# Mazzer Mini e



## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Hello. Newbie here!

Is it me or is the afford mentioned meant to grind coffee or dement you??!! Is this grinder hard to dial in or is it just a learning curve you have to go through?

i have read and read, had a great lesson and intellectually get it. Finer for slower and coarser for fast er. 30ml, 25-30 secs. 18g in, 36g out. Doesn't I just take time to develop the touch?

Started with new grinder and new beans today. Head hurts. It could just be the different beans give different or non/existent crema! Roasted in apr - light roast.

Any tips?


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## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

GuyLevine said:


> Hello. Newbie here!
> 
> Is it me or is the afford mentioned meant to grind coffee or dement you??!! Is this grinder hard to dial in or is it just a learning curve you have to go through?
> 
> ...


If they're roasted in April, they're either stale or very close to being stale (unless you froze them in the interim?). The grind will change to reflect the beans age also.

Where are the beans from? Have you pulled good shots with the mini-e previously?


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## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

Also if you're putting 18g in, 36g sounds a bit high for output. Try aiming for around 29g in 25-30 seconds and then alter as your palate prefers.


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Gangstarrrrr said:


> If they're roasted in April, they're either stale or very close to being stale (unless you froze them in the interim?). The grind will change to reflect the beans age also.
> 
> Where are the beans from? Have you pulled good shots with the mini-e previously?


they are grumpy mule. Very different from my first batch. Much lighter roast. I did get to something I enjoyed with the last batch. Maybe just not seeing much crema through me off.

i have some 3 day roasted union foundation while I will try next. Wanted to use the older ones to dial in grinder. 5 notches coarser than factory setting. I would imagine that it would need to be finer but hey ho.

Any other views on here on how many notches are usually moved from one bean to another?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

You may find it will need to go finer for the union beans, just persevere you will get there in the end, agree with gangstarrrr, your yield is a little on the high side, and thus the grind is probably too course, tighten up the grind, keep the dose the same and tamp and aim for the same 27 second pour and see as what you get.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Mazzer Mini e (my experience) = three words....Stop, No & Don't.


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

I do this all the time see the title and post something completely off the current conversation - but I'm gonna post a video I watched yesterday and I was 100% baffled someone would go to the amount of effort this guy did for one (double) shot of espresso.

Commitment to bean.






The mazzer mini e can't be that bad surely?

Hilarious how some people are dying for the electronic on demand mazzers and this guy may aswell have a doser model ... Bonkers

I might now read and post something helpful


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

After all this the actual question was about dialling in - how much of a help was I there .... Someone should hit me


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

The mazzer mini I had was about that bad, though I don't see why you couldn't use a tamper to hold the beans against the burrs.


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

Not going to lie though the extraction wasn't to shabby - but back to dialling in

I should have mentioned , it would be easy to over compensate if you weren't purging the grinder - other than that I reckon the beans were probably too stale from crema


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

garydyke1 said:


> Mazzer Mini e (my experience) = three words....Stop, No & Don't.


Sorry, not sure I get what you mean?


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Thanks! How is your k30?


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

GuyLevine said:


> Thanks! How is your k30?


Absolute madness... Distribution of the grinds is spot on you can just hit it with the tamper straight from the grinder.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Callum_T said:


> I do this all the time see the title and post something completely off the current conversation - but I'm gonna post a video I watched yesterday and I was 100% baffled someone would go to the amount of effort this guy did for one (double) shot of espresso.
> 
> Commitment to bean.


That is complete madness, mythos routine - press button, 16.35 grams ground straight into the middle of the portafilter in a perfect mound in 3.87 seconds, tamp, done. All grinders are not built the same!


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

GuyLevine said:


> Sorry, not sure I get what you mean?


i got rid after much much frustration


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Not gonna lie. My mazzer is 1 day old. I love coffee but I couldn't do what was in that YouTube vid. I want the fun of dialling in and tasting new beans, but I also don't want any messing to get a good shot. I'm just tempted to whack mazzer on eBay and get a top end grinder. Was looking at k30 and also lacimbali magnum on demand. Then hoping I can just get on with my life. I have 45cm high cupboards above counter which limits me. K30 with small hopper would fit. Magnum hopper would need some mod love!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

GuyLevine said:


> Not gonna lie. My mazzer is 1 day old. I love coffee but I couldn't do what was in that YouTube vid. I want the fun of dialling in and tasting new beans, but I also don't want any messing to get a good shot. I'm just tempted to whack mazzer on eBay and get a top end grinder. Was looking at k30 and also lacimbali magnum on demand. Then hoping I can just get on with my life. I have 45cm high cupboards above counter which limits me. K30 with small hopper would fit. Magnum hopper would need some mod love!


Micro camera lens hopper fits on the magnum, and I think Callum's modded magnum might be up for grabs soon.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Here it is on a stripped back magnum, which I love the look of

View attachment 2666


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

I'm very torn between magnum and k30!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Wait until after the grindoff as they will both be evaluated there, albeit the magnum is a doser version, you will at least be able to compare results


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

So I have managed to dial in mini. Got a bit more crema and balanced shot. Used 250g of beans getting there! See what happens when I change to union fresh stuff.

I am really liking the look of the magnum. Will that or that kind of grinder be much easier to dial in and keep consistent? Grind wise, I don't really have any issues with mini. Fluffy grind and very neat.


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

Most people upgrade to bigger commercials for the grind quality improvement and live with the slower workflow - I posted a YouTube video of my magnum and the doser workflow is quite abit slower than that of an on demand but the grind quality and shot quality really is up there.

This is how my magnum looks at the moment custom digital timer fitted in to get things consistant.




























It depends magnum was lovely I just struck lucky a week after with my k30, which is so much easier to live with just hit the button and a fluffy pile of 17.5g in 5.7seconds.

I've always loved the look of the limited edition rocket mini e's though ... Pimp.


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Callum_T said:


> Most people upgrade to bigger commercials for the grind quality improvement and live with the slower workflow - I posted a YouTube video of my magnum and the doser workflow is quite abit slower than that of an on demand but the grind quality and shot quality really is up there.
> 
> This is how my magnum looks at the moment custom digital timer fitted in to get things consistant.
> 
> ...


thanks! It is the on demand touch magnum i was looking at so probably works same way as your k30. Just stuck between too. As my mini is a few days old with warranty and copy of invoice etc hoping it is desirable!!

l

were they both easy do dial in etc?


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

Grinders can be a nightmare in general for dialling in but I wouldn't say any was easier than the other it's more getting used to introducing it and getting the grinder to work for you very much unlike the earlier YouTube video I posted of that bloke with the mini.

With timed on demand I go grind setting for the set dose I want once this is done its just a case of getting the timer to spit out that specific dose everytime.

Magnum on demand is a beast I'd love one so unique and I haven't even heard much spoken about them but the k30 is one of the worser of the ultimate grinders in terms of shot quality (so I've heard)- but it's just easy to work with and being honest it doesn't feel like the absolute beast that the magnum is ie - it is more than just easy to live with


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

some one who does not have much experience with dialing in or grinders in general, is to purge out the previous grounds or it can throw you way out and cause a lot of frustration!! i speak from experience many years ago







and a lot of bean wastage


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

I think you would have to spend a lot more to beat the grind quality of the magnum, it was on of the few grinders that I have had that I regretted moving on. I was genuinely surprised at his good it looks stripped back. I think one with a chute on the front and modified timer would be spot on and a considers me amount cheaper than he original od version, however if you have the money then it would be a great grinder.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Dialling in with titan conical grinders is much easier than flat burred grinders, less tweeks needs with conics


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

glevum said:


> some one who does not have much experience with dialing in or grinders in general, is to purge out the previous grounds or it can throw you way out and cause a lot of frustration!! i speak from experience many years ago
> 
> 
> 
> ...


tha is. I have now set up my single shot dose to purge 5g and using that. Using up old beans first!


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

garydyke1 said:


> Dialling in with titan conical grinders is much easier than flat burred grinders, less tweeks needs with conics


One word retention - I was going to hunt out a k10 conical just for the WBC hype turns out I found a bigger hype beast than a mazzer lol


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

retention for sure, there are a few on the HB forum who have successfully modded to single dose


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Callum_T said:


> One word retention - I was going to hunt out a k10 conical just for the WBC hype turns out I found a bigger hype beast than a mazzer lol


Put in 21g, you get 21g out, so long as you clear the chute.


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## GlennV (Mar 29, 2013)

garydyke1 said:


> retention for sure, there are a few on the HB forum who have successfully modded to single dose


What do you mean? There's no particular difference in retention between large flats and large conicals in my experience. I currently use a dosered Brasilia/Rossi MC 68mm conical (precisely the same burrs as the pharos, and very similar to the K10). Zero retention if you single dose, brush the chute out and pulse the grinder once (no modification necessary apart from disabling the motor cutouts for the hopper and doser lid). I use it without brushing the chute out, which means there is a little retention - but it is less than 2g.


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

There is no such thing as zero retention, yes things settle into a point where the grind path is full of old coffee so 21g in = 21g out but the amount of coffee that can sit in a conical is more than that of a flat


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Callum_T said:


> There is no such thing as zero retention, yes things settle into a point where the grind path is full of old coffee so 21g in = 21g out but the amount of coffee that can sit in a conical is more than that of a flat


Surely that's dictated by the size of the burr chamber and not the type of burrs?


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Just taken the upper burrs off, maybe ~3g in the burr chamber.


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## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

The versalab was marketed as low retention with vertical burrs but don't know how good it actually is?


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Besides, isn't the k30 supposed to retain a large amount of grounds?


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## bubbajvegas (Jan 26, 2013)

painty said:


> The versalab was marketed as low retention with vertical burrs but don't know how good it actually is?


Reckon the versalab is the ultimate home grinder,conical burrs,no retention,single dose or hopper,motorised unlike the similar style HG1,just the big price tab that's the con


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## Callum_T (Dec 23, 2012)

RisingPower said:


> Besides, isn't the k30 supposed to retain a large amount of grounds?


K30 didn't have have much there was some caked into the shoot besides I'm not complaining it was a complete daylight robbery


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

GlennV said:


> What do you mean? .


http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/compak-k10-grind-retention-mods-vane-and-tape-sweeper-mods-t18277.html

http://www.home-barista.com/advice/compak-k10-for-single-doses-t19687.html

http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/minimizing-waste-and-static-on-large-commercial-grinders-t10675.html


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

The Versalab has both conical and flat burrs


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## GlennV (Mar 29, 2013)

If you single dose, and then brush out the chute and pulse the grinder to empty the burr chamber (and maybe repeat) then you get zero retention. It makes no difference whether the burrs are conical or flat, and the volume of the grind path is irrelevant if there's no coffee in it. Too much faff for me though. If you use any grinder with a full hopper then of course you get retention, and more on some grinders than others, but again there's no particular difference between conicals and flats.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

GlennV said:


> If you single dose, and then brush out the chute and pulse the grinder to empty the burr chamber (and maybe repeat) then you get zero retention. It makes no difference whether the burrs are conical or flat, and the volume of the grind path is irrelevant if there's no coffee in it. Too much faff for me though. If you use any grinder with a full hopper then of course you get retention, and more on some grinders than others, but again there's no particular difference between conicals and flats.


If you take a Royal versus a Robur. The royal holds sub 3g in the grind path

To quote the HB link I posted ''the Robur E has a huge grind path due to the addition of the augur atop the burr set''..I believe they quoted over 7g

Flat burrs dont require augurs


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Hang on retention is retention, if you have to modify a grinder to get to the grind chute and then use a brush that just means you are doing something over the top of what the grinder is designed to do to remove the grinds, conical grinders retain more than flat burrs in my experience and without faffing with using a brush they all retain grind, it is not only the exit chute that retains coffee it builds up under the lower carrier of a burr grinder and within the burrs of a conical, 3 grams in a set of 68 mm conical burrs is still a fair bit of retention. The versalab, hg1 use a vertical exit and thus do not have the retention issues, the eureka mythos motor and burrs are mounted at 45 degrees thus vastly improving the path of the grinds and limiting retention to less than a gram.


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

garydyke1 said:


> If you take a Royal versus a Robur. The royal holds sub 3g in the grind path
> 
> To quote the HB link I posted ''the Robur E has a huge grind path due to the addition of the augur atop the burr set''..I believe they quoted over 7g
> 
> Flat burrs dont require augurs


But the k10 only holds 3g. What difference does it make the type of burrs?


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

I have had a Versalab for nearly 5 years. Other than renew the driving band there has been no problems with the machine.

Sometime ago I wrote a piece for anther Site Wiki. Here is a link:

http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/versalab-m3-grinder

What I said then still applies. I can assure you that retention just does not happen. Its easy to drop the lower funnel & the vertical burr just drops out & the flat burrs are completely visable. I brush out once a week but there is just not enough grinds to weigh.

I say again what I said 5 years ago. Its a great Machine for up to heavy Home use. It does not work in a commercial environment. The driving band could cause H & S issues. You would need 2/3 machines to keep up with busy demand. It is very slow but that is its secret of success. The grinds remain cool.

What you put in you get out. Pop corning?, yes a little some people have made covers for the top funnel but I just cup my hand over the top when I grind.

There are hoppers available with a very neat dosing system but I think that spoils the quality of the beans. Not just on the Versalab but I hate hoppers 'per se'.

Currently they come in around £1600 + shipping, plus of course you are in the lottery regarding import duties. Mine was delivered with a full description on the address label but without any extra to pay.

Prior to the Versalab I owned a Mazzer E which I found a 'clump monster' whatever mods I did. Lovely looking machine though. I seem to remember I sold it to dfk41 or a friend of his.


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

coffeechap said:


> Hang on retention is retention, if you have to modify a grinder to get to the grind chute and then use a brush that just means you are doing something over the top of what the grinder is designed to do to remove the grinds, conical grinders retain more than flat burrs in my experience and without faffing with using a brush they all retain grind, it is not only the exit chute that retains coffee it builds up under the lower carrier of a burr grinder and within the burrs of a conical, 3 grams in a set of 68 mm conical burrs is still a fair bit of retention. The versalab, hg1 use a vertical exit and thus do not have the retention issues, the eureka mythos motor and burrs are mounted at 45 degrees thus vastly improving the path of the grinds and limiting retention to less than a gram.


Sure, less than a gram would be perfect, but is really purging 3g so much of an issue? I'd be interested to look inside some other flat burr grinders, because even in the mini I had there was space for a couple of grams when you opened it.


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Do any of you have any tips on how you dial in your grinder, and how often you change beans?


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## GlennV (Mar 29, 2013)

GuyLevine said:


> Do any of you have any tips on how you dial in your grinder, and how often you change beans?


Pick a recipe, say 18g into 30g or 18g into 36g, and then set the grinder by taste. It's unlikely to taste best at the grind which achieves your recipe in less than 20s or more than 45s. The way taste changes with grind/time is highly dependent on the bean and the roast, so it's best to ignore anything you've read and experiment for yourself. I normally have 2 or 3 beans on at once.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

RisingPower said:


> But the k10 only holds 3g. What difference does it make the type of burrs?


Compak's design is different to Mazzer.. The K10 is actually great for single dosing, as stated above


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## GuyLevine (May 19, 2013)

Thanks Glenn. Do you keep on having to re dial in the grind as you change the bean? And how do you know which beans require shorter/longer pulls or how dark/lighter roast affect dosage/pull time??

so many questions - only so many test shorts before I'm wired!!

thanks everyone.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

RisingPower said:


> Sure, less than a gram would be perfect, but is really purging 3g so much of an issue? I'd be interested to look inside some other flat burr grinders, because even in the mini I had there was space for a couple of grams when you opened it.


3 grams or 10 gram purge really doesn't bother me at all, if you don't want big burr retention don't buy a big burr grinder, unfortunately to some people even a couple of grams is important.


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

garydyke1 said:


> Compak's design is different to Mazzer.. The K10 is actually great for single dosing, as stated above


My point was, it wasn't the type of burrs employed, more the overall design.


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## Foz (Jan 19, 2013)

Hi, I upgraded to a Mazzer mini e from an MC2, huge improvement in taste. I do find that tiny adjustments make a measurable difference and so when changing beans it takes a few goes to get a decent cup. As previously mentioned, due to some grind retention you need to throw away a few grams after making an adjustment as these grinds will have been produced using the old setting.

Once dialed in (darker beans usually need to be ground finer to obtain the same yield/time ratio) I find the Mazzer very stable. I do not bother throwing away the first few grams every day as I find that the coffee still tastes good, just not as good as the next cup.

Hope this helps, I could not believe the improvement in taste from upgrading the grinder, the grind retention has not been a problem for me.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Foz try using the collapsible camera lens micro hopper, it blows the chute clean


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## NickR (Jul 1, 2011)

The problem with a Mazzer E is that if you really clean the chute, you get terrible clumping. The Mazzer E would be just about OK as a standby grinder in a busy cafe, but it has no place in a home environment.Its a really awful design.


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