New Grinder - Mini Mazzer or Ascaso ?

98_caffeine_fix

Hi All.

After my last post I'm not sure anyone will reply to this. All I can say is that I do value the opinions of others on this board (hence this post) , but I guess it is all in the delivery ...

Anyway, I am looking at a new grinder to accompany my Giotto and replace my existing Lux. Nothing wrong with the Lux, but I figure the Giotto needs something a bit better - also the little Lux looks a bit sad next to the Giotto.

Anyway, I am looking at the Mini Mazzer or an Ascaso. I don't know the model number of the Ascaso or anything else about it really. Saw it on the The Beanery's website http://www.thebeanery.com.au.

Anyway it looks very similar to the Mazzer but a bit cheaper and actually looks a bit nicer I think (important to get the purchase approved by the wife). Anyone know anything about them ? I wouldn't be surprised if the internals were similar to the Mazzer or other similar grinders.

Thanks in advance.
Frank.

Lovey

G'day Frank, of course we'll still speak to you. You, unintentionally I'm sure, sparked a very healthy debate about beans, which is always a good thing 😉. About the grinders, sorry to throw another spanner in the works, but have you given any thought to the Macap M5 grinder? Have a look at the top of the page and you'll see the grinder collection banner, the Macap's the last one. I don't know anything about the Ascaso brand so I can't comment on it, but I"ve heard nothing but good things about the Mazzer and Macap grinders. There's heaps of reviews on them on coffeegeek. Hope this helps, Steve.

98_caffeine_fix

Hi Steve. Yes I have heard of the Macap. Looks nice and again similar to the Mazzer and Ascaso. Maybe it will come down to price (although it is not the most important factor for me) .. The Ascaso is $550 , the M5 is $689 and I can get a Mazzer for hopefully $579 (normally about $690 I believe). I dare say they are all good so it may well come down to price and service/backup. Cheers, Frank.

mattyj

A few things you'll want to look into: Are you grinding for espresso only, or do you make the occassional cup of plunger? Espresso only, you may find a stepped grinder (macap) a tad frustrating, in that sometimes the ideal grind is halfway between two steps. You can deal with this by adjusting your dose though. Espresso + plunger, you may find a stepless grinder (mazzer & ascaso) frustrating, as it's a bit harder to dial in for espresso again, after grinding for plunger. The ascaso looks like it's a worm-drive adjustment, which is awesome for espresso (maybe better than mazzer!), but annoying when you want to grind for plunger, because you'll be turning that knob for a few minutes to get it coarse enough... (well, slight exaggeration, but you get my point.) Then there's the doser vs doserless debate. To my mind, it's a matter of personal preferrence. From what I can see, I'd choose a mazzer or a macap over the ascaso ... I use a mazzer mini, and I'm in love with it! And I know a few macap users, who love their grinders equally.

98_caffeine_fix

Thanks Mattyj. I would be grinding for espresso only. I went to the Beanery today to have a look at the Ascaso in person but they didn't have one in stock. Con there said the Ascaso and some others he had ie. Quickmill, ECM Best etc. were a level below the Mazzer. ie. top of the domestic vs. professional. So I figure for the same money (or even cheaper) the Mini Mazzer is the way to go. Cheers, Frank.

nunu

If you're not grinding regularly for a lot of people, doserless is the way to go. Grinding for each cup makes sure you have fresh coffee for each cup, and gives an optimal result. Stepped vs. stepless, I would have to go with the stepless adjustment. Even though you can overcome being in between steps with updosing, I prefer to updose all the time. I got marks on my mini of where the best grind setting for ristretto, espresso, drip, plunger, etc. With each origin, however, those marks are only used as a starting point. I might have to grind coarser or finer, depending on the bean.

98_caffeine_fix

Thanks Nunu. That's an interesting point - the Mini has a doser obviously. I am used to doserless. I am not regularly grinding for a lot of people - but I grind 3 or 4 times a day for myself. More on the weekends. But I see your point you really only want to grind enough for one shot, so maybe a doser is not the way to go. So are you saying your Mini is doserless , or is it that you are grinding for a lot of coffees at once ? Can you run the Mini without the doser ? Sorry if that is a dumb question. And, yes I like the idea of stepless also. On my Lux sometimes I have found the ideal grind is somewhere between 2 settings. Cheers, Frank.

mattyj

I still think doser v. doserless is a matter of personal preferrence. Some mates came over a while back, and brought with them a macap doserless. Interestingly, the doserless was messier, in that it left more grinds all over the bench. The mini (doser) containted it's mess better, but the doser needed more brushing out between grindings ... and that's only if you're super fussy about having no stale grinds sitting in the doser before grinding for your next cup of coffee. To get the mini in doserless (it's called the 'mini e'), it costs about $200 more. The other thing about having a doser that I like (it's all personal preference), is that I can start grinding, pull a quick flush on the machine, take the pf out, and dry it out. By then, the grinder has done it's job and I can start doing the doser thing. That's just my little routine, multitasking etc. With a doserless grinder, you've got to hold the portafilter there while it's grinding. Some people grind into a cup, then scoop it into the pf from there ... but then there's another cup to wash up...

98_caffeine_fix

Thanks Mattyj. I was wondering what a "Mini e" was. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mini Mazzer. Chers, Frank.

nunu

I grind for each cup with my mini. I end up doing a lot of cleaning at the end, but I'm in no way hurried like a commercial operation would be. Looking back, I would now have chosen a doserless over one with a doser. Mess would be about the same, whether contained within the doser, or on the bench. The bench is a bit easier to clean. I always thought that the mini had a doserless option as well. If you want to make your mini doserless, it's not that difficult to take the doser off either. I've also done the sweep mod, to make cleaning the doser a bit easier, and "removing the finger guard over the exit chute" mod to make cleaning the chute easier. One mod I would like to do is one that makes the grounds fall straight down when you dose. I'm used to holding the portafilter to the left to catch the grinds, but having them come straight down regardless of dosing speed would be a good one in my books.

98_caffeine_fix

The Mini Mazzer I was looking at maybe has fallen through !!! :-( I am looking at an ECM Best grinder again. I dismissed this since it was even more expensive than the Mini Mazzer but I found one for a reasonable price. I like the look of it since it is smaller then the Mazzer and matches my ECM Giotto, but I dont know much about them . The seller claims it is even better than the Mini Mazzer, but I take that with a grain of salt. Any opinions ? Thanks, Frank.

admin

Hi Frank - I have the ECM grinder and I can't say i've compared it in a formal review with the Mazzer and Macap, but it's worked really well for me. best -A

gazzab

So Frank this is where you hide!!! Gazzab

Reschsmooth

Hello Frank I have had the Macap M5 since August last year. Yes it has a doser, but it is not a problem to grind per shot. When I am grinding for the last shot, I grind a fraction less than I need and use a chop stick to 'scoop' out the remaining grinds left in the chute. This means I waste only a very small amount of coffee. As others have said, I get around the stepped adjustment by changing my dose/tamp. That said, the steps are pretty close together. The other benefit of a doser is that if you do dose too much, you can sweep the excess grounds back into the doser for the next shot. Finally, I have a small vac which I use to vacuum the doser, chute and bench area after each 'session'. It takes all of about a minute. Whilst the Macap (and I am sure the Mazzer) are built like tanks, if you need support or backup, I would imagine parts and service would be more widely available. Good luck with your choice, Patrick

98_caffeine_fix

So Frank this is where you hide!!! Gazzab

Hey Garry ! Welcome to Crema !! Cheers, Frank.