I received an X Pro S in Jan 2024 that has the sharp burrs like the X Ultra. There was a manufacture date sticker on the shrink wrap and I recall it was Oct or Nov 2023.
Thanks for the information, that sounds about right. I am not 100% sure what turn around time is from the actual batch manufacturing of the product, to the shipments arriving to the dealers, i dont think that 1Zpresso mass produce their grinders and have a surplus stock so high that they manufacture in January and still have stock from that batch to sell in December. My last shipment of the regular X-Pro grinders with the rounded burrs arrived in (about October) so its possible that these grinders were from an earlier batch run, then 1Zpresso swapped out the outer burrs for the sharper ones also at this time.
I bought my X Pro S in November, and it was the still the older outer burr design. It was probably ordered by the vendor awhile ago from 1zpresso. It has the silver adjustment dial. What's interesting is they seem to have glued the outer burr section to the body.. it wasn't easy to separate the two, and when I finally did, I was worried I damaged the threads. I was able to get it back together, but the threads kept skipping.
I wrote an email to 1Zpresso the day after i posted this video, i kind of hint in the video that they are really frustrating to deal with and never answer a question with useful information. I got a reply back from them this morning and they are saying that they did indeed change the burrs for the X-Pro to the sharper burrs from the X-Ultra, but as is the usual nonsense, they did not answer a single one of my questions and now i need to write back to them and ask them again. I agree with you, i think that you have received a grinder that was maybe older stock, just like i must have received some old batch stock for the last ones that i received late last year. Just to clarify with you, the two burrs in my picture and video are from different grinders. The silver one is from the X-Pro and the black one is from the X-Ultra (Black version) grinder. When 1Zpresso changed the hand grip for their grinder from the Rubber grip (like the ones on the JX-Pro and JX) they started using a material that is glued onto the body. Sometimes this glue runs out of the bottom of the the material where the outer burrs screw onto the body and this could make the outer burrs stick and be a little harder to unscrew, because the glue has dried and stuck the burrs to the body a little. I am not 100% sure what you mean by "the threads kept skipping" can you please explain what you mean about that? The threads should not skip or jump at all, unless you have screwed the burrs back on lopsided, you are vtrying to turn the burrs the wrong way or they are not straight when you start to screw them back on. But honestly even if you tried to screw them back on and they are not straight, they just wont turn and it will be obvious that they are not on correctly. If you have screwed the outer burrs back on and they are 100% straight, but the threads are not right, they dont feel right or look right, it might be a good idea to contact your dealer or return the grinder.
@@mightymightyironhead ah, that makes sense. The thread skipping issue came up open reassembly. It might have been from glue residue, or other particles. It took a good many attempts to reattach the outer burrs where they would screw into the main chassis. When I disassemble the grinder in the future I'll leave the outer burrs attached, to prevent anxiety haha.
Glad to hear that you sound like you got it sorted out. Its very possible that you might have gotten a bit of glue stuck in the threads. I dont think that they assemble the parts (body and outer burrs) before they glue the material onto the body, but i often see a little bit of glue sticking out from under the bottom of the material, so its possible that when they assemble the grinder later, this small piece of glue could have gotten into the threads. Too be honest, i have never heard of someone who has a lot of issues attaching the burrs to the body. I have heard of quite a few people saying that they have issues getting the outer burrs off. The outer burrs can be pretty difficult to screw off after a while and some small coffee particles can make their way into the threads, making it even more tough to get them off. So i do recommend that you at least unscrew the outer burrs a little (maybe not all the way off if you are worried about getting them back on) every so often to stop them being difficult to get off later.
Hello! I bought in Dezember 2023 the 1Zpresso X-pro S and I am not very satisfied with the taste of the coffee. I brew with Hario V60 every day in the last 12 years…The problem with the taste when grounded with 1Zpresso X-pro S is, that it is somehow flat. I miss the deepness, the mouthfeel and the aftertaste, which I get with my electric grinder (costs 100 €, I have 15 years: Nivona Cafe Grano) or with the Comandante. The 1Zpresso X-pro S has a lot of nice characteristics which make it easier (comparing to Comandante) to grind the coffee beans every day with it but the main thing is missing: the 100% taste of the coffee. It is not bad, but it takes only ~70%-80% of the potential of each coffee out, which is for me not enough. Does the K-Ultra have the same burrs and taste profile like the X-pro S? Thank you very much for the video with instructions for disassembling and calibrating the X-pro S!
I contacted 1Zpresso and asked them about the burrs changing for the X-Pro. They confirmed that they did indeed change the outer burrs but in typical 1Zpresso fashion, could not give me a date when they changed the burrs. My last shipment was around the end of October last year and like i say in the video, they have the original rounded off burrs. So they either sold me some old stock, with (according to 1Zpresso) worse burrs, or they literally changed the burrs right after i ordered my stock. However that's BS because there is no way that they would have had time to do that and get the products manufactured and also sold and shipped out internationally that fast. I am literally just finishing off a video about the X-Pro and the X-Ultra and i will explain what the differences are between the two burr types. The shaper burrs are not worse as some people think, they just produce a slightly different flavour profile and can actually be better for light and medium roasted beans for Pour over and French press.
@@mightymightyironhead Well I am very glad to see you say that the sharper burrs are not worse as some may believe. I just don't know why they would change something that there were so many positive reviews for and many people seemed to love. I was wanting to get one for the better part of last year and finally got one for Christmas just to discover they changed the burrs that all the reviews were on. Seems like they could have at least called it V2 or something to signify the change. But I guess that would be asking too much. Definitely looking forward to your video. I just spent the last hour or so looking to see if I could find a blog or video or article that really compared the 2, but had no success. Love what you do and am subscribed.
@@sonoftherighthand1843 thanks for the positive feedback and subscription. I just looked again at you comment and noticed that you wrote that you say that you got your X-Pro for Christmas 2023, do you mean Christmas 2024? I hope so, because that would would be even worse haha Yes i totally agree with you, 1Zpresso could have at least updated their dealers and explained that they were about to, or have changed the burrs. I have been dealing 1Zpresso for a few years now and they never update me. At best they wait until i am about to make an order and they tell me that they have a new grinder. This would not really be such an issue if i was not a dealer and i really need to have the latest up to date information, so i can effectively pass that information onto my customers. Anyway complaints aside, at least their products are excellent. I will hopefully have that video uploaded in the new couple of days and i will explain a little about the difference between the two burrs, so hopefully its something that you will find useful. Have a great day.
@@mightymightyironhead you had me second guessing myself for a second there. haha. No sir Christmas of 2024 will be at the end of this year. Christmas 2023 was exactly a month ago from today. I am sure me and many others will find your video helpful and hopefully put some of us at ease a bit.
Yup it was me, you are correct, it is Christmas 2023, not 24. Sometimes my brain stops working, it took me all this month to stop writing the roast date on my coffee as 2023, instead of 2024 LOL
Sorry i have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks. I am about 90% finished, just need to do a bit of editing and i should have the video up within a couple of days.
X series is an all around grinder, J-Ultra is nearly exclusively an espresso grinder. the razor fine micron adjustments and the coated burrs produce more fines, which is less advantageous for filter, but MUCH needed for medium/dark roasted espresso (and does well with light roasted espresso too, just not as perfect as flats would). You buy each of the grinders for different purposes.
@@MikeEdwards-j9g Yes, I know that those two are all-arounders, and J-Ultra is dedicated for espresso. That information i can find on the producer's site. But I would rather like to know the subtle difference in their taste profiles, and how espressos made by all three grinders would be different from each other, or if there would be any difeerence at all.
Ok hope that this helps. Its something that i wrote to help people understand about the differences between a grinder with larger microns, a grinder with finer microns and a grinder with the correct size microns, because having the smallest microns or even step-less is not always best. The J-Max (8.8 microns) and the J-Ultra (8 microns) wont have much difference if any for Espresso, the slightly finer microns for the Ultra just means that you have a tiny bit more grind adjustment. However the taste is pretty much the same as the J-Max. The X-Pro and the X-Ultra with their 12.5 microns do have a difference in flavour and other things when compared with the J-Max and J-Ultra when grinding for Espresso because the finer micron size grind adjustment can change the flavour for espresso coffee for the following reasons. Extraction Time: Finer grind sizes generally increase the surface area of coffee particles, which can lead to a faster extraction. As the water has more contact with the coffee, flavors are extracted more quickly. Extraction Rate: A finer grind allows water to permeate the coffee grounds more easily, extracting solubles at a faster rate. This can lead to a higher extraction yield, resulting in a more concentrated and intense flavor. Flavor Concentration: The finer grind extracts more soluble compounds, including both desirable flavors and potentially bitter compounds. This can result in a more concentrated and robust flavor profile. Body and Mouthfeel: Finer grinds often contribute to a fuller-bodied and thicker mouthfeel in espresso. This is due to the increased presence of dissolved solids in the brew. Bitterness and Over-Extraction: While a finer grind can enhance flavor concentration, it also poses the risk of over-extraction. Over-extraction can lead to undesirable bitter and astringent flavors. It's essential to balance the extraction time and grind size to avoid extracting too many bitter compounds. Channeling: Finer grinds can increase the risk of channeling, where water finds paths of least resistance through the coffee puck, leading to uneven extraction. This can result in a less balanced flavor profile. Aroma and Crema: The finer grind may affect the crema. A proper grind size contributes to the formation of a thick and creamy crema, enhancing the overall sensory experience. The aroma can also be impacted, as the finer grind allows for more volatile compounds to be released. It's important to note that the optimal grind size can vary depending on the specific coffee beans roast level, and even the espresso machine being used. So having the finer adjustment to be able to dial in the grind size for espresso can have a significant impact on flavor, and this impact can vary depending on the roast level of the coffee beans. Here's how a finer or coarser grind adjustment might enhance the flavor for espresso with different roast levels: Finer Grind for Dark Roasts: Extraction Control: Dark roasted beans are often more soluble than lighter roasts. Using a finer grind allows for better control over the extraction process, helping to balance the intense flavors of dark roasts. Intensity and Concentration: A finer grind can intensify the concentration of flavors in the espresso. For dark roasts, this can enhance the rich, bold, and sometimes smoky or chocolaty characteristics associated with these beans. Bitterness Management: Dark roasts tend to have more bitter compounds. A finer grind can help manage the extraction time, preventing over-extraction and minimizing excessive bitterness. Crema Enhancement: Dark roasts may produce less crema due to the longer roasting process. A finer grind can contribute to a better crema, providing a creamy texture. Coarser Grind for Lighter Roasts: Extraction Balancing: Lighter roasts are often denser and less soluble. Using a coarser grind helps balance the extraction by allowing water to flow through the grounds more easily, preventing over-extraction and avoiding overly sour or astringent flavors. Acidity Preservation: Lighter roasts typically have more acidity and brighter, fruitier notes. A coarser grind can help preserve these delicate flavors, as a more extended extraction time with a finer grind might overpower the natural acidity. Clarity of Flavor: Coarser grinds can contribute to a cleaner and more defined flavor profile for lighter roasts. This allows for a nuanced and vibrant taste experience, bringing out the unique characteristics of the beans. Astringency Management: Lighter roasts may have a tendency to become overly astringent if over-extracted. A coarser grind helps minimize this risk by allowing water to pass through the coffee grounds more quickly. General Considerations: Brewing Equipment: The type of espresso machine used can influence the impact of grind size adjustments. It's essential to consider the specific characteristics of the espresso machine and make adjustments accordingly.
The 1Zpresso X-pro S has a lot of nice characteristics which make it easier (comparing to Comandante) to grind the coffee beans every day with it but the main thing is missing: the 100% taste of the coffee. It is not bad, but it takes only ~70%-80% of the potential of each coffee out, which is for me not enough. I brew coffee with the pour-over method using the Hario V60. Does the K-Ultra have the same burrs and taste profile like the X-pro S?
Hi Konstantin. When you say that the X-Pro S "takes only ~70%-80% of the potential of each coffee out" Can i please ask you, how much of that conclusion is based on personal taste? Also i would like to ask you if you have tested any other similar grinders side by side with your X-Pro S? Because the flavour profile that you are getting in your cup, can be the result of a lot of different things. Ok the grinder plays a big part in the flavour. But so does the type of beans that you are using, the roast level of the beans (even the same beans from the same batch, from the same roasted is never really going to be exactly the same from packet to packet. The you need to take into consideration other factors, like method, ratio, technique, water temperature, agitation/none agitation, filter paper type and draw down speed, amongst other things. Each of these things can be very different from bean to bean and can result in very different flavours even from the same grinder , but even from a different grinder that has the same type of burrs and the same microns size. Its really difficult to not compare some grinders to the Comandante C40, but this comparison is always because of the burrs, people always say that they really enjoy the flavour profile that they get with the C40. When Comandante released the C40 its was considered "the best manual coffee grinder" on available for some time. The C40 was and still is a very decent quality grinder and some people still swear that the flavour profile from the Comandante C40 is the best flavour profile for Pour over. As far as the grinder is concerned, when you get down to it, the flavour profile is really dictated by a few things. (flavour profile for Pour over can obviously be affected by other things like grind size, water temp, draw down speed, agitation and technique ect, but for the actual grinder is pretty much the same for all grinders) 1) The size and type of burrs. 2) The stabilizers for the burrs shaft (baring's and fittings) 3) Microns size. The Comandante C40 has 40mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs, in my opinion, its always been these burrs that have given the C40 its great "clean and bright" flavour profile and its these burrs that are really the only reason to buy the C40. However plenty of other manual grinders now have these type of burrs and they are often more than half the price of the C40. For example the Q2 Heptagonal grinder has 38mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs and is priced at less than $100USD also 1Zpresso released the Q2 Air a few weeks ago and this grinder also has the 38mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs and that grinder is $50USD. Ok 38mm burrs are not 40mm burrs, but they are the same type of burrs with the same amount of cores, the slightly smaller size just means that it takes slightly longer to grind. Ok so the overall build quality compared to the C40 is not as solid, but the actual important parts that do all the work are very solid and i would argue that the burrs and the burr mount for the Q2 Air is just as good and just as solid as the burrs and burr mount for the C40 (in as much as the burr shaft does not move or wobble). The X-Pro S has the same size and type of burrs as the C40 (40mm 7 core Heptagonal) so this should result in pretty much the same flavour profile as the C40 (or any other similar manual grinder that has the same size and type of burrs). The only difference between these two grinders at that point is the micron size. The X-Pro has 12.5 microns and the C40 (without the RedClix burrs) has 30 microns. So i would say that if there is any difference in flavour profile between these two grinders (or even any other similar Pour over grinders that have at least 40mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs and a bigger micron size than the X-Pro S (like 22 - 33 microns) that it is the finer micron size that is producing slightly more fines and is the reason why the flavour profile is slightly different at the Pour over level. Ok with that said, not just the inner burrs, but the outer burrs, whether they are sharp or rounded, can have an impact on the flavor profile also. When 1Zpresso first released the X-Pro grinder, the outer burrs for the X-Pro were the burrs with the slightly more rounded off edges. Some argue that conical burrs with rounded edges can produce a slightly different flavor profile. The grinding action for rounded burrs can be less aggressive, potentially generating less heat during the grinding process and this can help preserve the delicate flavors of the coffee beans, especially with light or medium roast coffees. Burrs with sharp edges are typically considered to be more efficient in grinding coffee beans. The sharp edges can cut through the beans more effectively, leading to a more uniform grind size (less fines). This consistency is important for achieving an even extraction during brewing, which can result in a well-balanced and flavorful cup of coffee. So i would argue that these sharper burrs make the X-Pro and the X-Ultra better for the medium and course grind range, because the sharper burrs help to counter the finer 12.5 micron size that potentially produce slightly more fines at that grind range, by making the particles more uniform. 1Zpresso also changed the outer burrs for the X-Pro to the same more sharp outer burrs that you get with the X-Ultra around October last year, so both grinders now have the same burrs and should also have the same flavour profile. Sorry for the long explanation, but its not easy to answer that question, without explaining all the other things.
@@mightymightyironhead Thank you very much for your great analysis. Of course when I am speaking about the taste of something, including coffee, it is my personal feeling. Saying that with 1Zpresso X-pro S I get 70-80% of the potential of each coffee is based on my personal taste. In contrast to 1Zpresso X-pro S, I get with the Comandante for sure more taste, deeper, rounder, brighter, better mouthfeel and a better aftertaste. I think that it is not a coincidence that worldwide coffee lovers rave about Comandante. So, it means that most of the people have similar opinion, which is of course each based on their personal taste. I have a lot of reasons not to be 100% happy with the Comandante. I do not think that it is a beautiful grinder, it is also too big for my small hand, it is slow and the worst thing is the missing of the numbering of the grinding degrees. Last thing is for my opinion a shame for a company which sells such an expensive grinder like Comandante and has not made sure of this issue. I find this disrespectful towards the customer. Also I did not like that they did not take care of the micron size. So after a while I realised that I had to buy the RedClix paying another 40€(40$), because otherwise I could not have the perfect result for some brew methods (I brew most of the times with the V60 but also with Mocca Master filter machine, Hario Switch, Kalita and Konos). On the other hand, 1Zpresso X-pro S is nice, thinner and smaller, so it sits well in my hand, grinds fast and is not noisy, has numbering of the grinding degrees and the adjust of them is very easy and stable, simply genius! I would love to have this hand grinder for grinding my coffee every day, BUT the taste of the coffee did not satisfy me. I tried everything, I found the right grinding degree for every brew method I use and the taste in the cup was good, but not enough! Not the same level that I got grinding the same coffee beans with the Comandante! I noticed that the X-pro S produces more fines. Also I noticed that the burrs of X-pro S have thinner wrinkles compared to them of Comandante. I am not expert in such issues but maybe it causes more fines(?). I appreciate the whole work on the 1Zpresso X-pro S and the the company had respect towards the customer. But the main thing, the taste, is in my opinion by X-pro S inferior than by Comandante. For some people who do not care or cannot notice the differences and the plenty of details at the taste of a good quality cup of coffee, the X-pro S is for sure a better option than the Comandante because of the reasons I mentioned above and because of the much better price. Thank you very much again for your response and for the very helpful videos! Konstantin
Hi Konstantin. Thanks for taking the time to explain a few things. When i ask people how much of what they say about the flavour profile that they get from a grinder, its important for me to understand why they say that and what other grinders they have as a reference to make the decision between the two grinders, so i appreciate you explaining why you prefer the taste you get with the C40 over the X-Pro. I have thought a lot recently about the difference in flavour that you get with the X-Pro, X-Ultra and the Comandante C40 grinders. 1Zpresso release the X-Pro with pretty much the same size and type of inner burrs and cutting disc (outer burrs) as the C40 grinder, but they also kept the finer 12. 5 micron size from the JX-Pro grinder. The C40 has 30 microns fine adjustment, so i think that the larger micron size that you get with the C40 has an impact on the flavour for the C40 grinder, like you pointed out (finer microns produce more fines and this can alter the flavour profile) and i would say that this finer micron size is definitely going to give those two grinders a slightly different flavour profile to the C40 grinder. Then i would point out that the C40 uses a different type of metal for the burrs (high-alloyed, high-nitrogen stainless steel) and apparently this type of alloy has less imperfections in the surface that prevents oils and other particles getting into the surface imperfections and can also improve the flavour. I think that these differences do make these grinders quite different to each other, so i personally think that its not really a good idea for fully compare the C40 (a Pour over grinder) with the X-Pro (an all round grinder, with much finer microns). I would say that its better to compare something like the JE,JE-Plus or one of the K series grinders that have a closer micron size to the C40 (the K-Ultra has 20 microns, but the other K series grinders have 22 microns). Also the change in the outer burrs for the X-Pro to the sharper more precise burrs that are in the X-Ultra is also going to change the flavour profile quite a lot and quite a lot of people are talking about this at the moment. I am actually just about to finish a video showing the difference between the X-Pro and the X-Ultra and talking a little about what grinder i found works best for my taste. I used to have a C40 and i really enjoyed the taste from that grinder. Its does produce a very good flavour, but i realised that that very good flavour is only really there for Pour over and maybe French press, but for other brew types that require finer grind adjustments, like Aeropress and Espresso, its just not the same case with those, again i think that this is down to the things that i mentioned above and the fact that the C40 is really a Pour over grinder first and foremost and not really an all round grinder like the X-Pro. So even though its very understandable why a lot of people are curious about the flavour profile that you get with a manual grinder, because we all want the best possible flavour from that expensive grinder that we just paid for, its not always a good idea to compare every grinder to the C40, especially grinders that are not even really the same type of grinder for the same brew types. I really enjoy this type of conversation, because we are all learning at the end of the day and its really good feedback for me to know what people who actually have these grinders and actually use them are thinking and what they prefer, so thanks again for sharing that with me.
Good day. Wanted to ask a few things: Were K-Max's outer burrs always sharp? Because they look about as sharp as outer burrs on X-Ultra. And I recently bought JE-Plus. Have been using it for about 2 months now and I noticed a clear sign of wear on inner burr's diagonal sharp parts - some of them have titanium coating removed and their edges seem a bit more rough. I've had a J-Max for close to two years now, and it's burrs are barely touched. I wrote a letter to 1zpresso, we'll see what they are going to say about this issue. But, knowing how much of a pain is to communicate with them, judging by what you say, I also decided to ask you.
Off the top of my head, i seem to remember that the K-Max had the rounded edge outer burrs, but please bare in mind that when i get a shipment of grinders, they have an outer plastic seal on the product carton, so i can not open and look inside. So did not look at any of my later batches of K-Max, only the early ones, so its possible that 1Zpresso also changed those burrs and did not tell me. Its also been a while since i had a JE-Plus, 1Zpresso stopped allowing me to order these grinders when they released the K-Max about two years ago. However when i was selling the JE-Plus and i did sell a lot of them, they never had any issues with the burrs, or any other problems and i never had a single customer complaint. Also i never had an issue with the coating on my personal JE-Plus and i used that grinder a lot for Pour over. In the time i have been selling 1Zpresso grinders (4 - 5 years) i have sold thousands of units and i can honestly say that i have had maybe 4 minor issues with the ones that i have sold and these issues have been an easy fix, so i can honestly say that if there are any issues with their grinders, it does not happen very often. With that said, i have had two grinders with issues with the burrs. I have a J-Max that was issued with pretty much the first batch of J-Max grinders and the coating on the burrs was spotty and looked like small parts of the coating was missing or had fallen off. I was messaged by someone in South America who said that they were an online influencer and they had received a free J-Max grinder from 1Zpresso and their burrs also had this same issue. A little later they messaged me again and told me that 1Zpresso has replaced the burrs for them, however when i contacted 1Zpresso about mine, they just made excuses and said that it was normal. The other issue i had was about 6 - 8 months ago, i sold a JX grinder and the burrs in that grinder looked unfinished, the edges had some pretty ragged and rough edges, like they had not been polished properly. I contacted 1Zpresso about this, but they said that this was also normal and the rough edges will smooth out after use. I kind of agreed with them, however i have a little bit of respect for my customers and i changed the burrs for another set and took the loss, because i personally dont think that they should be getting burrs that look unfinished in their grinder. Also where are these small pieces of stainless steel going to go if they fall off, again i am not sure i would want to drink coffee that might have small pieces of stainless steel in the bottom of the cup. Anyway long story short, i think that they will more then likely change the burrs for you, especially with the coating missing, because what's the point of coating if its just going to fall off and that coating is supposed to last a long time and give the burrs a longer life. Anyway good luck, i hope that you get a good result and please update me when they get back to you.
@@mightymightyironhead Thanks for a response. I have received K-Max and JE-Plus in late december. Bought K-Max for my relatives, and JE for myself. That K-max was manufactured recently, in 2023, can't remember when exactly. I guess 1zpresso did change the burrs for K-Max, since, judging by the pictures on the internet, outer burrs on older versions look less sharp. 1zpresso just can't stop themselves from tinkering with their grinders, I guess. As for the burrs, I'll wait for a response from 1zpresso and will use J-Max in the meantime. But there is a possibility they won't do anything, since, according to their website: "the warranty does not cover damages such as rust or wear and tear, as we cannot guarantee the product’s usage or storage." That's really bloody strange. I guess if my grinder will decide to snap in half, they'll just shrug. Sounds like a really poor customer servise they've got. For comparison, I've contacted Wacaco two months before my warranty expires and provided videos of my picopresso leaking from the pump. So they've just sended me a new Pico body. And my Varia scales didn't work properly, so Varia shipped me a new one, even though I've got my Aku for half the price on sale. Still, I'll wait and hope for the best.
Yes its possible that they did change the burrs and not tell anyone. If its any consolation, its also very frustrating for me also. I really dont like to just guess about the products that i am selling to customers, i rely on the companies that i pay money to at least explain their products and specs so that i can effectively pass that information onto customers, but i think that these companies often forget that dealers are also customers, i dont work for them. I actually asked 1Zpresso to clarify their warranty terms a little while ago and they could not even give me a basic outline of their terms and conditions for their warranty or where to find more information, they just said that they did not have it. I also agree with you about Wacaco, i have dealt with Wacaco for years now and they have also given me some nightmares in the past, but i have to admit that their customer service and warranty agreement is very good. I have had several customers who have had the issue with the Picopresso pump handle leaking and i just send them a replacement and i get a replacement from Wacaco for that, i dont have to argue or go into detail, i just submit a form and its done. I really hope that 1Zpresso do replace your burrs for you, i personally would not say that the coating falling off after a few months should be ignored or down to wear and tear, or miss use ( obviously you did not misuse the grinder or burrs) a burrs coating should last for quite a long time and any wearing down should be along the blades where the grinding action is constant, not spotting on the surface of the burrs, thats not wear and tear, thats faulty coating.
@@mightymightyironhead Well, my attempts at talking with 1Zy didn't go well. They seem to understand the problem and that it should't be happening, but they've just shifted responsibility on the seller and went silent since 3rd of february. The seller barelly understands english and doesn't even use google translate or something, just writes in incoherent english. I've contacted aliexpress support, but I doubt they'll be able to do anything. Bloody hell, I didn't expect that kind of customer support from 1Zpresso.
@@mightymightyironheadI enjoyed your video and am looking forward to the follow up of your testing. I hope you can provide a hand grinder recommendation to me as can tell you have a lot of experience with them. I brew mostly pour over style coffee including V60, Switch, French Press, AeroPress, siphon brew, etc. using almost exclusively medium to dark roast beans. I like a full bodied coffee and would like a grinder that helps bring out the chocolate and caramel notes, sweetness, full mouth feel, etc. of this roast level of beans. I typically do larger brews, so a grinder with at least 25g capacity would be beneficial. I really like the grinders with external adjustment, but not a must have. Cost is a factor as well, so would want to stay below $300 USD. Your suggestions would be really appreciated.
not gonna lie, the sharper burr set from the X-Ultra puts out a slightly less quality cup than the old burr set. It's not enormous, but in my personal taste testing I found them to be slightly muddier and slightly less flexible in terms of making mistakes on the grind. My X-pro (first week it came out, even before it hit American audiences) is much more similar to the commandante in terms of flavor, this one just feels like a step down. However, I find that with really light roasts that excel in fruit and acidity it seems to make a slightly sharper and more precise cup, so it's kind of a trade off. again, this is nitpicky, and your average person won't pick it up as much, but I feel like the burr change has made the X-pro and X-ultra slighlty less value oriented than it used to be. JMO
To be honest you are not too far off the mark and its always really good to hear other peoples opinion, also as we both know, coffee can be a very personal thing, what you might like i might not. I think that a lot of people use the Comandante C40 as a reference for other grinders and especially for Pour over, because the flavour profile that you get with the C40 is really good. However the X-Pro does not match that grinder 100%, even if it had the exact same burrs, the micron size (12.5) is over twice as fine as the C40 (30) micron size and i would say that the micron size is going to change the flavour profile quite a lot, then you factor into that the sharper burrs and you are getting a little further away from that C40 flavour profile. I have a fealing that one of the reasons that 1Zpresso changed the burrs to the sharper burrs was to counter the finer 12.5 microns, because these finer microns do alter the flavour that you get quite a lot, they can also produce slightly more fines than a grinder with bigger microns like the C40 or even the K series grinders (20 - 22 microns). Maybe they just wanted to cater for all those people who insist on using light roasted beans for Espresso? i mean... thats just odd, right? LOL Technically the sharper burrs with the X-ultra should produce a more precise and uniform particle size, so they should be slightly more precise than the rounded burrs in the X-Pro This type of consistency should technically produce less fines, so better draw down for Pour over and allow for for a more uniform particle where the water can penetrate and pull more flavour from your coffee for certain brew types like Espresso, Pour over, Drip Coffee and Aeropress and for certain beans like natural processed at certain roast levels, like medium and light. I found that I preferred the X-Ultra, because I usually brew for Espresso, Pour over, Drip Coffee and Aeropress over the x-pro that I found was slightly better for Turkish Coffee, Percolator, French press and Cold brew. I mostly use medium or medium dark roasted beans for my Pour over and Espresso, but the tests that I did do with lighter roasted beans, I also found that the sharper burrs with the better precision and consistency in grind size with the X-Ultra seemed to give a slightly better clarity of Flavors using Natural processed beans for Espresso, even more so than my J-Max for some beans. I personally dont think that one grinder is better than the other, just slightly different and if i just had my original X-Pro and they never released the X-Ultra with the sharper burrs, i would never have had the two grinders to test side by side and taste that slight difference, likewise if it was the other way around and i got the X-Ultra without testing the X-Pro, i am pretty sure that i would have been 100% happy with that grinder and the flavour it produces.
@@mightymightyironhead yeah, spot on for everything. I haven't tried the Ultra for light roasted espresso yet, but I found the X-pro was good, but never GREAT for espresso. much brighter and morme leaning towards turbo shots. for my espresso I rotate between the JE-Plus and the J-Ultra (used to have the max, but the Ultra nad Max are nearly indistinguishable) I like the JE-Plus for some rosts, while the J-Ultra for others. the JE-Plus puts out some incredibly thicky and syrupy shots that are that ooey gooey consistency that I can't get anywhere else. I find the J-ultra to be more precise for dialing in and creates a cleaner taste, but gives up some of the body that the JE-Plus gives.... I haven't tried to much on the X-pro/Ultra for espresso, but I really should try some shots on it again. honeslty, I think 1zpresso just putsout great grinders in generatl and I'd be happy with most of them. I have my commandante and use it a lot, but I think the K-ultra and K-max both outclass it for ease of use and are on par with the commandante taste wise. I'd love to try the C60, but that $599 + shipping and tax price tag is Commandante smoking some serious crack. I have no idea what they were thinking and what demographic they were going after. it just doesn't make sense
I was pretty pissed off when 1Zpresso said that they were discontinuing the JE and JE-Plus grinders when 1Zporesso introduced the K-Max grinder, those two were very good grinders and i personally think that they are closer to the Comandante than the K series grinders. However it pissed me off even more to see that 1Zpresso are literally still selling the JE and JE-Plus on their own website two years later, so basically they lied to me about not manufacturing those grinders and i lost two really good grinders that i had worked very hard to build up and promote. Actually 1Zpresso have a very odd marketing strategy, where they don't allow certain products to be sold in certain regions. I asked about this and was told that "The boss prefers China and Taiwan over the rest of the world" some of this could be down to license and IP, or copyright from other companies, the way that Comandante very aggressively threatens other companies with copyright infringement. But that does not make sense when i see these same grinders being sold internationally in the countries where they would be more likely to have these issues, so again, i think that its mostly bull shit from 1Zpresso. I agree with you that 1Zpresso do make very good grinders, i have sold thousands of their products and honestly i have had maybe 3 or 4 issues, those issues have been very small problems and easy to fix. I honestly can not say that about any of the other companies that i deal with, so i will tolerate the frustrations of dealing with 1Zpresso because their products are some of the best. Do you have the regular Comandante C40? i don't remember off the top of my head, but i am pretty sure that the original C40 also had the sharper outer burrs? If not i am almost certain that the MK2 - MK3 do have the sharper burrs the same as the X-Ultra grinder, so its interesting that people don't mention the difference in flavour profile from the MK1 to the MK2 and MK3 The new Comandante C60 Baracuda and the X25 Trailmaster grinders do look really nice, actually its about time that they released something different, the C40 is over 10 years old now. Apparently they are touting the C60 as a 60-millimeter burr grinder based on diameter, so that's very interesting. The X25 was upgraded to include Comandante’s “Tiger Shark” burr set (sharp burr set). "The set is composed of the same steel as the C40 and C60 burrs, but optimized for the smaller size". So it does look like they have used pretty much the same type of sharp burrs as the X-Ultra, again i will be interested to see what people say about the flavour profile for these same sharp burrs. The X25 is around $230USD so its very much in line with the K series grinder price and i think that this is intentional from Comandante to put out a new product as direct competition to other companies like 1Zpresso.
@@mightymightyironhead yeah, I was just getting into hand grinders when they were in the middle of discontinuing the JE plus... they didn't even sell it on their website for a few years either. I only saw the JE plus come back to Amazon US and their website at the end of 2023 so I dove on grabbing one. Everyone who had one always raved about it being one of the better grinders that 1zpresso makes. I have the Commandante C40 MK4...not sure about the earlier generation of C40 burrs...my outer burrs aren't the sharp edge type on the MK4 at least. and yeah, I agree with you. I can never get a straight answer out of 1zpresso for most of my questions, so I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you dealers. I stick with them simply because they put out a good product and I just have to roll with their "enigmatic" communication and specs .
This is one of their "enigmatic" communication and specs, its like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. When i asked them about the burrs for the X-Pro being changed to the burrs from the X-Ultra, this is a typical exchange with 1Zpresso. Question. "So, i wanted to ask you, did 1Zpresso change the burrs (and any other things) for the X-Pro. If so, when did you change these things? And lastly if you did change the outer burrs to the same burrs as the X-Ultra, why did you change the burrs to the sharper type of burrs from the Ultra?" Response. Yes, the burr set of the X-Pro/X-Pro S grinder has been changed. We don’t have the exact timeline for this change, and the differences in both designs are not that significant. Normally, we do not advertise or inform every party about changes in details. I believe you are referring to Asser; he favored the last design over the latest design of the X-Pro/X-Pro S grinder. Both the X-Pro S and X-Ultra grinders have different burr set designs. We have tested every burr set, and we believe it is the best burr set for this grinder in terms of several criteria. The last part about "testing the burrs" and "several criteria" made my head hurt haha. I used to have a C40 a few years ago, i honestly dont remember what shape the outer burrs were, i have a feeling that they were the rounded ones like the X-Pro before they changed those. However i am really confused because i have seen pictures of the C40 (maybe MK2 and mk3) that do look like they have the sharper burrs, but too much internet can really mess with your head, so i could be totally wrong.
Hi good evening. Yes the S series handle from the X-Ultra and the X-Pro does fit onto the ZP6. The adjustment dial for the ZP6 is 6cm wide and the plastic popcorn shield on the end of the grind handle is about 4cm. The plastic popcorn guard on the end of the grind handle for both the X-Pro and the X-Ultra grinders, so also the same size (4cm) so the handle from both the X-Pro and X-Ultra fits nicely onto the ZP6. The ZP6 (with the grind handle attached) is 6cm wide and also 19cm long (same as the J-Ultra and K-Ultra grinders) so yes the ZP6 does also fit into the new travel case.
I did ask 1Zpresso about if they plan to release the ZP6 with the S series handle as standard, at the moment the ZP6 is showing on their website as being the regular handle with no option to order with the S series handle. They said that they will look into it and update me later if they do. If they update me, i will also update you.
Looking forward to your upcoming
X Pro vs X Ultra video.
You are appreciated. Of coarse I've subbed. Salute
Thank you very much. I was waiting for 1Zpresso to get back to me about a few things, so will hopefully have something up in the next few days.
I received an X Pro S in Jan 2024 that has the sharp burrs like the X Ultra. There was a manufacture date sticker on the shrink wrap and I recall it was Oct or Nov 2023.
Thanks for the information, that sounds about right.
I am not 100% sure what turn around time is from the actual batch manufacturing of the product, to the shipments arriving to the dealers, i dont think that 1Zpresso mass produce their grinders and have a surplus stock so high that they manufacture in January and still have stock from that batch to sell in December.
My last shipment of the regular X-Pro grinders with the rounded burrs arrived in (about October) so its possible that these grinders were from an earlier batch run, then 1Zpresso swapped out the outer burrs for the sharper ones also at this time.
I bought my X Pro S in November, and it was the still the older outer burr design. It was probably ordered by the vendor awhile ago from 1zpresso. It has the silver adjustment dial.
What's interesting is they seem to have glued the outer burr section to the body.. it wasn't easy to separate the two, and when I finally did, I was worried I damaged the threads. I was able to get it back together, but the threads kept skipping.
I wrote an email to 1Zpresso the day after i posted this video, i kind of hint in the video that they are really frustrating to deal with and never answer a question with useful information.
I got a reply back from them this morning and they are saying that they did indeed change the burrs for the X-Pro to the sharper burrs from the X-Ultra, but as is the usual nonsense, they did not answer a single one of my questions and now i need to write back to them and ask them again.
I agree with you, i think that you have received a grinder that was maybe older stock, just like i must have received some old batch stock for the last ones that i received late last year.
Just to clarify with you, the two burrs in my picture and video are from different grinders. The silver one is from the X-Pro and the black one is from the X-Ultra (Black version) grinder.
When 1Zpresso changed the hand grip for their grinder from the Rubber grip (like the ones on the JX-Pro and JX) they started using a material that is glued onto the body.
Sometimes this glue runs out of the bottom of the the material where the outer burrs screw onto the body and this could make the outer burrs stick and be a little harder to unscrew, because the glue has dried and stuck the burrs to the body a little.
I am not 100% sure what you mean by "the threads kept skipping" can you please explain what you mean about that?
The threads should not skip or jump at all, unless you have screwed the burrs back on lopsided, you are vtrying to turn the burrs the wrong way or they are not straight when you start to screw them back on.
But honestly even if you tried to screw them back on and they are not straight, they just wont turn and it will be obvious that they are not on correctly.
If you have screwed the outer burrs back on and they are 100% straight, but the threads are not right, they dont feel right or look right, it might be a good idea to contact your dealer or return the grinder.
@@mightymightyironhead ah, that makes sense. The thread skipping issue came up open reassembly. It might have been from glue residue, or other particles. It took a good many attempts to reattach the outer burrs where they would screw into the main chassis.
When I disassemble the grinder in the future I'll leave the outer burrs attached, to prevent anxiety haha.
Glad to hear that you sound like you got it sorted out. Its very possible that you might have gotten a bit of glue stuck in the threads. I dont think that they assemble the parts (body and outer burrs) before they glue the material onto the body, but i often see a little bit of glue sticking out from under the bottom of the material, so its possible that when they assemble the grinder later, this small piece of glue could have gotten into the threads.
Too be honest, i have never heard of someone who has a lot of issues attaching the burrs to the body. I have heard of quite a few people saying that they have issues getting the outer burrs off. The outer burrs can be pretty difficult to screw off after a while and some small coffee particles can make their way into the threads, making it even more tough to get them off.
So i do recommend that you at least unscrew the outer burrs a little (maybe not all the way off if you are worried about getting them back on) every so often to stop them being difficult to get off later.
Hello! I bought in Dezember 2023 the 1Zpresso X-pro S and I am not very satisfied with the taste of the coffee. I brew with Hario V60 every day in the last 12 years…The problem with the taste when grounded with 1Zpresso X-pro S is, that it is somehow flat. I miss the deepness, the mouthfeel and the aftertaste, which I get with my electric grinder (costs 100 €, I have 15 years: Nivona Cafe Grano) or with the Comandante. The 1Zpresso X-pro S has a lot of nice characteristics which make it easier (comparing to Comandante) to grind the coffee beans every day with it but the main thing is missing: the 100% taste of the coffee. It is not bad, but it takes only ~70%-80% of the potential of each coffee out, which is for me not enough. Does the K-Ultra have the same burrs and taste profile like the X-pro S? Thank you very much for the video with instructions for disassembling and calibrating the X-pro S!
I just looked at my X-pro that i got for Christmas 2023 and the burr does have the sharper teeth.
I contacted 1Zpresso and asked them about the burrs changing for the X-Pro.
They confirmed that they did indeed change the outer burrs but in typical 1Zpresso fashion, could not give me a date when they changed the burrs.
My last shipment was around the end of October last year and like i say in the video, they have the original rounded off burrs.
So they either sold me some old stock, with (according to 1Zpresso) worse burrs, or they literally changed the burrs right after i ordered my stock.
However that's BS because there is no way that they would have had time to do that and get the products manufactured and also sold and shipped out internationally that fast.
I am literally just finishing off a video about the X-Pro and the X-Ultra and i will explain what the differences are between the two burr types.
The shaper burrs are not worse as some people think, they just produce a slightly different flavour profile and can actually be better for light and medium roasted beans for Pour over and French press.
@@mightymightyironhead Well I am very glad to see you say that the sharper burrs are not worse as some may believe. I just don't know why they would change something that there were so many positive reviews for and many people seemed to love. I was wanting to get one for the better part of last year and finally got one for Christmas just to discover they changed the burrs that all the reviews were on. Seems like they could have at least called it V2 or something to signify the change. But I guess that would be asking too much.
Definitely looking forward to your video. I just spent the last hour or so looking to see if I could find a blog or video or article that really compared the 2, but had no success. Love what you do and am subscribed.
@@sonoftherighthand1843 thanks for the positive feedback and subscription.
I just looked again at you comment and noticed that you wrote that you say that you got your X-Pro for Christmas 2023, do you mean Christmas 2024?
I hope so, because that would would be even worse haha
Yes i totally agree with you, 1Zpresso could have at least updated their dealers and explained that they were about to, or have changed the burrs.
I have been dealing 1Zpresso for a few years now and they never update me. At best they wait until i am about to make an order and they tell me that they have a new grinder.
This would not really be such an issue if i was not a dealer and i really need to have the latest up to date information, so i can effectively pass that information onto my customers.
Anyway complaints aside, at least their products are excellent.
I will hopefully have that video uploaded in the new couple of days and i will explain a little about the difference between the two burrs, so hopefully its something that you will find useful.
Have a great day.
@@mightymightyironhead you had me second guessing myself for a second there. haha. No sir Christmas of 2024 will be at the end of this year. Christmas 2023 was exactly a month ago from today.
I am sure me and many others will find your video helpful and hopefully put some of us at ease a bit.
Yup it was me, you are correct, it is Christmas 2023, not 24. Sometimes my brain stops working, it took me all this month to stop writing the roast date on my coffee as 2023, instead of 2024 LOL
Hey, I’ve been checking every few days on your page to see if you had posted that video yet. Do you know about when you will be able to put it up?
Sorry i have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks. I am about 90% finished, just need to do a bit of editing and i should have the video up within a couple of days.
@@mightymightyironhead awesome thank you so much. We all appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos.
It would be really great, if you also made a taste comparison between X PRO, X ULTRA and J ULTRA. Perhaps a blind test.
I will certainly think about that.
yeah pls this would help so much they are about the same price range and it would really help to have a comparison
X series is an all around grinder, J-Ultra is nearly exclusively an espresso grinder. the razor fine micron adjustments and the coated burrs produce more fines, which is less advantageous for filter, but MUCH needed for medium/dark roasted espresso (and does well with light roasted espresso too, just not as perfect as flats would). You buy each of the grinders for different purposes.
@@MikeEdwards-j9g Yes, I know that those two are all-arounders, and J-Ultra is dedicated for espresso. That information i can find on the producer's site. But I would rather like to know the subtle difference in their taste profiles, and how espressos made by all three grinders would be different from each other, or if there would be any difeerence at all.
Ok hope that this helps. Its something that i wrote to help people understand about the differences between a grinder with larger microns, a grinder with finer microns and a grinder with the correct size microns, because having the smallest microns or even step-less is not always best.
The J-Max (8.8 microns) and the J-Ultra (8 microns) wont have much difference if any for Espresso, the slightly finer microns for the Ultra just means that you have a tiny bit more grind adjustment. However the taste is pretty much the same as the J-Max.
The X-Pro and the X-Ultra with their 12.5 microns do have a difference in flavour and other things when compared with the J-Max and J-Ultra when grinding for Espresso because the finer micron size grind adjustment can change the flavour for espresso coffee for the following reasons.
Extraction Time:
Finer grind sizes generally increase the surface area of coffee particles, which can lead to a faster extraction. As the water has more contact with the coffee, flavors are extracted more quickly.
Extraction Rate:
A finer grind allows water to permeate the coffee grounds more easily, extracting solubles at a faster rate. This can lead to a higher extraction yield, resulting in a more concentrated and intense flavor.
Flavor Concentration:
The finer grind extracts more soluble compounds, including both desirable flavors and potentially bitter compounds. This can result in a more concentrated and robust flavor profile.
Body and Mouthfeel:
Finer grinds often contribute to a fuller-bodied and thicker mouthfeel in espresso. This is due to the increased presence of dissolved solids in the brew.
Bitterness and Over-Extraction:
While a finer grind can enhance flavor concentration, it also poses the risk of over-extraction. Over-extraction can lead to undesirable bitter and astringent flavors. It's essential to balance the extraction time and grind size to avoid extracting too many bitter compounds.
Channeling:
Finer grinds can increase the risk of channeling, where water finds paths of least resistance through the coffee puck, leading to uneven extraction. This can result in a less balanced flavor profile.
Aroma and Crema:
The finer grind may affect the crema. A proper grind size contributes to the formation of a thick and creamy crema, enhancing the overall sensory experience. The aroma can also be impacted, as the finer grind allows for more volatile compounds to be released.
It's important to note that the optimal grind size can vary depending on the specific coffee beans roast level, and even the espresso machine being used.
So having the finer adjustment to be able to dial in the grind size for espresso can have a significant impact on flavor, and this impact can vary depending on the roast level of the coffee beans.
Here's how a finer or coarser grind adjustment might enhance the flavor for espresso with different roast levels:
Finer Grind for Dark Roasts:
Extraction Control:
Dark roasted beans are often more soluble than lighter roasts. Using a finer grind allows for better control over the extraction process, helping to balance the intense flavors of dark roasts.
Intensity and Concentration:
A finer grind can intensify the concentration of flavors in the espresso. For dark roasts, this can enhance the rich, bold, and sometimes smoky or chocolaty characteristics associated with these beans.
Bitterness Management:
Dark roasts tend to have more bitter compounds. A finer grind can help manage the extraction time, preventing over-extraction and minimizing excessive bitterness.
Crema Enhancement:
Dark roasts may produce less crema due to the longer roasting process. A finer grind can contribute to a better crema, providing a creamy texture.
Coarser Grind for Lighter Roasts:
Extraction Balancing:
Lighter roasts are often denser and less soluble. Using a coarser grind helps balance the extraction by allowing water to flow through the grounds more easily, preventing over-extraction and avoiding overly sour or astringent flavors.
Acidity Preservation:
Lighter roasts typically have more acidity and brighter, fruitier notes. A coarser grind can help preserve these delicate flavors, as a more extended extraction time with a finer grind might overpower the natural acidity.
Clarity of Flavor:
Coarser grinds can contribute to a cleaner and more defined flavor profile for lighter roasts. This allows for a nuanced and vibrant taste experience, bringing out the unique characteristics of the beans.
Astringency Management:
Lighter roasts may have a tendency to become overly astringent if over-extracted. A coarser grind helps minimize this risk by allowing water to pass through the coffee grounds more quickly.
General Considerations:
Brewing Equipment:
The type of espresso machine used can influence the impact of grind size adjustments. It's essential to consider the specific characteristics of the espresso machine and make adjustments accordingly.
The 1Zpresso X-pro S has a lot of nice characteristics which make it easier (comparing to Comandante) to grind the coffee beans every day with it but the main thing is missing: the 100% taste of the coffee. It is not bad, but it takes only ~70%-80% of the potential of each coffee out, which is for me not enough. I brew coffee with the pour-over method using the Hario V60. Does the K-Ultra have the same burrs and taste profile like the X-pro S?
Hi Konstantin. When you say that the X-Pro S "takes only ~70%-80% of the potential of each coffee out" Can i please ask you, how much of that conclusion is based on personal taste?
Also i would like to ask you if you have tested any other similar grinders side by side with your X-Pro S? Because the flavour profile that you are getting in your cup, can be the result of a lot of different things.
Ok the grinder plays a big part in the flavour. But so does the type of beans that you are using, the roast level of the beans (even the same beans from the same batch, from the same roasted is never really going to be exactly the same from packet to packet.
The you need to take into consideration other factors, like method, ratio, technique, water temperature, agitation/none agitation, filter paper type and draw down speed, amongst other things.
Each of these things can be very different from bean to bean and can result in very different flavours even from the same grinder , but even from a different grinder that has the same type of burrs and the same microns size.
Its really difficult to not compare some grinders to the Comandante C40, but this comparison is always because of the burrs, people always say that they really enjoy the flavour profile that they get with the C40.
When Comandante released the C40 its was considered "the best manual coffee grinder" on available for some time.
The C40 was and still is a very decent quality grinder and some people still swear that the flavour profile from the Comandante C40 is the best flavour profile for Pour over.
As far as the grinder is concerned, when you get down to it, the flavour profile is really dictated by a few things.
(flavour profile for Pour over can obviously be affected by other things like grind size, water temp, draw down speed, agitation and technique ect, but for the actual grinder is pretty much the same for all grinders)
1) The size and type of burrs.
2) The stabilizers for the burrs shaft (baring's and fittings)
3) Microns size.
The Comandante C40 has 40mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs, in my opinion, its always been these burrs that have given the C40 its great "clean and bright" flavour profile and its these burrs that are really the only reason to buy the C40.
However plenty of other manual grinders now have these type of burrs and they are often more than half the price of the C40.
For example the Q2 Heptagonal grinder has 38mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs and is priced at less than $100USD also 1Zpresso released the Q2 Air a few weeks ago and this grinder also has the 38mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs and that grinder is $50USD.
Ok 38mm burrs are not 40mm burrs, but they are the same type of burrs with the same amount of cores, the slightly smaller size just means that it takes slightly longer to grind.
Ok so the overall build quality compared to the C40 is not as solid, but the actual important parts that do all the work are very solid and i would argue that the burrs and the burr mount for the Q2 Air is just as good and just as solid as the burrs and burr mount for the C40 (in as much as the burr shaft does not move or wobble).
The X-Pro S has the same size and type of burrs as the C40 (40mm 7 core Heptagonal) so this should result in pretty much the same flavour profile as the C40 (or any other similar manual grinder that has the same size and type of burrs).
The only difference between these two grinders at that point is the micron size.
The X-Pro has 12.5 microns and the C40 (without the RedClix burrs) has 30 microns.
So i would say that if there is any difference in flavour profile between these two grinders (or even any other similar Pour over grinders that have at least 40mm 7 core Heptagonal burrs and a bigger micron size than the X-Pro S (like 22 - 33 microns) that it is the finer micron size that is producing slightly more fines and is the reason why the flavour profile is slightly different at the Pour over level.
Ok with that said, not just the inner burrs, but the outer burrs, whether they are sharp or rounded, can have an impact on the flavor profile also.
When 1Zpresso first released the X-Pro grinder, the outer burrs for the X-Pro were the burrs with the slightly more rounded off edges.
Some argue that conical burrs with rounded edges can produce a slightly different flavor profile.
The grinding action for rounded burrs can be less aggressive, potentially generating less heat during the grinding process and this can help preserve the delicate flavors of the coffee beans, especially with light or medium roast coffees.
Burrs with sharp edges are typically considered to be more efficient in grinding coffee beans. The sharp edges can cut through the beans more effectively, leading to a more uniform grind size (less fines).
This consistency is important for achieving an even extraction during brewing, which can result in a well-balanced and flavorful cup of coffee.
So i would argue that these sharper burrs make the X-Pro and the X-Ultra better for the medium and course grind range, because the sharper burrs help to counter the finer 12.5 micron size that potentially produce slightly more fines at that grind range, by making the particles more uniform.
1Zpresso also changed the outer burrs for the X-Pro to the same more sharp outer burrs that you get with the X-Ultra around October last year, so both grinders now have the same burrs and should also have the same flavour profile.
Sorry for the long explanation, but its not easy to answer that question, without explaining all the other things.
@@mightymightyironhead Thank you very much for your great analysis. Of course when I am speaking about the taste of something, including coffee, it is my personal feeling. Saying that with 1Zpresso X-pro S I get 70-80% of the potential of each coffee is based on my personal taste. In contrast to 1Zpresso X-pro S, I get with the Comandante for sure more taste, deeper, rounder, brighter, better mouthfeel and a better aftertaste. I think that it is not a coincidence that worldwide coffee lovers rave about Comandante. So, it means that most of the people have similar opinion, which is of course each based on their personal taste.
I have a lot of reasons not to be 100% happy with the Comandante. I do not think that it is a beautiful grinder, it is also too big for my small hand, it is slow and the worst thing is the missing of the numbering of the grinding degrees. Last thing is for my opinion a shame for a company which sells such an expensive grinder like Comandante and has not made sure of this issue. I find this disrespectful towards the customer. Also I did not like that they did not take care of the micron size. So after a while I realised that I had to buy the RedClix paying another 40€(40$), because otherwise I could not have the perfect result for some brew methods (I brew most of the times with the V60 but also with Mocca Master filter machine, Hario Switch, Kalita and Konos).
On the other hand, 1Zpresso X-pro S is nice, thinner and smaller, so it sits well in my hand, grinds fast and is not noisy, has numbering of the grinding degrees and the adjust of them is very easy and stable, simply genius! I would love to have this hand grinder for grinding my coffee every day, BUT the taste of the coffee did not satisfy me. I tried everything, I found the right grinding degree for every brew method I use and the taste in the cup was good, but not enough! Not the same level that I got grinding the same coffee beans with the Comandante! I noticed that the X-pro S produces more fines. Also I noticed that the burrs of X-pro S have thinner wrinkles compared to them of Comandante. I am not expert in such issues but maybe it causes more fines(?).
I appreciate the whole work on the 1Zpresso X-pro S and the the company had respect towards the customer. But the main thing, the taste, is in my opinion by X-pro S inferior than by Comandante.
For some people who do not care or cannot notice the differences and the plenty of details at the taste of a good quality cup of coffee, the X-pro S is for sure a better option than the Comandante because of the reasons I mentioned above and because of the much better price.
Thank you very much again for your response and for the very helpful videos!
Konstantin
Hi Konstantin. Thanks for taking the time to explain a few things. When i ask people how much of what they say about the flavour profile that they get from a grinder, its important for me to understand why they say that and what other grinders they have as a reference to make the decision between the two grinders, so i appreciate you explaining why you prefer the taste you get with the C40 over the X-Pro.
I have thought a lot recently about the difference in flavour that you get with the X-Pro, X-Ultra and the Comandante C40 grinders. 1Zpresso release the X-Pro with pretty much the same size and type of inner burrs and cutting disc (outer burrs) as the C40 grinder, but they also kept the finer 12. 5 micron size from the JX-Pro grinder.
The C40 has 30 microns fine adjustment, so i think that the larger micron size that you get with the C40 has an impact on the flavour for the C40 grinder, like you pointed out (finer microns produce more fines and this can alter the flavour profile) and i would say that this finer micron size is definitely going to give those two grinders a slightly different flavour profile to the C40 grinder.
Then i would point out that the C40 uses a different type of metal for the burrs (high-alloyed, high-nitrogen stainless steel) and apparently this type of alloy has less imperfections in the surface that prevents oils and other particles getting into the surface imperfections and can also improve the flavour.
I think that these differences do make these grinders quite different to each other, so i personally think that its not really a good idea for fully compare the C40 (a Pour over grinder) with the X-Pro (an all round grinder, with much finer microns). I would say that its better to compare something like the JE,JE-Plus or one of the K series grinders that have a closer micron size to the C40 (the K-Ultra has 20 microns, but the other K series grinders have 22 microns).
Also the change in the outer burrs for the X-Pro to the sharper more precise burrs that are in the X-Ultra is also going to change the flavour profile quite a lot and quite a lot of people are talking about this at the moment. I am actually just about to finish a video showing the difference between the X-Pro and the X-Ultra and talking a little about what grinder i found works best for my taste.
I used to have a C40 and i really enjoyed the taste from that grinder. Its does produce a very good flavour, but i realised that that very good flavour is only really there for Pour over and maybe French press, but for other brew types that require finer grind adjustments, like Aeropress and Espresso, its just not the same case with those, again i think that this is down to the things that i mentioned above and the fact that the C40 is really a Pour over grinder first and foremost and not really an all round grinder like the X-Pro.
So even though its very understandable why a lot of people are curious about the flavour profile that you get with a manual grinder, because we all want the best possible flavour from that expensive grinder that we just paid for, its not always a good idea to compare every grinder to the C40, especially grinders that are not even really the same type of grinder for the same brew types.
I really enjoy this type of conversation, because we are all learning at the end of the day and its really good feedback for me to know what people who actually have these grinders and actually use them are thinking and what they prefer, so thanks again for sharing that with me.
Good day.
Wanted to ask a few things:
Were K-Max's outer burrs always sharp? Because they look about as sharp as outer burrs on X-Ultra.
And I recently bought JE-Plus. Have been using it for about 2 months now and I noticed a clear sign of wear on inner burr's diagonal sharp parts - some of them have titanium coating removed and their edges seem a bit more rough. I've had a J-Max for close to two years now, and it's burrs are barely touched. I wrote a letter to 1zpresso, we'll see what they are going to say about this issue. But, knowing how much of a pain is to communicate with them, judging by what you say, I also decided to ask you.
Off the top of my head, i seem to remember that the K-Max had the rounded edge outer burrs, but please bare in mind that when i get a shipment of grinders, they have an outer plastic seal on the product carton, so i can not open and look inside.
So did not look at any of my later batches of K-Max, only the early ones, so its possible that 1Zpresso also changed those burrs and did not tell me.
Its also been a while since i had a JE-Plus, 1Zpresso stopped allowing me to order these grinders when they released the K-Max about two years ago.
However when i was selling the JE-Plus and i did sell a lot of them, they never had any issues with the burrs, or any other problems and i never had a single customer complaint.
Also i never had an issue with the coating on my personal JE-Plus and i used that grinder a lot for Pour over.
In the time i have been selling 1Zpresso grinders (4 - 5 years) i have sold thousands of units and i can honestly say that i have had maybe 4 minor issues with the ones that i have sold and these issues have been an easy fix, so i can honestly say that if there are any issues with their grinders, it does not happen very often.
With that said, i have had two grinders with issues with the burrs. I have a J-Max that was issued with pretty much the first batch of J-Max grinders and the coating on the burrs was spotty and looked like small parts of the coating was missing or had fallen off.
I was messaged by someone in South America who said that they were an online influencer and they had received a free J-Max grinder from 1Zpresso and their burrs also had this same issue.
A little later they messaged me again and told me that 1Zpresso has replaced the burrs for them, however when i contacted 1Zpresso about mine, they just made excuses and said that it was normal.
The other issue i had was about 6 - 8 months ago, i sold a JX grinder and the burrs in that grinder looked unfinished, the edges had some pretty ragged and rough edges, like they had not been polished properly.
I contacted 1Zpresso about this, but they said that this was also normal and the rough edges will smooth out after use.
I kind of agreed with them, however i have a little bit of respect for my customers and i changed the burrs for another set and took the loss, because i personally dont think that they should be getting burrs that look unfinished in their grinder.
Also where are these small pieces of stainless steel going to go if they fall off, again i am not sure i would want to drink coffee that might have small pieces of stainless steel in the bottom of the cup.
Anyway long story short, i think that they will more then likely change the burrs for you, especially with the coating missing, because what's the point of coating if its just going to fall off and that coating is supposed to last a long time and give the burrs a longer life.
Anyway good luck, i hope that you get a good result and please update me when they get back to you.
@@mightymightyironhead Thanks for a response.
I have received K-Max and JE-Plus in late december. Bought K-Max for my relatives, and JE for myself. That K-max was manufactured recently, in 2023, can't remember when exactly. I guess 1zpresso did change the burrs for K-Max, since, judging by the pictures on the internet, outer burrs on older versions look less sharp. 1zpresso just can't stop themselves from tinkering with their grinders, I guess.
As for the burrs, I'll wait for a response from 1zpresso and will use J-Max in the meantime. But there is a possibility they won't do anything, since, according to their website: "the warranty does not cover damages such as rust or wear and tear, as we cannot guarantee the product’s usage or storage." That's really bloody strange. I guess if my grinder will decide to snap in half, they'll just shrug. Sounds like a really poor customer servise they've got.
For comparison, I've contacted Wacaco two months before my warranty expires and provided videos of my picopresso leaking from the pump. So they've just sended me a new Pico body.
And my Varia scales didn't work properly, so Varia shipped me a new one, even though I've got my Aku for half the price on sale.
Still, I'll wait and hope for the best.
Yes its possible that they did change the burrs and not tell anyone. If its any consolation, its also very frustrating for me also.
I really dont like to just guess about the products that i am selling to customers, i rely on the companies that i pay money to at least explain their products and specs so that i can effectively pass that information onto customers, but i think that these companies often forget that dealers are also customers, i dont work for them.
I actually asked 1Zpresso to clarify their warranty terms a little while ago and they could not even give me a basic outline of their terms and conditions for their warranty or where to find more information, they just said that they did not have it.
I also agree with you about Wacaco, i have dealt with Wacaco for years now and they have also given me some nightmares in the past, but i have to admit that their customer service and warranty agreement is very good. I have had several customers who have had the issue with the Picopresso pump handle leaking and i just send them a replacement and i get a replacement from Wacaco for that, i dont have to argue or go into detail, i just submit a form and its done.
I really hope that 1Zpresso do replace your burrs for you, i personally would not say that the coating falling off after a few months should be ignored or down to wear and tear, or miss use ( obviously you did not misuse the grinder or burrs) a burrs coating should last for quite a long time and any wearing down should be along the blades where the grinding action is constant, not spotting on the surface of the burrs, thats not wear and tear, thats faulty coating.
@@mightymightyironhead Well, my attempts at talking with 1Zy didn't go well. They seem to understand the problem and that it should't be happening, but they've just shifted responsibility on the seller and went silent since 3rd of february. The seller barelly understands english and doesn't even use google translate or something, just writes in incoherent english. I've contacted aliexpress support, but I doubt they'll be able to do anything. Bloody hell, I didn't expect that kind of customer support from 1Zpresso.
@@mightymightyironheadI enjoyed your video and am looking forward to the follow up of your testing. I hope you can provide a hand grinder recommendation to me as can tell you have a lot of experience with them. I brew mostly pour over style coffee including V60, Switch, French Press, AeroPress, siphon brew, etc. using almost exclusively medium to dark roast beans. I like a full bodied coffee and would like a grinder that helps bring out the chocolate and caramel notes, sweetness, full mouth feel, etc. of this roast level of beans. I typically do larger brews, so a grinder with at least 25g capacity would be beneficial. I really like the grinders with external adjustment, but not a must have. Cost is a factor as well, so would want to stay below $300 USD. Your suggestions would be really appreciated.
not gonna lie, the sharper burr set from the X-Ultra puts out a slightly less quality cup than the old burr set. It's not enormous, but in my personal taste testing I found them to be slightly muddier and slightly less flexible in terms of making mistakes on the grind. My X-pro (first week it came out, even before it hit American audiences) is much more similar to the commandante in terms of flavor, this one just feels like a step down. However, I find that with really light roasts that excel in fruit and acidity it seems to make a slightly sharper and more precise cup, so it's kind of a trade off.
again, this is nitpicky, and your average person won't pick it up as much, but I feel like the burr change has made the X-pro and X-ultra slighlty less value oriented than it used to be. JMO
To be honest you are not too far off the mark and its always really good to hear other peoples opinion, also as we both know, coffee can be a very personal thing, what you might like i might not.
I think that a lot of people use the Comandante C40 as a reference for other grinders and especially for Pour over, because the flavour profile that you get with the C40 is really good.
However the X-Pro does not match that grinder 100%, even if it had the exact same burrs, the micron size (12.5) is over twice as fine as the C40 (30) micron size and i would say that the micron size is going to change the flavour profile quite a lot, then you factor into that the sharper burrs and you are getting a little further away from that C40 flavour profile.
I have a fealing that one of the reasons that 1Zpresso changed the burrs to the sharper burrs was to counter the finer 12.5 microns, because these finer microns do alter the flavour that you get quite a lot, they can also produce slightly more fines than a grinder with bigger microns like the C40 or even the K series grinders (20 - 22 microns).
Maybe they just wanted to cater for all those people who insist on using light roasted beans for Espresso? i mean... thats just odd, right? LOL
Technically the sharper burrs with the X-ultra should produce a more precise and uniform particle size, so they should be slightly more precise than the rounded burrs in the X-Pro
This type of consistency should technically produce less fines, so better draw down for Pour over and allow for for a more uniform particle where the water can penetrate and pull more flavour from your coffee for certain brew types like Espresso, Pour over, Drip Coffee and Aeropress and for certain beans like natural processed at certain roast levels, like medium and light.
I found that I preferred the X-Ultra, because I usually brew for Espresso, Pour over, Drip Coffee and Aeropress over the x-pro that I found was slightly better for Turkish Coffee, Percolator, French press and Cold brew.
I mostly use medium or medium dark roasted beans for my Pour over and Espresso, but the tests that I did do with lighter roasted beans, I also found that the sharper burrs with the better precision and consistency in grind size with the X-Ultra seemed to give a slightly better clarity of Flavors using Natural processed beans for Espresso, even more so than my J-Max for some beans.
I personally dont think that one grinder is better than the other, just slightly different and if i just had my original X-Pro and they never released the X-Ultra with the sharper burrs, i would never have had the two grinders to test side by side and taste that slight difference, likewise if it was the other way around and i got the X-Ultra without testing the X-Pro, i am pretty sure that i would have been 100% happy with that grinder and the flavour it produces.
@@mightymightyironhead yeah, spot on for everything. I haven't tried the Ultra for light roasted espresso yet, but I found the X-pro was good, but never GREAT for espresso. much brighter and morme leaning towards turbo shots.
for my espresso I rotate between the JE-Plus and the J-Ultra (used to have the max, but the Ultra nad Max are nearly indistinguishable) I like the JE-Plus for some rosts, while the J-Ultra for others. the JE-Plus puts out some incredibly thicky and syrupy shots that are that ooey gooey consistency that I can't get anywhere else. I find the J-ultra to be more precise for dialing in and creates a cleaner taste, but gives up some of the body that the JE-Plus gives.... I haven't tried to much on the X-pro/Ultra for espresso, but I really should try some shots on it again.
honeslty, I think 1zpresso just putsout great grinders in generatl and I'd be happy with most of them. I have my commandante and use it a lot, but I think the K-ultra and K-max both outclass it for ease of use and are on par with the commandante taste wise. I'd love to try the C60, but that $599 + shipping and tax price tag is Commandante smoking some serious crack. I have no idea what they were thinking and what demographic they were going after. it just doesn't make sense
I was pretty pissed off when 1Zpresso said that they were discontinuing the JE and JE-Plus grinders when 1Zporesso introduced the K-Max grinder, those two were very good grinders and i personally think that they are closer to the Comandante than the K series grinders.
However it pissed me off even more to see that 1Zpresso are literally still selling the JE and JE-Plus on their own website two years later, so basically they lied to me about not manufacturing those grinders and i lost two really good grinders that i had worked very hard to build up and promote.
Actually 1Zpresso have a very odd marketing strategy, where they don't allow certain products to be sold in certain regions. I asked about this and was told that "The boss prefers China and Taiwan over the rest of the world" some of this could be down to license and IP, or copyright from other companies, the way that Comandante very aggressively threatens other companies with copyright infringement.
But that does not make sense when i see these same grinders being sold internationally in the countries where they would be more likely to have these issues, so again, i think that its mostly bull shit from 1Zpresso.
I agree with you that 1Zpresso do make very good grinders, i have sold thousands of their products and honestly i have had maybe 3 or 4 issues, those issues have been very small problems and easy to fix. I honestly can not say that about any of the other companies that i deal with, so i will tolerate the frustrations of dealing with 1Zpresso because their products are some of the best.
Do you have the regular Comandante C40? i don't remember off the top of my head, but i am pretty sure that the original C40 also had the sharper outer burrs? If not i am almost certain that the MK2 - MK3 do have the sharper burrs the same as the X-Ultra grinder, so its interesting that people don't mention the difference in flavour profile from the MK1 to the MK2 and MK3
The new Comandante C60 Baracuda and the X25 Trailmaster grinders do look really nice, actually its about time that they released something different, the C40 is over 10 years old now. Apparently they are touting the C60 as a 60-millimeter burr grinder based on diameter, so that's very interesting.
The X25 was upgraded to include Comandante’s “Tiger Shark” burr set (sharp burr set). "The set is composed of the same steel as the C40 and C60 burrs, but optimized for the smaller size". So it does look like they have used pretty much the same type of sharp burrs as the X-Ultra, again i will be interested to see what people say about the flavour profile for these same sharp burrs.
The X25 is around $230USD so its very much in line with the K series grinder price and i think that this is intentional from Comandante to put out a new product as direct competition to other companies like 1Zpresso.
@@mightymightyironhead yeah, I was just getting into hand grinders when they were in the middle of discontinuing the JE plus... they didn't even sell it on their website for a few years either. I only saw the JE plus come back to Amazon US and their website at the end of 2023 so I dove on grabbing one. Everyone who had one always raved about it being one of the better grinders that 1zpresso makes.
I have the Commandante C40 MK4...not sure about the earlier generation of C40 burrs...my outer burrs aren't the sharp edge type on the MK4 at least.
and yeah, I agree with you. I can never get a straight answer out of 1zpresso for most of my questions, so I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you dealers. I stick with them simply because they put out a good product and I just have to roll with their "enigmatic" communication and specs .
This is one of their "enigmatic" communication and specs, its like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
When i asked them about the burrs for the X-Pro being changed to the burrs from the X-Ultra, this is a typical exchange with 1Zpresso.
Question.
"So, i wanted to ask you, did 1Zpresso change the burrs (and any other things) for the X-Pro.
If so, when did you change these things?
And lastly if you did change the outer burrs to the same burrs as the X-Ultra, why did you change the burrs to the sharper type of burrs from the Ultra?"
Response.
Yes, the burr set of the X-Pro/X-Pro S grinder has been changed. We don’t have the exact timeline for this change, and the differences in both designs are not that significant. Normally, we do not advertise or inform every party about changes in details.
I believe you are referring to Asser; he favored the last design over the latest design of the X-Pro/X-Pro S grinder.
Both the X-Pro S and X-Ultra grinders have different burr set designs. We have tested every burr set, and we believe it is the best burr set for this grinder in terms of several criteria.
The last part about "testing the burrs" and "several criteria" made my head hurt haha.
I used to have a C40 a few years ago, i honestly dont remember what shape the outer burrs were, i have a feeling that they were the rounded ones like the X-Pro before they changed those.
However i am really confused because i have seen pictures of the C40 (maybe MK2 and mk3) that do look like they have the sharper burrs, but too much internet can really mess with your head, so i could be totally wrong.
Does the x pro s or x ultra handle for the zp6? And would the zp6 w the folding handle fit the new case that the x-ultra comes in?
Hi good evening. Yes the S series handle from the X-Ultra and the X-Pro does fit onto the ZP6.
The adjustment dial for the ZP6 is 6cm wide and the plastic popcorn shield on the end of the grind handle is about 4cm.
The plastic popcorn guard on the end of the grind handle for both the X-Pro and the X-Ultra grinders, so also the same size (4cm) so the handle from both the X-Pro and X-Ultra fits nicely onto the ZP6.
The ZP6 (with the grind handle attached) is 6cm wide and also 19cm long (same as the J-Ultra and K-Ultra grinders) so yes the ZP6 does also fit into the new travel case.
@@mightymightyironhead thanks so much! Any word on an updated 1zpresso zp6 maybe already with s handle?
I did ask 1Zpresso about if they plan to release the ZP6 with the S series handle as standard, at the moment the ZP6 is showing on their website as being the regular handle with no option to order with the S series handle.
They said that they will look into it and update me later if they do. If they update me, i will also update you.