Mazzer mini/ mini e

[NottmSteve]

I am close to buying a used Super Jolly. Before I do, I just thought it may be prudent to find out the best price I could find for a mini or new mini e.
Being smaller, these would be better from a practical point of view, and I may consider paying the extra if its not hugely more that the price of the SJ. Is the chute on the mini e really worth £100!

If you know a good deal, maybe send me a private message? Or post in the members area? £345 and £435 respectively, are the obvious advertised prices. Any EC suppliers that can beat this??

Regards

[phil]

Publicly available info: ESW in the Netherlands. 349 and 499 euro respectively (£244 and £349 respectively). A lot cheaper than UK prices (I gather from one retailer that the UK importer of Mazzer is not too good to deal with) but then your support channel would be in Den Haag and your shipping costs would be higher.

You pays your money and you takes your choice. I take it that the Gaggia's going to be upgraded too if you're heading towards Mazzer quality levels?

[NottmSteve]

I don't think I can afford upgrading the Gaggia? Next step would be a plumbed in 1 group, and that would be too much! I need another grinder as I'm fed up shifting back n forth on my Rocky for French Press.

[Raf]

I can recommend the 'E', but it's not without its flaws. The 'E' is basically just an advanced timer model, whereas a volumetric device (a device that measures how much grams of ground coffee have already passed through it) would be a lot better. If you change the coarseness of the grind, this has an impact on the amount of grounds (coarser = easier to grind, so you'll have more grounds, finer = harder, so less). However, things are not as bad as you would expect: for some reason, the fineness compensates for the amount and vice versa: the shot time will be relatively stable if you make only tiny adjustments, and if it delivers visibly too little coffee, there's always a manual button.

It's also a very clean grinder, I have the impression, especially when compared to the Rocky. I don't waste as much coffee: nothing stays behind in an unwieldy doser like in a Rocky. The dosing system also means that you don't have to use the classic "overfill, sweep off excessive grounds, tamp"- routine. You just get the right amount of coffee every time, tap the PF lightly and tamp. It's less messy.

Is it worth the extra cash? No idea. I like the fact that I never have to clean out a doser that's usually too big for home use anyway, and the fact that I can just push a button and never have to worry about the dosing. Joey on the other hand has a few 'E's as well in her Mocca Club and seems to hate them because they are slow. This never troubled me, but I use them in a home setting, not in a crowded café. All in all, I don't regret spending 500 € on it - but I'm easy that way, says K .

[Joey]

Yep, it's slow. Grinds fine, but makes such a mess - I loose the most coffee with the Mazzer E. Although I bought it for the reason not to loose coffee because of it's funnel.
Fact is, it gets static all the time, and huge amounts of coffee just stick to the wall of the funnel inside. So I grind a half full PF basket and then open the lid and brush out the rest. Not so funny.
On the other side the shoot is nice and short, compared with other grinders, so as soon as I get rid if the static proplem I just have to brush out the shoot, and that's quick.
Most off the time the lid is hanging on the side while grinding, so that I can see how much coffee stays inside and I brush immediately.
As I am still missing that little stick for easy turning the huge wheel for adjustment, I have a hard time. Because I have to adjust very often per day.
And, the most annoying fact is, that as the coffee get's static, too, as soon as I have a little pile (not overdosed yet) in the basket, the falling coffeegrounds that conglomerate to little balls of coffee, bounce of that pile in the basket, so I have 1/2 of the coffee flying into all directions. After grinding 6 coffees that place is a mess.
But again, I hope these problems go by when I have found a possibility to get it antistatic....

joey

[Raf]

Hmm, I guess I'm lucky I don't have any static problems.

[EricC]

Hi Joey,

Guess i must be lucky too, as i have never had any static problems either.

All the Best
Eric

[Joey]

I'll make pictures tomorrow....
joey

[quink]

I know this is suposed to be about mazzer grinders but have you considered getting an innova grinder? According to coffeegeek review it gives a mazzer quality grind for £150, Can't speak from experience on this one as I dont have either.

[Joey]

nope, didn't. but I don't know if the dealer would be happy if I give the mazzer back after using it for a month now
it grinds fine, I get used to it, I am brushing out the shoot anyway after every single origin, so I can as well brush the funnel.... it's a ritual in the meantime...
I still miss the little stick that would make the adjusting easier.
People must wonder why I press the funnel against my breast, wrap my arms around the mazzer and "choke" the neck of the hopper >lol< that's how it looks like when I try to turn that wheel one notch.....

[zix]

And, the most annoying fact is, that as the coffee get's static, too, as soon as I have a little pile (not overdosed yet) in the basket, the falling coffeegrounds that conglomerate to little balls of coffee, bounce of that pile in the basket, so I have 1/2 of the coffee flying into all directions. After grinding 6 coffees that place is a mess.
But again, I hope these problems go by when I have found a possibility to get it antistatic....

I had no idea that the E is that static! That sounds just as bad as my Minimoka.
Joey, two tips that might do some good (then again, maybe you have already tried them). One: since higher humidity means less static, a humidifier might work for you. Try to get humidity up to 50-60%, with an inside temperature of 20°C the air should hold that humidity with no probs. Might be a bit of a problem finding an effective enough humidifier with that big air vent system of yours, perhaps... in which case you hang a damp sponge in front of the air inlets naaah, I´m just joking.

Two: The grinder body+burrs might be at a different potential than the funnel if they aren´t electrically connected. This could cause static grinds. You can change this by fastening a wire to the funnel (a wire with a good crocodile clip at each end should do) and to some naked metal on the mazzer body.
...Or if you still have static grinds, lead another wire from to the grinder body to some of the heating plumbing (that´s right, the wall heaters, not those in the espresso machine ) or some other earth connection. NB NB NB If you use 3 or 4 pin 230V connectors with safety earth that could be a baaad idea...

One or both of those tricks ought to make things better, if not perfect.

[Gouezeri]

People must wonder why I press the funnel against my breast, wrap my arms around the mazzer and "choke" the neck of the hopper >lol< that's how it looks like when I try to turn that wheel one notch.....

Isn't it obvious? Joey, just tell your customers that you are wringing every last bit of goodness out of those beans!
Sorry, couldn't resist
Dom

[MKSwing]

People must wonder why I press the funnel against my breast, wrap my arms around the mazzer and "choke" the neck of the hopper >lol< that's how it looks like when I try to turn that wheel one notch.....

<friends>
Too... many... jokes !!!
</friends>

[Joey]

LOL
thanx guys, you've made my day

seriously, since I got the stick now and because the steppless adjusting works fine - I like the Mazzer.

still, as promised, here the static pics....

[zix]

thanks for the images joey. They really talk for themselves (...was that a swedo-ism?).
Yikes, that looks worse than my minimoka! Those grounds that stick on the outside of the funnel... Well, at least there is no doubt this is static electricity. Benjamin Franklin would have been proud of you. And Birkeland too ...you sure there ain´t some iron powder in that blend? Or maybe those beans´ coffee bushes grew on very red soil... Achh, it´s midnight, obviously. Brain overheats, the frogs come out.
Good luck with it. Thanks again for publishing those images, I´ll think twice before buying the mini-E after this. Winters are dry over here, especially january and february.