A inclined delivery into the hopper and
> so no waste although compered with the Ibertial it's grind is terrible
> for espresso and now i've had a taste of something better!
>
> Does anyone know of a grinder up there with the Ibertial/MDF/Rocky
> that has a sensible design for the home user, probably with _direct_
> drop into a hopper or portafilter. The Kitchenaid looks good but I hear
> bad things about production models performance on espresso grinding.
>
> And the doserless models all have the same basic flaw, there's no
> doser for grounds to go stale in but that horizontal plate onto which
> the grinds fall is still there and harder to clean as a delivery chute
> will stop access with a brush.
>
> Please, I need a new grinder and some advice.
>
> Dan.
>
As others have noted, since you like evrything about the Iberital -
grind quality etc, I would be inclined to stick with it - perhaps you
can modify the exit area easily, to add a ramp so the ground coffee is
more likely to exit. To be honest, most grinders leave some behind in
this area, and there are precious few centre drop grinders. Since you
can't afford much better you'd be better off working with what you
have (and I agree - for home use the MC2 is good value and a nice
little grinder).
--
Regards, Danny
http://www.gaggia-espresso.com (a purely hobby site)
http://www.malabargold.co.uk (UK/EU ordering for Malabar Gold blend)
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