Thank you for the great set of entertaining reviews James. I appreciate your measured and sensitive approach without drama. I wanted to add that Monolith is the only one in this series that is completely made and assembled in USA. Pretty much everything but the motor itself is made in my shop in Seattle and that includes the burrs which are ground to less than 2 microns in flatness and parallelism. We test every single critical part that we make. I also test every single grinder before it gets shipped. The selection of motor/RPM controller was driven by desire to future proof the grinder. I decided to use industrial stock DC motor and DC driver in standard industry size from large Japanese manufacturer with world-wide presence to future proof grinder. I did not use custom components for these parts since design goal is that grinder will work for more than 50 years from now and electric parts that can fail must be standard and available world-wide. Pretty much if motor or controller fails you can order replacement anywhere in the world from the local distributor. Also, every single Monolith Flat or MAX ever shipped includes “RPM profiling” which is a stock feature of most of DC motor controllers. We settled on slower grinding speed since over the years most people with Monolith ended up at low RPMs based on better taste. Everyone kind of naturally gravitated to lower speeds so that’s why MAX runs at 400 RPMs maximum. If you like to follow our journey, you can follow us on Instagram @kafatek
@@gwcfeb03 Thank you Bill. None of this would be possible without support of people like you. Its the only reason I am able to do this and try to push coffee just little bit more forward.
I run mine at 200rpm. Greatest grinder ever. I’m very lucky to have one for over a year now. It’s a pleasure to use and the results are amazing. Everything in life should function so perfectly. 😀
Not to tip the scales, but just wanted to add that investing in my Monolith Flat in 2017 was easily the best decision I've ever made for my coffee workflow. This thing is unparalleled for espresso. I own a Decent Espresso Machine (review by James Hoffman before), which provides real-time data on flow and pressure, and I can say confidently that the Monolith 100% eliminates grinding aberrations as a variable in shot development. But, I cannot stress this enough: it makes incredible pour-over, French press, drip, and cold brew as well. While Kafatek may be too modest to say it: the Monolith Flats do everything an EK43 does, only better, with greater precision, and in a smaller and more practical form factor. To this day, I still think one of the greatest advantages of this machine for home baristas is that it truly is the only grinder you’ll need, and will excel at everything. And, Denis Basaric (Kafatek’s founder) is phenomenal with customer service and communications. I promise I wasn’t paid to say any of this, and Denis surely doesn’t remember me since fulfilling my order several years ago. I say it because it’s the truth.
You could have easily spread this out over 6 weeks and I would have waited for each video and not thought twice. The fact that you're making it a bit of an event for every morning of a slow week in January is a real gift. Thanks, James!
There is a dosing cup made by Kafatek, it just doesn't come in the box. And there are other more premium cups from Acaia, Tidaka, Pesado, Tiamo, Rhino and others many. But nice joke.
I like the "it's my job" part, b/c not many people make a living by dispensing their opinion, but with Mr. H, it's objective and when otherwise, he says so.
True, but I always find James very good at disclosing conflicts and not letting them get in the way of his objectivity. He could just exclude that machine from the test.
We'll, geez, if I'm paying 3,000+ for a grinder, I should feel like I can complain about anything about it. Sometimes I think even James gives too much credit to super luxury machines
Was looking for this review in particular because this is the grinder I liked most. After the review, I’m not so sure anymore. Can’t wait for tomorrow! Great week.
On the fifth day of grinder reviews, my preferred coffee guy got me five tiny spray bottles, four 58.5mm tampers, three vst baskets, two naked portafilters and a bag of light roast.
@jimseven I believe I am loving this 6-day Grinder event way too much. The content is so impressive, and I can't take it anymore and go for your Patreon. Thank you, James.
I have seen a lot of people with this grinder and all of them are very happy with it. I also think that in terms of manufacturing, KafaTec has the highest standards of quality from all the others as it is all made in their Seattle machine shop. I don't think that any other small manufacturer excluding Mahlkonig, is making their own burrs with such low tolerances. This grinder has proven itself throughout the years and I am sure it will also keep its value if anyone will sell it second hand. Cheers!
@@austinfreyrikrw6651 although the design of the Niche means I'd probably still want that in my kitchen over any of these. I can see lots of aesthetically concerned hipster cafés thinking the same...
🌍A series in which you deliver daily uploads reminds me of just how fast a day flies by, let alone a week. Does anyone else feel this way, but I have no complaints about more exposure to Mr. H content. Every day just got a little bit richer due to your thoughtful observations and candid comments.
Every time a chance to put in a deposit came up, I was all ready to plunk down the money right up until I saw the final price, and then I would hesitate just long enough to miss my opportunity. I ended up buying a Niche. Just based on this video, I think that was the optimal choice for me.
My guess for showdown- 1 weber (for ease of use and overall tasty, easy to open and looks pretty cool), 2nd option o (cuz value proposition), 3rd monolith (cuz slightly inconvenient will loose marks for manual brewing ease and rpm controller quality), 4th levercraft (too much stuff!), 5th ek43 (good stuff but not for home brewing and qa/qc doesn't justify the price and not micro adjustment, inconvenient dosing, retention)
Hopefully taste is more important than ease of use, or we would all be using nespresso pods ;-). In which case 1st Monolith, 2nd levercraft, 3rd weber (limited by steps and smaller burrs) , 4th o, 5th EK43 (not really suitable).
That would certainly be my order too, but I think he hates how the numbers go for the Option O, think he will rank the Monolith higher than the Lagom. I would also put the EK43 over the Levercraft, that thing is ugly, and too much stuff, and half the price is just import tax from China or something.
Love the expert constructive criticisms you give - or 'complaints' as you say. The designers should want to deliver the best product possible, and your comments are invaluable to that process :)
Oh my gawd. This was the machine that caught my eye first, but purely for very odd and nerdy aesthetic reasons. I want to put some eyes on it, because it looks like a bowing digital penguin. So when I build my Star Citizen/Spaceship themed coffee machine, something like that would be amazing to put alongside it.
I' m also an owner of a great Ceado grinder, the E6P in my case, but I believe that they would compete much easier the Niche than those 5 James reviewed Even Lagom, which was in the list, couldn't compete the rest
Hi James, I absolutely love your work and the level of detail that you go into your videos! It would be super useful to see a video on books, best books about coffee, what you’ve read, sources of information all that good stuff.
Cool review series James. I have a Max (the last batch prior to the Shurikens) with the low uniformity SSP burrs. My experience aligns with yours, love the results and the use, and actually get very different results in cup based on RPM, but do think it could improve a bit on the aesthetics and design aspect. Had to choose between the grinders you have been reviewing and went with the Max and have no regrets. One thing - KafaTek does have a catch cup that fits into the portafilter forks that works really well for brew coffee grinding. It is an additional accessory that you have to pay extra for.
I really like the way this one looks. I hope there is a comparison to the Niche in the showdown - I would like to know just how much better a $3k grinder is than a $500 grinder.
Since there has to be a pre selection of grinders it's be great to know which criteria were used to exclude others like Ceado, or some of the other brands.
There has been allot of desire among his patreon supporters to test those specific grinders. These are all high end single dosing grinders where 3 of them are specifically designed for home use, the ek43 and Eg-1 are commercial grinders but because so many use them in a home environment it makes sense to include them in a ultimate SD grinder showdown, where EK where the grinder that sparked a revolution in grinders so because of its fame and history worth to include. Yes there are a some that has been omitted like Titus Nautilus, Ceado Naked/Hero, Mazzer ZM, Bentwood Vertical, Molar Z and Ditting 804/807 but none have yet to get the name capacity among home users yet and as you cannot include everything the selection makes sense. None of the standard commercial grinders would make sense in this test.
This series is proving that Soviet Stalinist Industrial Design still lives on. Also this series of videos is proving that Niche's Martin Nicholson is a "genius", who hasn't forgotten the concepts of beauty and "Value for the Money". In general the manufacturing cost of producing something ugly is really no different than the cost of producing a beautiful, thoughtful design. A most amusing series without a doubt.
Looking forward to the showdown. Please compare it to a Niche as it would fit in the single dose category. Did you mention the burr size? I did not hear it.
Have been hoping for this review for a long time! And this might be just me, but I find this to be easily the most beautiful coffee grinder out there - it's just such a unique and sexy design
Bring on the showdown Mr Hoffmann! Todays grinder kinda looks like day two and day four had a baby and this was the result! I like the look of all three but given the choice I'd have day four as my daily driver! Great week of vids!
This is a great series and I look forward to the show down tomorrow. I have a 10 yo Baratza Virtuoso (conical) that struggles to grind espresso even with new burrs. I noticed that I can wiggle the burrs with my hands which I'm sure is partly original design tolerance and partly wear over 10 years of use. For this high end grinder review, I hope some perspective on "sustained performance over time" can be offered. Maybe a $3k grinder will be consistent with burr replacement over 10 years versus a a $500 grinder which may loose consistency after 1 yr? I would love to know the difference from a value standpoint.
Agreed. I want a sweater that blinks and flashes as my hands move over it also. And one which also changes its colour and darkness as you move. James has a magic sweater.
I have a Monolith Titan on order and breathed a sigh of relief when you gave this machine a pass. Whew! But you left out the best part! Per Kafatek: "...
“…but we use your grinder to make espresso using our benchmark coffee on one of our machines... Then we compare those espresso shots to the shots made with our reference Monolith. If we are happy with how the espresso tastes, we measure the extraction yields using refractometer and compare those to shots made using our reference Monolith. If either the taste is not to our standards or the extraction yield does not measure up, the grinder will not ship to you.” Now that’s quality control!
my favourite was the first one. smaller. but it's a feast to my eyes watching such well made machines. will remain with my Comandante though. it's a lot of money. really great videos as always. waiting curious for the conclusion
Have you had any plans on testing the Monolith Conical? It would be interesting to get your takes on the flavor profile between this and the Monolith flat.
Thanks for these wonderful reviews! Because 5 three thousand-ish dollar grinders aren’t first world enough, I would have loved to have seen these beauties compared to the Ceado E37Z. It’s probably bias since I have the excellent E5SD for my home espresso grinder, but I would love to see how it stacks up (or even how the lesser E5SD would do).
Thank you for the review, always qualitative. This time on very expensive setup which we will only approch in youtube. If i had to choose without thinking about money i think i would go with this one (or the Weber) over the 5.
Said this yesterday but worth saying again I love the different grinders, but I could use a 101 lesson on what exactly the different burr types mean for the grounds. What IS the difference between conical, flat, unimodal ect to the coffee beans/grounds
He will probably do that at some point. Generally, conical burrs due to their assembly and the difficulty to perfectly align them create a bimodal profile, with two peaks in grind size. This is why they lead to a more uneven extraction. However, this also (usually) means more body. Flat burrs (esp. 'unimodal' ones) do the opposite: they have one peak in grind size, therefore leading to a more even extraction which highlights clarity and sweetness, but can lack body. And then there are some flat burrs focusing more on espresso and the body, that have a more uneven grind profile on purpose, still highlighting the more even extraction of flat burrs while still giving you some body, as it's not as evenly distributed as with unimodal burrs
Great review, thank you. A couple of questions for you James: did you need to season the burrs as part of your testing? If so, did you notice the grind setting moving around / becoming much smaller post-seasoning and was there any impact on taste? Did this happen with the other grinders? I'd also love to know if you can brew different coffees back-to-back with this and reliably/repeatably alternate the grind size adjustments for each, once each coffee is dialled in.
I have have my Porlex Tall and Aeropress for over 3yrs - I really enjoy my coffee to the fullest - now seeing these machines - I can't help wonder am I really having the best coffee experience or is a simple case of diminishing values as the price goes higher - let me make myself a cup
If the showdown was recorded already, did the Niche get to participate in the showdown? Really curious on how much extra is gained jumping up to this price range. Just like the Robot vs machines in the $2k range
great videos, would love to see a review of the kafatek monolith conical grinder and how it matches up to other conical grinders in it's class. an idea for the future maybe? conical grinders are a bit underrated in domestic use.
Hi James don't know if you will se my comment but I have one question. Can you elaborate on why you think none of those grinder have a worm gear adjustment. On my end I would tend to aim for a grinder with a fine pitch thread adjustment plus a good worm gear that can be lock in place and unlock. Once you get use to the backlash of the worm gear its ultra precise. Finally one other thought why nobody have ever put a Vernier scale on the increments indicator. Just few remarks from a mechanical engineer and coffee enthusiast. Thanks James
Nice review as always. I just miss comparasion of Versalab M4 and Ceado E37Z Hero. But I understand that 5 grinders to review is a lot. Any thoughts on grinders I mentioned?
I'm not sure how others feel but you should consider adding a few more shots of the grinder in use. 10 minute video and only 4 seconds of the grinder being used to grind coffee. Just a person opinion but given that I'll never buy one of these myself, I'd love to see more of it in use!
I have one with the SSP burrs. Previously I had a Monolith Conical and Monolith Flat with SSP. I prefer the two flats to the conical (although I have a Niche in another location and love that, so I'm not against conicals). The Max is more finicky than the regular Flat was, for whatever reason. When it's good it's really good though. I never had luck pairing it with my Decent. The Niche/Decent combo seems pretty much unbeatable. So I swapped and now use it with a Londinium R. It's pretty hard to pull a bad shot with this combo. Lastly, Kafatek makes a cup that is extremely well machined and fits perfectly in the forks. I much prefer grinding into this than directly into the portafilter
You might have covered this and I may have missed it, but why do you turn the motor on before adding the beans? It makes sense I guess, but is there any testing/science to show the difference between adding the beans *then* flipping the motor on vs motor first?
Another servo motor powered grinder with a VFD(variable frequency drive) attached to it. Great business idea because the motor and drive are quite inexpensive by themselves. You just need to design a burr set for them. I love coffee.
I'm rooting for the EG-1 as I have a HG-1 which I love. An EG-1 is the only thing I'd change it for because I love the aesthetic and build quality of them. Maybe one day when I am too old and decrepit to hand grind.....
I'm curious if you have ever tested the Eureka Mignon range? I wonder how the noise level of the Mignon range compares to these high end grinders? The Mignon range seems to be very quiet and decently priced.
Thank you for the great set of entertaining reviews James. I appreciate your measured and sensitive approach without drama.
I wanted to add that Monolith is the only one in this series that is completely made and assembled in USA. Pretty much everything but the motor itself is made in my shop in Seattle and that includes the burrs which are ground to less than 2 microns in flatness and parallelism. We test every single critical part that we make. I also test every single grinder before it gets shipped.
The selection of motor/RPM controller was driven by desire to future proof the grinder. I decided to use industrial stock DC motor and DC driver in standard industry size from large Japanese manufacturer with world-wide presence to future proof grinder. I did not use custom components for these parts since design goal is that grinder will work for more than 50 years from now and electric parts that can fail must be standard and available world-wide. Pretty much if motor or controller fails you can order replacement anywhere in the world from the local distributor. Also, every single Monolith Flat or MAX ever shipped includes “RPM profiling” which is a stock feature of most of DC motor controllers.
We settled on slower grinding speed since over the years most people with Monolith ended up at low RPMs based on better taste. Everyone kind of naturally gravitated to lower speeds so that’s why MAX runs at 400 RPMs maximum.
If you like to follow our journey, you can follow us on Instagram @kafatek
Best in the world. BTW I use 375rpm on my flat. wow.
@@gwcfeb03 Thank you Bill. None of this would be possible without support of people like you. Its the only reason I am able to do this and try to push coffee just little bit more forward.
I run mine at 200rpm. Greatest grinder ever. I’m very lucky to have one for over a year now.
It’s a pleasure to use and the results are amazing. Everything in life should function so perfectly. 😀
A range upto 500rpm would've been nice to have though... "more freedom"
Not to tip the scales, but just wanted to add that investing in my Monolith Flat in 2017 was easily the best decision I've ever made for my coffee workflow. This thing is unparalleled for espresso. I own a Decent Espresso Machine (review by James Hoffman before), which provides real-time data on flow and pressure, and I can say confidently that the Monolith 100% eliminates grinding aberrations as a variable in shot development. But, I cannot stress this enough: it makes incredible pour-over, French press, drip, and cold brew as well. While Kafatek may be too modest to say it: the Monolith Flats do everything an EK43 does, only better, with greater precision, and in a smaller and more practical form factor. To this day, I still think one of the greatest advantages of this machine for home baristas is that it truly is the only grinder you’ll need, and will excel at everything. And, Denis Basaric (Kafatek’s founder) is phenomenal with customer service and communications.
I promise I wasn’t paid to say any of this, and Denis surely doesn’t remember me since fulfilling my order several years ago. I say it because it’s the truth.
You could have easily spread this out over 6 weeks and I would have waited for each video and not thought twice. The fact that you're making it a bit of an event for every morning of a slow week in January is a real gift. Thanks, James!
well said...100 percent agree!
slow week? You gotta look into what's going on with stocks rn
In feb we get new creators...that'll be something!
+1
@@ROBLOXER1234 Maybe we can afford some of these new grinders once we've sufficiently squeezed $AMC and $GME...
The real MVP in these series is the dosing cup from a Niche Zero grinder.
Would be lovely if the sold those separately. The acaia portafilter doser is probably what comes closest.
@@coffeewithcarl1779 honestly don't know why they don't lol they could price it however they wished
There is a dosing cup made by Kafatek, it just doesn't come in the box. And there are other more premium cups from Acaia, Tidaka, Pesado, Tiamo, Rhino and others many. But nice joke.
When are they gonna be in stock again :(
I'm actually not a massive fan of it, because of that 'ridge' where sometimes coffee gets stuck.
‘I get to complain about everything because that’s just who I am.’ Can we print this on a merch or something.
completely agree
I like the "it's my job" part, b/c not many people make a living by dispensing their opinion, but with Mr. H, it's objective and when otherwise, he says so.
Can't wait for the showdown! Would gladly sit through 1 hour of that.
Let's be honest, I hope it's at least 1 hour 😂😂
Same
No detail too small!
Or even more
1 hour of James going full "fussy". 1000 times yes.
Well, I get a McDonald’s coffee advert prior to this video... glad they’re reminding me of my place.
Lol
Less coffee is the way to better coffee
Honestly, it's at or near Starbucks quality for half the price so probably not the worst option when you are on a budget. 😄
There's a McDonald's coffee comment under every of James's videos - I was not disappointed to find one under this one either!
Do you guys know if McDonald's is grinding with unimodal or high uniformity?
Would LOVE to see this replicated for high-end dual boiler espresso machines.
I think he might feel biased there, given his involvement with the nice machine he used in this series.
He won't since he is involved with arduino
True, but I always find James very good at disclosing conflicts and not letting them get in the way of his objectivity. He could just exclude that machine from the test.
Also, isn’t the Eagle One a 2/3 group machine? I’m talking about a test of consumer machines, so single group only.
@@ashfanman the Eagle One Prima got released later than the 2/3 groups.
I enjoy how it’s called the Monolith when it’s designed to present itself as two units held together by two legs
In a week, we’ve gone from slightly nitpicky James to ‘I get to complain about everything because that’s just who I am’ James, and I’m loving it.
We'll, geez, if I'm paying 3,000+ for a grinder, I should feel like I can complain about anything about it.
Sometimes I think even James gives too much credit to super luxury machines
Was looking for this review in particular because this is the grinder I liked most. After the review, I’m not so sure anymore. Can’t wait for tomorrow! Great week.
On the fifth day of grinder reviews, my preferred coffee guy got me five tiny spray bottles, four 58.5mm tampers, three vst baskets, two naked portafilters and a bag of light roast.
@jimseven I believe I am loving this 6-day Grinder event way too much. The content is so impressive, and I can't take it anymore and go for your Patreon.
Thank you, James.
Perfect for when you want espresso at 8, but need to study microbiology at 8:30.
Use sketchy micro my friend and youll be golden like the pigment of staph aureus
@@newgreenwichmd Never expected to see a Sketchy Micro/Medical reference in a James Hoffman video lol. Greetings fellow med student
What a great week, waking up to a James Hoffmann video everyday. Watch it while drinking my pour over, such an enjoyment.
“Lower or higher... as you desire” 🤣 Something about the way you said that killed me!
I’ve been really enjoying this weeks videos. I don’t even plan on ever being able to ever afford one of these, but still, such quality content.
Yeah! It's like watching fashion shows: haute couture and pret-a-porter 😶
I'm really excited for the showdown. This has been a fantastic series, and what excellent machines!
HYPE TRAIN IS PULLING INTO THE STATION!!! NEXT STOP, SHOOOOOOWWWWWDOOOWWWWN!!!!!
This is the one I have been waiting for!!!
Also, the spray bottle spritz has been a great addition to my routine.
That motor control being separate from the rest of the grinder reminds me of some high end turn tables. Kinda cool!
I have seen a lot of people with this grinder and all of them are very happy with it. I also think that in terms of manufacturing, KafaTec has the highest standards of quality from all the others as it is all made in their Seattle machine shop. I don't think that any other small manufacturer excluding Mahlkonig, is making their own burrs with such low tolerances. This grinder has proven itself throughout the years and I am sure it will also keep its value if anyone will sell it second hand. Cheers!
That look on his face during that split second that he questioned himself for saying "Stickage" is the highlight of the series.
The word jagged for me too and I noticed the tell in the eyes.
Timestamp?
OMG the suspense for the final video is too hard to bear. You got really really good at the TH-cam game.
Before this week, I thought the Niche was overpriced...
Same.. Same..
Yeah, these high-end multi-thousand dollar grinders are starting to make Niche look/feel like a DollarStore item now. lol
@@austinfreyrikrw6651 although the design of the Niche means I'd probably still want that in my kitchen over any of these. I can see lots of aesthetically concerned hipster cafés thinking the same...
@@austinfreyrikrw6651 cries in Encore 😭
@@dechasrisen4783 The only one of these meant to be used in a café is the EK43. The rest are single dose grinders for home use
🌍A series in which you deliver daily uploads reminds me of just how fast a day flies by, let alone a week. Does anyone else feel this way, but I have no complaints about more exposure to Mr. H content. Every day just got a little bit richer due to your thoughtful observations and candid comments.
Bang on 10minutes, a perfectly executed concise review.
Every time a chance to put in a deposit came up, I was all ready to plunk down the money right up until I saw the final price, and then I would hesitate just long enough to miss my opportunity. I ended up buying a Niche. Just based on this video, I think that was the optimal choice for me.
My guess for showdown- 1 weber (for ease of use and overall tasty, easy to open and looks pretty cool), 2nd option o (cuz value proposition), 3rd monolith (cuz slightly inconvenient will loose marks for manual brewing ease and rpm controller quality), 4th levercraft (too much stuff!), 5th ek43 (good stuff but not for home brewing and qa/qc doesn't justify the price and not micro adjustment, inconvenient dosing, retention)
I couldn't agree more
Hopefully taste is more important than ease of use, or we would all be using nespresso pods ;-). In which case 1st Monolith, 2nd levercraft, 3rd weber (limited by steps and smaller burrs) , 4th o, 5th EK43 (not really suitable).
That would certainly be my order too, but I think he hates how the numbers go for the Option O, think he will rank the Monolith higher than the Lagom. I would also put the EK43 over the Levercraft, that thing is ugly, and too much stuff, and half the price is just import tax from China or something.
There appears to be a large overlap between people who make espresso at home and people with OCD
I was surprised you did not include the Ceado 37SD in your reviews. I have one and love it. Thanks for the reviews.
Love the expert constructive criticisms you give - or 'complaints' as you say. The designers should want to deliver the best product possible, and your comments are invaluable to that process :)
Oh my gawd. This was the machine that caught my eye first, but purely for very odd and nerdy aesthetic reasons. I want to put some eyes on it, because it looks like a bowing digital penguin. So when I build my Star Citizen/Spaceship themed coffee machine, something like that would be amazing to put alongside it.
Thanks for a fantastic youtube week with grinders, would have loved seeing the Ceado E37Z-Hero as part of the contest.
I' m also an owner of a great Ceado grinder, the E6P in my case, but I believe that they would compete much easier the Niche than those 5 James reviewed
Even Lagom, which was in the list, couldn't compete the rest
Hi James,
I absolutely love your work and the level of detail that you go into your videos! It would be super useful to see a video on books, best books about coffee, what you’ve read, sources of information all that good stuff.
Monolith also makes a conical and dual-conical 71mm burrs “pancake” burr grinder with one burr for crushing and final burr for finer grinding.
Thats a fun fact
Made a conical and makes a dual-conical where the top one acts as a pre-breaker*
Nice!! I'm hoping that the next thing we'll see in the high end home market, after rpm profiling, will be dual stage grinding.
Loving all of these videos. The showdown is gonna be epic!
Cool review series James. I have a Max (the last batch prior to the Shurikens) with the low uniformity SSP burrs. My experience aligns with yours, love the results and the use, and actually get very different results in cup based on RPM, but do think it could improve a bit on the aesthetics and design aspect. Had to choose between the grinders you have been reviewing and went with the Max and have no regrets. One thing - KafaTek does have a catch cup that fits into the portafilter forks that works really well for brew coffee grinding. It is an additional accessory that you have to pay extra for.
I really like the way this one looks. I hope there is a comparison to the Niche in the showdown - I would like to know just how much better a $3k grinder is than a $500 grinder.
God... I am so spoiled... Now I expect to see new video everytime I am on TH-cam
Love my Max and glad you loved it too!
* sells GameStop stocks to get one of these grinders
But only if you sold them earlier in the week ;)
HOLD
Paper hands
The SEC just called to deny your request :)
SEC is monitoring your comment
Loved this little series, excited to see how it ends!
"Stickage" ... new rating on your grinder, thanks James, great review as always!!!
Since there has to be a pre selection of grinders it's be great to know which criteria were used to exclude others like Ceado, or some of the other brands.
There has been allot of desire among his patreon supporters to test those specific grinders. These are all high end single dosing grinders where 3 of them are specifically designed for home use, the ek43 and Eg-1 are commercial grinders but because so many use them in a home environment it makes sense to include them in a ultimate SD grinder showdown, where EK where the grinder that sparked a revolution in grinders so because of its fame and history worth to include. Yes there are a some that has been omitted like Titus Nautilus, Ceado Naked/Hero, Mazzer ZM, Bentwood Vertical, Molar Z and Ditting 804/807 but none have yet to get the name capacity among home users yet and as you cannot include everything the selection makes sense. None of the standard commercial grinders would
make sense in this test.
Why not including the Ciado E37Z-Hero for this comparison?
wait, what happened to the shot in the fancy cup? the cup is different
This series is proving that Soviet Stalinist Industrial Design still lives on.
Also this series of videos is proving that Niche's Martin Nicholson is a "genius", who hasn't forgotten the concepts of beauty and "Value for the Money".
In general the manufacturing cost of producing something ugly is really no different than the cost of producing a beautiful, thoughtful design.
A most amusing series without a doubt.
Looking forward to the showdown. Please compare it to a Niche as it would fit in the single dose category. Did you mention the burr size? I did not hear it.
A great review as always, I am just amazed with the grinder at that price point you get a plastic dosing cup and even need a bellows! 😆
Have been hoping for this review for a long time! And this might be just me, but I find this to be easily the most beautiful coffee grinder out there - it's just such a unique and sexy design
Bring on the showdown Mr Hoffmann! Todays grinder kinda looks like day two and day four had a baby and this was the result! I like the look of all three but given the choice I'd have day four as my daily driver! Great week of vids!
That's twice now I've had a James Hoffmann milk ad right before a James Hoffmann video 😂 anyone else??
@James Hoffmann Thanks for adjusting the intro volume. It's much better now!
This is a great series and I look forward to the show down tomorrow. I have a 10 yo Baratza Virtuoso (conical) that struggles to grind espresso even with new burrs. I noticed that I can wiggle the burrs with my hands which I'm sure is partly original design tolerance and partly wear over 10 years of use. For this high end grinder review, I hope some perspective on "sustained performance over time" can be offered. Maybe a $3k grinder will be consistent with burr replacement over 10 years versus a a $500 grinder which may loose consistency after 1 yr? I would love to know the difference from a value standpoint.
The only thing I want to buy from this grinder review video is that sweater!
Agreed. I want a sweater that blinks and flashes as my hands move over it also. And one which also changes its colour and darkness as you move. James has a magic sweater.
I love your voice just as much as I love your content. Keep it up.
We need this upload schedule on the daily
I have a Monolith Titan on order and breathed a sigh of relief when you gave this machine a pass. Whew! But you left out the best part! Per Kafatek: "...
“…but we use your grinder to make espresso using our benchmark coffee on one of our machines... Then we compare those espresso shots to the shots made with our reference Monolith. If we are happy with how the espresso tastes, we measure the extraction yields using refractometer and compare those to shots made using our reference Monolith. If either the taste is not to our standards or the extraction yield does not measure up, the grinder will not ship to you.” Now that’s quality control!
my favourite was the first one. smaller. but it's a feast to my eyes watching such well made machines. will remain with my Comandante though. it's a lot of money. really great videos as always. waiting curious for the conclusion
Have you had any plans on testing the Monolith Conical? It would be interesting to get your takes on the flavor profile between this and the Monolith flat.
Wooo I've been waiting for this all daaay!
Could you tell us why you didn't include the Ceado E37Z Hero in this series? I would love to hear your thoughts on this particular grinder!
One person disliked before even finishing the video -- how are you hate watching coffee grinder reviews??
Probably just wayyy too excited and click the wrong button 😂
it was probably someone's cat walking all over the keyboard of the laptop
how come the CEADO SD E37z Hero/Naked wasnt included in the list?
@@Nathan-ho6jv except for the ek43 but yes to everything else
Thanks for these wonderful reviews! Because 5 three thousand-ish dollar grinders aren’t first world enough, I would have loved to have seen these beauties compared to the Ceado E37Z. It’s probably bias since I have the excellent E5SD for my home espresso grinder, but I would love to see how it stacks up (or even how the lesser E5SD would do).
It's always a boost for confidence in the morning when your grinder is running on shuriken
The RPM display looks like an after thought with it slapped on sideways. I wouldn't expect that lack of detail on a $3000+ coffee grinder.
yep, just slap a burr set on a big ass servo motor, dress it up a little and bob´s your auntie...
@@Markus__B Isn't that how each grinder is designed? Oh yeah, add machined aluminium.
Using one of these grinders in the morning your shots will become _consistently_ precise. And lethal.
Thank you for the review, always qualitative.
This time on very expensive setup which we will only approch in youtube.
If i had to choose without thinking about money i think i would go with this one (or the Weber) over the 5.
Said this yesterday but worth saying again
I love the different grinders, but I could use a 101 lesson on what exactly the different burr types mean for the grounds. What IS the difference between conical, flat, unimodal ect to the coffee beans/grounds
He will probably do that at some point. Generally, conical burrs due to their assembly and the difficulty to perfectly align them create a bimodal profile, with two peaks in grind size. This is why they lead to a more uneven extraction. However, this also (usually) means more body. Flat burrs (esp. 'unimodal' ones) do the opposite: they have one peak in grind size, therefore leading to a more even extraction which highlights clarity and sweetness, but can lack body. And then there are some flat burrs focusing more on espresso and the body, that have a more uneven grind profile on purpose, still highlighting the more even extraction of flat burrs while still giving you some body, as it's not as evenly distributed as with unimodal burrs
Look forward seeing you tomorrow!!!
Great review, thank you. A couple of questions for you James: did you need to season the burrs as part of your testing? If so, did you notice the grind setting moving around / becoming much smaller post-seasoning and was there any impact on taste? Did this happen with the other grinders? I'd also love to know if you can brew different coffees back-to-back with this and reliably/repeatably alternate the grind size adjustments for each, once each coffee is dialled in.
Kafatek MC4, conical burr set with a pre breaker, apparently makes a cleaned up conical espresso. Might solve your quest for texture in the cup!
For grinding for filter you could use one of the acaia portafilter dosing cups
I have have my Porlex Tall and Aeropress for over 3yrs - I really enjoy my coffee to the fullest - now seeing these machines - I can't help wonder am I really having the best coffee experience or is a simple case of diminishing values as the price goes higher - let me make myself a cup
This is like HI-FI for coffee nerds, I like it
Why did you include MK EK 43 and skipped the Ceado E37z hero? Proposition might have been more comparable to the rest of the range...?
The anticipation is killing me!
Lagom P-64 for me (which I was already considering). The others seem slightly awkward and overkill for home use regardless of results.
James, thank you for your review.
Do you have any information on the ARCO 2-in-1 Coffee Grinder? It is available on the Indiegogo website.
If the showdown was recorded already, did the Niche get to participate in the showdown? Really curious on how much extra is gained jumping up to this price range. Just like the Robot vs machines in the $2k range
Based on my review of literally every forum, answering that question definitively is just a pinch harder than solving world hunger.
great videos, would love to see a review of the kafatek monolith conical grinder and how it matches up to other conical grinders in it's class. an idea for the future maybe? conical grinders are a bit underrated in domestic use.
Love how every video he has called out his own "fussy" complaints. Almost like I look forward to him saying "but that's my job!"
A video a day feels 😎
I love the fact that there's video day-to-day. Can you keep doing that? XD
cannot wait for tomorrow!
Is the dosing cup the new 'tamper included'?
Hi James don't know if you will se my comment but I have one question. Can you elaborate on why you think none of those grinder have a worm gear adjustment. On my end I would tend to aim for a grinder with a fine pitch thread adjustment plus a good worm gear that can be lock in place and unlock. Once you get use to the backlash of the worm gear its ultra precise. Finally one other thought why nobody have ever put a Vernier scale on the increments indicator. Just few remarks from a mechanical engineer and coffee enthusiast. Thanks James
Simple solution for filter coffee....they should make an accessory that is a cup that fits in the portafilter holder.
Nice review as always. I just miss comparasion of Versalab M4 and Ceado E37Z Hero. But I understand that 5 grinders to review is a lot. Any thoughts on grinders I mentioned?
I'm not sure how others feel but you should consider adding a few more shots of the grinder in use. 10 minute video and only 4 seconds of the grinder being used to grind coffee. Just a person opinion but given that I'll never buy one of these myself, I'd love to see more of it in use!
I have one with the SSP burrs. Previously I had a Monolith Conical and Monolith Flat with SSP. I prefer the two flats to the conical (although I have a Niche in another location and love that, so I'm not against conicals). The Max is more finicky than the regular Flat was, for whatever reason. When it's good it's really good though. I never had luck pairing it with my Decent. The Niche/Decent combo seems pretty much unbeatable. So I swapped and now use it with a Londinium R. It's pretty hard to pull a bad shot with this combo. Lastly, Kafatek makes a cup that is extremely well machined and fits perfectly in the forks. I much prefer grinding into this than directly into the portafilter
Also I love how compact it is and how solid it feels
Ultimate grinder showdown is awesome!
You might have covered this and I may have missed it, but why do you turn the motor on before adding the beans? It makes sense I guess, but is there any testing/science to show the difference between adding the beans *then* flipping the motor on vs motor first?
What a week!
Naughty me perked up when James said grinder week! Then, I became sensible TH-cam commenter me and started behaving again.
Great review James!
Another servo motor powered grinder with a VFD(variable frequency drive) attached to it. Great business idea because the motor and drive are quite inexpensive by themselves. You just need to design a burr set for them. I love coffee.
I'm rooting for the EG-1 as I have a HG-1 which I love. An EG-1 is the only thing I'd change it for because I love the aesthetic and build quality of them. Maybe one day when I am too old and decrepit to hand grind.....
I'm curious if you have ever tested the Eureka Mignon range? I wonder how the noise level of the Mignon range compares to these high end grinders? The Mignon range seems to be very quiet and decently priced.