F1 Senior Member Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 5 Location: Unitred States Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Thu Oct 25, 2012, 8:06pm Subject: Baratza Vario, Mazzer Super Jolly or Mazzer Mini-E????????
I've read in multiple forums that the Baratza Vario is pretty much on par with the Super Jolly and that both are better than Mini. I wonder if these people are refering to the regular Mini(58mm burr), the Mini-E(64mm burr) or both.
The Mini-E has the same size burrs as the Super Jolly. Is the Mini-E still infirior on grind quality compared to the Baratza Vario?
IMAWriter Senior Member Joined: 4 Jul 2002 Posts: 5,475 Location: Brentwood, TN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Nothing at the moment Grinder: Vario-W,Preciso-Esatto/KyM... Vac Pot: Adcraft SS, Yama 8 cup Drip: Brazen.Chemex, Hario, Clever... Roaster: Behmor 1600, CO/UFO combo
Posted Thu Oct 25, 2012, 9:38pm Subject: Re: Baratza Vario, Mazzer Super Jolly or Mazzer Mini-E????????
In fairness, all 3 grinder do a very fine job. As far as quality,. I've owned both a SJ (2 in fact) and currently a Vario-W and Preciso, both Baratza grinders. The Mazzer is a tank, truly a commercial sized grinder, and very popular. Used, it can be had for about $400. Purchase new burrs, around $45. I really enjoyed having my SJ, but found the Vario's functions more to my use pattern. The Mazzer SJ not sized well for a small kitchen, will be a bit messier and wasteful than either the Mini e, or especially the Vario, the neatest grinder of all 3.
IMO, the Vario's grind quality is very similar to the SJ's, and in fact, I found the taste profiles to be similar. Both flat burr grinders, featuring more of the "darker" elements, chocolates, caramels, nuts essences. The Vario is very quiet, nearly zero waste, and has the advantage of being able to almost instantly switch back and forth between espresso and french press grinding. It is meant for home use mainly, though I've seen them in cafe's that do manual pour-over coffee. It is kitchen sized, and comes in 2 versions, the regular Vario,. which grinds by timer (as does the mini e) and the slightly more expensive Vario-W, which grinds by weight, the later I own. Baratza's CS is also as good as it gets.
No experience with the Mini e, though it has it's fans. I believe it's price point is about $300 more than either a used SJ or a new Vario.
All 3 will do a fine job, but I'd say the SJ and Vario are more popular these days than the Mini e.
IMHO not even the slightest of chances for that. I do not even think that there is such a dilemma of the kind Mini-E or Home Vario, if someone can afford the Mini-E. Finally, if you take out the whistles and bells the best value for money choice is a second hand but in good condition Super Jolly.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Fri Oct 26, 2012, 9:56am Subject: Re: Baratza Vario, Mazzer Super Jolly or Mazzer Mini-E????????
F1 Said:
I've read in multiple forums that the Baratza Vario is pretty much on par with the Super Jolly and that both are better than Mini. I wonder if these people are refering to the regular Mini(58mm burr), the Mini-E(64mm burr) or both.
I found the Baratza Vario superior to the Mazzer Mini with its 58mm burrs, and on a par with the Mazzer Super Jolly and its 64mm burrs. I have not compared the Baratza side-by-side with the Mazzer Mini-E, but given its larger burr set, I would expect it to be comparable.
hamish5178 Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2012 Posts: 10 Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2012, 10:07am Subject: Re: Baratza Vario, Mazzer Super Jolly or Mazzer Mini-E????????
The Mini-E is definitely inferior to the SJ and Vario. Grind times are much higher, and there are clumping issues due to the anti-static screen. I have a SJ-E currently and clumping isn't as bad thanks to the higher speed (SJ burrs, though identical in diameter, have more aggressive cutting angles than the Mini-E burs) but I wouldn't want to deal with the WDT that a mini-E necessitates. I used to own a vario and it was totally clump free and ground only a hair slower than my SJ.
To me the Mini-E is just way overpriced for what it produces. You can get a brand new SJ for $675!
If you want convenience, get the Vario, if you want high build-quality, get the SJ. If you want both, get the SJ-E ;)
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