Pharos

[nickr]

My Pharos arrived on Friday morning. It’s a very impressive product. Even unboxing it was a joy. The Grinder itself looks like, and probably is a prototype. Getting the beans in is easy getting grinds out is not. But the most important thing is the improvement over my Mazzer. It’s huge, noticeable even in a Cappa or the Aerobie. It is a far greater difference than when I upgraded from a Rocky to the Mazzer. In fact the difference is so big that I strongly suspect that I need new burrs in the Mazzer. The grinds from the Pharos feel like fine sand or sugar wheareas the grinds from the Mazzer feel like flour. However in the Espresso machine both give a pour of around 25 sec.

Yes its messy, yes its slow but if Steve Jobs were to have produced a coffee grinder, I’m pretty sure he would have come up with something like the Pharos.





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[img][img]http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/DSC_1099.jpg[/img]
Red=Mazzer


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Silver =Pharos

[dr.chris]

Where is a 'drool' smiley when you need one?

[espressomattic]

What Burr Set does it use?

[nickr]

Not sure what make they are, only that they are 68mm.
I may have given the impression above that the Pharos is a complete joy - well once dialed in it is. However, I was very lucky when I first set it up getting it spot on after only two shots, but today I've wasted about 250grams of coffee and have literally sweated in my attempts to get it right. A very slow and painful business.

[CakeBoy]

Do you think it will become easier in time Nick or do you suspect the tougher dialling in may be the pay off for the jump in grind quality? Will be interested in your progress in the coming months.

[zix]

We have one at work and I have one at home. It is great - changing grind size and getting the grinds out are the hardest part. It has a nice stepless grind setting, but you need to be careful when locking it in.
Going from coarse to fine in steps is to be avoided. If you need to go finer, grind out everything, give the grinder a good shake and clack the grinder axis a few times up and down. You may need to unscrew the setting screws a bit to do this. And you may need to repeat it a few times, and perhaps grind out another couple of grinds that have now come loose, in-between. This should clean out any left-behind coarse grinds.
Then, zero-in the grinder as described by OE and go coarser in small steps from the zero setting.

BTW, on home-barista.com I see people mentioning Robur burr set in the Oe Pharos. Whatever it is, it's gooood.

[EricC]

I have a "Voodoodaddy" ,

see here : http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/ph ... 22866.html

fully modified Pharos which makes the grinder much easier to use, and in my humble opinion better looking.

I'll post pictures later if i get the time.

Regards
Eric

[GreenBean]

That looks impressive Eric. I am looking forward to your photos.

[EricC]

Thanks GB

As promised

You will have to call in.

[EricC]

a couple more ..........

[GreenBean]

Thank you for the photos Eric. It looks like a very desirable piece of kit.

[nickr]

Brilliant mod, so obvious it begs the question why didn't they make them like this in the first place? Having said that, I've now learnt how to get the grinds out with one small bash.

I have now run a few comparisons with my son's SJ, fitted with brand new burrs. The Pharos is an unbelievable improvement, so much so that I have problems believing that I have given the Mazzer a fair test.

One thing I can categorically say is that the hairy old fable of conical burrs needing less adjustment between beans is absolutely true. I set both the SJ and the Pharos up for a 27 sec pour for the comparisons tests. In doing the tests I finished a batch of beans. The fresh batch of beans ground in the Mazzer choked the machine, whereas I got a more or less the same pour length from the beans ground in the Pharos.

I think the combination of large conical burrs and very low rotational speed, means that the beans are cut into very regular crystalline grounds, rather than fracturing into irregular shapes. It would be a very interesting experiment to connect a motor to the Pharos and to see what effect speed has on the performance.

[dsc]

Gents,

got this from Barb today:

" bolts arrived today so Doug's building again - it'll either go out today, or tomorrow & I'll send the customs number as soon as I have it. Thanks for your patience,
Cheers,
Barb"

where's a super massive smiley emoticon when you need one?

Regards,
dsc.

[GreenBean]

I'm jealous.

[dsc]

It shipped!! can't wait.

GreenBean: jealous? oh come on, look at your signature, you have too much stuff anyway!;)

Regards,
dsc.