Gaggia MDF Burr Grinder with Doser, Black

I've owned one of these Gaggia grinders for over 8 years and it still works. For several years I used this grinder heavily, but have since replaced it with a Mazzer Mini, which is a step-less grinder and is more robust. I've kept this unit to use with De-caf beans, or as a more travel friendly option for when I visit my father and I want to make him espresso drinks when I'm there. If you are serious about espresso, then a quality grinder is a must, and from what I've seen, this is the best entry level grinder. I was helping a friend to get set up with a new espresso machine and he opted for a burr grinder from another company that cost a bit less, but it wasn't able to grind finely enough for espresso, so it was a no-go. He ended up getting this one. The doser works well if you are in a situation where you're making 5 or more espresso's and you can quickly pre-grind enough grounds for multiple drinks, but short of a situation like that, I just use the doser to fill up the portafilter as the coffee is being ground, meaning that I usually only grind as much coffee as I need for one drink at a time. That means that I have to pull the dosing lever a bunch of times as the coffee is being ground. Not perfect, but it works. The doser does serve an additional function for grinding espresso: as with any dosing grinder, the doser agitates the coffee which eliminates any chunks, which are common when you are grinding coffee this finely. That is one reason why you see baristas using dosing grinders instead of doser-less grinders, even though they are not actually using the dosing feature, which to be used correctly, necessitates that you pre-grind your coffee, meaning that it will invariably get stale. On doser-less grinders, clumps can and do occur with finely ground coffee. Hardly a deal breaker for most people, it is still an additional function that a doser serves.Another problem that I've seen people mention in reviews of this grinder is that it's hard to get coffee out of it if you are not using a portafilter simply because of the design. I've found that a relatively flat plastic collection container works fine for getting coffee out. Being a stepped grinder, it is easier too to switch back and forth between coarsely ground coffee (ideal for french presses)and finer ground coffee. This is much easier to do on this grinder than on the Mazzer Mini, which is a stepless grinder. With the stepless grinder, it is more capable of fine tuning your grind which is helpful for perfecting your espresso brewing, but it is a pain to try to switch between coarse and fine grinding, because of the effort it takes to "dial in" the exact grind needed for espresso.Others have mentioned that the dosing lever is fragile. Mine has lasted all these years with no problem, but that would be something to be careful with, not that I ever have with mine, but I think I will take extra care seeing how this has been a problem for some. On mine, I did have the spring break with the dosing lever, however. This happened after about 3 years of use and is unfortunate, but it just means that I have to manually move the lever both directions, rather than the lever snapping back into position on it's own. It's not really a big deal, and it functions fine, and I've gotten practiced at doing this rather quickly as I'm "dosing" ground coffee into my portafilter. But this does mean that I'm not gentle with the lever as I tend to lightly "slap" it back and forth. I always thought that I could get a replacement spring if I cared to.Overall, I think that this is a great product relative to it's price point. Personally, I'd rather brew coffee by means other than espresso if I weren't able to use a grinder at least as nice as this one.A good way to brew coffee that tastes great and is not bitter is to cold-brew. Simply grind beans and soak in cold water overnight, filter the next day and heat. A great cup of coffee, rich and smooth, requiring a minimum of equipment.

With prior experience with better grinders, I have to rate this product very low. However, if you are just getting into coffee/espresso, this is a pretty good starting point. I would say it's a step or two up from a $30 whirly-blade grinder.This is my second grinder and I'll be packing it up and sending it back today or tomorrow. My first grinder (my starting point) is/was a Breville Smart Grinder. This is by no means an advertisement, just a feature-by-feature comparison with something I have experience with.These two grinders have hoppers, which is nice. Neither are air-tight so you would have to use up your beans rather quickly or they will get stale and lose their aroma within about 3 days. The good thing about the Gaggia MDF is that the hopper is rather small, so it's not difficult to use up your beans in a short(er) amount of time. However, I suppose I've been spoiled with the Breville's removable hopper, which is just a twist of a lever and off it goes. That's all there needs to be said about the hopper.The doser on this grinder is a nice feature. It works like the doser on commercial grinders, which I rather enjoy. From what others have said about it, the lever seems to be fragile. I wouldn't know since I've only had this grinder for two days and I haven't gotten that far with it to say it's fragile or not. But I will say that I agree with all the reviewers here and say that "this is a messy grinder". The chute is so short that as you dose, the grinds fly towards the left. Grinds will ALWAYS settle on the left leg of the portafilter holder and never on the right, unless you're supposed to doser really slowly and gently. Maybe I missed the point.The portafilter holder is horrible and completely useless. It is so useless that from a 1 to 5 star rating, Gaggia owes me a couple stars. It seems to be in the way of any function - period. I don't know what size this holder was meant for but I use a standard 58mm PF and it just slides around and droops, so it doesn't really HOLD anything. According to the user manual, you, the user have to "hold the portafilter in your left hand" while operating the power switch and doser lever with the right. Like another reviewer, I too have found it easier to put a catch container at the very bottom and just dose directly into that. Then spoon and measure the amount of grinds needed. This in itself is painful, but it is the lesser of two evils.Most people say this grinder is LOUD. One reviewer said, "it's a grinder. It's grinding beans. It's supposed to make noise, or supposed to be loud". No offense to this reviewer, but I was quite annoyed with my Breville for making so much noise as it grinds. In comparison to the MDF, the Breville whispered in my ear. I didn't think the noise level would bother me so much until I started grinding beans. I think I've woken up a few dead souls with this grinder.Speaking of grinding noises and all, I will give this grinder kudos for grinding very fine and consistently. With my setup, I use grind level 4 (out of 34 I think). So, this grinder can grind a lot finer than necessary for me. The stepped burrs are good as well as bad. You always know where you're at and it's quick to dial in your grinds - up one, or down one... or two. Whatever. But it's also annoying because I would like mine to be about 3.75 or 3.25 and that would be perfect for my espresso preference. Well, for $200, what more can you ask for? The grinder is also SUPER slow. The amount of time the MDF gives me enough grinds for a double shot, the Breville would have given me three double shots.Now for physical characteristics - it's hefty for such a little grinder. Yes, it's a midget compared to the Breville. But for it's size, it's got some weight to it. My only real comment is this, I wish Gaggia had spent a few cents more and added a few rubber feet at the bottom. The thing slides EVERYWHERE on the counter top. So, according to the user manual, you need to hold the PF with one hand, operate the switch and doser with the other hand... and you would also need a third hand to hold the grinder down (and tap the hopper to get the beans to enter the grinding chamber).In conclusion, this is a nice grinder if it's your first or you're stepping up from a whirly-blade. But if you have any prior-experience with coffee, this is not the way to go. For what it is made for, it absolutely does what it's supposed to. Does it do it well, I would say it does OK. Is this grinder something you would be happy with for the long haul, absolutely not. I've had it for 2 days... it's going back.I'm definitely looking at a Nuova Simonelli Eureka (friend has a used one) and maybe repairing my Breville as a backup.

Lever spring broke after 2 years and the part is much too expensive and proprietary screws are there just to keep you from fixing it.

EL MOLINO ES DEMASIADO PEQUEÑO, ADEMÁS DE QUE TARDA MUCHO EN MOLER, NO QUEDÉ CONFORME CON EL PRODUCTO, LAS ESPECIFICACIONES NO VENÍAN COMPLETAS Y ESPERO QUE MI REEMBOLSO ESTÉ COMPLETO

グラインダーとしての性能は良いです。挽き加減は安定。エスプレッソ用にお勧めします。仕組みとしては、前もって横のスイッチをONにし豆を挽き、チャンバーに豆をストックさせて、側面のレバーをガシャガシャやってバスケットに入れるタイプです。その際に豆がかなり飛び散ります。下に布や、トレーを置いておくとその辺楽かもしれないですね。グラインダーの性能は良いですが、仕組みが少々面倒なので、1日に2〜3杯くらいなら、別の選択もあるように感じます。それと、工場で動作確認がされているので、チャンバー内に豆が少しくっついています。