This Solis Maestro was the first coffe grinder I have ever owned, and I bought it after reading a lot of very good reviews on the internet. I view the Maestro as an excellent introductory grinder. When brand new, the grind consistancy is very good, and it is at a price point which while expensive is still not too unreasonable to coffee newbies. And so my satisfaction with this product was very high. Around the same time I also purchased a Krups Moka Brew, and I was happily experimenting with my grind, often producing very good results.
But over the course of a year the amount of coffee dust has increased across all settings. This has become especially apparent since I purchased my first vacuum pot. I believe the dust particles get overextracted, producing a bitter taste, while the larger particles get underextracted producing a sour taste. I don't know if this is possible, but I get a ever so slight sour-yet-bitter taste from my Hario Nouveau, forever eluding the perfect flavor. The upper burr has noticable wear on it, and I suspect it is the culprit. Others on this website have reported the exact same thing, so it is reasonable to say that the burrs will last approximately one year. This seems to be a short lifetime to me for so substantial piece of metal.
My options at this point are to either upgrade or order a new burr. I think I shall elect to do the latter, because I believe I have reached the limit of what the Maestro can do. Had I initially purchased a more expensive grinder a year ago, I doubt I would have appreciated its abilities. Besides, I didn't know at that point how much I would enjoy experimenting with coffee so investing in a better grinder didn't seem worth it. But now I want the best consistancy possible, and I am willing to pay for it.
If you are looking for your first good grinder, this machine is definitely worth considering. However, for brewing methods that don't involve a paper filter, you can achieve better results with a higher end grinder that puts out less dust. |
