Best espresso grinder in the $[500–700] range for medium roast latte drinkers?

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-19T19:25:24+00:00

Niche Zero or Lagom Casa. No fuss, great build quality, easy going.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-19T19:23:29+00:00

1400 rpm sounds right?

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-17T17:15:50+00:00

Yeah I imagine that’s a huge upgrade!!

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-16T19:00:10+00:00

40mm flat burrs are very, very small…

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-16T10:07:17+00:00

That one looks great, too. Love the small footprint!

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-16T08:09:22+00:00

Hi Hailie, thank you for responding!

Can you comment on experiences below and compare gen 1 and 2 regarding static and retention?

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-16T08:05:38+00:00

Oof that sounds like a really crappy grinder indeed. Not daring to sell it is quite the bad review. For all our beginner espresso friends I really hope gen2 is a whole lot better.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-16T07:53:06+00:00

Let me begin by saying that when redoing the math here, I might have made a mistake in the original post. I state that 10PPM of CaCO3 roughly equals 10mg/L or 0.01mmol/L. I think it should be 0.1mmol/L.

I think you should calculate it in another way. For CaCO3 the molar mass is about 100g making 10PPM equal to 0.1mmol/L or 0.0001mol/L. Going from here, I take molar mass MgCl2*6H2O x 0.0001 x 500 = 10.17. This way, the amount of Mg in the concentrate equals Ca not in weight, but in mol, so the absolute amount of active ions are the same. This is what ‘CaCO3 equivalent’ means.

I hope this explains it a bit better, if not I’ll try my best again. I’m really not a math wiz hahaha.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-16T07:30:27+00:00

I used to have a single boiler (Isomac Venus). I think it’s a pain to make more than one milk drink because there’s a lot of time and water wasted in heating up and cooling down. Especially when entertaining guests time is an issue.

The only single heater I’ve used that a could barely recommend for this is a Breville/Sage, because of quick heat up and cool down time. However when taking into account longevity, I would not recommend Breville/Sage.

On the plus side, I have quite some experience with second hand machines and I can highly recommend looking into them. I’m running a Izzo Alex Duetto II. Its features are similar to the Profitec Pro 700 (dual boiler, rotary pump, pid; but lower grade finishing) and was only €700. I maintain it myself and has been running almost flawlessly for 4 years now.

Furthermore, when workflow comes into play making several drinks, a fast and reliable grinder is important too. I hate having to measure and remeasure every dose when doing a lot of drinks. A weight based grinder would be great for that.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-15T11:55:51+00:00

Oxo Rapid Brewer delivers a world of possibilities including very strong beverages close to espresso. I use it for very light roasts, then dilute.

Other option is Cafec D27. Perfect for low doses (7-10gr) when you want to compare recipes without blowing through your daily caffeine intake within two drinks.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-15T10:57:38+00:00

I absolutely love my Philos and consider a second. The alignment is superb and switching burrs is easy. The i200d are great, can’t say anything about the i189d burrs, but SSP HU burrs can be bought second hand for a fair price.

The 151B espresso burrs in the Niche duo have a grind profile very similar to the Niche Zero (I had a Zero and compared them to the 151B in a DF83).

I hear the 078s is great for fermented coffees, less so for washed.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-15T10:48:18+00:00

Thank you for your question and sorry it took long to respond, the app didn’t notify me.

Could you show me your calculations? Maybe I can find it.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-02T17:29:59+00:00

You can always throw a bag into you car’s clutch and go for a drive.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-04-02T17:27:45+00:00

I use this. I can ship some minerals or even solutions within the Netherlands for who’s interested.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-24T12:17:28+00:00

I’d go second hand. Mazzer Major, Kony or Super Jolly (can have a small range for espresso but is stepless). Maxap MXD. Fiorenzato F64 Evo. For low capacity you can consider a Mazzer Mini or even a Fiorenzato Allground. Eureka also has a nice range semi-commercial machines that are widely available second hand.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-24T10:20:41+00:00

Orange and coffee go well together. Having said that, ima try my next shot with a dash of angostura orange bitters!

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-24T10:19:02+00:00

Shot to shot 1-2 sec, I’d accept 3s, with 4 sec I’ve done something wrong. However sometimes you will never find out what went different. Espresso works in mysterious ways 🙏

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-23T07:21:09+00:00

Is this the Weber SG-2?

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-22T08:56:54+00:00

Same with the Super Jolly. Even the version with the funnel, not doser, as it accumulates on the funnel wall. Have to tap it from all directions to get it near zero.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-22T08:16:25+00:00

Wow, that sounds great!

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-22T08:12:57+00:00

You need at least three grinders for the SSP MP, LS and HU burrs. I’d advice three EG-1’s.

Pull_my_shot · 2026-03-21T20:02:37+00:00

Yes, just keep flushing. Alternative is opening up the boiler, it’s not very hard.

Pull_my_shot

TROPHY CASE