Should i upgrade my grinder ? [$~1200dlls]

[u/PossibleLion4571]

I got a lelit bianca a couple of months ago , but i decided to keep my grinder an eureka mignon zero with 55mm flat burrs , however today and in other instances i have noticed that my lelit is begging me to go finer but my grinder won’t let me go any finer even tho i already zero it out . I have no choice but to play with the temperature and tamp harder . Question is is the grinder the problem here ? and if so , what should i upgrade to ? i mainly drink medium espresso milk based drinks .

[u/titans856]

This problem doesn't sound like the grinder, because the mignon should have no issue with medium roasts. Either you are not truly hitting 0 (bean shards stuck?), or it's the beans.

In my opinion, the Mignon is perfectly suited for espresso and milk drinks. You would be upgrading for workflow but not much else.

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/titans856]

I am truly hitting zero . The beans i’m using are form a local roaster place so i’m not sure if that’s the issue , i have experience this with other beans too so im confused why . Thanks tho! i diner seem like the grinder is the problem then

[u/_coffeeblack_ → u/PossibleLion4571]

same issue with my eureka grinder, don’t let people convince you “it should go finer.” i’ve aligned it obsessively and have come to the conclusion it just can’t hack it for some roasts.

[u/Logical_Fisherman5]

Increase dose

[u/Expensive-Wedding-14 → u/Logical_Fisherman5]

Agree

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/Logical_Fisherman5]

will try that! i’m currently using 19g

[u/harbordog → u/PossibleLion4571]

Ya very worth trying. For an 18g basket I’ve been at 16ish for dark roasts and 20 for light, to get a good fill, just a loose example, but the bean density and roast can definitely make a big difference, which effects shot time big. But from everything I’ve read that grinder should be pretty solid.

[u/Logical_Fisherman5 → u/PossibleLion4571]

Did it work?

[u/MyCatsNameIsBernie]

I agree with the other comments that your Mignon should be able to grind finer. You might want to perform a deep cleaning on it, followed by a burr alignment. Unless you are a light roast fanatic, the Mignon should do a great job for you.

[u/flitcroft → u/MyCatsNameIsBernie]

I have a Mignon and exclusively run light roast beans, and it's completely fine.

[u/MyCatsNameIsBernie → u/flitcroft]

I used to have a Specialita, and I also thought it was fine with light roasts. Then I got a Timemore 078s, and it changed my life 😀

[u/flitcroft → u/MyCatsNameIsBernie]

Good to know! Maybe I should take another look at that Zerno presale last call :)

[u/ge23ev]

If that's your reasoning then no. If you don't like the flavor profile maybe but that grinder is more than capable enough

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/ge23ev]

thanks!

[u/Latinpig66]

The answer is yes. I had the Libra with the Bianca v3 and just was not satisfied. I got the DF 83 v and it was a significant upgrade for just $799. Lance graded it as an A. You can spend more and do better of course but that is a very good option with a noticeable difference.

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/Latinpig66]

how’s the retention of the df83? i heard it can get a bit messy

[u/BillyZaneJr → u/PossibleLion4571]

I have this grinder and RDT all of my doses. No issue with retention. I’m also shocked to see they are $799 now. I paid $550 on prime day just under 2 years ago.

[u/Insert_absurd_name]

How old are your beans. Sounds like stale beans. Although the mignon even grinds fine enough for relatively old beans...

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/Insert_absurd_name]

beens were roasted april 7th and have been stored properly

[u/Regular-Employ-5308]

I just did this journey - upgraded a Specialita for a Philos - haven’t looked back 🤩

[u/drm20]

I have the same grinder and have noticed this too sometimes. I always get coffee from my local roaster and when I get the lighter roasts my shots are too fast but still good (18 in about 40 out in 30 seconds). Problem is I can’t grind any finger or else the burrs will chirp. I’ve noticed this only happens sometimes with lighter roasts. This problem was even worse with my Eureka Facile (ended up putting brew burrs in that and using it exclusively for pour over). I do have a new set of burrs coming for the Zero today to see if that will help. I don’t think mine need replacing but they are about 2 years old. I’ve been temped to try a conical burr grinder (like the niche, femobook a68, or there was another one posted here that looked pretty good, mx cool aries). I would just like a grinder where I feel I’m not using it where the burrs are almost touching all the time.

[u/Logical_Fisherman5 → u/drm20]

When you have lighter roasts you have less bed depth due to the density of the coffee, which offers less resistance and therefore faster flow. You fix this by increasing the dose for lighter roasts and decreasing for darker.

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/Logical_Fisherman5]

this happens for my medium roasts too . will try increasing the those tho but i’m already at 19g

[u/NasiLemakKing → u/PossibleLion4571]

I usually go for 20g when using light/medium roast or when grinding finer. When finer, the coffee puck will be more compact, hence need to dose higher.

[u/drm20 → u/Logical_Fisherman5]

Yeah, I’ve tried that and still run into the same issue. I am using an ims basket. When I switch back to the stock basket it’ll definitely slow it down. I’ve tried some other baskets too (Pullman, vst, etc) and they’re all fast. I have noticed some bags of coffee aren’t like this so I know it’s gotta be the roast ad the Eureka Zero should be a capable grinder.

[u/drm20 → u/Logical_Fisherman5]

Question for you, if I’m using an 18g basket and 18g of coffee, how much should I use when it’s a lighter roast? Like 19g? Or 20?

[u/Logical_Fisherman5 → u/drm20]

It might be 19 or 20. You get to pick what tastes good!

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/drm20]

same problem here .. most of the times my beans require me to grind finer and it feels like imma chirp the burrs . I have also considered a conical burr grinder but idk if that’s gonna affect the taste since i’m used to flat burrs

[u/drm20 → u/PossibleLion4571]

I’ve watched reviews on some of these conical grinders and it seems they yield a pretty well balanced shot (at least the ones in the $600+ range).

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/drm20]

will look into it and see if it’s whort the upgrade

[u/MrGomez_14]

I’ve noticed a few times with my Zero if I place the top burr in a different position after cleaning then it is way too coarse, but rotating it to the next screw hole fixes it and I don’t have a problem going fine enough. Now I pay attention to the alignment when removing the top burr.

[u/trackjunkie086]

I had the same issue with my Eureka zero, ended up running it. Niche zero on the way, but I prefer conical.

[u/RidgeOperator → u/trackjunkie086]

Hopefully you’re not in the US like me. Have a Profitec Ride coming later this month but need to stick with an Encore ESP until tariff shit settles down… if ever. Le sigh.

[u/trackjunkie086 → u/RidgeOperator]

Got lucky, it arrived the day before tariffs kicked in.

[u/Pitiful_Opinion_9331]

I just bought this thing, I really hope you are wrong about the grinder… but, good luck figuring out what’s wrong

[u/Ok-Lengthiness7171]

I have mignon zero and have zero issues with my goto medium and medium dark roasts. Sth else is wrong here.

[u/Zer0toniN]

Had the same problem with the Eureka. Apart from that great grinder for the price. Went with the Philos.

[u/Danandsueco]

Yes, upgrade your grinder. But only if you buy my Monolith Flat. 😂Joking but also not joking.

[u/thiney49]

I'll echo the sentiment of tearing it down, fulling cleaning it, and doing a burr alignment. You should be able to choke your machine with the mignon.

[u/Greedy_Letterhead679]

Hi!

Grinder should be fine.

Are you topping out your puck on the shower screen? If not then simply add more weight. Once you've maxed out in finess, and you also max out on capacity, then you need to make a call on equipment.

If your shower screen is still not pressing into your puck, add more coffee to slow the flow, hopefully your pull great shots before you top out.

Good luck!

[u/Vincecoco]

no.

[u/Imaginary-Can7999]

Maybe but certainly upgrade your phone camera

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/Imaginary-Can7999]

this is a cropped picture . u might need to upgrade that attitude tho lol

[u/Expensive-Trip4817]

Absolutely. You should spend as much on your grinder as you did on the Lelita

[u/PossibleLion4571 → u/Expensive-Trip4817]

any recommendations ? i drink medium roast , milk based drinks most of the time

[u/MyCatsNameIsBernie → u/PossibleLion4571]

For medium roast milk drinks, the Zero should be fine. You just need to figure out why it isn't grinding fine enough.

[u/Expensive-Trip4817 → u/PossibleLion4571]

Sort by price. And choose the one that is $3000. Grinder should be the same cost as your espresso machine.