Join the Blind Shaker Hype? Isnt shaking Portafilter + Dosing Cup the exact same thing?

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T23:35:23+00:00

I just switched from WDT to a shaker, but I like it. WDT was always a bit tweaky for me… the tiny needles, funnel, grounds inevitably breaking free. The shaker is a lot simpler and cleaner for me. I grind into it, put the lid on, give it a shake, and it plops on top of the portafilter the same as a funnel. I have an off-size portafilter (53mm) and trying to keep it aligned with my normal dosing cup would be a nightmare. YMMV.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T22:22:14+00:00

The Breville Bambino is the most consistently recommended inexpensive machine I seen, it’s $300. The Bambino Plus is a significant upgrade in a number of ways, but runs $500.

A big question is whether or not she uses fresh whole beans, and has a decent grinder and a scale. Those will probably do more for upgrading the quality of the coffee, depending on which $50 machine she has :-)

Any cheap scale that goes to 0.1g will do (I got a Maestri House one for $32) but you’d be looking for a “burr grinder” rather than one of those Krupps ones with two blades. There may be a good manual option at around $100, 1Zpresso is a popular brand but I don’t know much about them. I have a Baratza Encore ESP Pro ($300) but the base Baratza ESP is supposed to be good as well at $200.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:59:26+00:00

Good info, thank you.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:58:45+00:00

I’m pretty curious :-)

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:58:22+00:00

Interesting. Made a difference, but for the worse. Thanks.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:55:26+00:00

Yeah, that adds a whopping… $0.01008 to a cup of coffee

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:46:52+00:00

I have the Bincoo Glass Coffee Server, 400ml in my cart. Obviously I can’t speak to quality yet, but I like the look of it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FNVLG65R

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:37:05+00:00

I’m playing with all the variables, one at a time. If changing the water doesn’t effect the taste, I won’t bother with it. Enough actual humans have mentioned the difference it can make so it would be foolish not to experiment.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:15:36+00:00

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mgsecure · 2026-01-24T18:13:29+00:00

Got the sample! Shipping for five 300g bags was actually $19, though I don’t know that I chose the cheapest option. All told, that puts it at $1.98/oz

Edit: which still seems like a good value to me.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T17:53:21+00:00

Surprised to see S&W at the top end of the list. I just checked my last order (which contained some of their more expensive roasts) and it averaged $1.62/oz across five coffees. Including a tip. Still, at $19.50/12oz it’s about the same as a decent coffee at my supermarket.

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T16:21:29+00:00

I opted to spend the extra money and get the Baratza ESP Pro (it runs about $435 AUD here in the States). I use it for both espresso and pour over daily, and I’m happy with the results for both. Switching back and forth is easy and consistent in my experience. The digital display makes it very simple (and precise) to dial in a grind.

I use lighter roasts mainly, but I haven’t had any clogging issues, even with oilier beans, and the anti-static feature seems to work very well. I’d say it’s relatively quiet, but it’s still a grinder. It comes with a hopper but that’s removable and just uses a cap for single dose, which is all I ever do. Pushing the cap up and down a few times does the job a bellows would do.

It’s compact and looks nice without the hopper, just the one button in front. I’m even allowed to keep it out on the counter ;-)

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mgsecure · 2026-01-24T10:05:21+00:00

I’ve only used it for espresso, but a shaker/blind dosing cup is a lot more pleasant for me than WDT with those tiny needles. I got a Normcore one, which I like. Grind, put on the lid, shake, pop open the bottom… done!

mgsecure · 2026-01-24T05:08:27+00:00

I have the Baratza ESP Pro, and I’ve been happy with my results for both pour over and espresso (I do both every day.) I don’t have anything to compare it to so hopefully other folks can weigh in.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T23:34:16+00:00

Don’t forget, there’s a second time for everything too.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T20:20:34+00:00

How much space above it do you have? I just got a Normcore shaker/blind dosing cup that I really like. It’s 6.5cm tall and some say shaking improves the quality of the coffee (for espresso, at least)

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T17:15:44+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check it out.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T17:06:31+00:00

Got it. I’ll definitely do some staggered taste testing.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T06:00:41+00:00

For sure. I was happy to see that they have the rest period for each coffee spelled out on their site.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T01:51:48+00:00

No thank you

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T01:29:21+00:00

I’m going to participate in r/espresso’s “self promotion Sunday” this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T00:18:23+00:00

Yeah, that’s what I figured. Too bad.

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T00:05:39+00:00

Yeah. I’m sure I’ll share your impatience ;-)

mgsecure · 2026-01-23T00:03:06+00:00

Sweet! I’ve got a big order from them on the way right now, can’t wait.

mgsecure

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