# Grinder advice for Gaggia Classic



## paulashy (Jul 28, 2018)

Hi All

Currently have a Cheap Krupps expert grinder that Im using with my Gaggia Classic which I'm looking to upgrade. This was purchased as a temporary grinder when I first got my machine to get me started as I wasn't sure how much I would used the machine.

I have been looking at a few options to upgrade too and am looking for some advice. There is quite a price difference between the 3 grinders I'm looking at and I will try and explain my reasoning for this below. To give some context I use the grinder daily for 1-2 double espressos and am looking for a grinder that grinds direct to PF with stepless adjustment and a timer if possible. It would also be nice to have be able to program in settings for single and double shots.

*Sage Smart Grinder Pro (£150)*

*Pros*: Looks to get good reviews, has quite a lot of features at the price point.

*Cons*: Have seen a few comments saying it might not be the best grinder for espresso due to the grind settings but not sure if this is true?

*Second hand Mazzer Super Jolly* *(£200/£250)*

*Pros*: Seem to get great reviews especially when pairing with a Gaggia Classic.

*Cons*: Worried about issues due to being second hand, Struggling to find one on eBay for the right price, it seems prices have gone up at lot recently? Size of the unit may cause issues.

*Rocket Faustino Apartmento (£500)*

*Pros: *Great reviews, Size is just about right for where I want to put it in the kitchen, looks great.

*Cons*: Price, is this grinder overkill for a Gaggia Classic? I plan on upgrading to a rocket apartmento eventually but this wouldn't be for at least another 12 months am I better off with a cheaper grinder and then swap when I upgrade the machine.

Obviously the 3 grinders above range in price so you would expect as the price goes up the grind quality does too but I'm wondering what is best for my current setup. I don't want to spend £500 on a rocket grinder to find it is wasted on my machine but also don't want to spend £150 on a sage and it then need upgrading in another 6-12 months.

Any help would be massively appreciated.


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

What about a Eureka Mignon? Various flavours. They get very good reviews. Good pairing with a Classic too. They start at around £315.


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

lake_m said:


> What about a Eureka Mignon? Various flavours. They get very good reviews. Good pairing with a Classic too. They start at around £315.


The Manuale is only £239 at BB.


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

ashcroc said:


> lake_m said:
> 
> 
> > What about a Eureka Mignon? Various flavours. They get very good reviews. Good pairing with a Classic too. They start at around £315.
> ...


 Right enough - great entry level grinder 50mm flat burrs. I think the cheapest timer version is the Silenzio.


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

lake_m said:


> Right enough - great entry level grinder 50mm flat burrs. I think the cheapest timer version is the Silenzio.


Yep, it's very much the base model but will be perfectly usable (I use the manual mode on my MK2 all the time). Think I'd stump up the extra for a specialist for it's 10% larger burrs though.


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## KTD (Dec 28, 2017)

The sage grinder pro is a good option at the lower end of the market, it's nearly half the cost of something better and in 12 months if you are ready to upgrade you'll get £90-100 if you keep the box. It's fine for espresso unless you only drink light roasts.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Andori (Sep 10, 2019)

I'm in a similar boat in wanting a grinder for a Classic, except I'm coming from the no grinder perspective.

Having thought about it, my preference is for something that will work well for single dosing so I have the option to change beans. Initially I'm not thinking of needing to change coarseness settings (i.e. brew styles).

Initially I'd thought of the Mignon. Buying new there's numerous colour options so that it would look good for SWMBO ?. Downside for me is having to flush if I change beans. It's also not as easy for swapping between coarse and fine.

I also looked at a 2nd hand Super Jolly, but space is a constraint for me and they look somewhat on the large side (from what I've seen), so not really an option.

More recently I've been considering a Sage as an interim measure as it is relatively low cost.

I've also considered a hand grinder, again as an interim solution. The advantage is that I could then use it elsewhere (travelling or work).

Currently I have the Niche at the top of my list. It doesn't tick 2 of your boxes though in that it doesn't have a timer as it is designed for single dosing (weigh beans and just grind them), and doesn't grind direct into the portafilter. It's also at the top of the prices you've listed (£500 + I think £10 UK delivery).

My current thinking, is do I go with a Sage now then try to offload it for £100ish in 6-12 months when I upgrade, or just go the whole hog and splash out on a Niche? I'm trying to talk myself out of ordering a Niche atm, but not doing very well.


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

Andori said:


> I'm in a similar boat in wanting a grinder for a Classic, except I'm coming from the no grinder perspective.
> 
> Having thought about it, my preference is for something that will work well for single dosing so I have the option to change beans. Initially I'm not thinking of needing to change coarseness settings (i.e. brew styles).
> 
> ...


There really aren't too many single dose electric grinders lower priced than the niche without doing a bit of modification. Eben a mignon needs a tube & weight fitting (maybe a lens hood to puff too) to single dose properly.


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

Just get the Niche, you won't ever regret it and later when you decide to upgrade the GC oh yes you will  you won't need to change the grinder at the same time


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## paulashy (Jul 28, 2018)

Thanks for all the reply's, I will have a look into the eureka grinders as another option for sure.

With a eureka would this be good for once I have upgraded machine or would it need replacing to suit the better machine?


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## Andori (Sep 10, 2019)

ashcroc said:


> There really aren't too many single dose electric grinders lower priced than the niche without doing a bit of modification. Eben a mignon needs a tube & weight fitting (maybe a lens hood to puff too) to single dose properly.


 This is basically the conclusion I've come to.



********** said:


> Just get the Niche, you won't ever regret it and later when you decide to upgrade the GC oh yes you will
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 ?

Again, my thinking that a Niche should stand me in good stead for a number of years. My GC is still stock, but I have a grand plan (I'm good at plans, not necessarily execution) to hack it about a bit (as much for the process of doing it), so it will hopefully last me a while as well.

Getting back to the OP:



paulashy said:


> To give some context I use the grinder daily for 1-2 double espressos and am looking for a grinder that grinds direct to PF with stepless adjustment and a timer if possible. It would also be nice to have be able to program in settings for single and double shots.


 I read this as wanting to press a button and get a single or double shot worth of grinds in the pf, with the ability to finely tune the grind.

I didn't think that the Sage is actually stepless, but it is programmable with regards to time.

I'll admit to being a newb here, but I don't know how repeatable a dose you will get with a timer due to variation in retention. What I'm learning here is that you ideally would weigh the dose, so if you single dose then you don't actually need a timer as you can weigh the beans beforehand (assuming repeatable levels of retention)


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## jj-x-ray (Dec 31, 2017)

Plus one for the mignon.

PS I never flush 

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## L&R (Mar 8, 2018)

Specialita, Mazzer Major, Niche 0


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## Fez (Dec 31, 2018)

There's a couple of nice eurekas in the for sale section here. I think there's a 60E for £350ish which is a great price


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