# Eureka Mignon



## Pdalowsky (Dec 31, 2012)

Taken delivery of my silver unit from Claudette at Bellabarista

service from her was firstly tremendous. What a truely helpful and knowledgable person. I know its been said before but i would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a grinder or other equipment.

Whilst I remain a total novice in the coffee world I am trying to learn fast, and really enjoying it. I have read a lot on this site which has been amazingly helpful and one of the reasons I plumped for this grinder

Only had it a week or so but already seeing tremendous results. Having previously been happy with preground supermarket coffee I am pleased to acknowledge that the overwhelming view that a grinder is essential is unquestionnably true.

This grinder has made my expresso delicious already and Im still just getting used to it. Its extremely quiet - with two young children in the house this is essential at nap and bedtime, and capable of very very fine adjustment.

Initially my gridn was too fine and totally choking the classic but now Im hitting a double shot in 25 seconds perfectly.

overall very happy, the machine is very easy to use, looks smart, is solidly made, and produces a great grind. Many have said before that its clumpy which i have found true but with a little stir all is good.


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## Charlie B (Jan 10, 2013)

I'm still getting to grips with my one, not even put a KG through it yet, but can easily see there is great potential in these machiens and happy I opted for a Mignon.


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

I'm really glad you started this thread actually... Because I've just bought myself a Eureke Mignon yesterday








I bought mine from Sarobin (forum member) and have to say that I'm really happy with it. He had it dialed in for his machine but that was too coarse for me. That said, I am trying to dial mine in with Starbucks signature blend which were roasted mid february!! Might be a bit stale.









Like you, I can vouch for how quiet it is and think that the build quality is second to none. I'd thoroughly recommend this grinder to anyone







I've included a couple of pics to show mine off and I've also included a pic of the adjustment dial. I know that people say that the sticker is just stuck on top of the dial so it can't really be relied upon. I don't know how true this is but I wanted to ask fellow users who also own a Gaggia Classic what kind of dial setting they are currently using. Mine is showing around the 5 mark but this produces 2oz in approx 20 seconds. I'll be adjusting it when the caffine levels subside! I think Sarobin had it around 4 - 4.5 which produced me 2oz in 11 seconds. I'm thinking that I might have to go to approx 6 to get it tuned in properly.

I did read on an old post that someone had theirs tuned in between 6 and 7 - hence the reason why I ask fellow owners with Classics. Let me know your thoughts...


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## thomss (May 9, 2011)

Bought mine from her too great service and love the little grinder


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Tony, forget the numbers on the top. The adjustments you need to make, usually, are very small. If the pour is 20 seconds, adjust it maybe 2 mm and try again. In the 3 years I had one, after it was dialled in, the adjustment process was automatic with eyes shut!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Nice one Tony. The Mignon should make a big difference to grind and shot quality once you're dialled in.

Are you going to put the Porlex in a museum?


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## series530 (Jan 4, 2013)

The Migon is a great grinder. I am very happy with mine.

the numbers in the top mean absolutely nothing aside from being a rough reference point.

If its of any use, the setting for my Union Roasted coffee as used in the Cherub is on about 4. However, this is a bit like the Spinal Tap joke about amplifiers with a number of 11 on the dial being louder than those which only go up to 10.

What I did was to back off the grind by quite a way and then gradually fine it up until I got the pour time without the coffee looking too blond.


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

Good points... I thought that was the case. I'll be upping the increments by 2mm at a time and seeing whether I can fine tune it







As for the porlex... it's was up like new and ready to come to work with me so I can enjoy great coffee whilst others suffer with nescafe!!


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## skenno (Oct 14, 2012)

I got one a few days ago too. Love it. Took me a while to get dialled in and there seemed to be a massive difference between supermarket beans (to waste on dialling in!) and fresh beans to begin with which was a bit worrying but it seems to have settled down now. I'd read reviews about it being messy so was fearing the worst but I seem to get 99% of the coffee straight into the portafilter with hardly anything to tidy up.


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## series530 (Jan 4, 2013)

Mine clumped a bit at the start. More recently it has been settling down.

I find the best way to avoid more mess than necessary is to grind to a cone and then gently tamp it down with my finger and then repeat this Neil the porta filter is full. It only seems to over spill if I allow the cone to get too high.


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## Pdalowsky (Dec 31, 2012)

Yes the numbers mean nothing as Claudette advised on delivery to turn the dial until its tight and the burrs are touching. then wind it back two full turns. and to start from there.

So it would very much depend on how many full turns you have done as to the numbers being the same for each user - i expect that makes no sense at all

but i agree - this machine is certainly not messy at all.

I have toyed with different amount of beans, 19 gramms was too much for a double basket, 18 seems perfect, going over by one gram and grinding a tiny bit too fine choked the gaggia totally.

I need to start weighing the output now as im getting the 2oz in 25 seconds every time now, but Im still unsure from getting very conflicting advice on whether we should be aiming for 2oz or 1 oz in that time. The expresso takes great however so I guess i should be happy.


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## series530 (Jan 4, 2013)

I normally go for about 2 oz in 25 to 30 seconds from the time that the switch is pressed (the first 4 or 5 seconds being prior to coffee coming out of the PF but included within the 30 seconds). that said, I'm always looking for the coffee colour because, if it starts to become too blond it's beyond its best and its better to have less (but better) coffee than the right amount (but less good) coffee. That's how Glenn suggested I do it and it seems to work well for me.


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

I'm the same as you series530. My coffee is coming out at a rate of 2oz in 27 seconds ish and with the first drops coming out at around the 5 second mark. Mine was pre dialled by the previous owner so I'm just tweaking mine.

Series530, can you explain more about the blonding comment you made. I'm dialog mine in with some 6 week old Starbucks beans. They're not stale and taste quite nice as it goes. They actually feel quite oily/sticky to the touch which is quite unusual and they are a very dark roast. When I put them through my classic, the blonding is immediate and continues until the shot glasses are filled to the 1oz mark each. I'm regularly left with 2-3mm of crema.

i have been using union roasted beans and they were much less reactive. They were 1-2mm crema but I don't want to continue using these until I've dialled my machine in as close as possible with the cheaper beans.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Big Tony said:


> Series530, can you explain more about the blonding comment you made.


Morning Tony. Blonding refers to the end process of extraction and indicates the time to end the shot. Blonding can also indicate under extraction due to channeling in the puck with the water not getting all the good things out of the puck. Blonding doesn't refer to the golden colour of your extraction near the beginning of the shot - confusing isn't it??


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

Morning Patrick,

yes, very confusing and yes... I'm confused! I think I've already decided that I'm going to make a little video of my coffee making so that I can be given advice on one hand and let others compare my technique. It'll also give new people a good opportunity to see entry machines like the classic in action.

Obviously it's Glenn's decision, but a video section for members would be a really beneficial addition to the forum. I for one will be looking to upgrade in 6-12 months and would love to see videos of potential purchases in action. I searched YouTube and looked at as many videos as I could when I had my classic problems. It would be interesting to see other member videos on the same machine to see how they compare. There could also be videos for problems, videos for mods, videos for how to's... Etc....

im now acutely aware that videos don't even exist anymore! .... But you know what I mean


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## series530 (Jan 4, 2013)

Hi Tony,

my version of blonding, as I understood it from Glenn during my training, is a little difficult to describe in words. Essentially as The Systemic Kid described, when properly ground and tamped, once coffee starts to appear from the porta filter, it will tend to have a dark almost gloopy consistency. It's almost like a liquid treacle. As the seconds tick by it will tend to be less gloopy and the colour will gradually lighten. With my Union Roasted beans it starts off very dark, it then quite quickly transitions into a mid brown and stays that way for some time and then it gradually gets lighter and lighter. The important thing, as I understood it from Glenn is to avoid having too much of the third stage. If you do you are simply topping up the shot glasses so as to get to 2 oz and not filling them with a rich coffee. Better, if you start to see mostly blonding, to stop and accept a shorter measure.

There is no magic definition of blonding, its more of a visual feel than anything else. I just make sure I stop before the coffee seems like dull dish water.

Personally, I try to dial and tamp to get to approx 25 seconds without blonding but with around 2 oz rather than pulling exactly 2 oz of shot in 25 seconds no matter what comes out... but that's just my way and it could b e utter tosh!!


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## Pdalowsky (Dec 31, 2012)

Cool, im hitting around 27 seconds too from flicking the switch

Many do swear by 30ml though which can confuse me, seems many do the 60ml thing too.

about the blonding comment, you dont actually mean the colour of the crema, but the actual flow from the PF? So it initially pours out very dark and almost treacly, then the colour of the pour lightens - is this the blonding?

I have learned not to tamp as hard as I was too lately which surprised me. Using pre ground coffee I was having to almost jump on the tamp to get it firm enough!!!! but now i can use a lot less pressure.


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## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

Can anyone advise of the differences between the MK 1 and MK 2 models?


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## reneb (Nov 2, 2011)

I think the only difference is that the mk1 is timer only whereas with the mk2 you have the option of timer or on demand - i.e. you can grind for whatever time you want.


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## Maidop (Mar 13, 2013)

I've found that grinding into a cone and then stirring has made a real difference. My Mignon (brand new on Friday) definitely clumps, and so without stirring the shot comes through too quick, and the puck shows real signs of channeling. By grinding into a cone and stirring with a bamboo skewer the shot is slowing right down meaning I've had to make the grind a little coarser to compensate.

Can't believe how quiet the mignon is (compared to a 7 year old Dualit with knackered burrs) just hope the clumping settles down.

Should say that I bought from Claudette at BB, she was brilliant, cannot fault the service!


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## Maidop (Mar 13, 2013)

Meant to ask.. Do people fill the hopper and then grind out the weight they need, or do you prefer to pour the correct weight of beans into the hopper and grind just the right amount... Did that even make sense?

On my old Dualit I would pour 18g of beans into the hopper and grind it through, but on the mignon I have filled the hopper and ground into the portafilter, weighing and re-weighing until I have the right amount. This is starting to sound a bit obsessive...


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

No mate... you're right to be obsessive. Eliminating variables means you're more likely to produce quality consistent coffee. I weigh my beans everytime and never fill the hopper. You can treat beans like bread....expose them to air and they will go stale very quickly. My mignon clumps as well but I just tap the PF on the side and they all melt away in 5 seconds. Some people say not to do it but I've heard others disagree. People will say that if it works for you, stick with it.


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## IanP (Aug 4, 2011)

Maidop said:


> Meant to ask.. Do people fill the hopper and then grind out the weight they need, or do you prefer to pour the correct weight of beans into the hopper and grind just the right amount... Did that even make sense?
> 
> On my old Dualit I would pour 18g of beans into the hopper and grind it through, but on the mignon I have filled the hopper and ground into the portafilter, weighing and re-weighing until I have the right amount. This is starting to sound a bit obsessive...


Can only speak on my own behalf here, but I weigh the actual grounds in the portafilter just before making the shot. I have found that using my newly acquired Vario, once the grind has been dialed in and the timer set, there is little variation in truth in the weight in the basket..... But when the grind needs adjustment so does the timer. Don't know which is more of a faff.... Weighing each shot every time or fiddling with the timer every time the grind has to be reset!

Maybe that's just me.... I make no claims to normality









Ian


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## Maidop (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks both, not really sure why I changed my practice to be honest, I'll empty it and weigh each time I grind. Out of interest - 16, 17 or 18 grams? (OCD)


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## series530 (Jan 4, 2013)

During my training it was suggested that I place enough beans in the hopper for the day and grind what I need as I need it. By the end of the day the hopper is about empty. This approach seems to work fine for me and saves me being too obsessive.


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

18g for me


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