# Sage Pro Smart Grinder vs. Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder



## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

I recently upgraded from a delonghi EC221 (I think it was?) to a used Gaggia Classic & though I've managed to make a couple of decent (as decent as my old machine made anyway) shots of espresso I now realise (thanks to advise on here) that I'll need to upgrade my grinder if I want to see any real improvement.

I know the most recommended beginners grinder is a Eureka Mignon but alas, aside from the one I missed out on last night on gumtree they're usually close to if not over £200 s/h & they don't come up often. I can't afford that right now & dammit I'm impatient to make better coffee 

So, long story not quite as long as it could have been (maybe) does anyone have any experience of the SGPro & the Bodum? If the SGPro is a good improvement I'm happy to upgrade & start saving for an eventual upgrade to a used Mazzer of some sort. If I'm not going to see much difference I'll stick with the Bodum, on a darkish roast I seem to get a 36g shot taking about 13 seconds, which I know isn't good, but light roasts fly through in about 5 seconds or less  & the dark roasts are drinkable, mostly.


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

Yikes a 13 second shot? A sage grinder pro would be a step up from that by the sounds of things, some people have kept hold of them for a while but they aren't terribly well regarded.

It might be worth looking out for people posting bargains from gumtree or looking around it a little. I don't know enough about grinders to know them well but I've occasionally seen some used commercial grinders pop up on there relatively cheap. Obviously they may have had hard life but are likely to get you reasonable results if they're working


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## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

Yeah  I say 13 seconds, that's from when the liquid appears, which I presume is when I count from, not from when I press the button, there's quite a bit of whirring etc before the 13 seconds of flow  it tends to start off slower (but still a stream rather than a drip) & then just speeds up.

I've been looking around but no luck as yet, if I can get something that is a definite improvement & may last me a year or so while I save for between £120-£150 I'll be happy


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

If you've got £120 you should definitely be able to source a second hand ex commercial. Try schpock and gumtree.


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## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

At that price though I'm guessing they'd need a lot of work? I'm not the most technical of fish, I'd like to have a go but in all likelihood it wouldn't end well *envisions self being sucked into the burrs & coming out clumpy*


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

I currently have the dose control pro by sage and a mazzer that's half way through a refurb. I was in a similar situation, old delonghi machine with a blade grinder. The sage definitely improved the coffee I was making. I then bought a DTP to go with the grinder and it was a good match. I'd say with the right beans and grind you can definitely make some nice drinks with using the sage grinders. It's just the question of how quick will you get the upgrade urge after buying one?

I'd agree with @Missy if you can managed to scour the net and find a mazzer or the likes then maybe go for it, there's plenty of help on here when it comes to fixing things


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

If they are working... And have come out of a cafe... Then...

They work.

Yes there's lots you *could* do to improve the home user experience... But you don't *need* to, and they would still be hands down better than the two you are suggesting.

Vital for a S/H superjolly. Clean it (you'd clean any grinder!) Stick a cocktail shaker lid inside the doser to cover the nut and prevent grounds getting caught on it.

Beyond that everything is possible, but nothing is essential.


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

le said:


> that's from when the liquid appears' date=' which I presume is when I count from, not from when I press the button, there's quite a bit of whirring etc before the 13 seconds of flow[/quote']
> 
> Most counts -with exception of levers that play by there own rules - are from pressing the button. So it's a bit longer than 13 then at least, but still probably not great


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## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

Missy said:


> If they are working... And have come out of a cafe... Then...
> 
> They work.


Awesome  yeah I'd definitely clean it 



joey24dirt said:


> I was in a similar situation, old delonghi machine with a blade grinder.


Well mine is a burr grinder, but yeah it sounds like it may as well not be at the moment 



joey24dirt said:


> It's just the question of how quick will you get the upgrade urge after buying one?


If I can get a 20 second shot I'd imagine I'd be happy for a good while, but who knows 

Thanks for the advice anyhoo, besides a super jolly are there any other specific ex-commercial grinders I should look for?


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## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

jlarkin said:


> Most counts -with exception of levers that play by there own rules - are from pressing the button. So it's a bit longer than 13 then at least, but still probably not great


Ah now that confuses matters more, so I may be getting close to 20 seconds occasionally, I'm baffled now


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

le said:


> Ah now that confuses matters more' date=' so I may be getting close to 20 seconds occasionally, I'm baffled now [emoji23']


Well time isn't everything, is still a crap grinder


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## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

Ha, most likely true


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## rob177palmer (Feb 14, 2017)

https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-kitchen-appliances/ads/1259335544?EDID=OFXMG5N-NJJAMX-HDDQTVS-E3QB1P-U813BT-v1&CELLID=13572760&utm_source=savedsearches&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_content=GpB_month

?? Something like that would make the world of difference


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## filthynines (May 2, 2016)

A Sage grinder will be fine for your purposes. That's not to say it's the best available, but it'll give you flexibility for both espresso and filter.


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## le'deps (Jul 14, 2017)

Thanks for the help everybody. I've been looking for super jolly's etc but alas have been unable to find anything sub £200 that is within a sensible distance for collection & obviously most of these are collection only.

So I've opted for the temporary (probably) solution of a refurbished Sage for £135 with a 1 year warranty. I've made three drinks with it so far, the first was very average, I set it to number 14, which is the point where the display changes to Espresso, I did think I'd probably need to go finer but tried anyway.

The result was only slightly better than my old grinder 

Attempt number 2, I went down to 7 & also upped the beans from 17g to 20g. This was much better, I didn't time it properly but counted along in my head, it was very close to 20 seconds, maybe sped up a bit too much at the end, but most importantly it tasted great & felt much thicker than any espresso I've ever made. There were a few larger bubbles in the crema, but otherwise this seemed perfect to me. 

Number 3, to slow down the end of the shot I went down to number 6, same beans, same weight of beans. This one was slower still, but the crema wasn't as thick & had quite a lot of the large bubbles, not quite sure what that's about?

But anyway, aside from the bubbles, I'm a happy man, hopefully the sage will last me a year or so while I save for a jolly, or not, if I'm still happy


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

Nice to hear you're happy with it and noticing a difference.

Don't know about bigger bubbles to be honest!

Bear in mind whilst changing grind, especially down, that it'll retain a certain amount of grinds. So if you go finer (e.g. 10 to 7) it won't always show the full difference in your first shot. As some of the grinds are likely still not the finer setting, then next shot they're more likely to all be finer.


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