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Grinding Naivete
CharcoalRoaster
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 10:11 AM
I mostly drink drip/pourovers and so the heavy use of my grinders up to this point has been to serve that purpose. However, I grind for espresso occasionally when I roast espresso blends. Should I avoid grinders with dosers?

I am imagining dosing 52 grams of ground coffee into a Melitta filter for my BonaVita every morning lol.
 
turtle
Top  #2 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 10:41 AM

Quote

CharcoalRoaster wrote:

I mostly drink drip/pourovers and so the heavy use of my grinders up to this point has been to serve that purpose. However, I grind for espresso occasionally when I roast espresso blends. Should I avoid grinders with dosers?

I am imagining dosing 52 grams of ground coffee into a Melitta filter for my BonaVita every morning lol.


I've settled on 3 auto/electric and 2 hand grinders. Electrics: Two for pour over / press and 1 for espresso. Manual: one for press / pour over the other for espresso

The two pour over / press electric grinders are weight based grinders (grind to a preset weight of ground beans then shut off). The 3rd is a modified Super Jolly that is time based (within 1/100 second).

Dosers are a real pain. I used my SJ as a doser for a while before giving up on it. Was just too much work to keep it cleaned out to avoid getting some stale grounds the following day. Any electric is going to retain within the chute and this can't be helped. When you are talking about 52 grams a few extra grams are no big but when you are grinding a single shot (7 grams) if 2 grams are old your first pull is going to be off unless you grind and dump the first few seconds of the grind every morning.

The current grinding "bull pen" at Casa Mick

Left to right: Forte | Preciso/Esatto | Super Jolly

Timer for the SJ is on the far left (Auber grinder timer)

i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/food/coffee/grinders/3-17-2014_grinders_zps3b26b14c.jpg
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
ciel-007
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 4:20 PM

Quote

CharcoalRoaster wrote:

... I grind for espresso occasionally when I roast espresso blends. Should I avoid grinders with dosers? ...


CR, not all grinders are created equal when it comes to grinds that are "left behind" inside the chamber after use. If you grind infrequently, and in small quantities, some less expensive grinders may yield a more flavorful pull than some more expensive grinders.

The following video compares several machines in terms of the amount of grinds that is left inside the grinding chamber, and that may become stale.

Ciel

Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
CharcoalRoaster
Top  #4 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 7:35 PM
I appreciate the info - but I think I wasn't as clear as I probably wanted to be when asking the question.

I grind minimum 52 grams per day for use in my BonaVita. I brew a 8 cup pot in the morning, and most evenings. So, my primary and most regular use is for drip/pour over brewing. However, occasionally I roast an espresso blend for making my wife some latte's. I grind multiple times a day so I'm not as concerned with remnants between grinds.

I suppose I wanted to know whether or not a doser would be cumbersome when mostly grinding for drip/pour over?
 
turtle
Top  #5 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 8:44 PM

Quote

CharcoalRoaster wrote:
I appreciate the info - but I think I wasn't as clear as I probably wanted to be when asking the question.

I suppose I wanted to know whether or not a doser would be cumbersome when mostly grinding for drip/pour over?


When you say "doser" are you thinking about something like the big can on a Mazzer?

Keeping it filled with ground coffee than "dosing" it throughout the day?

i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/food/coffee/grinders/jolly_lid-2_zps2a8c2b4d.jpg
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
CharcoalRoaster
Top  #6 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 10:10 PM
Yes. My experience with dosers is limited since the only grinder other than a whirly blade was my Baratza. But it looks like any grinder with a doser has that big can.

Perhaps my understanding of how a doser works is flawed. I am under the impression you grind the beans into the "can" then pull a lever to release a small amount of grounds into a portafilter. However, can you just simply hold open the doing lever to release whatever amount you choose - small or large?
 
turtle
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 01/29/2015 11:15 PM
Ah.... no.

The Mazzer dosers are adjustable for the volume of the dose/shot for each pull

BUT

You have to chuck it each time for each dose amount.

SO

To fill your 52 gram requirement would take half dozen pulls on the lever to get "close"

Your best bet for a consistent amount of coffee is getting the Esatto attachment for your Baratza. It will fit all models except the very early Maestro, Vario, and Forte (last two already have weight ot time based grinding built in).

I started off using the Esatto on my Maestro plus then moved it to my Preciso when I purchased that grinder.

The Esatto has 3 saved weight settings that you can make anything you wish. Once you have the weight of ground coffee set you just push the start button, walk away and you will get your 52 grams +/- 1/2 gram every time.

The Esatto was the best purchase I made until I went with a Vario-W and Forte. I kept the Esatto as I like having both a flat burr pour over grinder (Forte BG) and a conical burr pour over grinder (Preciso).

Dosers are best for high volume coffee shops where they run the grinder to fill the doser then dose shots for 15-20 minutes until they need to run the grinder again.

I've found dosers a bit of a pain for single dosing. There are lots of mods for dosers that make them nicer for single dose usage, sweeps etc but I just pulled mine off and went with an electronic single and double dose timer.

Mazzer makes a stand alone doser if you want just the doser without a grinder attached. Never seen much call for one and never knew anyone who used or even had one but they do exist.

www.riodubai.com/admin/uploads/mazzer_dispnser_top_preview.jpg
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
CharcoalRoaster
Top  #8 Print Post
Posted on 01/30/2015 8:33 AM
Got it. Thanks for the insight everyone.
 
ginny
Top  #9 Print Post
Posted on 01/30/2015 1:40 PM
if you weigh your grams why gives a rats butt abut a doser?


not computing for me.

ginny


party
 
turtle
Top  #10 Print Post
Posted on 01/30/2015 1:54 PM

Quote

ginny wrote:

if you weigh your grams why gives a rats butt abut a doser?


not computing for me.

ginny


party


Right. Weigh going in (beans) then grind all of them works just as well as weighing post grind.

This is what I do at our cabin where I have a Maestro plus with no weight grinder attachment and not even a scale (of any sort)

I have a cup that holds 34 grams of beans when filled. I fill the cup, dump the beans in, and grind them all.

I do the same thing when I travel in the RV. Fill the cup, dump them into my CM-50 and grind them all.

As long as I am using the same brew method (Chemex 6 cup) all comes out perfectly.
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #11 Print Post
Posted on 01/31/2015 6:54 PM
Yes. The kind of doser you're talking about -- a nose mounted, mechanical, sweeping doser -- would "be cumbersome" for brew grinding and dosing.

There's a bigger issue though, and that's the near complete lack of grinders which adequately grind for espresso AND brew under the best of circumstances, much less go back and forth frequently.

I'm not trying to tell you what your wife should find acceptable for her latte, that's up to her after all; but it's not likely that what you're doing now is very good.

FYI, very few people -- whether at home or in a commercial establishment -- use mechanical, sweeping dosers in the manner for the purpose they were intended. In that sense, they're obsolete.

Rich
Edited by boar_d_laze on 01/31/2015 7:02 PM
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
CharcoalRoaster
Top  #12 Print Post
Posted on 02/03/2015 4:09 PM
Since I am so unfamiliar with the mechanical, sweeping dosers - why aren't they used for their intended purpose?

Also, she's not terribly particular and I prefer to roast for pour overs so I'm sure my espresso skills are seriously lacking. Good enough to enjoy at the house though.
 
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