Commercial coffee grinder makers this year zeroed in on both automation and dose precision, sometimes leaning heavily into ones and zeroes to achieve their goals.
Compak, for one, launched a grinder that preemptively grinds and stores volumetric doses for quick dispensation at peak business times. Mazzer took its first step into the electric single-dose category, while also unveiling its first grind-by-weight (GBW) models.
German grinder company Mahlkönig had an absolutely huge year of product launches, introducing its new flagship EK grinder, the Omnia, as well as a new system that communicates with La Marzocco espresso machines for automated grinder adjustments.
Rancilio, meanwhile, revealed a similar feat achieved entirely in-house with an espresso-machine-synced grind-by-weight grinder, the Bond.
As we continue our 2023 Year in Review, here’s a look back at these and other exciting innovations in the world of commercial coffee grinders.
Anfim Luna. Courtesy photo.
Beans from a 2-kilogram-capacity hopper slide down to meet a pair of hardened 65-millimeter flat burrs made specifically for the Luna by Anfim parent company, the Hemro Group, at its production site in Hamburg, Germany… read more
In Predose mode, the grinder will grind and accumulate portions of coffee inside a dosing chamber. A trap door releases the full dose all at once, then closes to immediately grind and store the next dose automatically. The intent is for Predose mode to be used during peak busy times while still maintaining freshness… read more
Designed in collaboration with the Milan-based studio V12 Design, the MI20 and MI40 Touch models are made to be compact and attractive, with each featuring 3.5-inch touchscreen displays… read more
The principal innovation of the Foxtail is the single modular design of the grinding chamber, which has no direct connection to the motor and is quickly and easily removable… read more
The Bond’s on-board electronics also include a self-adjustment mechanism that is controlled by an algorithm using information drawn from the flow meters on compatible Rancilio espresso machines… read more
New features to the machines include larger touchscreen displays, improved user interfaces, motor suspension systems for noise dampening and more… read more
In Athens, the company also revealed a separate metaphorical belt just for the Nano model. The Orion’s Belt is a wireless connectivity system that will allow as many as nine Orion Nano dosers to work together. The company told DCN that such synchronization can create what is essentially an “an on-demand coffee blending station” for cuppings, single-cup doses or other small-volume applications… read more
German commercial grinder maker Mahlkönig has teamed with Italian espresso equipment company La Marzocco to launch the Sync System, which links Mahlkönig grinders to wi-fi-enabled espresso machines for automatic grind adjustments. The system includes a variation in Mahlkönig’s E80 grinder line called the E80W Grind-by-Sync… read more
Centered on an original set of 64-millimeter flat hardened steel burrs made in Germany, the Jack includes a height-adjustable tray to accommodate a variety of receptacles. It also comes with a retention-purging bellows for single-dose use as an alternative to its included 250-gram hopper… read more
Built with the familiar angular form and centered around the same 98-millimeter vertically oriented flat burrs as Mahlkönig’s classic EK43, the EK Omnia adds digital and mechanical features such as volumetric pre-dosing of beans from the hopper, as well as an automated adjustment mechanism… read more
The Kony Sg builds upon the existing Mazzer Kony grinder platform, featuring the same small-footprint 63-millimeter conical burrs spun quietly at 420-500 RPM, as well as IoT connectivity for remote data monitoring. The Sg model adds a portfilter-holding load cell under the grinder’s chute that’s tied to a slew of new weight-based programmability features… read more
Geared more toward light commercial or high-end home/prosumer use, the angular Philos offers a relatively low physical profile centered on a vertically oriented set of 64-millimeter flat burrs spun at 1,400 RPM. Used either with a 60-gram hopper, or for single doses of up to 24 grams without the hopper, the new machine features a horizontal pre-breaker auger to steady the flow of bean fragments into the burr set… read more
The Alba’s 80-millimeter hardened steel flat burrs are the largest of any grinder made by 91-year-old Anfim, which since 2012 has been part of the Hemro Group of companies. With the capability to turn out a 22-gram shot’s worth of grinds in less than 4 seconds, the Alba is also Anfim’s fastest grinder… read more
