The Mahlkönig EK-43S (Episode #3)
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- Опубликовано: 26 янв 2021
- More about the Mahlkönig EK-43S here: www.mahlkoenig.de/products/ek...
Other episodes in the series will appear here as they are released:
Ep #1: • The Option-O Lagom P-6...
Ep #2: • The Weber EG-1 (Episod...
Ep #4: • The Levercraft Ultra (...
Ep #5: • The Kafatek Monolith F...
Ep #6 (Finale): • The Ultimate Grinder S...
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Развлечения
Having a new James Hoffman video to watch each day is a real treat. Feeling spoiled.
Three down, three to go!
In all honesty, and I've spoken this aloud at home, this series of grinder review videos have created an excitement for me that I haven't had since I listed to my first Dokken record in '85. I clearly need more excitement in my life, but I do give most of the credit to James for creating such compelling and refreshing content.
@@jameshoffmann you are helping make mornings worth while as I wait for my espresso machine to come in
agree :D
@@jameshoffmann I love LinusTechTips because they upload daily and they have like a 40 person crew, so I appreciate the work you’re doing, it must be intense
After this week of grinder reviews, I'm going to paint flames down the side of my baratza encore to make it "cooler"!
Just lean it back 45 degrees
quality +100
I've had too many grinders, including a modified EK43s and now a Lagom P-64.
I can tell you confidently that none of these grinders will improve the taste of your coffee to anywhere near what the difference in price would suggest! The slope of price vs. performance drops RAPIDLY after the Encore.
You can argue (as James does) that you pay for quality and craftsmanship, and your money indeed does go somewhere, but unless you're a die-hard coffee enthusiast with refractometer, water treatment and all the other geeky stuff, none of these grinders make much sense!
Flames+Chrome=Class
James always says that the "workflow is fussy" but the fussiest things in all these videos is always James.
100%
Love him cuz of that tho. Don't be a reviewer if u can't complain about everything.
@@rajrishiparmar1362 but be careful not to get lost searching for the trees, when you were looking for the forest.
But that’s why we watch!!!
I don't think I can argue against this point.
I couldn't help but giggle when he started speaking German. The pronunciation was incredibly good, but also somehow really cute 😂
Me as a coffee lover from Germany really laughed but in an astonished way, cause the pronunciation was on point! Definitely enjoyed this video a lot 🙏🏼 looking forward to the others. Cheers
What, the way he pronounced Strom was VERY British
I'm starting to think that Hoffmann himself could come from Germany.
@@sofronio. he most definitely doesn't
@@sofronio. he is literally THE most British person on youtube 😂
Can I just thank you James for making proper points about the manufacturing processes behind these grinders. In my own field it's something that gets completely disregarded in the face of a high price, and it's maddening.
Value lies beyond raw results, price/performance will always end up favouring the cheapest tool that just about manages the job. I really appreciate that you touch on the difficulties of production and the differences between how each company approaches their products. Can't wait to watch the remaining episodes in the series!
Wow, two of my favourite worlds collide.
@@zm2281 How do you think I survive the long work days haha
People also fail to consider that value is more than monetary. I may decide to overpay for a product I like because it makes my life easier. Convenience provides value.
I may pay for someone to do a job I could do myself, because I value the opportunity to give them work they may need.
Or, I may buy a $3k grinder because I like the aesthetic of it. Looks provide value.
So many people get caught up in the idea that value only equals money. There's more to it than that.
@@candinmuniz3225 100%
In my eyes, value is measured from the level of satisfaction you feel. Naturally satisfaction will change depending on what the individual looks for in a product. You don't want to feel cheated by a purchase after all. The problem with that from a review level though is that it's intangible and ultimately up to personal preference, which is a pain as folks often use it as a stick to beat the reviewer with.
Good pc's and good coffee. Nice.
James: "I fee like I can hold these two opinions and have no cognitive dissonance"
Me: I belong in this target audience
I thought the same on this comment
This week reminds me of my childhood. When I could not wait to come home from school and watch cartoons.
Thanks for the nod, buddy.
Just for reference in the chat, I do think a lot of us knew at the time that what we had on our hands was simply an outlier. Coffee grinders prior to this current generation left so, so much to be desired in design and performance. The lessons learned enabled a lot of the other grinders in this series to exist, because it clearly demonstrated there was market demand for better performing technology. Bit of a shame that Mahlkonig were never really able to acknowledge what they had and properly iterate on an ancient product for the sake of meeting the new demands of their customers, but thank goodness for competition I guess. As you’ve pointed out, there are some excellent options in the field now and the EK is still good for a few applications regardless.
If I see a Mahlkonig grinder at a cafe, I automatically assume that the cafe does good coffee and have never been wrong to date.🙃
Yeah it shows their seriousness of making good coffee.
If I walk into a coffee shop and I see there's no EK I immediately headbutt my barista
Any expensive grunder means that there probably is good coffee. Why would you spend so much money to make bad coffee?
@@skilllessbeast7416 coffee shops can buy equipment and apply for tax deduction, depending on country, but in the end generally they don't need to pay nearly as much as you would have to for buying such machine for home purposes.
There's plenty of cafes here that buy them because it's a "must have", yet the shops don't invest in training their baristas in how to use them. Same goes for those shops that buy stradas and have no clue and just stick to a straight 9 bar profile.
I love how the Option-O Lagom has forced James to mention bigger numbers grind courser (and smaller grind finer) on the remaining grinder reviews.
I’m hoping that Option-O take note and switch things around to conventional numbering
Wow, I'm impressed with James' "Mahlkönig" pronunciation esp. the Umlaut. One the other hand as a "Hoffmann" he should be :)
Too bad he completely mispronounced "Lagom" in the first video of the series..
Just wanted to say the same 🤣
Honestly didn't realise it was a Swedish word. I didn't see anything about it on their website. I am annoyed at myself for missing it!
@@jameshoffmann It isn't. In Swedish it would be something like "malakungen", but that's very construed. "Mahlkönig" indeed is German, from "Mahlen" (grinding) and "König" (king).
@@JohnDoe-bw3tz i think he is talking about lagom being swedish.
I was a barista for years and was really passionate about coffee until an eating disorder made it hard to enjoy and I left the industry. Years after recovery, I discovered your channel and your videos have reinvigorated my love for coffee and I really look forward to brewing several times a day. Thank you James !
Shoot out to Café Myriad for fueling my university studies! 🙌🏻
Shoutout Myriad! Big ups Concordia grads!
Best coffee in MTL hands down!
"And I feel like I'd hold those two opinions and not feel any cognitive dissonance" is the most James Hoffmann sentence, James Hoffmann has ever said
is it just me? I'm 2 minutes in, and I want a full length video of James speaking German. it's oddly satisfying..
As a native German speaker, hearing pronounciation attempts at umlauts is always a source of intriguing, joyous and good-natured cringe. Probably exactly the same as "ze Germans" attempting to pronounce a smooth "th".
@@gregfraser4052 Hearing Germans say 'available' always made me smile.
@@jdo1014 Oh no... you just made me mutter "available" again and again and getting more uncertain every time I said it... 😅
His German pronunciation is hilarious. 😁
@@0THC0 My best guess, from hearing other Germans speak, is something like "a-fäil-äbl". But I hope not, this would be so bad...
This is the most exciting series!
My favorite cafe in Tokyo uses the big brother to this grinder! How exciting to learn what makes that heavenly cup😊
This series has become a highlight of my afternoons. Thank you for sharing!
I replaced my hopper with an aeropress funnel and took out the knocker completely
"Maybe cold brew if that's your thing"
*looks at you, disgusted*
Ahahaha. Yes Pedro, I noticed that disapproving school teacher expression. If I was a Cold Brewie, I'd be worried... 😄
I misheard him at first as "Maybe cold brew if that's a thing" and I was astounded that he wasn't even acknowledging the existence of cold brew 😂
I'm so glad these are uploaded early, can drink my coffee and watch a grinder review. This is a good week!
I've been going to Cafe Myriade as a visitor and resident of Montreal on and off since it opened, I had no idea at all about any of this. Really appreciate the work you do so much!
I greatly enjoy when you give context and recent history about the evolution of the coffee industry, please do it as often as possible. Thank you very much for this serie.
These unbiased reviews of enthusiast coffee equipment are invaluable. This is my favorite series yet!
The gentle wish for a great day always makes my day great
James Hoffman ever since I’ve started watching your videos I’ve been learning so much and have found a passion for Coffee, I can’t thank you enough 🙏
I remember seeing this grinder in a handful of coffee shops and thought it was weird everyone had the same one. Given what was said about the distribution, this makes a lot of sense. Thanks James! Great video
This grinder seems to be the de facto standard in Australian cafes, at least on the east coast. If I'm travelling, seeing one through a window is usually a decent indicator of a decent spot to drop into.
I’d pay good money to watch James give a running commentary on paint drying.
I guess it would be just a bit fuzzy.
Well there’ll be a preseries on paint types, let alone surface preparation. 😁
I LOVE the sound EK makes when grinding. Not the motor, the sound it makes WHILE grinding. Best electric grinder sound ever
Just amazing how well made these videos are - great jobs once again James !
Great series James. Really appreciate your insights and style . . . thank you for your diligent and hard work in putting so much information out there for us!
At home I use my Comandante. Love the fluffy and consistent grinds and my coffee is wonderful. At my shop I use the Webber EG-1. A few years ago I bought an EK-43 for the shop in Japan while I was traveling in the States. My bad, I purchased a 60hz grinder and in my area of Japan we use 50hz. I sold it to a friend in Shizuoka and that is when I bought my EG-1. I was one of the firs 100 people to own one. I love it but James is right on about the sound of this grinder. And I have to fiddle with it to get all the grinds to pass through when I grind. It is pretty good but the only truly zero retention grinder I have ever used is the Comandante.
Look at Mr Hoffmann giving us such an amazing series in January, the worst month for earning money on RUclips, coming out of December, the best month!
Loving the videos!
Was in a Blue Bottle recently in LA and observed they had two big hopper on-demand Mazzer SJs or Minis, unsure, for espresso, and an EK43 with an Acaia bean doser to single dose for pour over. The espresso was good and I didn’t get the chance to try the pour over but I’ll try to try it next time I’m in there.
Aesthetically this is my favorite grinder. It’s one of those instantly recognizable pieces like a Chemex. It looks like a steam locomotive and I just love it.
This series is just delightful!!!
James! Your German is awesome. Was a joy to hear as an American who has been learning German through an electrical apprenticeship here in Bavaria. Cool stuff.
Really appreciate the bit of specialty coffee history in the beginning. Very interesting 👍
My eyes lit up when you mentioned Café Myriade in Montréal 😍 One of my favourite cafes in the city!!
Me too! Miss swinging by in the morning to grab a cappucino.
and me too!!!
Café Myriade won the best coffee shop a couple years back I believe. I don't live in Montreal anymore but it seems they have opened 2 other shops.
“Cold brew If that’s your thing.” 😂
It is quite a looker. I could see that sitting in my kitchen 😊
You mean James, right?
I love it when he talks in German!
Really enjoying the series, beautiful visuals in the intros too!!
I own a ek43 for my business, and what I found is that you can’t switch easily from grinding lots of coffee for bags to single dose, I often find myself aligning the burrs before switching, but anyway I find it easy to align compare to other grinders. Btw I really love that grinder, I’m industrial designer and I love the backstory of this product and the coffee it delivers is just really good.
Thanks for your objective reviews. I learn a lot about the art of coffee brewing and roasting.
So much Hoff, so little time. This is already a great week.
The QC on anything is something to consider. Especially like you said if you're relying on it for work output.
Congratulations on your 700k, you definitely inspired and keep inspiring many people.. therefore thank you !
I have not had the privilege of using one of these as a daily grinder, but I have used a few EK’s in my time. One interesting trend here in Australia is to leave the EK running non-stop. Cafes will first turn on the grinder when the staff first walk in the door to open up and hour before service. The theory is the temperature will be stabilised, it won’t fluctuate between peak and off peak periods. This leads to more consistent grind size as the metal is all at temperature and has expanded to it maximum.
All that being said, consistently I find the espresso from EK’s to be more balanced and generally sweeter. I get the lack in texture, however I prefer overall balance and sweetness as a priority preference.
Those videos really make my week. In the evening after work I'm looking forward to a nice cup of tea and e enjoying the video. Really keeps me going throughout the day
This week filled with content is a real gem 👌
I absolutely LOVE using my EK-43 at work. So, so good.
thank you james your videos are alway so informativa and relaxing
I am not sure if seeing all these amazing grinders is more or less exciting than getting to hear “have a great day” every day!
One thing regarding cost vs the other options. It's possible to find old EK's for very reasonable prices. They may need a new burrset and a deep cleaning but they're out there, sometimes just listed as "coffee grinder" or something equally generic. I recently found one from the late 90's with nearly new burrs that needed a new power switch, the whole grinder cost me less than the new power switch. In the older models however alignment can be pretty far off so in addition to any repairs you'll probably also need to align the burrs which can take a few hours the first time.
I do own one at home to sit next to my La Marzocco GS3. Did allign the burs to optimize, and after that, it turned out to be the most consisting grinder I have worked with so far. Very good in dialing already known coffee straight from the table of notes I made. very happy with it!
Still happy with this grinder? I gonna order gs3 but can't find a good grinder... To much options and lot grinder from made in Vs are sold out
r u pulling 1:2 or 1:3
I just loved you saying ‚Mahlkönig‘ and ‚Einphasenstrom‘, so posh. You even got the Umlaut right. Super series of reviews.
One of the best reviews on the grinder. I love that you raised the point of whether EK is worth as a home grinder.
Your German is quite good. Surely Hoffman has some Germanic background.
I've had an Ek43 as a home grinder for a few years now. I was lucky to get one 2nd hand for a decent price. I've modded it by removing the thwacker and replacing with a jar (keeps retention super low and really improves work flow). The hopper is gone and has been replaced with a glass V60. There's some SSP redspeeds in there. I've spent countless hours trying to align it and there's still room for improvement. I think the next stage is to sand the static burr landing surface myself and buy a Titus burr carrier. If I'd had to pay full price and do all of the above I wouldn't have been very impressed.
I tend to find that my espresso setting stay pretty consistent day to day and between beans but that could be the SSP burrs working their magic.
Great vid James, looking forward to the next couple of days.
I am so hyped up about the great showdown! I can't wait to watch the comparision of grinders that I will most probably never have.
Ooh, a grinder I've at least heard about!
I will probably NEVER entertain these grinders seeing as they cost as much as a motorcycle, but there's something about your videos that keeps me coming back again and again Mr. Hoffmann!
Congrats on 700k Subs James!!!!
It is well deserved!!!
I've moded and aligned a ton of EKs and can say confidently, these grinders are not what they used to be from back in the Rao days. They seem to cheap out on parts and internals with every new "version" of it. If you find an old bronze coloured one, hang onto it!
What year do you think they started to go downhill?
Thank you! Ive got a black one with the old red green switch, not sure if its old enough
It's not a coincidence. There's a telling post by Scott Rao about EK-43 bad alignment.
www.scottrao.com/blog/2019/1/5/baratza-forte-vs-ek43-which-is-better
couldn’t say exactly, but when the moving carrier went from cast iron, to steel, and now to aluminum, that probably signalled a turn for the worse.
That is just the way of progress in accountant lead companies the world over, a greatly over engineered device becomes a legend precisely for its over engineered performance and longevity, then some accountant says "We can make even more margin on the price if we make some parts just good enough instead of perfect" and so begins the never ending search for cost cutting at the expense of quality.
The attention to proper pronunciation across all different languages of coffee product manufacturers is incredible
Thank you, I had no idea about the history of these prior to Matt’s face being on the side of them. Especially not as far back as the 70’s.
I’m no longer in that commercial environment but certainly echo your thoughts about QC and alignment. What might be a grind setting for espresso in one cafe would be completely different in our other cafe just due to alignment.
I do have a loving relationship of them though. The moment I’m in a cafe and have not seen the coffee set up and hear the iconic hum and grind from an EK43 I know I’m in a cafe that gives a damn.
I’ve always lusted after an EK for home but you’re right it’s not the best fit, a niche zero is probably a better fit for home.
Love your videos, thanks a lot for doing them :)
I appreciated the context you gave in this review. This is not a grinder for enthusiasts at home, it's for batch grinding.
I think a lot of people get caught up in the name and forget the purpose, and end up pining for something without considering it's effectiveness.
For example, a Rancilio Silvia CAN pull good espresso. Should I start a Cafe with it? Probably not. Can the EK-43 pull good shots? Absolutely! Should I use it as my daily driver at 5 in the morning when I want a no-fuss, single dose of coffee? Probably not.
Great review James! Can't wait for more!
When a Hoffman video appears, we like and then we enjoy.
I’m seeing a trend here of James subtly bashing that one grinder for having its numbers backwards lol
Lagom is going to have to sing him the song let it go at this rate.
@@mixeddrinks8100 I just hope he keeps it up because I'm listening for it now lol
My first job was at a farm shop in around 2005. They stocked 10 or 15 different coffees and at least 20 varieties of tea. I would grind the coffee to order with one of these machines which must have been 20 years old then. Nice to connect the dots now and know I was using such a prestigious machine haha.
Back to back to back videos ..... and, I have just ordered some of your coffee for my Gaggia.
Oh this is a good week :D
Thank you this video serie is so interesting
My hopper came off right away on my ek43s too. Super annoying!! Mine did come in need of alignment as well. Same experience with some minor retention issues. Sometimes I’ll get out 22 grams when I put in 20. I always put a few beans through of whatever I’m about to grind because you’ll end up with the old grind setting and a bit of the last bean you sent through it.
I find it to be a very messy grinder and so have always used the spray bottle to combat that.
Pretty excellent summary of everything I feel about the grinder. Awesome video.
Hi James
Great series of reviews been excited about this for a while now. I would like to learn more about the different burrs I have to admit that I find them confusing.
Lucky enough to own an EK43S that I got in March last year.
Agree with your review particularly on the workflow- it is ok for filter not so great for espresso.
I struggled to dial in espresso when I got the machine I found that it needed a few kilograms of coffee to season the burrs before the grind was consistent shot to shot in the espresso range.
Totally changed my perspective on filter coffee they taste so good. I have gone from a double shot guy (typical Aussie in that regard) to drinking mostly filters.
If you read up online you find a lot discussion about alignment of EKs, I purchased fully expecting to have to muck about and align it. I got the Titus gauge and pulled it apart and the lower burr alignment was perfect. The carrier is harder to measure but looked perfect (it is a beautifully CNC machined piece) I just put it back together and left it alone. I suspect that the older models had issues that created a cottage industry that is now dependant on them having a reputation as needing work.
I see lots of commenters getting freaked out by the prices and fair enough these are some expensive grinders. Home use is not going to wear out an EK, people know what they are and there will always be a second hand market for them. You can buy a second hand one use it for a year and sell it for what you paid for it. I don’t think that many of the home use alternatives hold value as well. So yes expensive but low risk from the perspective that you can easily sell it if you needed to.
Wow and I'm using an antique Arcade Crystal hand-crank, wall-mounted cast iron grinder. I love it and it does its job quite well. It had lost the catch cup but thankfully a half pint jelly jar fits perfectly.
Really enjoying this series!
Hands down best series on the platform
The production levels of his video are pretty awesome.
Love your comparo, and honest assessment. Can't wait for the taste head to head .
Awesome review, as always James. Mahlkönig indeed is a pretty nice company. We are using an EK 43 in our roastery and we‘re working closely with a sheltered workshop packing and stamping our coffee bags and they did not have a grinder to process grinded coffee for us. At the same time we did not have budget to buy them an own grinder right now so we reached out to Mahlkönig and they sent over a Guatemala grinder for free to the sheltered workshop. That was the best christmas surprise we could imagine.
They‘re not just successful but also humans trying to do good things and having an impact to society. 💪🏻
I've had a full height one at home for quite a few years now. I have the nicer swing out hopper gate and haven't had any build quality issues. Even so, James is spot on with the review. I love the grinder but the alignment and cleaning is a faff. I'm happy I bought it (there was nothing else comparable at the time) and wouldn't change it. I think with all these "sports car" grinders you need to do your research and aim to pick one to last the rest of your life. The benefit of the EK43 is you can chat to people running cafes and (assuming you know them well enough!) probably get to play with one before ordering.
I should add: I have had to replace the shear plate once since owning it. For a small piece of metal this was more expensive than you might expect.
Wow, very industrial looking. If I had to choose I'd take that aluminum one! Brilliant design and engineering, and more home use oriented.
Easily my favorite grinder for filter coffee. I have seen a decrease in build quality interior/exterior over the years though, which I would agree is somewhat to do with volume. Still highly recommend them though!
The startup sound at 10m23s is impressive - I can only imagine what the three-phase version is like (vrrooom!)
I love starting every day knowing there's a new grinder review this week to enjoy while I eat my breakfeast!
or late lunch over here
Gotta say, three videos in and my favourite remains the Lagom64 :) Loving these high end grinder vids!!
I have it's bigger brother in my kitchen and yes, I can relate to the fussy dialling - in on occasion, but on the whole, it has been a pretty easy grinder to live with for the last 6 years
Mahlkonig USA was able to sell me a "used" EK-43 unit from the 2019 WBC in Boston. Love that thing, makes some amazing espresso. It was calibrated then sealed for the competition, so it worked flawlessly out the box.
Your scrutiny of high-end grinders and coffee-related products will certainly be a factor in raising the bar. I really hope you get more opportunities to advise the teams who engineer these sorts of things.
I am loving the daily upload schedule. Coffee bae every day 🤣
That's the first one thusfar that looks like it might actually be worth the asking price. It's commercial/industrial and made to run all day every day. It's also presumably serviceable without jumping through hoops. It's still more then I'd ever want for a home grinder.
Wow, what a surprise to hear about Café Myriad! I don't live in Montreal, but this is my go to place when I go there. Anyone loving coffee should visit them when going to Montreal!
I just want to say that your voice pairs well with my coffee lol. Seriously, I love just having you on in the background. So calming.
I also broke the hopper on day 1, stickers are coming loose. Thanks to Titus Grinding, my EK43s is a joy to use.
This grinder series is hot, looking forward every morning for a new one. Great!!!
I don't understand much of what I'm watching, but this is so satisfying!
Wow. You are very detail. I like it. A fair and honest experience.
I was looking forward to this one, and am happy you hit so many points I have as well. I have a few strong opinions about this grinder but this isn't the forum for them!
This grinder series is great, even if I never will buy a grinder at those prices.