# Compak k10 barista



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I recently acquired a brand new version of this, complete with doser. I had never had a dosered model before, so before I came on here to extol its virtues. I have had 2 mods, firstly CC modded the sweeper blades and secondly, I bought a smal hopper made by Orphan Espresso. It also comes with a 350 gm hopper so I can either use it with weight behind the beans or single dose, and this is the advantage of the doser system.

So, I now have a conical which gives me the depth of taste and flavour I like, and a mahine with no great retention problems. The exit chute is available and you can touch the burrs. Obviously there is still coffee retained inside, but when I change beans, going from a lighter roast back to a darker roast, you get the impression that not much is retained.

these grinders are £1075 and if you are in the market to spend that amount of dosh, you really ought to consider this, not because I say so, but what pursuaded me, was Alchemy Coffee saying they have 50 in operation at various venues and I am glad I took there advice


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## Jon V (Feb 24, 2014)

Would be interested to know the height of this without the hopper - Also whether you think it could be single dosed under an 18.5" cupboard?


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

A great grinder indeed. I decided to mod the exit chute on mine for easy access to sweep it clean between doses. I'm single dosing with a weight (spice pot) on the beans as there is a significant amount of retention in the grind chamber otherwise.

Still probably the best grinder for the cash though, enjoy!


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## Orangertange (Jul 4, 2013)

that is a good price, if I hadn't just bit the bullet on a kony would have gone for it


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Sorry for the delay/......I forgot to measure it! The unit stands approximately 16 inches tall with no hopper. My Mini hopper adds another 2 1/2 making it very tight. That said, I know some people put the grinder onto a mat of some sort and slide it out from under the cupboard then push it back again. Would that be a solution?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Xpenno said:


> A great grinder indeed. I decided to mod the exit chute on mine for easy access to sweep it clean between doses. I'm single dosing with a weight (spice pot) on the beans as there is a significant amount of retention in the grind chamber otherwise.
> 
> Still probably the best grinder for the cash though, enjoy!


Spence, if you single dose on yours, as in measure out 16 gms, what do you expect to get out of the other end, and will it all be fresh? I guess a test would be to suddenly change bean type and roast level and watch for the colour change?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

dfk41 said:


> Spence, if you single dose on yours, as in measure out 16 gms, what do you expect to get out of the other end, and will it all be fresh? I guess a test would be to suddenly change bean type and roast level and watch for the colour change?


Changing bean type and roast level is a good idea, but unfortunately the colour change might be seen long before the coffee is all fresh. *The best test would be to open her up and see what's left inside the grinder....and weigh it. Together with a photo of where the stuff is.* In the conical burr grinder, usually there's not much places for impacted grounds to hide and it mostly comes out again (albeit slowly).

This will definitively tell you what's left inside the grinder and how much you may/may not need to purge.


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

dfk41 said:


> Spence, if you single dose on yours, as in measure out 16 gms, what do you expect to get out of the other end, and will it all be fresh? I guess a test would be to suddenly change bean type and roast level and watch for the colour change?


When single dosing I would expect to see between 19-20g back from 20g in, this would indicate that not all grinds are fresh but most are. My method is

Add beans

Add weight to beans

Start grinder

Once all beans are ground sweep exit chute

pulse motor

sweep again

sometimes pulse a second time and final sweep

It's a little bit of a faff but is pretty accurate and the retention is minimal. The problems with the hopper method is that the chamber underneath the burrs will retain a load more grinds. With the method above and by pulsing after grinding you are emptying this chamber out. After having taken the thing completely to bits I would imagine that when using a full hopper that pretty much the first 15-20g would be from the lower chamber and part ground beans in the burrs and upper chamber.

The mods I performed were very easy and made a world of difference when single dosing. These were

1. doser sweep mod

2. remove top section of the exit chute to allow for easy access to sweep

3. removed step from inside the exit chute to allow smoother flow of ground coffee into the doser

4. added a slope towards the end of the exit chute to further increase flow of coffee into doser

steps 2,3 and 4 made a big difference in the number of pulses required to clear the lower chamber. I now usually only need a single pulse and sweep.

Happy to take pics or add further detail if you are interested?

Also I may be ordering a new set of burrs and a couple of other parts for mine so if you were interested in the mods then I could add an exit chute or 2 to the order for you to test on?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Spence, I will take a pic of my exit chute to show you. It did have a plastic flap over the front which was there to stop you poking your fingers up! Removed, you have a clear run up the chute, so that may have taken care of that, but you will know! Dave kindly modded the sweeper fins so that only a minimal amount of coffee is left in the dosing chamber. I did much as your steps, and from 18 gm in with a very dark oily bean, got 17.6 gms out. I am sure this will improve if I use a bean not covered in tar!


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

dfk41 said:


> Spence, I will take a pic of my exit chute to show you. It did have a plastic flap over the front which was there to stop you poking your fingers up! Removed, you have a clear run up the chute, so that may have taken care of that, but you will know! Dave kindly modded the sweeper fins so that only a minimal amount of coffee is left in the dosing chamber. I did much as your steps, and from 18 gm in with a very dark oily bean, got 17.6 gms out. I am sure this will improve if I use a bean not covered in tar!


Yeah, mine is the older Conic version so I'm sure that they've improved things on these newer variants.


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## awcoffee (Aug 18, 2014)

Many thanks for this post! I have just ordered a K10 PB as an upgrade to my Mignon. The Verona should be a happier soul when it arrives. Alchemy were so good to deal with. A shame BB pushed the Mignon. Oh well.

Best regards

Alan


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Great stuff Alan. I am really enjoying mine, and I have to say I have had a few grinders through my hands. You need to consider two things now. There is a mod that lets you stick a credit card strip for example along the bottom of the blades, so that when they push coffee down the exit chute, they sweep at the same time, removing the bulk of the residue. Secondly, if you buy the funnel in the first picture, it allows you to single dose, i.e. weigh your beans in and grind, knowing that the vast majority are going to come out. As al alternate, you can wire in an external Auberins timer, so that you know as an example, 3.6 seconds is 18 gms and then you can revert back to having beans in the hopper. I have the first two mods done and am ordering a timer through Cc as we speak!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

And having him fit it!!!!!


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

and having him fit it......of course. I am a really nice person, Bootise will vouch for that, but useless with the spanners......LOL


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Did you say you wanted me to vouch that your a spanner?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Yes please........


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## awcoffee (Aug 18, 2014)

I don't think you so much as need a spanner as the wiring diagram and the certainty that it is correct. Like you I will play safe and arrange with CC to fit and while he is here he can give me driving lessons to get more out of my two toys. I am just an hour away and happy to pay. I would like to see photos please. This is so much cheaper than the OD.

Alan


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

When I do the timer mod I will send ave the photos to post himself won't be done until end of month


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## awcoffee (Aug 18, 2014)

No problem. Alchemy have to wait for the factory to dispatch their order. Two weeks or so..... They will then run 5 kg through to start the seasoning process. Plenty of time and I am also a nice gent Like Dave, and can wait patiently till you have the time and inclination. Photos will be interesting.

Many thanks

alan


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

Have just ordered one of these and in my excitement failed to check whether it is the latest model with the fan cooled motor, the aluminium legs and the Parallel micrometric system??

Does anyone else who has or has ordered one (and checked!) know?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

If is from alchemy as in the photo earlier in this thread then it will be the latest one but I do not think they have a fan


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## awcoffee (Aug 18, 2014)

There is a fan mentioned on the Compak site but there is so much metal that it will not kick in unless being used continuously as the temperature will not rise.

How many of us have now ordered these? Don't forget an Auber timer!

Alan


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

I am sorry but I have had a mental block regarding this "auber timer" business, I will go and find out... I think it is CC mainly and D Evans was building a SJ with one I seem to remember...

So what does this thing achieve...?

In my mind, without having yet had a look back, I am thinking that you can have a full hopper of beans, but activation of the grinder will only grind a given amount...

Is that it?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Aye


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> Aye


Thanks Jeebsy, I have been reading the thread here: http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?16134-Auber-coffee-grinder-timer&highlight=auber

It seems like it might be one of those "essentials"!

Many thanks to all who took part.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Pm me your number and I will give you more input if you want


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