Ought to You Purchase This Grinder?

So that you’re able to take your private home espresso to the following degree? I do know it’s tempting to purchase a elaborate new espresso machine, however step one is investing in a premium high quality espresso grinder. You would get the most cost effective mannequin that may do the naked minimal, however the danger is that you just’ll be tempted to improve in a 12 months or two. Why not go for one thing that may develop with you?

That one thing is the Eureka Mignon Specialita espresso grinder. Mignon’s worth is approachable sufficient for an espresso novice to make the leap, but it surely has the standard and longevity to maintain up along with your passion – even if you wish to improve your espresso machine.

I’ve owned Eureka Mignon Specialita for over a 12 months, so I’ve some private ideas on the grinder to share, together with the all-important specs and particulars. Preserve studying this Eureka Mignon Specialita assessment before you purchase.

The place to Purchase the Eureka Mignon Specialita

Eureka Mignon Specialita is obtainable from plenty of trusted retailers, all of whom have appreciable experience with the Eureka model, so you might be welcome to buy round. When choosing the proper supplier for a prosumer espresso grinder, don’t simply search for the bottom worth. Think about the place they’re positioned relative to you and who provides a customer support expertise you take pleasure in.

The Full Eureka Mignon Specialita Evaluate

Eureka is a good Italian producer of high-end dwelling and business espresso grinders. Every one is made by hand of their manufacturing facility in Florence, Italy. The Mignon grinders line-up is a well-liked sequence of home grinders that has grown to incorporate 13 completely different fashions, every with its area of interest. Some are greatest for filters; some are higher for espresso. Some prioritize ease of use, whereas others purpose for a low price.

The place does the Mignon Specialita match on this crowd, and who’s it for? That’s what we’re going to dig into on this assessment.

Mignon Specialista is the most effective espresso grinder for anybody simply beginning to get severe concerning the passion. Suppose you’ve simply purchased your first prosumer espresso machine, or perhaps you’ve simply switched to a non-pressurized filter basket for the primary time. In that case, the Specialita is the proper grinder to accompany you in your espresso brewing journey. Learn on to search out out why.

Design – 4/5

All the Eureka Mignon grinders, the Specialita included, are instantly distinguishably by their distinctive sq. aesthetic, together with the enduring sq. bean hopper. It’s a wonderful look with unmistakable Italian aptitude, in contrast to the rest in the marketplace. Except for the Area of interest Zero, it’s uncommon for espresso grinders to look something aside from useful. 

The Specialita is obtainable in lots of colours, way over some other model. Fundamental black, Ferrari purple, lime inexperienced, pink gold – irrespective of your kitchen design, there’s an identical grinder. Mine is Tiffany Blue. The contact display is a horny white-on-black show, which seems good and may be very simple on the eyes very first thing within the morning.

The Specialita has a really compact footprint, measuring 4.75” vast by 5.5” deep by 13.87” tall, together with the 300 g bean hopper. It seems proper at dwelling, even in a small condominium kitchen, and lives comfortably beneath higher cabinets, though you’ll most likely have to slip it out to refill the bean hopper. It weighs over 12 kilos, so it’s simple to maneuver it round.

It lacks a tray on the base, so be ready to wipe the occasional stray grounds out of your counter or spend money on somewhat mat to sit down beneath it. That is very true when you’re grinding instantly right into a portafilter. 

That is basically an clever design and a sound-insulating case, but it surely works remarkably nicely. After I upgraded from a less expensive grinder to the rather more highly effective Specialita, I assumed elevated quantity could be a essential evil, however I used to be fallacious. That is by far the quietest espresso grinder I’ve owned.

Sturdiness – 4/5

All of the greatest Eureka espresso grinder fashions are famend for his or her sturdiness, and this can be a results of the model’s a long time of expertise making each dwelling and, importantly, business grinders. They use solely high-quality parts – the casing and demanding inner components are completely steel – and so they even have intensive engineering experience. Even when issues go fallacious, Eureka grinders are identified for being easy to service, due to their quick access and considerate inner layouts.

The exception, which is disappointingly true of the greatest prosumer-level espresso grinders, even these far costlier than the Specialita, is the plastic bean hopper and hopper stopper. The hopper slots into the highest of the grinder and attaches by way of a tiny screw. If this grinder has some extent of failure, will probably be there. Fortuitously, hoppers are bought individually and are cheap to interchange.

The Eureka Mignon Specialita espresso grinder is commercially licensed, although it’s designed and marketed as a house grinder. It doesn’t have the pace to maintain up in a high-volume setting, however the business ranking signifies that it has the standard and sturdiness to deal with an even bigger load than a typical dwelling consumer. It could be an acceptable addition to a small espresso cart or catering enterprise. 

For a small espresso store or mid-sized restaurant, learn our full assessment of the Eureka Atom 75. Whereas a bit costlier than the Specialita, its bigger burr set and sooner grind output make it a better option for a espresso enterprise.

Ease of Use – 4/5

The Eureka Mignon Specialita may be very easy to make use of. The contact display is likely one of the premium options that distinguishes it from the cheaper Eureka Mignon fashions, and it’s no query simplifying the morning workflow.

As soon as the timed dose is about, grinding is so simple as slotting a portafilter into the portafilter holder in order that it pushes the button on the again. The remainder is hands-off. In my expertise, it takes between 10 and 12 seconds to grind a double shot, relying on the beans.

The portafilter cradle is adjustable and designed to work with all sizes of the portafilter, however I haven’t discovered that to be completely correct. Whereas it may be adjusted to carry smaller portafilters, it doesn’t grind into them exceptionally nicely. For instance, I’ve a 54 mm Breville portafilter, and I discovered too many espresso grounds that missed the mark and ended up on the counter when grinding hands-free. In the event you don’t have a regular 58 mm portafilter, I’d recommend doing as I do and grinding right into a dosing cup.

Whereas I already complained concerning the hopper stopper being plastic, I respect that it’s there. This lets you block the espresso beans, take away the hopper, and entry the burrs with out first emptying the hopper. Much more handy, if you put all the things again collectively, there isn’t a must dial within the grind dimension another time. Eureka’s “high-speed upkeep” know-how ensures that your settings are preserved, even when you take off the highest burr for cleansing.

Grinding Functionality – 4/5

The Eureka Mignon Specialita espresso grinder boasts a formidable set of 55 mm flat metal burrs, the biggest of any within the Mignon sequence. The primary benefit of bigger burrs is that they grind sooner (1). This doesn’t imply you’ll get the caffeine out of your specialty espresso beans to your bloodstream a lot faster – although that may be a good perk. Sooner grinding additionally means much less time to generate warmth, so that you’ll get higher taste out of your floor espresso.

Talking of taste, flat burrs are identified for wonderful consistency and grind high quality, which interprets to higher readability within the cup. Readability is hard to outline, however roughly talking, you’ll be capable of style extra completely different flavors than you’ll if utilizing a conical burr grinder – all different issues being equal. Some espresso specialists want conical burr grinders as a result of they produce extra fines, which interprets to a fuller-bodied espresso (2). 

It comes down to non-public style, says Baratza Advertising Initiatives Lead Xavi Guerrero (3). However you’ll discover extra ultra-high-end espresso grinders with flat burrs.

The burr set issues greater than the rest within the grinder itself. However your alternative of espresso additionally issues, as does your espresso machine, your puck prep, and myriad different elements. Analysis has even proven the form and coloration of your espresso mug have an effect on perceived flavors (4)!

The Specialita makes use of a patented Stepless Micrometric Adjustment System that lets you dial within the grind dimension completely. The system works very nicely, particularly for making tremendous changes that take your espresso from 95% excellent to excellent. Nonetheless, the adjustment wheel leaves somewhat to be desired. It’s fairly small, which will be awkward for giant fingers. And the labeling makes it difficult to search out your method again to earlier settings and even to know which technique to flip it to go coarser or finer. I’d like to see it changed with the bigger knob discovered on the Eureka Atom espresso grinders.

The Specialita has a 310 Watt motor that spins the burrs at 1350 RPM. This can be a fairly highly effective motor for a grinder of this dimension and an inexpensive worth level. For comparability, the flat burr DF64 has a 250 Watt motor, and also you’ll see in our Mahlkonig X54 assessment that the motor is barely 120 Watts. The ensuing finely floor espresso has wonderful grind high quality – fluffy grounds with constant grind dimension and minimal clumping.

The Eureka Mignon Specialita is an espresso-focused grinder, although it’s fairly able to grinding for drip espresso. They developed the burr set for each tremendous and coarse grinding. Eureka even sells a grounds catch bin to suit the Specialita, which you’ll be able to swap for the portafilter fork. That stated, shifting backwards and forwards between the grind settings isn’t overly handy with the stepless adjustment, so I’d advocate it as a devoted espresso grinder.

A Word on Single Dosing

Prior to now few years, single dosing has been rising in reputation with dwelling espresso lovers. It lets you retailer your beans correctly in a cool, darkish, hermetic container quite than a bean hopper. And it makes it simple to change between completely different coffees each day.

The Specialita is just not designed to be a single-dose grinder, and I received’t declare that it’s one, however it’s higher than most, due to its low grind retention. This combines the patented Eureka ACE system, which reduces static, and the newly redesigned bigger exit chute. Grind retention, in my expertise, is not more than 0.3 g per double shot dose.

If you wish to get extra severe about single dosing, loads of aftermarket mods can be found for the Specialita, most of that are cheap 3D-printed jobs. These help you exchange the sq. hopper with a smaller hopper and bellows that may cut back grind retention nearly to zero. Eureka has not too long ago launched the single-dose Mignon Zero and Mignon Oro to capitalize on trendy dwelling espresso traits. So, when you solely wish to single-dose, think about a kind of over the Specialita (5).

Worth for Cash – 4.5/5

The Eureka Mignon Specialita will get my vote as among the finest worth espresso grinders. Its specs – the 55 mm flat metal burr set, stepless grind adjustment, and 350 Watt motor – are pretty much as good as any, and its engineering and construct high quality are higher than most.

Let’s have a look at some comparable choices.

• The Mahlkonig X54 has an analogous 54 mm flat burr set and stepless grind adjustment, however is priced barely increased. You’re possible paying a premium for the Mahlkonig model title and popularity.
• The Flip DF64 is a single-dosing grinder with a formidable 64 mm flat burr set, however its construct high quality doesn’t strategy that of the Eureka grinders.
• The Baratza Vario is an analogous worth and has a 54 mm flat burr set. Nonetheless, with a largely plastic building and ceramic burrs, it’s unlikely to final so long as the Specialita. And it lacks the business ranking.

Eureka Mignon Perfetto vs Specialita

Maybe Specialita’s closest competitors is its sister product, the Perfetto. The Perfetto is just about equivalent to the Specialita, aside from the burr set. The Perfetto has 50 mm flat metal burrs quite than 55 mm, so it outputs about 1.0 – 1.6 g of espresso per second in comparison with the Specialita’s 1.2 – 1.8 g. It has the identical design, contact display, patented applied sciences, and stepless grind adjustment. 

The Perfetto is priced about $20 much less, so it’s as much as you to worth 0.2 seconds per gram versus $20. Nonetheless, I’ll say that the Specialita is obtainable from a higher variety of distributors and is perhaps simpler to search out on sale.

Don’t Purchase the Eureka Mignon Specialita If…

• You don’t make espresso: The Specialita is undoubtedly able to grinding for filter espresso, however when you by no means make espresso, you may obtain equal outcomes with one of many cheaper Mignon espresso grinders. Think about the Eureka Mignon Crono or Mignon Brew Professional – or the brand new Mignon Zero Brew for a single-dosing possibility.

• You need one thing transportable: The Specialita is a formidable compact, however I wouldn’t go as far as to name it transportable. In order for you a grinder that may journey with you however don’t relish the concept of regularly grinding manually at dwelling, one possibility is to purchase a second guide grinder. However a new-and-improved possibility is the Goat Story Arco, a singular 2-in-1 grinder that may be operated both manually or electronically (6).

• You like conical burrs: In the event you benefit from the heavier texture of espresso ready utilizing a conical burr grinder, you’ll love the Area of interest Zero. This stylish grinder helped usher within the period of single dosing for a great purpose. It’s priced equally to the Specialita however has a bigger burr set and is a little more versatile when getting ready each filter and espresso grounds. 

One other nice decide is the entry-level Baratza Sette 270, a wonderful espresso grinder with a 40 mm conical burr set. It’s inexpensive and works very nicely for espresso, although it notoriously underperforms for filter espresso.

The Verdict

This assessment began by asking: must you purchase this espresso grinder? After all, the reply would by no means be a clear-cut sure or no, and it comes all the way down to your wants.

This can be a great espresso grinder for anybody beginning to get extra severe about espresso as a result of it will probably develop with you. It’s a transparent step up from an entry-level grinder, but it surely nonetheless has an approachable price ticket. Its high quality burr set and spectacular sturdiness will proceed to serve you nicely even when you determine to improve espresso machines a couple of years later.

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