# Eureka Zenith 65E or Eureka Atom 60E grinder



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

Hi all,

I'm looking for some help choosing a grinder for my husbands birthday. He currently has a Rancillo Rocky and would like to upgrade. I've been reading articles on the forum and I am wondering about the Eureka zenith 65E or the atom 60E. Does anyone have any experience with these good or bad or maybe another suggestion?

Thank you in advance for your help!


----------



## Inspector (Feb 23, 2017)

Hi.

What does he mainly drinks?


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

He mainly drinks espresso, but sometimes will have it as a flat white. He uses light to medium roasts mostly.


----------



## Inspector (Feb 23, 2017)

how many cups a day he drinks espresso? does it take long time for him to consume lets say 250grms of beans?


----------



## Cooffe (Mar 7, 2019)

Inspector said:


> how many cups a day he drinks espresso? does it take long time for him to consume lets say 250grms of beans?


 Does this matter? They're both flat burr grinders, with hoppers, and aren't made for single dosing. The blow-up system can be bought and added to both to make it a near-zero retention grinder. Flat burrs are better for light roasts, so suggesting something like a niche (conical & single dosing) would seem counter intuitive.

@Op, I have the Atom 60E in chrome - it produces fluffy grinds and works well. It takes me about 12s for a 18g dose, and is quiet too - the motor is mounted on rubber bushings as far as I'm aware. They both have the Eureka worm-drive system, so servicing is/will be easy. The only thing I'd say is that the 65mm burrs will chomp through the beans quicker. They both have retention, so may be necessary to purge some beans before use in the day, as there will be stale ones in the burr housings already. I tend to purge for about 3s before I make a drink, if it's been overnight.

I can't comment much on the 65e apart from that it will likely be a quicker grind and the fluffiness of grounds produced may be slightly better.


----------



## Inspector (Feb 23, 2017)

Op is asking if we might have another suggestion and these questions obviously being asked to understand her husbands consumption level. If he consumes 250grms of beans in a month time do you really think these two grinders are to go for? I think your comment was aggressive and unnecessary.

Some people....


----------



## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

Do you have a maximum budget / any size or height restrictions?

Did your husband give any hint as to what he hankers after? If he's dreaming of a Monolith then he won't be able to hide his disappointment when he opens his prezzie ☹ (that's an extreme example btw but you get the point)

I have owned a Rocky and both of the options you mentioned would be a significant upgrade ?


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

Inspector said:


> how many cups a day he drinks espresso? does it take long time for him to consume lets say 250grms of beans?


 Hi Inspector,

He tends to get through a 250g bag in 3 days.

I have considered the Niche - what's your experience of it?


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

Cooffe said:


> @Op, I have the Atom 60E in chrome - it produces fluffy grinds and works well. It takes me about 12s for a 18g dose, and is quiet too - the motor is mounted on rubber bushings as far as I'm aware. They both have the Eureka worm-drive system, so servicing is/will be easy. The only thing I'd say is that the 65mm burrs will chomp through the beans quicker. They both have retention, so may be necessary to purge some beans before use in the day, as there will be stale ones in the burr housings already. I tend to purge for about 3s before I make a drink, if it's been overnight.
> 
> I can't comment much on the 65e apart from that it will likely be a quicker grind and the fluffiness of grounds produced may be slightly better.


 Hi cooffe,

Thanks for this, it sounds like you're been happy with the 60e. Are there any downsides with it in your opinion?


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

lake_m said:


> Do you have a maximum budget / any size or height restrictions?
> 
> Did your husband give any hint as to what he hankers after? If he's dreaming of a Monolith then he won't be able to hide his disappointment when he opens his prezzie ☹ (that's an extreme example btw but you get the point)
> 
> I have owned a Rocky and both of the options you mentioned would be a significant upgrade ?


 Hi lake_m

A very good point you make! I have done some subtle digging and he was thinking of a mazzer mini, but once I started looking into it I found people tend to have a preference for other grinders. I'm looking to spend up to about £650 maximum but it's for his 50th so I'd like something that will last him.

Re the height restrictions, it would be ideal if it would fit under the kitchen cupboards, hence looking at the atom, but realistically I can move things around so any height will be fine.


----------



## Planter (Apr 12, 2017)

Joanne said:


> Hi Inspector,
> He tends to get through a 250g bag in 3 days.
> I have considered the Niche - what's your experience of it?


He enjoys his coffee...

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

The niche will be suggested my many on here and in terms of reliability thus far it is not a bad bet. It does have a cheap motor that is compensated with gearing and in my opinion better extractions for your husbands preference in roast levels would come firing a decent flat burr grinder, however I am sure others will disagree.


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

Planter - you are not wrong there!


----------



## Inspector (Feb 23, 2017)

Joanne said:


> Hi Inspector,
> 
> He tends to get through a 250g bag in 3 days.
> 
> I have considered the Niche - what's your experience of it?


 My experience has been positive so far. I used to have 50mm 64mm 83mm flats. Hopper filled, single dose converted, weighted or with blow-up systemed. And i prefered conical over flats even for light to medium roasts. But that's me. And i drink coffee when i have some time. I do not like to rush it.

I am not an 'oh i need coffee to wake up in the morning' type of person. And we dont have many coffee drinking guests coming over. I enjoy the prep process, to play with single dosing tubes, weighing beans and stuff.

If he knows that you will be getting him a grinder i think ask his opinion about this, if it is a suprise then you might take Cooffe's advice. He/She seems quite knowledgeable.


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

Thanks Inspector, that's interesting. I had been trying to keep it as a surprise, but I'm now thinking I've bitten off more than I can chew! It seems like a really personal choice.

Thanks for the help


----------



## Planter (Apr 12, 2017)

Joanne said:


> Thanks Inspector, that's interesting. I had been trying to keep it as a surprise, but I'm now thinking I've bitten off more than I can chew! It seems like a really personal choice.
> Thanks for the help


Surprises are always nice. But if he is that into his coffee. You will probably find that he has his heart set on a certain grinder. Or atleast a desired path to it. I would show him that you have tried. Got some information and come to the conclusion to ask him.

He will be pleased at the effort you've put in rather than just saying "pick a grinder. I'll pay for it".

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## Moparman (Jun 8, 2019)

I have the Eureka Atom Specialty 65, bought from Bella Barista. It's just above your budget but worth a look IMHO. It's a nice compact unit considering the power it packs and speedily produces nice light fluffy grounds with very low retention. It will grind 18g in roughly 6 seconds. It's pretty quiet too. The Eureka blow up system gives hubby an upgrade path too when the the urge to tinker inevitably strikes.


----------



## Fez (Dec 31, 2018)

If you're not too far from Bella Barista, why not take him there on or close to his birthday and tell him to choose grinder up to £650?

That way he's surprised and hell get to choose which one he prefers


----------



## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

I have the Zenith 65 and a Nuova Simonelli Version . Both produce very nice drinks . Both however will hold about 4-5g of ground coffee that I can puff out .That is not including anything ground between the burrs not small enough to puff out . I recently bought a HG-1 conical single doser hand grinder that I have been really enjoying . Get practically everything you put in , out .

However I bought a coffee that I have had before a medium roasted Tanzanian something or other and it was nice through the HG-1 but it was subdued to what I had tasted before . Put the same coffee through the Zenith and it was what I was expecting taste wise .

For the price of a new Zenith 65 you might get a newish Eureka Olympus 75 which I believe has less retention .


----------



## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

I have both the Eureka and a Niche and I use both. My preference is for darker roasts and I use the niche for the more expensive ones. The Eureka is convenient and efficient and i use this for the slightly lighter and cheaper beans. Please ask your husband before committing to anything. As others have said, a trip to Bellabarista would be a great birthday surprise.


----------



## Cooffe (Mar 7, 2019)

Joanne said:


> Hi cooffe,
> 
> Thanks for this, it sounds like you're been happy with the 60e. Are there any downsides with it in your opinion?


 I like my 60E, it fits under cupboards on the counter with the standard hopper, however needs pulling out when needing to be refilled. The servicing is easy, cleaning is easy, the display is easy to read and adjust, grind size is easy to adjust, and the standard burrs are a good quality. It's also quiet which was imperative to me for the fact I live in a top floor flat.

Downsides are that it is heavy, however could be seen as a positive due to its robust feel and it also doesn't "jump" along the worktop from the force of the motor switching. The grinder does popcorn a bit, and there's an arbour in the chute that causes it to be worse, but feeds the beans, so it's a bit of give and take. It can take some getting used to, and when there is fewer beans in the hopper the time setting isn't as good (as you'd probably expect), so should be kept topped up with beans - people recommend about 250g minimum for grind size and time consistency. Overall it does for me what it needs to, however I would suggest, as others have, speaking to your husband and organising a trip to BB.



Inspector said:


> Op is asking if we might have another suggestion and these questions obviously being asked to understand her husbands consumption level. If he consumes 250grms of beans in a month time do you really think these two grinders are to go for? I think your comment was aggressive and unnecessary.
> 
> Some people....


 Apologies - didn't mean to come across as aggressive but I could just see this turning into a Niche pissing contest again (I understand they're good grinders, but the OP asked for a subjective opinion/s on two different grinders). After being told that he gets through 250g of light beans fairly quickly you'd assume that a single doser, conical grinder wouldn't be ideal, right?


----------



## Joanne (Aug 27, 2019)

Thanks everyone for all of your help, it's very much appreciated.

I'll have a good think, but I think a "surprise" trip to BB is in order!


----------



## Inspector (Feb 23, 2017)

That's why i asked first how quickly he gets through beans. If he was like myself, then i would happily suggest Niche over these two. But now an on demand grinder seems to be useful for him more. And she mentioned about if we had another suggestion so mentioning about Niche wouldn't be counter-intuitive IMO.


----------



## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

Joanne said:


> Thanks everyone for all of your help, it's very much appreciated.
> I'll have a good think, but I think a "surprise" trip to BB is in order!


Just a heads up. They're closed at weekends.


----------



## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

250g in 3 days, +1 for a decent on-demand.

Do you want to buy new? Or would refurbed be an option?


----------



## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

If you're rattling off a bag of beans in a couple of days then I'd stay away from the niche. Single dosing gets tiring quite quickly in my opinion.

I would look at something you can set the dose and just grind on demand. The compak range have some great grinders so maybe check those out too.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Hes a lucky fella £650 gift for a 50th, wow all I got was a 1/2 day barista course, speaking of which its an option as an add on to the day, and may fundamentally change your husbands view on his coffee making skills and equipment - you should both benefit, its a win win.

As for grinders, so many choices, personally it has to be a flat burr grinder not a conic, and has to be something of commercial quality not domestic, the 65E fits that profile and would be a big step up from the Rocky,

also sell the Rocky and you might be able to afford the 75E which is a step up again.

PS when you approach the big 50, make sure you remind him of the thought and expenditure you made


----------



## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Budget usually figures in choice of grinder.  All sort of levels can be spent.

Things seem to be pointing in the direction of flat burs, doserless and also I assume including a timer. I'm not sure if the Rocky has a timer?

The general consensus on flat bur grinders is that the bigger the diameter of the burs the better, Size tends to increase price and also the height of the grinder. Some are very tall and short hoppers may not be easily available. It's always worth measuring what height is available.

A certain well known gent on here in one of his reviews rates the 65E pretty highly compared with the Mazzer Mini and to some extent the Electronic Super Jolly, sees it as a much more economic option. I've not used one but of the 2 that is the one I would point you at. It also has easy adjustment compared with some others. That can help a lot. Altering the setting of a Mazzer needs a rather delicate touch on something that is pretty stiff to turn.

Niche was mentioned. Different animal. In order to get a constant weight of grinds people weigh beans into all sorts of makes of grinder and don't use the hopper. This may include modifying them in some way. Niche is designed to be used this way. I did weigh in on a Mazzer Mini and achieved the same dose of grind accuracy but that meant spinning the grinder up a couple of times and 2 uses of a brush to get any remaining grinds out. Also a weight over the beans to stop them bouncing about. Niche is a lot simpler - just weigh the beans in and run it. The coffee has a more intense flavour than the Mini gave but I get more variation in the size of the shot that comes out and a small quantity of grinds stick to the basket when I knock the used puck out. It also comes with a cup to catch the grinds. That is used to get the grinds into the portafilter.  Several methods may be used but I now grind directly into the portafilter - it isn't really designed for that sort of use so I have made a small mod to help. I don't find the time to weigh a dose of beans a problem - i'd say it now takes me 10 to 15 secs. Some people weigh a lot of doses into small containers - I can't see the point. I did try a medium roast recently but didn't like it. Nothing to do with the grinder, just the bean. They were an elephant variety and I did notice that Niche had more problems getting them into the burs due to the size of the beans. I don't think this did anything other than extend the grind time. The same thing might happen in any grinder.

When people see coffee being made in a shop usually some one sticks the portafilter into a timed grinder and that's that. I have used a grinder this way and providing the same bean is used all of the time it can provide accurate doses but the timer will need adjusting now and again. I found almost daily initially but maybe twice a week when things settle down.

John

-


----------

