Have you tried the spray bottle trick?
It reduces static significantly in many cases.
I have not - but the static is pretty minimal and not a big deal overall with the Smart Grinder Pro. I only mentioned it as there is some. Coming from a very entry level burr grinder (Cuisinart DBM-8) that had a ton of static the SGP has next to none.
I do…
My bottle looks exactly like this…
not sure if is doing anything… but I still use it, because I try to keep up with new trends!
HA!
I’ve been using a “blind shaker” for a few weeks now. Static is one of the things this helps with, I grind directly into it and with certain beans the static is very apparent but the shaking clears this up. Originally my intent was to use this to help with distribution. I’ve used spraying but never wanted to have to.
See… the thing is, that I am not sure what static actually do to coffee grounds or grinders…
I recently got a new grinder (which I absolutely regret getting) and I was having issues with retention.
I started using the shake method a couple of months ago. Well, I dont think it has help with retention, but have not made it worse… win?
In any case, I really want a new single dose grinder. But they are super expensive…
I don’t think it necessarily hurts the product, but it can mess with your dose and my pet peeve it can be very messy, especially with certain beans.
With the Niche the coffee can cling to whatever you grind into so it’s harder to get it out.
With my older Baratza 270 and certain beans you could end up with grounds clinging to everything involved and it was a pain.
That will eventually be my grinder… but not yet… maybe ill ask Santa… Although I just got a new $5k bike that might but brakes on what i can get the next 12 months…
Grinders; it just makes a mess and clings to everything
Coffee; it causes clumping in the basket and an uneven bed that gets tamped
I was having an issue with channeling from my grinder, mainly due to the chute and how it dispersed the coffee into the portafilter basket. No amount of grind distribution tool seemed to clear it up, and i live in a dry climate.
I bought an Acaia overly expensive stainless steel grind cup that fits perfectly into my basket. SO i grind into that, shake it to declump, and then invert into the basket to get a more uniform distribution. No more channelling.
I stil can’t make coffee art, but here’s my ACS Minima and Mignon.
I’ve since gotten zebrawood handles and knobs…important stuff.
New grinder this week. Will never, ever, upgrade again. Thank goodness it gets used multiple times a day, 7 days a week
.Baller! Which burrs did you get?
Shuriken Light/Medium burrs. Suggested for lighter roasts, that are fresh. I’ve been roasting coffee, typically central and S. American, full-city to full-city+ in espresso applications for 10 years. After 20ish shots, it has blown my Mazzer Mini into the basement.
I know you were interested in a grinder that could get fine enough for espresso…
well i run across this recently… maybe it could work for you…
https://www.wholelattelove.com/products/the-rok-coffee-grinder#product-reviews
Thank you for remembering! I’ve given up on the idea of espresso it’s just an expensive endeavor and for now I’m enjoying my pour-over
Glad to see I am not the only one that came to the same conclusion. I have been on a big Chemex kick lately. Need to dust off the v60 again sometime soon.
Coffee gear or bike gear…… bike gear seems to keep winning
how are you enjoying it? especially single dosing?
When i was debating about new grinder (ultimately went Ceado E37s) I had this on the short list along with the Niche, obviously very different price points. But ultimately I couldnt get my head around wanting to deal with single dosing. Interested in your thoughts on what it has done to your process.
I’ve been single dosing for years. With espresso, or any coffee, oxidation occurs very quickly (seconds to minutes) once ground do to the massive increase in surface area. Fresh ground keeps the flavor the best, and also makes espresso extractions more consistent. The Niche grinder is probably the best bang for the buck, but it does have grind retention (stale coffee). The Monolith approaches zero on retention. I was using a Mazzer mini with the doser, which I converted to doserless, but it still had a large retention (about 2g), specifically in the chute between the burrs and the discharge chamber.
My process is weigh the dose, drop it in the grinder, grind it directly into portafilter, quick stir agitation, leveler/distributor spin, light tamp (with the new grinder, pressure doesn’t seem to impact the results), and draw the shot. Finish as required (milk, water, whiskey, sugar, whatever one likes), and drink!
Good to know.
I went with the Ceado because of the minimal retention, obviously not zero, but I still like having a hopper. The worm gear certainly is handy for the microadjustments that some of the other mainstream grinders still cant provide.
What kills me about some espresso equipment is the aesthetics. This is equipment that by definition is going to be on the counter and attract eyeballs in your kitchen/living area. Slayer figured this out and developed something that looks phenomenal in both home and cafe. Niche nailed it with their design as well. Others just haven’t which is too bad as it really can take away from the overall room.
I mean… you can buy 2 niche (3?) for the price of a monolith.
SO EXPENSIVE!
It cost more than my profitec 600!
I do want the niche…I think even with a small retention is still a good bang for the buck compared to almost everything else single dose…
My process is similar… although i dont do grind directly to to portafilter. I use a pesado dosing cup…
I measure the beans on that cup, spray a bit of water, shake and grind to same cup (after drying it that is).
Then stir the grouds and put on the portafilter… then level with a asso jack leveler (Asso Coffee The Jack Leveler - 58.5mm Black – Whole Latte Love)
with the leveler i don’t tamp…
Tamping is so OLD SCHOOL!
I have a question on the pourover side. I recently got a light roast from Traded Joe’s, totally different experience. First off way smaller volume of coffee for the same weight (light roast is heavier I knew that), and seems to drain down MUCH slower than a medium/dark roast using the same technique in a v60 with the same grind settings on the Encore. I also find that it has a layer of “mud” on the top of the coffee bed once drain down is complete
I really like the light roast, any tips with it for different grind or technique? 212* water and setting 15 on the encore. Maybe do a coarser grind? It doesn’t taste bad with the longer draw but maybe figured I’d ask before I start randomly choosing different settings