# Vario Steel Burrs



## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Warning: if you're wanting any definite conclusions, don't bother reading all this junk.

My new burrs for the Vario arrived this afternoon. They're made from steel and meant to be better for brewed coffee, while being unable to grind fine enough for espresso.

Unless I'm imagining it, they seem to be magnetic and are identical: i.e. no upper/bottom burr. They look radically different to the ceramic burrs the grinder comes with as standard. They have far more of the big teeth and the little ones are not all identical, and have steeper edges. While they look the same as the ones pictured in David Walsh's blog about them (http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/burrs-again/) they don't have Ditting written on back - instead CV. Who knows who manufactured them; I got them from coffee hit. My phone is not the best camera and I'm not the best photographer but here's a pic anyway: http://tinyurl.com/bqnne5j

I'm a pleb when it comes to handy work and also have reduced manual dexterity, so I was pleased to have managed the entire burr switch in two hours, though I did take out a couple little chips around where the screws go in the ceramic burrs - those things are delicate. I also used the opportunity to remove the coffee sludge that had accumulated about the burr carriers.

I devised a few home tests of grind consistency and other differences between the burrs, without having any scientific equipment. Note: I've used the ceramic burrs every day for 6 months, and obviously the steel ones are new. This might nullify any of the results









Test #1:

With both sets of burrs, using the same beans, I ground 10g at the same setting on the Vario sliders and timed it. It's been written that the steel burrs are much slower and louder. At a coarse setting it took the ceramic burrs 9 seconds to do 10g, and the steel 19 seconds. Expected result then. I'm not bothered about the speed difference, and the steel didn't seem any louder to me.

Test #2:

I took these two sets of grinds and dumped them in a V60 with unrinsed paper, then quickly poured 100ml of cold water in the centre, timing how quickly the water ran through till it dripped no longer. My theory was that if the steel burrs are more consistent and produce less fine particles, the water should move through faster. Result: 1min for the ceramic, 45s for the steel. As expected then, good good.

Test #3:

Take another 10g sample from each burr, and sift them for 20s (arbitrary length of time), and weigh what went through the sieve. The sieve was one I used in a previous post (pic: http://tinyurl.com/cdvy6j7 ). Hypothesis: the steel burrs should result in less coffee going through the sieve if they're more consistent. Result: 0.55g for the ceramic, 0.9g for the steel. Not what I expected at all.

Test #4:

Using my eyes, I looked at the sifted samples. The steel did appear to be a lot more consistent. Good.

Test #5:

If Expo is reading this I'd imagine he's shouting "just make a cup of coffee you berk". This is what I did. I ran another 40g or so of some old beans through and gave it a good sweep, then made a pot using my current favourite method of my own stupid design which utilises a french press and aeropress and adds maximum faff to the process. Trouble is (serious face palm here), I used beans that I've never tasted before and any beans that I have tasted through the ceramic burrs I ran out of on the other tests. Anyway, the beans were Square Mile Kenya Kiawamururu Peaberry, roasted three days ago.

Result: at the risk of hyperbole - this was probably the best cup of coffee I've ever had. I seriously doubt this was down to the burrs, and more likely I just found some beans I love (super berry, crisp acidity, yum yum), combined with miraculously nailing a brew with this method I'd been honing the past few days. There's also probably something psychosomatic going on, in that I wanted the brew to be good since I'd forked out for new burrs and spent two hours fitting them. That said, it genuinely did taste as good to me as anything I've tasted from an uber boiler/grinder combo, and this was with London tap water through a Britta filter.

So conclusions! Well it's hard to make any so early on, but I'm hopeful that it was a change for the best and that'll only become clearer through continued use I suppose. One thing I can say for certain is that if anyone is entertaining the notion of buying a Vario and switching out burr types when you fancy an espresso - don't bother, it's an arse ache.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Sounds awesome. ''my current favourite method of my own stupid design which utilises a french press and aeropress and adds maximum faff to the process.''

Spill the beans


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## pendragoncs (Feb 14, 2011)

You had these in a few more days now...how are you finding them.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Bollocks. I just wrote a massive reply and accidentally hit back which wiped it. I'll write it again later.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Ok can't remember what I typed now... erm...

The burrs do seem to produce a pretty consistent grind, certainly better than the stock ceramic burrs. I can't compare them to a shop grinder as I've never used one, but next time I go to a cafe I might ask for a couple grams ground for me so I can bring home and compare. One thing is that the grind size range on the vario slider seems to have been reduced. I currently have it calibrated as coarse as it will go and when the slider is finest possible it is still too coarse for a V60-01 - at least the 12g/200ml one I tried to make, it just pissed through it. I'll be playing around with calibration to try and find a position that enables me to make a V60, but still have room for the coarseness I like to use for french press and big chemex brews. The added consistency and reduced fines does mean the water moves through the bed of a pour over quicker also.

It's taking some getting used to and I guess will need more beans put through it to settle in - so far I've ground about a kilo. I got used to brewing with a fair amount of fines and I'm having to adapt to the different grind. I still need to get some beans I "know" and have used with the old burrs so I can compare the taste. Flavours, whether good or bad, do seem to be clearer and more pronounced. The bag of Square Mile Kenyan I got through was delightful, but since then I've been using some scabbier beans - as lamented in another thread.

It'd be interesting to see how it stands up along side the Virtuoso and Maestro. If I lost everything I'd probably just buy one of them instead, but since I already had a Vario and am not making espresso then what the hey! I think that pretty much sums up anything I wrote earlier.


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## pendragoncs (Feb 14, 2011)

Thanks for the update.

Think the Virtuoso is the way i'll go now........just trying to find one at the right price. May just wait for next round of stock to hit the stores and hopefully there'll be some deals to be done.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

I know this place sells the virtuoso 586 - http://thecoffeemachinelondon.co.uk/

I emailed them about it recently to check it was the newer model which was confirmed though they were currently waiting on new stock.


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Can you post a couple of pics of the grounds from the steel burrs at a couple of different fineness settings? Maybe with a coin as a reference.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

With the little calibration thingy (a concealed allen key nut slider) coarse as it will go, here's a pic of three grinds sizes.

Macro slider in finest position:










Mid position:










Coarsest position:










Now I'm going to recalibrate it though so that the mid position displayed here is closer to the coarsest end of the slider so that I can go a lot finer and use the V60-01. I also like to use a pretty fine grind for the aeropress sometimes.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Right I've recalibrated now so that the burrs are touching with the macro at finest and the micro halfway. I hate doing this sort of shit. I always think the whole thing is going to explode in my lap. Anyway, curiously while It can now grind pretty fine, it hasn't taken too much from the coarse end, which is perfect. This means the macro is now ball-park v60 at fine, ball-park french press at coarse and ordinary drip in between. Pictures - I tried to keep the coin the same size in these ones!

Macro slider at finest (it's very slow grinding at this setting):










Mid point:










Coarsest:










I think these burrs require more coffee to be put through between grind settings to settle. The coarsest in this set of pictures betrays the consistency a bit as I was running low on beans. I'm also thinking that they benefit from some extra beans in the hopper which is a drag as I single dose and switch beans and grind size a lot. Anyway I've ground about 200g of coffee without having a drink - need to make a brew! Hope this has been of some help.


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## w1lldabeast (Dec 7, 2012)

I have been looking at getting some of these for my second hand vario as I haven't yet decided to get an espresso machine. This is a very informative thread which has answered all my questions. Some very helpful pic's too!

Are you still happy with these burrs?

I assume you have used them with the coffee you "know" by now? How did they compare to the ceramics?

Thanks for the tread!

Will


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Hey Will. I'm more than happy with this setup. It's slow and loud, but that doesn't bother me. It'd be interesting to do a side by side comparison with the Baratza Maestro and Virtuoso as they're the only alternatives when talking about an electric grinder for brews. Unless you go a lot more expensive of course.

I can't really remember what the ceramics were like now. I still have them wrapped up somewhere, but can't see myself switching. I seldom get the urge to make a foray back into home espresso.


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