After a very long research period, I settled on this grinder over a Rocky due to its stepless adjustment, lack of a hokey doser, and lower price. This grinder has really made a huge difference in my espresso quality and consistency. I never have to worry about being able to zero in on the perfect extraction time, and can usually nail it by the second shot. The bright aluminum finish looks pretty swanky, and looks great next to beautiful miss silvia. What I don't like is the grinds sticking in the chute, as other have mentioned. I have found a routine that gets me around it, though: when i have the machine up to temperature, i unlock the portafilter, give it a quick wipe to dry it, and put it under the grind chute. I grind till the baket is about 1/2 full, then stop and give the filter a little side-to-side shake to level the mound in the middle. Then i fill the basket up to about almost full. I set the filter down, turn off the power switch, cup my left hand under the chute, rock the grinder toward me so the chute is vertical with my right hand, and gently thump the nose of the grinder on the counter. The vast majority of the grinds will fall into my hand. Then i toss them into the basket, tamp, etc. this isn't as bad as it sounds, but it's still a hassle. I have a small, round grind brush that i put into the chute and twist to dislodge grinds that remain. Usually there are some grinds on the lower platform after grinding that also need to be cleaned up. I'd say that overall, i love the results, but the design could, and should, be improved. |
