# Firenzato F5



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Blimey what a beast this Fiorenzato F5 is, pretty much dwarfs the Mazzer Mini. I had expected the extra height, but it is nearly twice as wide!

I bodged up a switch to fit in for the main on-off switch temporarily, ran some crappy old beans through to clean (though it was pretty well clean already) out any old residue and roughly dial in the grind. I was surprised how near to burr touchdown I had to go to get close, around 4 notches.

I then tried a shot, 22 seconds for 30g from 18g of beans, a bit quick but not too bad. Looked good, and tasted pretty good.

3 things I noticed though:

1) The grinds take some getting out of the chute, more so than the Mini. Made trickier by the auto fill mechanism still being fitted (now removed)

2) The beans seems to struggle to get pulled into the burrs near the end and require some shaking.

3) the grind time did not seem (didn't actually time) much quicker than the Mini.

The burrs look OK on casual inspection but given the grind time I'm not so sure now. Unfortunately the new Mazzer 64mm burrs I bought on ebay seem to be taking ages to come. I'm hoping new burrs will sort points 2 & 3, 3 potentially being the biggest issue. I won't draw any conclusions until I get them fitted.

Back to the Mini for the moment.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Aha, my new burrs have arrived and actually these do look and feel a lot sharper than what's in there currently. Hopefully my new switch will be here today or tomorrow and by Thursday I'll have a chance to put it through its paces properly


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

Watching with interest, i may have one of these lined up..


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

simonp said:


> Aha, my new burrs have arrived and actually these do look and feel a lot sharper than what's in there currently. Hopefully my new switch will be here today or tomorrow and by Thursday I'll have a chance to put it through its paces properly


Good news, your new burrs will need some breaking in however before they are at their best. They may well still be an improvement even brand new.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Dylan said:


> Good news, your new burrs will need some breaking in however before they are at their best. They may well still be an improvement even brand new.


Yes, will get some rubbish beans from the supermarket to run through to season the burrs.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

New burrs in. The new Super Jolly ones are reasonably different to the ones that came out (which were marked Fiorenzato) with a much more aggressive first bean crush stage and longer finer grind blades. On closer inspection there were signs of the odd stone having gone through the old burrs, nothing bad but a few small dings. Under a magnifier the edges are quite rounded too so definitely worth replacing. Can't wait to fire it up again now but busy till Thursday


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

On closer inspection under a circuit board magnifier (big microscope) the old burrs are pretty well shot, there are a lot of flattened or rounded surfaces on the cutting edges. Just goes to show that you can't tell just with your fingers as they felt OK initially.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

I had half an hour before I had to go out this evening and my new switch had arrived so I popped that in. Couldn't resist quickly firing up and finding/marking the zero point. Then of course I found a small amount of old beans lying around so backed off 3 notches which is where I got an espresso grind with the old burrs and fired up. I got a Turkish grind! Boy was that ever fine powder. Backed off about another 4-5 notches and got something close to an espresso consistency.

The first thing i noticed was how very, very consistent the grind was. Very uniform and very little in the way of fines. Seemed noticeably more consistent than the Mini which has burrs only a few months old.

The second thing is just how much coffee gets stuck in the exit chute from the burr chamber which is going to take a bit more effort and possibly some form of tool to get out each shot.

The third thing is that the beans seem much more reluctant to get pulled into the burrs (without much weight of beans on top) than on the Mini, presumably due to the larger entry hole. I'm guessing it isn't a problem with a weight of beans in a hopper, but for single shot dosing it may be.

Burr seasoning and further experimentation will have to wait a few days now unfortunately


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Have you seen the lens-hood mod used on the Mazzer family? May help with your chute retention.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

On my Mini I used to have to use a little stick (or a pointy rubber wine stopper) just to get the last gram or so out of the burr exit hole. Wasn't a problem but I tired of it eventually and got a 65E, which also has an auger to draw the beans in to their doom!


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## stevogums (May 8, 2013)

Having just changed from an F5 to an F85e i did encounter most of your minor problems.

I ran the F5 without hopper and just fed it when required .

Did have to place tamp mat over it to stop beans flying out ,wasnt that many though must admit.

As for exit chute i do agree that did tend to get a bit bunged up ,i did after each grind get a small brush in there to clear it.

Saying all that it was a really good first grinder for me and never let me down.

Enjoy.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

stevogums said:


> Having just changed from an F5 to an F85e i did encounter most of your minor problems.
> 
> I ran the F5 without hopper and just fed it when required .
> 
> ...


I was running with a tamper to stop the beans popping around, but it was the beans that were spinning around not getting pulled into the burrs that were a problem meaning the next shot would have bits of stale bean in it. This doesn't tend to happen on the mini.

I use a bamboo skewer to clear the chute on the Min, but as you say a brush would be batter with the F5. I was surprised to see the chute is at an angle from right to left, so used to the straight one on the Mini.

Like most things there will be idiosyncrasies that are usually easy to sort out given a little time and use.


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## stevogums (May 8, 2013)

Brush will help nice small one


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

So I finally got a chance to run some beans through the burrs for seasoning this evening. Got some quite revolting/ashy smelling dark roasted Brazilian (why would you dark roast Brazilian beans?!) beans from Asda fro £2 a bag. Bunged a couple of those through and whilst doing so adjusted the grind by eye/feel to an espresso grind. Not really enough to properly season but as I couldn't find any bargain 1Kg bags anywhere and I didn't want to waste too much money it will have to do.

First shot of Hasbean Christmas Espresso Blend gave a 22 second 30g shot. Pretty damned close for a first guess! Looked and tasted good.

The next shot (with the grind a little finer) was a 26 second 26g cup (from 18.5g coffee)







The pour was very even from the basket and quite a bit darker than I have been getting with the Mini with this blend. Very sweet smooth viscous shot and plenty of darker mottling in the cup. The acidity seemed a bit lower than the shots I have been getting with this blend and the chocolate a bit more prominent.

I guess I should find time to do some back to back shots with the 2 grinders.

The grind from the F5 certainly has a fluffier look to it than the Mini's and does look very even in particle size. The difference in shot time seems less for a given movement of the adjuster but that could just be a better grind quality giving more forgiving shot I guess.

On a sample of 2 shots I would say the F5 is a success so far. Hopefully I can play much more over Christmas and see for sure.

Despite the expected horror at the size from the missus, she just commented that it was shinier than the Mini and got on with drinking her espresso. I must have worn her down into acceptance...


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

This is good news, mine should be here between Christmas and new year ?


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Sctb78 said:


> This is good news, mine should be here between Christmas and new year 


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

So, a few more days in and about 500g more beans through. I was having some issues with consistency of consecutive shot times which I put put down to the burrs still settling in, but now I am getting very consistent shots.

Every single shot done with this grinder (even the less than perfect ones) has given me much darker pours and crema than I was getting with the Mazzer Mini. Also each one is pouring much more evenly across the bottom the basket, not that the Mini shots were bad in that way but the shots using the F5 are noticeably better.

I have had to modify my regime slightly in that, whereas I would get pretty much what I put in to the Mini in terms of beans, the F5 sometimes likes to hide up to a gram that I can't immediately get at. This is not helped by the fact that the burrs take forever to stop turning when empty (good bearings !) . Therefore I've taken to grinding about 1g more than I need just in case and weighing the basket after filling. I'm sure with time I will get used to getting everything out of the F5 in terms of grinds.

In the cup the results are equally improved, a silkier mouth-feel and a smoother flavour with more depth revealed. It tastes to me like more of the sugars are getting extracted.

I will do some modifications to the F5 like fitting some sort of chute to direct the grounds out of the doser better (currently using the paper cone method used on Super Jollys) and I might experiment at some pointwith a short hopper (if I can find one to fit) and maybe fit a timer if I go down that route.

Basically the F5 will be staying and the Mini will be moved on to a new owner at some point.


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## aodstratford (Sep 18, 2012)

I find that my f5 stores a large amount of grinds in the final bit of the chute (I am having to eek this out and purge a large amount to get some fresh grinds) I find it produces good results but am feeling like I am wasting almost half my coffee. Are you dosing beans into the machine ? If so - have you made any other adjustments to grind etc ?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

are you using a hopper or a lens hood?


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

aodstratford said:


> I find that my f5 stores a large amount of grinds in the final bit of the chute (I am having to eek this out and purge a large amount to get some fresh grinds) I find it produces good results but am feeling like I am wasting almost half my coffee. Are you dosing beans into the machine ? If so - have you made any other adjustments to grind etc ?


I am single dosing into the grinder, I have not tried it with the hopper yet, mainly as I don't have room for the large hopper under my cupboards!

I'm wondering if the lens hood hopper thing will work with the F5 or not, the throat is quite a bit bigger diameter than the Mazzer one.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

in short yes it does, get a 67 mm lens hood and it will give you enough throuput of air to clear the shute.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

coffeechap said:


> in short yes it does, get a 67 mm lens hood and it will give you enough throuput of air to clear the shute.


Cool, will give that a go then.

The F5 suffers from the same issue as Mazzers in that it tends to throw the grounds to the left, so I've made a blank moulding of the doser exit with Polymorph now and will drill and profile that to get a better exit fro the grounds into the portafilter when "thwacking".

A few tweaks and I reckon the F5 will be a great grinder for years to come:cool:


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

Finally managed to get a play on my new F5 today. Thanks to Coffeechap for supplying with the doser sweep mod already done. It's a big beast right enough. The boss just shook her head when I popped it on the kitchen counter..

I only have a small amount of this weeks Hasbean IMM left so couldn't really get things dialled in to my liking tbh. Got a kilo of Rave Italian Job and a 67mm lens hood off ebay on the way so hopefully can do some tinkering this weekend. One thing I've noticed is the adjustment ring is pretty stiff to turn making small movements a bit difficult. Any tips on getting the best grind to go with my Classic?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

The adjustment collar will be easier to love when the pin arrives


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

Awesome, cheers Dave.


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

So the 67mm collapsible rubber lens cover arrived from China today. Fits the throat of the grinder ok but not that tight, just sits on. Is this how other folks lens hood mods are or is there a way to attach to the grinder for a better seal? I've tried removing the metal ring and pulling the rubber over the flange thing on top of the adjustment rings but no success.


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Sctb78 said:


> So the 67mm collapsible rubber lens cover arrived from China today. Fits the throat of the grinder ok but not that tight, just sits on. Is this how other folks lens hood mods are or is there a way to attach to the grinder for a better seal? I've tried removing the metal ring and pulling the rubber over the flange thing on top of the adjustment rings but no success.


Awaiting the arrival of my lens hood so I haven't had a chance to try yet. From photos I have seen on Super Jollys people seem to put the lens hood over the flange.


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

I'll give it another bash tonight then. Need to source a suitable lid as well.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Yea, you should be able to pop out the metal bit in the bottom and stretch it over the throat.


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## adam0bmx0 (Feb 20, 2014)

I like my F5, done me well for the last 8 months.

Regarding the collapsable lense hood, I just use one hand to hold it around the throat of the grinder and the other to press down several times.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Sctb78 said:


> Need to source a suitable lid as well.


Bird's Custard Powder lid does the trick


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> Bird's Custard Powder lid does the trick


Like i need an excuse to eat more custard







:act-up:


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

Managed to get the lens cover over the flange of the adjustment ring but only after I had turned it inside out. It's worked out pretty well though as the hood doesn't collapse when you give it a dunt to blow grinds through and springs back up it's self. Not sure if this is the norm but thought I'd share to help anyone else.


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## adam0bmx0 (Feb 20, 2014)

My F5 has a different collar to yours, plus I use the lense hood the other way round..........


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

That's what I'm saying, turn it inside out and it doesn't collapse when you give it a thwack. Much easier.


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## adam0bmx0 (Feb 20, 2014)

No mine is quite different;


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## Sctb78 (Dec 8, 2014)

Ahhh now i get it..


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## koaly (Jul 6, 2017)

Hello!

May I ask if the Mazzer SJ burrs fit to the Fiorenzato f5?

It appears that they cost a bit less and it's easier to find them on them on the market.

Thanks


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

koaly said:


> Hello!
> 
> May I ask if the Mazzer SJ burrs fit to the Fiorenzato f5?
> 
> ...


Just buy genuine Mazzer burrs, they cost about £30 and will last until your back in diapers.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

@Dylan do SJ burrs definitely fit his Fiorenzato though? I don't know the answer, but even if they're both the same size, the rotation direction or BCD could be different?

I'm fairly sure they do fit from what I've read, but the cut may be a bit more aggressive. Hopefully not too much for the F5 motor.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Completely mis read that post.

In my mind I remember is being a question about buying 3rd part burrs over the Mazzer ones...

Fiorenzato Burrs cost less than the Mazzer ones tho, so I'm confused... https://www.theespressoshop.co.uk/en/gb/Fiorenzato-MC-F5-Grinder-Burrs-64x37x85mm-RH-OEM/m-2571.aspx


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## bear102 (Jun 2, 2017)

A question to those with the F5... I have the opportunity to pick one of these up for £80-100 second hand. Is it a good price?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Yes very good


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## les24preludes (Dec 30, 2017)

For the lens hood, I'm doing something different on my SJ. I have a 49mm wide-angle lens hood which fits inside the throat with the metal ring still in it. The diameter of the rubber at the bottom is 60mm, same as the SJ throat. Very easy to cover the top completely with your palm, and the lens hood springs back up every time you thwack it. Four or five hits clears the chute completely and only takes seconds. I'm completely happy with this. I tried the larger lens hood but it's much more flexible and doesn't spring back and didn't clear the chute nearly as well.

I was just fortunate that I had the right lens hood in my camera collection - no guarantee that others will fit because somebody would have to measure the OD of the bottom of the rubber and make sure it fits in the throat snugly. But that's the goal.


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## Simmo1969 (May 3, 2020)

Hi all,

I understand this is An old thread, but just picked up the F5. I need a much smaller hopper (250g ish). Any advice or point to any suitable ones. Don't mind having to mod a little. Plus any other tips to get the best from this beast. Using it at home so don't make too many cups a day.

Thanks

anthony


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