baratza or mazzer?

[Redswing]

check out the video review on seattle coffee gear at this link, right at about minute 3:50. Baratza Forte AP All Purpose Grinder - Ceramic Burrs | Seattle Coffee Gear

they have the Baratza Forte with steel vs ceramic burrs in a grind comparison test. The steel burrs definately ground a lot more coursely, though i suppose you could adjust the ceramic to some thing similar if that's what you wanted?

 

[shadow745]

check out the video review on seattle coffee gear at this link, right at about minute 3:50. Baratza Forte AP All Purpose Grinder - Ceramic Burrs | Seattle Coffee Gear

they have the Baratza Forte with steel vs ceramic burrs in a grind comparison test. The steel burrs definately ground a lot more coursely, though i suppose you could adjust the ceramic to some thing similar if that's what you wanted?

Yes you can calibrate in either direction, but based on my use there is no need. For press I'm nowhere near the coarsest setting. Likewise, for espresso range I'm nowhere near the finest setting either.

No offense to your post, but I personally will never bother to watch anything the chicks at SCG have to post. They're about as useful in the coffee industry as one leg in an ass kicking contest.

I would like to have a Forte grinder, but the Vario is so good as is and of course much cheaper I just can't justify it.

 

[Redswing]

shadow...hilarious, i laughed out loud. i'm green enough where i wouldn't have picked that out, but i can see it now that you say it. i just haven't found a site with as large of a pool of product videos. any suggestions?

the part of the video i am referring to is straight forward, imho. grind samples set right next to each other, the particle size on the coursest setting is clearly different from ceramic to metal. though maybe they are unitentionally misleading due to their one legged attempt at the ass kicking contest?

 

[shadow745]

I can understand the grind difference between both burr types, but I don't buy for one minute that the steel burrs are a must to achieve very good coarse range grinding from the Vario, etc. They (and others) can point out the differences till they're blue in the face, but it doesn't make either any better in the cup. Coffee is like anything else, very subjective and open to debate. Like most things, there is no right or wrong, just what you (or customers) prefer.

For quite some time I used a Nuova Simonelli Grinta grinder for decaf espresso on a commercial level. Sure wasn't meant for that application, but it's what I had and was determined to make it work. Was terribly slow, taking 18-20 seconds per 14 grams, had large steps between settings, had quite a bit of slop due to coarse burr carrier threads and had a terrible hopper/upper burr design that allowed beans to sit on the upper burr ledge and go stale. I made it stepless, tightened up the thread slop and created a funnel that fit in the hopper to allow single dose grinding with no retention/stale issues. Those efforts combined with fresh decaf coffee allowed me to churn out some killer shots that many customers disputed as being decaf because of the high quality. Point I'm trying to make is take what you have or can afford and simply make it work in your favor.

SCG does have a ton of video content, but they have always seemed too biased on what they sell. WholeLatteLove is probably no better. I've seen some videos from Chris Coffee that were much more educational compared to the rookies in the industry.

 

[Redswing]

I just bought the Vario-w, supposed to arrive in a few days. Pretty pumped, I can't wait to experience the difference between my department store grinder and this one.

(there were two on amazon for around $400, one disappeared...anybody on here buy it?)

 

[shadow745]

I'm sure the Vario-W will serve you well and impress you along the way. I think it's a great choice for your needs and have no doubt it will hold up to moderate grinding should you tackle the farmer's market.

 

[Redswing]

update on my grinder search: the seller I bought the Baratza Vario-w from on Amazon (3rd party, new) backed out on me because evidently they had it listed on both ebay and amazon at the same time and it sold "15 minutes earlier on ebay". annoying.

turns out, I'm kinda OK with it happening that way, and I'd like to know if anybody agrees with my thought process. I ended up getting a refurbed Vario from the Baratza website (same price I "bought" the Vario-W for), but think it may actually be a better grinder in the long run. In all the videos I watched of the scale on the W, it seems a bit touchy. I'm wondering if since the whole thing is based on the scale, you'd be in for a bigger repair if it went out. And it kinda seems like it is inevitably gonna break before too long (few years, maybe?).

That logic make sense to you?

 

[kboom1]

I like my Vario but they are no where near commercial quality. The good thing is most repairs are easy to do and the parts are cheap. I've sent mine in for repair once and after coming back from the repair job Seems they had stripped a screw hole in the plastic case holding the control board letting it vibrate until it would blow the control board and motor. of corse I did not figure this out until right after the repair warranty ran out.
It was easy enough to repair it myself after figuring out what was causing the issue.

 

[seanstew21]

Oh, hands down the Baratza Vario grinder! It's a gem. I've used several grinders to finally settle on this and realize that this baby gives me the best extraction ever. You can check it out on Daily Cuppa Coffee (that's where we got it). Have no experience with the Mazzer, however. I'd say spring for a new coffee grinder.

 

[ura1205]

To a coffee professional, there are few tools as important as a grinder. The grinder is the tuning fork for the extraction. Baratza has raised the bar in not only manufacturing excellent grinders, but doing so on a scale and at a cost that brings excellence to a larger group of people and companies. They are bridging the gap between the Coffee Professionals and the Coffee Enthusiasts. I see Baratza grinders in homes, shops, labs, and travel kits. Being the Director of Education at Café Imports means that I need a grinder that I can rely on, is efficient, grinds extraordinarily well, travels easy, and has a great team of people with excellent customer service in case there is ever an issue. Baratza has provided me with this.

 

[Redswing]

I'm having dosing issues with the Vario. With the timer set at 17 seconds, I can get 25 grams one time and 30 seconds later get a 28 gram dose. Without adjusting anything. Is this normal? Should I weigh my beans before grinding? If so, what is the timer function for? Should I call Baratza? Doesn't seem right to me.

 

[shadow745]

It's not unusual to be off 1-2 grams with timed grinding. My Vario is quite precise, but not spot-on. One thing I always do is use my finger to tap the side of the unit while grinding (for espresso fineness) as moist grounds can sometimes stick in the chute on the way down. This shouldn't be as much of an issue for coarser grinding unless oily coffees are being used.

The timer function is just to get you close to your range. If you change grind settings the time needed to achieve a certain amount will vary as well.

Are you sure the scale you're using is calibrated and accurate? I ask because even quality digital scales can vary 1-3 grams unless reset constantly.

 

[Redswing]

I guess it could be the scale, I don't know how I'd check that though. I always tare it before adding the grounds. Hmmm, I guess I might just start weighing my beans before grinding if I feel like being extra special nerdy. Or, if the scale is off, that wouldn't help anything.

Thanks, Shadow.

 

[DorothyGonzalez]

To a coffee professional, there are few tools as important as a grinder. The grinder is the tuning fork for the extraction. Baratza has raised the bar in not only manufacturing excellent grinders, but doing so on a scale and at a cost that brings excellence to a larger group of people and companies.


They are bridging the gap between the Coffee Professionals and the Coffee Enthusiasts. I see Baratza grinders in homes, shops, labs, and travel kits. Being the Director of Education at Café Imports means that I need a grinder that I can rely on, is efficient, grinds extraordinarily well, travels easy, and has a great team of people with excellent customer service in case there is ever an issue. Baratza has provided me with this. -Joe Marrocco, Sales Associate/Director of Education


I trust his perspective so I’d choose BARATZA over mazzer.

 

[Redswing]

Dorthy,

Hmmm, I did choose the Baratza, and am asking about some issues I am encountering while using it.

Respectfully, I suggest that it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to spend a few minutes looking back at the last few posts in a given thread and checking for 1)the direction the topic is taking, and 2)the date of the last post.