GroundLevelCoffee

We’ll soon be embarking on a week’s holiday ‘in the country’. Since an espresso machine and grinder isn’t near enough the top of the packing list, I’ll take a lighter approach to coffee-making for the duration.

The kit will comprise:

• A SwissGold one cup coffee filter
• A Zassenhaus knee mill
• A 7 gram scoop
• Two types of pre-roasted beans: A Dominican Republic and an Ethiopian Harrar.

On the bean front, I reckon the Dominican is one of the best coffees I had last year, and the Harrar will offer a good contrast to the Dominican.

I reckon that kit is about the smallest and lightest allowing for on-demand grinding. For those times when more than one cup is required, the SwissGold also serves as a very useful filter through which steeped coffee can be poured.

The Macap MC4 arrived today.

One of the joys and challenges of a new grinder is ‘dialling it in’. In laymans terms it means figuring out the best spot on the dial to produce different grinds for different brew methods.

Attilio had given me a kilo of beans with his compliments with the grinder - much appreciated since it’ll probably take several hundred grams to get the dialling in started.

After some fiddling with doses and grinds, I finally managed to find a reasonable spot on the dial for espresso. I pulled a few shots too coarse/too fast; and a few that choked the machine. After a bit of yo-yo-ing I finished back where I started from suggesting to me that sorting out my dose, not my grind, was my problem. I rationalise that in the thought that I didn’t (and still don’t) know how much coffee got stuck in the gizzards of the machine. 17 grams may go in (OK, 15-18 grams thereabouts), but how much comes out depends on a few factors.

Next step was to figure out a decent spot for plunger. I took the grinder to its coarsest setting (without having to remove the hopper-retaining screw) and it was a touch too coarse. I asked various family members to compare grinds from my Lux to the Macap and reached consensus about which was coarser/finer until we reached the point where most people thought they were identical. That’s where the fun began. My starting point for espresso is ‘3′, and an ‘8′ for plunger; but when I tried to set the dial back to an espresso setting from plunger setting, the adjustment ring came up against steady resistance. Not sure what was going on. I originally thought the lower burr was loose and riding up in the chamber, but I’ve since discounted that. It’s still not right and I assume some grounds get stuck in or around the lower burr and that stops the upper burr being lowered to effect a finer grind.

I’ll get there - it’ll just take some time. Early impressions are that the grinder is fast, looks good with the Diadema, and the grind appears very even. The only problem is moving speedily from plunge to espresso settings.

UPDATE:
I spoke to Nicole from CosmoreX today (6 January) and she confirmed my early experience with the grinder. Viz:

• that the Macap needs to be adjusted when the motor is running.
• that there is a deal of resistance and a ‘whine’ when moving from a coarse to a fine grind.
• that moving from coarse to fine should be done slowly.

It’s good to hear that all is well. Now I can get on with it.

I’ve been in the market for a new grinder for a few months now. The grind on my current Lux has seemed a little inconsistent for the past 6-or-so months; and I’m not 100% trusting in the electricals.

And so I’ve considered a new grinder. What factors came into my thinking?

• Price
• Doser or doserless
• Stepped or stepless
• Aesthetics
• Supplier/distributor

Pricewise I’ve spent more than I would have ever dreamed of spending on a grinder, ever. I don’t envisage buying any sort of replacement for 5+ years.

Doser or doserless? 95% of my coffee is ground into a glass for single-serve use and so a doser was an unnecessary overhead requiring more cleaning and more time. My current Looney Tunes year 2000 glass is a perfect fit in the Lux, and I’d envisage it being similar in the Macap.

Stepless or stepped? Most people in my position seem to opt for a Mazzer Mini - stepless, doser. For my use - about 60% espresso, 35% plunger and the balance for moka pot (for home) or drip (for other people) I’d be changing setting each morning for plunger and back to espresso for the evening shots and so a stepless seemed more trouble than going for a stepped grinder where the machine can be reset easily. If stepless offer such fine adjustability (the primary claim to fame), then the variable grind present due to continually swapping from one brew method to another seems to suggest a stepless is a disadvantage.

Looks? Since my machine is stainless, and my current grinder is also stainless, I thought a stainless or chrome finish would be appropriate. Aesthetics do matter - at least to some people for a short period of time.

Distributor? There aren’t a huge number of distributors of the Macap in Australia. I think there is one to be precise. CosmoreX Coffee is the supplier, and I’ve been more than happy in my dealings with Attilio from there over this and other issues.

And so I’ve opted for the Macap MC4 - the doserless model with the chute and the shorter hopper. The grinder can be viewed at the Macap and the 1st-line equipment sites. The chute also has a bag clip so grinding for my work colleagues and family is a little easier.