# Hello all - small grinder recommendations?



## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

Hi all - newbie here. Just registering, have been lurking for a few weeks and found the forum very useful.

After moving in with my GF, I need to invest in some vaguely decent espresso equipment. I previously taken serious advantage of my old housemate's La Pavonia -great fun, but results were mixed (in a large part due to operator inadequacies!).

Bit torn atm - heart says a used Gaggia Classic, but head a Sage Barista Pro. The Sage looks like a nice package, more compact (worktop space is a concern), and have a suspicion would be more forgiving - however, I think I'd enjoy the scope for tinkering/experimentation with the Classic.

Bit concerned about worktop space - for the Gaggia option, would be nice to minimise the footprint of the grinder - something compact (

Ta

Paul


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## garethuk (May 2, 2019)

Sorry can't offer any advice on this, but welcome to the forum.


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

Eureka Mignon, study little machine, keep an eye on the for sale thread on here they come up often or for a fair bit more the Niche Zero

https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/


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## L&R (Mar 8, 2018)

If you don't have much space in the kitchen, you can consider a manual grinder, keeping it in a drawer.


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## sheitan (May 7, 2019)

Gimoka Minimoka is a nice small grinder, check it out !


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

L&R said:


> If you don't have much space in the kitchen, you can consider a manual grinder, keeping it in a drawer.


Fair point. Would rather go electric if I can, but manual would be an ok plan B!


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

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


> Eureka Mignon, study little machine, keep an eye on the for sale thread on here they come up often or for a fair bit more the Niche Zero
> 
> https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/


Yes, I'd noticed the Niche. Looks perfect , but slightly over my budget atm. Future upgrade perhaps...


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

Ok, to summarise where I'm at right now following prolonged research/agonising (see also my post in the 'wanted' forum).

My thinking has evolved slightly, along with my budget. Assuming I can pick up a Classic for £100ish, this actually leaves circa £350 from my overall budget (based on new BE) for a grinder. Spending a bit more would starve of the urge to upgrade for a bit - and buy cheap, buy twice, etc. Though having a bit of change left over for a tamper, knock box etc would be a bonus.

*Requirements*: small (see above), doserless, timer, easy to use (for other half) preferable

*Contenders: *

*
*

Sage Smart Grinder Pro - default option, seem to get a lot for the money (£130 new with discount code). Bit on the big size. Would probably keep me going for a few years, before succumbing to upgrade-itis eventually.

Eureka Mignon - small, timer, better performance, and more aesthetically pleasing than SGP. Specialita model with touch display and 55mm burrs tempting. Stepless grind adjustment potentially slightly intimidating, however?

*Ruled Out:*

*
*

Baritza Sette 270 - looked like a strong contender. However, terrible reputation for reliability and flaky support (in UK) - hence feels a bit risky for me.

Baritza Sette 30 - see above. Sounds like limited grind size adjustment problematic for dialling in.

Niche - expensive. Also, don't think I can be bothered with pre-weighing at the moment!


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## CoffeeNooge (May 18, 2019)

I sold my sage smart grinder pro on eBay a year ago for £80 so you'll find good second hand deals. It's about as compact as it gets if you're worried about size though...


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

Just for the record, ended up going for the Mignon Specialisa, new from Bella Barista and a £90 Classic off eBay. All in all, around the same price as a new BE. Now the interesting bit, learning how to use it properly


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Great compact set up which will certainly get you going, welcome to great coffee. Time for some great beans now


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

2cups said:


> Just for the record, ended up going for the Mignon Specialisa, new from Bella Barista and a £90 Classic off eBay. All in all, around the same price as a new BE. Now the interesting bit, learning how to use it properly


 Congrats on your new set up ? let us know how you get along!


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## Egglet (Apr 16, 2014)

Congrats on the new set up, I was nearly where you at after ~6y of using a classic paired with a rocky until i found an e37S which is a bit of a big jump haha. 
Specialita sounds like an awesome grinder, I spent many hours reading up on it too! Remember to look through all the mods available on the classic - most important ones being a OPV valve adjustment, steam wand replacement, and if budget allows a PID won't go amiss, @MrShadesdoes an awesome one, can vouch for that. After that, shower screen, new basket etc would be nice, but a nice upgrade. So far quite happy with my machine, but upgraditis is slowly setting in again, you'll see that as a common disease around here. Its very contagious and deadly!

Egglet.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

2cups said:


> Ok, to summarise where I'm at right now following prolonged research/agonising (see also my post in the 'wanted' forum).
> 
> My thinking has evolved slightly, along with my budget. Assuming I can pick up a Classic for £100ish, this actually leaves circa £350 from my overall budget (based on new BE) for a grinder. Spending a bit more would starve of the urge to upgrade for a bit - and buy cheap, buy twice, etc. Though having a bit of change left over for a tamper, knock box etc would be a bonus.
> 
> ...


 You will be disappointed in any timer fucntion in those grinders and more than likely weigh your dose out in the end .they are just not that accurate


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

Mrboots2u said:


> You will be disappointed in any timer fucntion in those grinders and more than likely weigh your dose out in the end .they are just not that accurate


 Yeah, after a few weeks with the Mignon, can completely see where you're coming from.

Still like the convenience of a hopper, not sure I'm ready for the Niche work flow yet...


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## RobbieTheTruth (Jun 4, 2019)

2cups said:


> Yeah, after a few weeks with the Mignon, can completely see where you're coming from.
> 
> Still like the convenience of a hopper, not sure I'm ready for the Niche work flow yet...


 I'm on a similar path to you.

Went with Gaggia Classic and Niche. I like the idea of putting 18g in, getting 18g out with the Niche.

Make sure you get your Classic modded to 9 bar pressure


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## Planter (Apr 12, 2017)

2cups said:


> Yeah, after a few weeks with the Mignon, can completely see where you're coming from.
> Still like the convenience of a hopper, not sure I'm ready for the Niche work flow yet...


Work flow for the Niche is as simple as it comes. Unless you aren't single dosing. In which case get a big burr ex commercial with a hopper.


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## picalilli (Jun 13, 2019)

2cups said:


> Yeah, after a few weeks with the Mignon, can completely see where you're coming from.
> 
> Still like the convenience of a hopper, not sure I'm ready for the Niche work flow yet...


 just wondering how you got along with the specialita? I'm in a similar position as you were, have more or less decided on a sage dtp and Mignon specialita...but haven't fully committed yet. One thing I did think was is the stepless adjustment too much for a total beginner. I noticed you'd mentioned this - have you found it intuitive? Also, is there a lot of retention? Similar to you i don't really want to get into weighing individual shots...maybe I'm just being lazy!

Was looking at the sette 270 as well. Far too much choice once you get into this!


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

picalilli said:


> just wondering how you got along with the specialita? I'm in a similar position as you were, have more or less decided on a sage dtp and Mignon specialita...but haven't fully committed yet. One thing I did think was is the stepless adjustment too much for a total beginner. I noticed you'd mentioned this - have you found it intuitive? Also, is there a lot of retention? Similar to you i don't really want to get into weighing individual shots...maybe I'm just being lazy!
> 
> ﻿ Was looking at the sette 270 as well. Far too much﻿ choice once you get into this!


 Hey Picalilli, good questions. Imo, it doesn't get a lot more intuitive , the touchscreen interface is pretty idiot-proof.

Once dialled in, I'm actually finding the stepless adjustment rather useful for making small adjustments to the grind. I would imagine it provides far more resolution than a stepped set-up. The only drawback is the multiple turns of the dial needed to go between espresso and filter settings (not sure if you're planning to do that, but something to bear in mind.)

Haven't noticed any retention issues (not that I've run any experiments or anything!). Believe it to be pretty minimal, but no doubt the Niche is superior.

Like you, I'm a lazy bastard and was hoping to dispense with the weighing step. However, as mentioned by other posters, the timer isn't super accurate, so I've ended up weighing the coffee post grinding. Hoping that once I've got my technique down, and coffee dialled in I'll be able to dispense with that step.

I'll leave it to others more qualified to comment on whether it represents value vs a new Niche/used old Mignon/etc. The Sette looked super sexy, but the more I read about the reliability the more scared I got (maybe concerns have been overblown?!)


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## 2cups (May 6, 2019)

Planter said:


> 2cups said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, after a few weeks with the Mignon, can completely see where you're coming from.
> ...


 There's nothing I'd have loved more, but I'm not sure my other half would have been quite so accommodating! For those with the space, I can see your point?

In all seriousness, the Classic + Mignon set-up fits quite nicely in the corner of my kitchen. This accounts for c. 25% of worktop, and having space to cook food is also nice...


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## picalilli (Jun 13, 2019)

2cups said:


> Hey Picalilli, good questions. Imo, it doesn't get a lot more intuitive , the touchscreen interface is pretty idiot-proof.
> 
> Once dialled in, I'm actually finding the stepless adjustment rather useful for making small adjustments to the grind. I would imagine it provides far more resolution than a stepped set-up. The only drawback is the multiple turns of the dial needed to go between espresso and filter settings (not sure if you're planning to do that, but something to bear in mind.)
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the advice!

I had read similar things about the Sette. I actually prefer the retro look of the mignon - so think I'm still sticking with that.


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