Heavy duty 50 mm flat burrs made of tempered steel. Has a quiet but powerful motor and heavy-duty gear reduction drive that turns the grinding wheels slowly. A micrometer with a rotor blade axial slide allows for infinitely adjustable grind settings. Produces a very fine, consistent grind. The height of the dosing fork is adjustable. Hopper conveniently holds 1/2 lb. of beans. Attractively designed, compact and durable. Has a heavy steel body with baked on enamel coating that is scratch resistant. Available in red or black.
Negative Product Points
Static was a problem early on, and still is if I dose seconds after grinding (I live in a dry climate.) However, the problem is easily overcome by grinding and then waiting a minute or so to let the static dissipate. Doser fork and dosing lever are made of plastic, although they seem solid enough. Only other negative: the price. I paid slightly over $300, and that was on sale.
Detailed Commentary
This is not a cheap grinder, but I thought it was money well spent. It's an Italian-made commercial class machine that will probably outlast everything else in our kitchen, including our Rancilio Silvia espresso machine. I prefer the way it looks compared to other machines in its class (esp. the Rancilio Rocky and Gaggia MDF), and size-wise it's a much better fit for the Silvia than the mammoth Rossi or Mazzer machines. It even fits under the kitchen cabinet!
In terms of how this grinder operates, it would be difficult to improve on the engineering. The grind setting is extremely easy to adjust with a small dial on the top left corner of the machine, beneath the hopper, and it offers a wide choice of grinding options from Turkish through to coarse. This machine is much quieter than the Solis Mulino and my old Braun, and it produces a very consistent grind. Once it is dialed in for a particular roast, I rarely have to readjust.
Some people complain about dosers in a home setting as impractical because of the low coffee volume, but I'm quite happy with the set up on the MCF. It has a smaller doser chamber than the Rocky, and is built in such a way that I can grind just enough coffee for two double shots and spread the piled up grinds evenly into four sections inside the chamber with a coffee spoon, each section holding 7 grams of coffee. Two clicks per double shot and the dosing chamber is empty. No mess, no excessive clicking, and no wasted grinds. Another complaint about the Rocky is that its lids rattle around; not so with the MCF.
Another nice feature of this grinder is that you can remove the hopper without turning the whole machine upside down and dumping out the beans. You simply slide a metal plate through the bottom of the hopper to trap the beans inside and lift it off.
Many people will conclude the Rocky offers better value than the Nuova Simonelli, given that it costs roughly $100 less. But the NS is a great alternative for those who want something that's a bit more stylish than most prosumer machines and is built to last. It's available on various web sites. I bought mine at Espuccino Imports in Calgary.
