Versatile, barely passable for espresso after modification.
Positive Product Points
Good value for money. Passable for espresso after burr modification. Easy to adjust grinds.
Negative Product Points
No many steps of grind size. Almost impossible to grind fine enought for certain beans (especially decaf) on grind-picky espresso machines.
Detailed Commentary
Thought I will share with others my 1-year experience with the Antigua, after I finally had 2 more grinders for comparison.
Originally bought it for moka pot brewing, which is does a very good job of. There is a small amount of static, but nothing to be alarmed about. Then I upgraded to a Silvia espresso machine and the Antigua immediately looked ill-equipped to provide the grind needed by the machine. I modded the Antigua to grind as fine as it can go (one click less than burrs touching after mod) and it managed to grind respectably. On all non decaf grounds, I can pull shots of about ~25s if I use a LM double basket) and a heavy tamp.
On certain decaf beans, the Antigua is just not up to the task. But that is not true for all decafs. I have had good success with certain decaf blends, so if you intend to use this for decaf espresso, certainly shop around for suitable beans. And even with suitable beans, shots are only good if the beans are real fresh (within 1 wk of roasting is my estimate)
I didn't know how much finer grinders can grind coffee until I bought an Innova i2 and also witnessed a Rancilio Rocky in action. Both can produce uniform flour-like, portafilter-choking consistency, which is something the Antigua can never come close to achieving. My theory is that the burr assembly is not rigid enough, hence causing the grinder to want to push the upper burr upwards as it grinds. This is evident by the fact that if I do not hold on to the hopper, the grinder setting may actually gradually become coarser due to the grinder action itself.
