# Eureka Zenith 65E



## tridoros (May 2, 2015)

This mini review came about because I imported one recently from Italy. The Eureka Zenith Club e is available here in Australia, but not the 65E.

The grinder with its shortened hopper, fits well in a kitchen setting and under cupboards - just. The body is the usual cast aluminium alloy, nicely executed and finished in matt black. Solid rubber feet make for quiet and vibration-free operation.

It is has a thumping500W motor made by the Italian company RPM. Voltage is 230-240v and supplied plug is the Schuko type - plug adapters if required, are readily available. It features 65mm burrs, simple electronic adjustment of dosage time and the real kicker for me at least, easy and precise micro-adjustment of the grind. The control knob is silky smooth and superior in operation to the more traditional collar type burr adjustment. Rotating the knob clockwise for fine and anti-clockwise for coarse raises or lowers the motor's rotor-shaft (which the bottom burr is attached to). This feature enables easy periodic cleaning of the burrs with no loss of grind settings - just remove 3 screws for the upper burr holder .

There's a traditional rotary on/off switch and indicator light on the unit's base and after a few seconds start-up time, the LCD control panel is lit and ready to adjust if necessary. The porta-filter is securely held in place by an adjustable holder for hands-free operation while the dose is ground and activation is a simple forwards movement of the filter against a solid micro-switch. The chute can also be moved up or down if you wish.

6.5 seconds is all it takes to dispense approx 18g into a double basket - this will vary of course depending on freshness and type of bean. (4.5seconds for a single dose). I like the LED light which shines directly into the porta-filter, especially if you're fumbling about first thing in the morning.

This is my 5th grinder and probably the last, but you never say never with gadgetry do you. Eureka have done a fine job of building a heavy duty, quality, commercial grade grinder. I bought mine from Elektro's in Italy and was more than impressed with speed of delivery, superb packaging and total price under the AUD$1000 mark.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Taste?


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## tridoros (May 2, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> Taste?


I could rabbit on about different taste sensations and plentiful crema when making doubles or singles and that would show my obvious bias. So I wont - but I will say that the control over the grind is a revelation post Mazzer, Compak etc.


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

tridoros said:


> 6.5 seconds is all it takes to dispense approx 18g into a double basket - this will vary of course depending on freshness and type of bean. (4.5seconds for a single dose). I like the LED light which shines directly into the porta-filter, especially if you're fumbling about first thing in the morning.


Are you sure about this, it is quite low? Mine takes about 11s for 18g and most people that have posted about need around 10-12s.


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## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

charris said:


> [/indent]
> 
> Are you sure about this, it is quite low? Mine takes about 11s for 18g and most people that have posted about need around 10-12s.


Mine takes between 7.8 and 9.1 depending on the bean etc. 6.5 does seem very quick.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Why the fixation with grind times? Could be a factor in a busy shop but at home??


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Patrick, the faster it grinds, the less time there is to wait for your next one...it is obvious really


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## NickdeBug (Jan 18, 2015)

dfk41 said:


> Patrick, the faster it grinds, the less time there is to wait for your next one...it is obvious really


grinder or coffee?


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Why the fixation with grind times? Could be a factor in a busy shop but at home??


Patrick,

no fixation but I would expect the same grinder to get similar times (depending on bean of course but even then +/-2s?)

Of course I would love a 4s grinder, the easiest and fastest the process the better for me.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

dfk41 said:


> Patrick, the faster it grinds, the less time there is to wait for your next one...it is obvious really


Will check your barista technique, next week David


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

charris said:


> Patrick,
> 
> no fixation but I would expect the same grinder to get similar times (depending on bean of course but even then +/-2s?)
> 
> Of course I would love a 4s grinder, the easiest and fastest the process the better for me.


Bean density, degree of roast, coarse/fine setting, freshness/staleness, temp and humidity are going to impact on grind times.


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## tridoros (May 2, 2015)

charris said:


> [/indent]
> 
> Are you sure about this, it is quite low? Mine takes about 11s for 18g and most people that have posted about need around 10-12s.


Just checked for your benefit - closer to 20g in 6.4 seconds. Maybe the local (Australian) bean has more moisture.


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Currently 8.4s for 18g on the curent DSOL bean, approx 250g left in the short hopper, should this be of help (speed of grind irrelevant for me within reason in the home environment)

John


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

My "datum" when dialling in a new bean on my 65E is to start at 10 seconds. Obviously different beans will require different grind level and this affects grind time in the range +/- 2" for me, with the beans that I've used. Although as others have said, it doesn't make any real difference for me at home whether it takes 5 or 15 seconds to grind 18g. I'm quite happy with 8-12".

The ease and accuracy with which the grind level is adjusted really is nice - the knob really does feel silky smooth. My only real criticism with this is that the graduations could be clearer, as I find the useable range for espresso (based purely on the beans I've had) lies between 2.5 and 5. The graduations are a bit coarse (every 0.5) and the indicator notch a bit wide so I often find myself writing down "3.8" on my grind record when really it's "somewhere between 3.5 and 4". Finer grads would help but that's being really picky I suppose.

The OD timing function seems to work pretty well, I find that mine is accurate to +/- 0.3g either side of 18, and of course humidity and bean age affect this.

Another thing I like about the 65E that I didn't see mentioned above is the fact that you don't have to re-dial after taking the burrs out for cleaning. There's a little plastic trim that just lifts out then just 3 screws hold the top burr in place. Easy access for cleaning, pop it back together 2 minutes later and you're ready for another spro with no need to readjust. This is brilliant having had a Mazzer Mini (doser) before, which made good coffee but was just a faff with the doser, adjustment collar and having to re-dial after cleaning etc.

I've heard it said that the grind is similar, maybe slighly better than a Super Jolly. The 65E does cost more than an SJ (and some will prefer the SJ looks) but I was happy to pay the extra for the Zenith because of the on-demand feature and the sheer ease of use.

I'm kind of curious as to how the Olympus 75 performs, as this looks very similar but with bigger burrs. But realistically I intend to hang on to my 65E for the foreseeable future as I think I'd have to spend a lot more to get similar ease of use and a better result in the cup. Some of those Compak OD grinders look tempting, or the Ceado E37S would be nice but I don't think I can justify spending the difference.


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## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

Nice review hotmetal. My experience pretty much mirrors yours. My only minor complaint is there is more vibration than I would have expected. The results are Ok for the price. I know that a lot better is possible but at a price. Like you I value the lack of faff an OD offers and the dynamic retention is low. (I.e. not including the impacted gram or two around the perimeter of the burrs.) I'm looking at either a big conical or bigger flat as the next upgrade. This basically comes down to about four possibles, an E10, an E37S, a Mythos or maybe even an ErK(sic) 43. Not in a rush so will see what turns up. Meanwhile, when I can be bothered and my shoulder is behaving, the Pharos offers an alternative and, to my uneducated palate at least, superior grind.


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## mrsimba (Mar 17, 2014)

hotmetal said:


> I'm kind of curious as to how the Olympus 75 performs, as this looks very similar but with bigger burrs. But realistically I intend to hang on to my 65E for the foreseeable future as I think I'd have to spend a lot more to get similar ease of use and a better result in the cup. Some of those Compak OD grinders look tempting, or the Ceado E37S would be nice but I don't think I can justify spending the difference.


The 75e is everything you already like about your 65e improved









The larger burrs seem to give more uniformed partical size grinds & the slower grind speed dispenses better, and after a day you certainly don't notice its a couple of inches taller, it actually looks better proportioned, certainly very pleased with mine


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Hmm. BB still got a few at the offer price. If I wasn't juggling finances I'd probably have ordered one this afternoon!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

mrsimba said:


> The 75e is everything you already like about your 65e improved
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Are you getting on better now?


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## mrsimba (Mar 17, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> Are you getting on better now?


Still very much enjoying my coffee but the R58 has not been turned on, using the 75e set at '+20.5' for French press









The 65e had a greater variation of sized particals when ground for brewed and the 75e's even with only about 3kg of beans through it there is less variation between finer & larger grinds dispensed, much more uniform, and thats wound back from the initial '+25' I had it at so will grind coarser if required.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

mrsimba said:


> Still very much enjoying my coffee but the R58 has not been turned on, using the 75e set at '+20.5' for French press
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sad times : / , thats one expensive brewed coffee grinder


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## mrsimba (Mar 17, 2014)

garydyke1 said:


> Sad times : / , thats one expensive brewed coffee grinder


It is but I enjoy both the simplicity and the end result in the cup & all without the frustration!!!

I say without the frustration as I've yet to try the 75e with the R58 but to be honest that's not going to be any time soon!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

At least try it with the R58


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

mrsimba said:


> It is but I enjoy both the simplicity and the end result in the cup & all without the frustration!!!
> 
> I say without the frustration as I've yet to try the 75e with the R58 but to be honest that's not going to be any time soon!


Sell both ( r58 and 75e )

Buy baratza

Go on holiday


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Mrboots2u said:


> Sell both ( r58 and 75e )
> 
> Buy baratza
> 
> Go on holiday


Sell both (R58 and 75e)

Buy R120

Don't go on holiday

Move out / get kicked out (go and live under R120)


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Hahaha loving those last 2 posts!


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## mrsimba (Mar 17, 2014)

jonc said:


> Sell 75e
> 
> Buy R120
> 
> Don't go on holiday


Hmmmm....


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

Since you aren't using it, you could send the R58 on holiday? Say...to my kitchen?


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Risky's Rocket Retirement Residence?


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

hotmetal said:


> Risky's Rocket Retirement Residence?


I will happily offer my kitchen for anything from a bit of R&R to full retirement. Bring out your unused and unloved gear and send them to sunny Scotland!*

*Disclaimer: There is never actually any sun.


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

Hi Guys,

I've got very limited height in my kitchen because of a decorative edge to the upper units. To the base of the upper cabinet I've got 48cm, but the lip is at 45cm dead limiting access. DIY is not likely to please the wife!

Will a short hopper 65e slip under this edge if i take the lid off the hopper? I know the grinder is 45.7cm high in total, but not sure how much of this the lid makes up.


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## Yes Row (Jan 23, 2013)

I make mine approx 445mm with the lid off. 453mm with lid on


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## Yes Row (Jan 23, 2013)

The feet are approx 20mm and I guess could come off and be replaced with something, maybe felt pads. Ability to remove would need confirming though


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

looking tight but possibly do-able. thanks for the measurements


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## mrsimba (Mar 17, 2014)

Dr Steve said:


> looking tight but possibly do-able. thanks for the measurements


Hopefuly a picture is worth a 1000 words!

Here was my 65e under cupboard and the height from worktop to cupboard is 490mm


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## Hide (Aug 20, 2015)

Are there any noticeable clumping after breaking in?


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## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

Depends on the beans and the weather but - yes. Mine has improved noticeably in the six months I've had it. (It was six months old when I bought it.)


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## Hide (Aug 20, 2015)

Ordered a Zenith 65e and it arrived! Awaiting the arrival of the Witch to follow...

Which setting should I start off for espresso on the grinder (Or everyone normally use) so that the lever wouldn't kill me on my first shot?


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## mrsimba (Mar 17, 2014)

Hide said:


> Ordered a Zenith 65e and it arrived! Awaiting the arrival of the Witch to follow...
> 
> Which setting should I start off for espresso on the grinder (Or everyone normally use) so that the lever wouldn't kill me on my first shot?


With the grinder off and hopper removed spin the burrs by hand till you hear them just start to touch & then adjust this + 4.5 / 5 and you should be in within +/- 1 of where you'll end up!


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## bibberdy (Jul 11, 2015)

I have this grinder and I have to say it's really amazing, so much so that the local coffee company is thinking about stocking it alongside mazzer etc


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## PeterF (Aug 25, 2014)

I went for the 75E recently. Fitted with the titanium Mythos burrs it really does take the grinder to another level. I took my SJ to BB & did a tasting comparison inc the 65E. The 75E produced the best tasting results in the cup & that's how it ended up in my car boot!


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