GOAT STORY ARCO - Is It Worth The Wait?
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
- The Goat Story ARCO is a unique addition to the coffee grinder market. With its electric base it claims to be a low-retention, single dose grinder capable of all brew methods, and with a quick twist it becomes a hand grinder. So its time to put this brand new piece of Kickstarter coffee gear to the test.
↓CHAPTERS↓
[0:00] INTRO
[0:56] STANDART AD
[1:36] QUICK OVERVIEW
[3:07] BREWING THE COFFEE
[4:18] QUIRKS & DOWNSIDES
[6:11] ARCO VS. NICHE ZERO
[7:00] FINAL THOUGHTS
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Seems like a good solution for the niche they are targeting - the occasional/regular coffee lover who travels. (Sorry could not resist the pun). Many thanks
It is definitely aimed at a unique segment, but I think it fits. Thanks for watching!
Backed it and got it some time ago. Use it for both pour overs and espresso. Always using it manually (do not wake up the rest of the family in the morning) for filter and electric for espresso. Impressed with what they have achieved building this. You are pretty spot on with your review. This is really a nice piece of coffee gear that I use everyday. A bit surprised when I got it how small it is, and that is a huge bonus on a small kitchen. So easy to use that my kids use it daily as well. For me the settings they recommend is spot on or just some minor changes to the settings depending on the beans. I have not compared the manual vs electric directly because I use manual for filter and electric for espresso, so settings might need to be different if switching. To get zero retention I always just take the grinder off the stand and tap a bit on it (bottom and top). Thanks for yet another nice video.
+1 for your insight, received mine a few days ago(UK backer) and as you, I truly appreciate its footprint (my coffee station is the limited space afforded next to the kitchen sink...) - first grind today for my Clever dripper - hand grind, as I want to compare it to my C40: first thoughts are that the taste is not as bright, so going to have fun making adjustments; so far though, happy with the investment, that the 2 years waiting was worth it :)
Definitely interested in the Arco. Looking for some more reviews before I make a decision on it. But the Hand grinder function is just exactly what I need, because I travel a lot
As always thank you for the good review. I'm in the market for a new grinder and after hearing the good reviews about the Arco, I'm thinking about getting one. Keep up your good work my friend.
Thanks Jedi! I appreciate the kind words, and I think it’s a solid option for the price and the extra usability for sure.
This review is practically a glowing recommendation coming from you!
Thanks for the review, Spro. On my wishlist now, this will get me trouble with my wife when it's available in Indonesia hahaha.
On retention, I haven't seen any hand grinders that have real 0 retention. There are always some stuck on the bean jar
I just got it ..and I love it .. for me the only down side is a time .. but I do not care about that when making coffee at home.. everything else is amazing ..so I would recommended for sure ..
I have had the Arco and use it every day (mostly for espresso). I LOVE it. I've travelled with it, and it works great as a manual or electric grinder. Highly recommended.
Great review legend. Seems will stick with the niche and Comandante combo for the time being 😊
Great video. Thank you.
Great review I was looking for it, it looks nice and provide I guess good coffee but that noise is a deal breaker for me, I don’t wanna hear that loud dyson vacuum every morning especially during a 25sec grind.. saving money for the niche
Great review. On balance, sounds like the Niche would be the better choice for most people. The noise is an instant deal breaker for me.
I’ve had the hand grinder only for a few weeks now. Really enjoy using it day to day, my only criticism is the grind setting indicators on the dosing cup. It can be a little hard for me to tell, certainly at a quick glance, and even after staring at it sometimes, which rung I am on.
True. Impossible to make it better sadly :( The catcher moves up and down in relation to burr movements and these are not huge.
I have one and it's basically as described in this Video- it's a great grinder and i'd buy again. Hand grinder i have to hold further down to not hit my hand and the static is a pain but a few taps sorts that. The noise is a bit louder than i was expecting but it's alot more consistent and quicker to grind that my last couple of grinders. it's also nice that i can grind more for a Cafetiere in one go rather than having to do two lots of grinding to get the required amount.
Some people spray the beans with a bit of water before grinding to prevent static, are you doing that?
@@OliverLeung2 i dont have an rdt bottle but i've stirred the beans with a wet spoon, that helped a bit but still a bit staticy. As mentioned though- a few good taps clear most of it out :)
Not bad for a grinder of this type for those who caught it at the lower Kickstarter price, however at the current pre-order price level, I'd expect less retention, noise and clumpiness overall.
I'm still sitting on the fence, keenly awaiting release of Varia VS3 due next month, smaller burrs than Arco but promisses a lot at least on its spec sheet. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the review. And for the comparison to the niche as arco is my first grinder after a long wait for the kickstarter (niche and df64 was on the radar the whole wait).
Agreed about ease of use for the niche in changing brew methods. It's kind of a stretch to shift from espresso to cold brew or filter though i bought it mainly for espresso. I guess the tradeoff here is finer grind adjustments.
There's a solution for the coarse grind. Arco will ship a spacer that will shift grind closer to the prescribed settings on the cup, not all grinders exhibit this. Probably the next production batch will be fine without the spacer. It's missing a calibration of sorts but glad it's a relatively easy fix.
The "alignment" of the dock and hand grinder is sort of backwards printed. so the reason yours is drifting is because it is not locked in that position. when the bayonet is fully engaged the line is offset from true center of the dock. in that position it will not drift
For the retention i found it got way better after first week of use, almost never something i could pick up on the scale but it does build up inside after some time of use, easy to clean though. Some beans have a lot more retention than others, if i find one that is more prone: RDT and it's all good
Quite happy with my arco, i needed something that could handle espresso well and i loved the small form factor and design foremost, it surely trumps the noise factor for me - and the kickstarter price proved to be amazing value despite the long wait.
Spot on
Could not not notice the Orea for the filter brew (which looks absolutely stunning with that holder!). Review coming? :)
Thanks for the video, how is arco compared to comandante as hand grinder ?
Srpo great review
Would love to see your reviews on Webber eg-1 or even a lagom p100
Thanks Antonio, in regards to the EG-1 I don’t think I’d ever review it or another Weber product as my experience with Weber was not pleasant and I would purely choose not to give them any form of promotion good or bad.
I would love to try the P100. I was able to get ahold of a loaner Lagom mini from Option O so maybe if we develop a good working relationship I could get one. We’ll see
@@Sprometheus ahhh yes I remember watching your review on the other Webber grinder,
Dude love your integrity!! Incredible
Thanks for the alignment drift while grinding tip :)
For sure, like I said it doesn’t seem to be an issue. Goat Story did message me today and say it doesn’t have to stay aligned with the lines to be accurate so for what that’s worth.
@@Sprometheus True. It actually should be misaligned (mark on the hand grinder should be left from the mark on the base) as that means that it's securely fitted. It's mentioned in the manual as well.
I have question about the adjustment.
Does it really give same result when you grind manually compared to auto module?
Mine gives quite different result due to RPM. So, I need to adjust again when I bring it out for hand grinding.
I am not sure why the review says we can use same adjustment both home and the road.
I backed it, and based on this review especially, hope to receive it someday.
Haha, yeah, I’ve heard some backers got it almost two months ago, others, the majority it seems, are still waiting. I have faith they will get them out the door and hopefully sooner rather than later.
worth the wait. got mine a month ago (first 1000 backers). I'm sure it's getting to you soon
Btw…. If you need to WDT… IT IS EASIER in the dosing cup before the portafilter
Also… I firmly tap the portafilter with dosing cup on top… this settles the grinds so they are not overflowing
Do you know the sound level compared to the sette? Also, is this single-dose easy to switch beans throughout the day for espresso?
Spro - a grinder hand-selected, possibly tuned up, and gifted by the manufacturer should count as “compensation” when reviewing things. You gave it a little hand-wave at the end of the video, but I think such disclosures should be done up front on a review. Just helps weigh things.
Great overview and interesting grinder, thanks!
I can see what you’re saying, and sometimes I put that discloser at the beginning and sometimes in the end, just sort of depends where I remember to put it.
As always I’m straight up about when I’m paid to do something, and it’ll never be a review as that takes away all of my power to say what I want. I’m not willing to go that route.
That said I appreciate people like you who give attention to this as an issue and at the very least give a creator some grace on it, but there are also people who no matter the disclosure will argue bias. In the end I do my best, I never do paid reviews, and see myself more as a consumer advocate than a marketing tool for manufacturers.
@@Sprometheus We sent out a couple grinders to people that we respect in the coffee community, Sprometheus being one of them. But we wouldn't dare to dictate what the review should be like. So we just let the people who make the review give an honest opinion. It's the best way long-term. Bullshit reviews hurt the manufacturer and even more the reviewer.
What is the glass dripper/stand at 3:56?
Basically similar to my experience. I am somewhat relieved to see that having to grind way finer that advertised is basically inherent in the design, I thought I might have gotten a bad example, which made me feel a bit bummed about it. It would be nice if they made some bellows for it. Shaking or tapping the top with the metal slide open to knock the ground coffee out isn't that elegant of a solution, and not getting everything out can lead to some inconsistencies. Seeing that mine is basically stuffed between my espresso machine and my partner's very fancy stand mixer, I don't really have any room to shake it around. Also, if you RDT the beans can get stuck to the inside walls of the grinder, which is mildly annoying.
I thought the kickstarter price of 260ish euros was pretty decent, as I was looking to go from a Sage Barista Express to a 1000 euro-ish setup, which ended up being the ARCO and a refurbished Sage Dual Boiler, which somehow is better for my small kitchen due to the large top plate to store stuff on, and being able to be filled with water from the front. It is a vast improvement over my previous setup and most inconsistencies are down to my very tired brain in the morning and not my gear, which is actually a nice feeling. I also liked the idea of being able to take my home grinder with me when travel became a thing again, as finding a nice pot of filter coffee is like finding a needle in a haystack in certain cities (looking at you Rome).
If you need to grind way finer, please get in touch. We now (finally) have a kit to fix that.
I'm not sure if I'd ever hand grind if I have the motor. Travel? The whole thing is relatively compact so I'd just take it. Maybe be for off grid camping...
Yeah I mean as long as you have power, maybe in your car or a small generator it is definitely compact and make travel friendly than most electric, tabletop grinders out there.
Gotta pair the Arco with the Argos when that comes out!
exactly!
You made a great point...
You can have one grinder that you can use at home and on the go without having to find different grind settings.
I would, however, definitely appreciate a slightly more robust base that is quieter and possibly more powerful. And some easily changeable/ replaceable burr options (which they may have - I don't know).
Is it able to grind for Turkish while plugged in? That might be worth it alone for me.
Thank you for the review! I just got mine last week, it is really like you said I choose it over niche because of the modular (although I already got C40 with me).
it is pretty loud compared to Niche, but I'm pretty happy with the cup that I produced, either Espresso or Filter. it is really compact for my Coffee station also. I do also have the problem with the grinder grind being too coarse, but I guess it really depends on what bean I used ( I already check on the washer, it was only one on mine), but I guess with 5/15 Clicks finer will do just fine (they also said to switch it finer first and coarser to your desire setting). as a hand grinder, I loved it for having more settings than my C40(without red Clix) and delivering the same cup quality (slightly better in some of my tests, compared with TDS Meter).
well it is not for everybody, but this grinder could also be used in the coffee shop, but more for single-dose filter coffee( since coffee shop normally also already loud enough). cheers!
Hey Jason - if the grind is too coarse, drop us an email (info@goat-story.com) as we have a calibration set for that.
Your findings echo mine as well. For static, I find the drop of water/stirring method works well and eliminates any retention without the need to bang anything. I do think the instructions specifically say that you need to align or go beyond, so I don't think you're being fair regarding that being a "negative". The whole grind adjustment is very unintuitive, but I do find it odd that we have to grind so fine, meaning that cold brew probably ends up with a huge portion of the settings. Quite happy with my purchase!
Agreed here. Also happy with my arco
Interesting to watch productization of what hand grinder owners have all tried one time or another. Hand grinding a decade now after electric burr disappointment has taught nothing compares to hand; not drill, not electric and speed kills flavor. Hand grinding is turning toward bean variety to enjoy more than just a habit or morning routine. There’s so much more that varieties offer buying electric can’t. Plus you keep your grip and muscles toned
Is there any difference in grind size when comparing hand grinding and automatic grinding with the ARCO?
I think it would be great to test it out
No difference that i've noticed. Motorised seems to give a bit more static though.
Yes, April has tested this and published a RUclips video.
I didn’t do any deep dive tests on this topic, just brewed the same coffee on the same method both electric and manual and found the difference pretty minimal in the cup.
@@Sprometheus then it's an amazing grinder overall haha
What made me excited is the fact that many people scared they might break the grinder when motorizing it nut ARCO publicly announce this is a 2 in 1 grinder haha
While we haven't seen much difference in particle size distribution even with a laser diffraction machine, Patrik of April did notice a difference in flavor in electric compared to hand. Definitely something to explore more. We just might have a 2-in-1 grinder in terms of coffee flavor here ;) Jokes aside - not many people can notice the difference and those that can, can maybe turn this "flaw" into a benefit of two flavor profiles with the same grinder. Just thinking out loud here ... :)
Review if the orea v3 I wonder?
good thing they had enough units for the reviewers, sadly, as a backer, I still have to wait to get my grinder, don't even know for how long due to their lack of communication. But hey, at least all the reviewers got theirs.👌
Unfortunately that’s just how manufacturers play it these days. Marketing units are often set aside from the get go, not saying it’s fair but that’s how business is done.
Did you notice a difference between hand grinding and motor grinding? Is there a big difference between 150 and 360 rpms?
I didn’t notice any negligible difference in terms of taste and how it brewed. I’m sure there is some, but I haven’t done super in-depth testing on the topic of RPMs *yet*
See April coffee's video that answers this issue...
@@davidlogan2682 and Kyle Rowsell too
@@amandapeine6745 I haven't yet received mine, but I don't mind memorizing 2 groups of settings, one for hand cranking and one for motorized. But, we'll see what happens when it gets here and final judgements can be made.
Thanks Buddy!
You’re welcome my friend! Thanks for watching.
@@Sprometheus - Always! 👊🏻
Did anyone compare it to the Lagom mini?
Not that I’m aware of, but I have one coming.
Do you show it
If the Arco has VAT included its almost 200 euros cheaper than the Niche though so thats another thing. Buying a niche outside the UK is way too expensive.
Did you borrow the term cold start from dab/concentrate culture? Or is it a phrase used regularly in coffee culture too? Never heard it used outside of medical cannabis culture which is why I ask.
Love your videos 💙
Haha thanks Zach. And yeah, we use the term cold and hot start in coffee culture pretty regularly. I can’t think of any other places where I’ve heard the terminology but I’m sure there’re more than just coffee and cannabis too.
@@Sprometheus very common terminology in the motoring/engine building and tuning world as well
I'll buy a Niche for home and a Kinu grinder for traveling,they almost get I think more than 900 000 euro,and it's just a grinder not Mars Shuttle... 😏
Love the review but unfortunately after owning for 18 months the Motor has stopped working and Arco won’t repair as they say it out of warranty - Such a shame for a great product to be let down in this way by their customer service
When I first saw this on Kickstarter I was intrigue. Then I thought I will this do anything better than what I already have and the answer is no. The decision to have it be modular in that it also a grinder puzzling. I'd rather have seen a better sounding motor, and bigger burrs.
Bigger burrs wouldn't have made it portable. I don't think it's a puzzling idea at all, as for many (myself included), having one grinder that does it all for home and travel is great vs spending on a home grinder and a travel hand grinder.
@@seanjohnston848 a Kinu M47 has 47mm inner burr compared to the 32mm om ARCO. The commdante has 39mm burrs. An Encore has a 40mm set. And just to be clear I'm not saying burr size is everything, geometry matters too. The ARCO does look bigger in the hand and from the diagrams on their website it appears that the extra width in diameter is because of the adjustment mechanism. Too me the Arco does not really look like a practical sized travel grinder. It's a jack of trades of sorts and master of none.
@@Dan_Mirai I've got a JX-Pro and they're pretty much identical. Bigger burrs don't mean better consistency either. I like the width of the Arco as I've got big hands, but the JX-Pro is a bit longer. One thing I find they both missed out on what the silicone sleeve, which I'm not a fan of at all. Otherwise the Arco is a perfect home/travel companion. You only need smaller I'd you're going hiking/camping and weight/size is a serious issue, but in those cases, you'll be giving up on grind quality/capacity. So I here's no perfect match. Most people interested in the Arco want I because it's a 2-in-1. That's what it is, and want is does well vs buying two separate grinders. Depends on people's individual needs though.
@@Dan_Mirai ARCO has a 47mm outer and 32 mm inner burr. A 47mm inner burr would mean a ... 60+mm outer burr ;) And that's not very practical for a hand grinder.
The thing is that ARCO can't really be compared to classic electric grinders, rather an elegant way to power a hand grinder. The core of ARCO is a hand grinder. So it can really only be compared to hand grinders. It's pretty much a new grinder category. Is that good or bad? Well, it's both :)
Why is the Niche Zero the king of single dosing? The workflow might be nice but the grind quality aren't there
So it's a compromised electric grinder because of the hand grinder requirements,
and a compromised hand grinder because of the electric grinder requirements?
Sounds like the answer to a coffee question no-one was asking : /
nah, it works well in both cases. I bought it as a stand alone home grinder. and i DID find myself camping with it since i bought it, was a bonus
@@dorincroitoru5913 good for you 👍
Definitely not worth it. The real product doesn’t have good finishing and material . I was quite disappointed by its plastic parts especially the part which holds the grinder.
Looks pretty bad honestly.
Another one? Yawn.
Another what? Review of an anticipated product?
@@Sprometheus Hand grinder with a motor. I feel like there's a lot of them coming out all of a sudden and they're all pretty much the same thing. Not saying that's a bad thing but, yeah.. everyone is doing one now. Like everyone is doing a "Niche Zero killer" of some sort.