Rancilio ROCKY Rancilio Burr Grinder with Doser

I won't rate this product 5 stars because I don't believe it is a good value. At almost , this thing should be flawless, and its not. If my only criteria were grading the ground coffee it produces, it would be a 5 though. Let me say though that it does a fantastic job making espresso grounds.

The path I took before I purchased this grinder started with a Black Friday sale at Starbucks where I picked up a Sirena espresso machine for $315. I had been coveting this machine since I had been introduced to espresso a year earlier but couldn't stomach the gut wrenching price for that machine. Box in hand, I headed home to make my first espresso.

Long story short, I spent a few days using my blade grinder to grind the coffee and came to the conclusion that I couldn't get the grounds consistent, even or fine enough. So I spent some time reading the thread on c about my machine and found that most people on there recommended the Rocky. I thought for a coffee grinder was ridiculous (I typically use stronger language but....) so I shopped around and settled on the still expensive (seriously, we're grinding coffee here) but reasonable Breville BCG450XL Conical Burr Grinder. I liked the Breville as it was fast, quiet, clean, small and light. However, its finest setting ("Turkish") wasn't really all that fine. Even on the finest setting, I was pulling triple shots in 8-10 seconds (which is about 2 seconds longer than when not using any coffee!). At that rate the espresso is thin and there is no crema.

Not being the type to give up on anything, I did some more research on the coffee grinders out there and was disappointed to find there was nothing in the $100-200 price range that people had good things to say about. Thus the Rocky was my cheapest "sure thing". I bit the bullet and bought it. To my satisfaction, it arrived later that week.

From the first shot I knew I made the right choice; the coffee was thick and rich, with a frothy and yummy crema. It wasn't perfect, but damn, it was better than anything that had come out of the machine before that! It took a few more adjustments to the grind setting and tamping pressure to pull a 25-30 seconds shot, but I got there pretty quickly. The Rocky has the adjustability to grind so fine that it can completely choke the espresso machine. That's awesome! I've now got the grinder dialed in just perfectly for my beans. The shots pull consistently good with about 2-3mm of silky smooth crema every time.

Now for the bad...

1.) The doser Inside the doser there is a 6 bladed sweeper that rotates when you pull the lever. However, the sweeper blades aren't quite long enough to reach the rim of the doser and thus don't sweep all of the grounds out. It leaves a substantial amount. I've learned to not use the doser lever anymore, but rather use a brush to sweep and move the doser blades around manually. That cleans it out very well.

(As a side note, I think that the doser is necessary to break up the clumps of ground coffee coming out of the machine.)

2.) The speed 21 grams of coffee takes about 45 seconds to grind. The beans get stuck in the hopper too so I have to use my brush to sweep them! The Breville processed this much cofee in about 1/3 the time (granted it wasn't as fine, but still).

3.) The weight At something like 17lbs, it's a beast. With as much coffee as the doser slops out, I need to move it frequently to clean the coffee grounds off the counter. On the flipside though, I am glad I got a lot of metal for my money though as I know this unit is sturdy enough to last a lifetime.

4.) Ergonomics It's hard to get a grip on this thing to move it. I wish there were small handles on the side of it.

5.) Cleaning Everything is screwed together and nothing snaps apart. It's sturdy, but it's a pain to clean because you have to get the screw gun out to disassemble it.

Overall I am happy with it as it makes delicious espresso. I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about good espresso.

The Rocky grinder is so incredible. Tons of horse power and a consistent grind. I grind for espresso and I can increment the grind size in slight increments according to how well the espresso is making it through the porta-filter on my espresso machine. Awesome way to fine tune and adjust according to the quality and age of the beans.

Built like a pro grinder heavy duty!

Regarding the decision of dosser vs. doserless: If you are going to us this as a COMMERCIAL grinder and pour shot after shot go with a dosser for measuring convenience. But you will always have some of your ground coffee sitting in the hopper.

If you're making your espresso's one at a time go doserless. Then you're getting your coffee freshly grounded just before you use it.

UPDATE 9/2011: Still running great and creating a perfectly even, fine grind for espresso.

UPDATE TO UPDATE: 11/2012: Still running great and creating a perfectly even, fine grind for espresso. Definitely getting my monies worth out of this one.

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I recently bought this great burr grinder along with the Rancilio Silvia espresso machine. Getting a great home espresso is all about the grind. I didn't know this until just recently. I'd been a dope, using a cheap blade grinder not knowing what a HUGE difference a burr grinder would make.

Now, I have my grind and my tamp dialed in, along with a great espresso machine (The Miss Silvia). I must say my espresso and cappuccinos are as good or better than our local coffee shops. If you are really into your espresso or cappuccinos, you MUST have a burr grinder. This is well made and easy to use. I highly recommend it.

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I am a contractor and when I recently remodeled Doug and Susans basement I was eventually shown how to use the grinder to make espresso while on breaks. Unfortunately, I started taking lots of breaks... good espresso! The grinder is quiet, precise,and efficient, like an excellent sub contractor, or a good table saw! The grinder was great. I use a burr grinder at my house but you can't even talk over the thing. This one whirs below a conversation level, then stores the suberbly consistant ground coffee. I then pull the lever a couple times to dispense premeasured amounts into the doser that is resting in its holder on the machine, and there it is break is on!! Thanks for the good times and good espresso. On my way to hawk some of my tools to buy one of these things, it's worth it!

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I can say that it has really improved my morning espressos. Having the ability to grind the coffee myself right before I pull a shot has improved the quality and consistency of my lattes. The Rocky does a great job with the grinding and with the doser, I haven't had too much problem with "dust". It's build is of a fairly high qualityplastic could be a bit heftier, but with a little care it should last me many many years, and it turns out great coffee grounds. Well worth the money even though it is not cheap. I use a La Pavoni hand pump machine, and it has never turned out as good a shot as I can now obtain with the combination of it with the Rocky.

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Mesa Home Products Rotating Coffee Pod Carousel in Brushed Copper

Was excited to find a K cup holder that wasn't the standard looking carousel, until it arrived. SO disappointing! The carousel itself is wobbly and lopsided, and the wires that hold the cups aren't any uniform shaped so half of the cups fall right thru. If you squeeze the wires together more closely then you can get some additional cups to stay, but some of them still fell thru. Stick with a standard carousel or drawer, not as decor friendly, but at least they'll hold your cups!

I was happy to find a coffee carousel that wasn't the same old, same old that you saw in all of the stores. I was surprised about the height of this, for some reason I was thinking it would be a little shorter, but I am very happy with it. I gave it to my mother-in-law for Christmas and she absolutely loved it. Its a space saver and the brushed copper color adds a nice touch.

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ABLE KONE COFFEE FILTER 3RD GENERATION

This product looks good and was nicely packaged, although I do find it quite expensive.

In my first trial of this filter, I used a medium grind (ie for drip coffee) and wasn't gentle pouring the water, so I noticed that water flowed too fast, and the coffee was very cloudy with as much sediment than my french press. I was very disappointed, but then I watched a video on youtube (Quick Look at the New Able Kone Coffee Filter) that mentions using a finer grind. It sounded counter-intuitive because with a french press you need coarser grinds to reduce sediment.

However it turns out that with this filter, the coffee itself acts as part of the filter, so a finer grind reduces flow and helps do tighter filtration. With a finer grind you don't need to use too much coffee either. The sediment will be less than what you get from a french press, and the Chemex body design actually helps trap some of that when you pour your coffee.

So, here is what works for me, hopefully these instructions will give you a nice result without need for scales or thermometers.

1. Use a medium-fine grind, something in-between drip coffee and espresso.

2. For getting two 12oz mugs out of my 6-cup Chemex, I use 4 tbsps of coffee (about 20 grams). Put it in the filter, tap it to get it all to the bottom, and place on the Chemex.

3. Boil the water and let it cool for half a minute so it's not too hot.

4. Pour enough water to get all the grounds wet, and let it sit for a minute or two. This is an EXTREMELY important step that conditions the coffee for the rest of the brewing and makes a layer of coffee stick to the filter for tighter filtration / reduction of sediment.

5. Pour the rest of the water SLOWLY, and into the center, without letting it rise in the filter much. Be as gentle as possible in order to avoid loosening up the grounds that are stuck to the filter. Stop pouring when the coffee level reaches the "dot" in the Chemex lower body. The brewing process should take around 5 minutes or longer. If it takes less time, you may need to pour slower and/or use a finer grind.

6. When dripping stops, pour yourself a cup! If all went well it should be very flavorful, and with minimal sediment. Don't forget to clean the filter as soon as possible, since dried up grounds are much harder to clean.

Please comment if these simple instructions helped you get the great results I achieved!

Many improvements since the earlier versions. The cushioned rim makes it much easier to clean. There is still some sediment, less than a press but more likely to mix in with the coffee. You might want NOT to pour water down the sides as with a paper filter, or it spends less time soaking the coffee.

Pour into the center or onto the grind, but not onto the metal.

The filter holes are probably state of the art, but I find that water escapes much faster than with a paper filter, hence spends less time brewing.

Great as alternative to paper filters (and "greener"), but paper still creates a clearer more flavorful brew with no sediment and is not expensive.

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Bought it for a gift for my son. He loves it. I don't know if I would spend the money for myself though. I like paper filters.

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Great quality, very good construction. Best way to make the most of your chemex brewer. Easy to clean and use.

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I like the Kone coffee filter and expect to use it regularly. I am a longtime Chemex user. I bought the filter and find it easy to use and the coffee quite good. There is sediment but in my experience it settles into the bottom of the cup and is not bothersome. I wouldn't tip up the cup and drink the last drop, but the sediment is less noticeable than with the typical french press. I've used a finer grind and a typical drip grind and find the results to be very similar in strength and sediment.

The Kone does not hold as large a volume as the paper filters did. There is a gap between the sides of the pot and the sides of the Kone. Also the Kone does not go as low in the pot. For this reason I think it might not suit the largest pots as well.

Chemex Drip Coffee Carafe - 6 Cup

There is a dirty little secret that many of these appliance companies don't want you to know. Manual drip coffee from a simple cone device makes the best coffee. Here's why. You need to have two tablespoons of coffee for every cup. The water must be just below the boiling point when it hits the grounds. Water which is poured in one little stream on top of dry grounds will cause a funnel effect an most of the grounds won't immersed effectively.

The fancy auto-drip coffee makers don't heat the grounds effectively and don't cover them with water properly in the brewing process. If most people really looked at the back of their coffee maker and looked at where the water is kept in reserve, they would call a Haz-Mat team to clean it up.

Why get this instead of a cheap plastic cone, the filter paper is thicker with the Chemex, retains more bitter oils and the thick glass of the Chemex will keep the coffee warm enough for a second cup (I would suggest getting the glass lid for it also.

Note: I got the 8 cup version

I've been through a lot of coffee makers, and hated them all till now.

My biggest issue has always been cleanup! I'd leave coffee-grounds in, be too lazy to clean it up later, get mold growing in the coffee maker's reservoir, and on and on.

The Chemex solves all these problems AND makes a stunning cup of coffee. Making the coffee takes a bit longer, as you basically have to spend about 5 minutes or so watching and pouring... however, it's fun to do! I actually look forward to the task. You find yourself making fine adjustments to your coffee making methods every day, just to see the differences you can make.

Cleanup is where you make up for the 5 minutes of pour time... Takes about 15 seconds... Drop the filter in the garbage, rinse the chemex out, put it back on the shelf. If you use hot water to rinse, it dries instantly... No small parts, no reservoirs that remain damp 24/7 collecting fungus, no series of tubes and tunnels that can never be cleaned. And the coffee is as perfect as you make it.

I'll never use another coffee maker.

Note, I also purchased the lid and stove grid. Helps a lot... I brew 8 cups of coffee in the morning, put it on the stove with the mesh, turn my range to low-medium, and put the lid on. Keeps my 8 cups hot and fresh all day.

Update: Well, I've had this coffee maker for about 8 months now, and I'm still loving it.

Update: Well, I've had this coffee maker for over 3 years now, and I'm STILL loving it. Works as well as it did the day I got it.

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I could never figure out why the coffee I made at home didn't taste as good as the coffee I bought at Starbucks and other gourmet makers even though I buy high quality beans and grind them myself. The answer, apparently, is that drip home brewers just don't brew at the right temperature. A chemex brewer is a "back to basics" system of making coffee where you pour boiling hot water directly over the grounds. You control the temperature and the special filters remove any bitterness from coffee. This is an inexpensive way to make great coffee at home. The only inconvenience is that you have to boil the water yourself in a kettle and you have to pour water into the chemex 2-3 times to make a full pot, so you can't just walk away while it's brewing. Also, the chemex doesn't keep the coffee warm, so I find myself putting second and third cups into the microwave. Nevertheless, the taste of the coffee is so outstanding that I can't bear to go back to my Mr. Coffee machine.

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It is a very pretty maker, and coffee is made under perfect conditions. The price is good through Amazon, just make sure you use suggested filters, the other DO NOT work... (learned from experience).

If premium coffee is your "thing" and pretty is a bonus, this maker is the answer

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Some information for those considering the Chemex, the Bodum French Press, and the Aeropress...

I used the Bodum French Press twice a day for years. It makes a good, strong cup of coffee. But there are some negatives to consider.

With only a filter screen, the Bodum lets a lot of solids through. Many argue that this contributes to the complexities of the taste. The downside is that you get an unavoidable layer of sludge at the bottom of your cup. A Bodum cup of coffee also starts to go bitter pretty quickly (from what I understand, this is also related to the presence of the solids). Unlike a Chemex cup of coffee (see below), a sip of a cool cup of Bodum coffee an hour after brewing will be quite bitter.

The Bodum is a real pain to clean up. I found that the grounds had to go down the sink (difficult to get them into the garbage). The filter has three different components. Ideally, it should be disassembled and washed daily, but that's unrealistic. I usually just rinsed the assembled filter every day and then ran the disassembled components through the dishwasher a couple of times a week. But that means that you're using a "not totally clean" filter for a good part of the week.

For some reason, I eventually began to tire of the Bodum taste and explored other options. I first tried out Aerobie's Aeropress. It makes a great espresso-like cup of coffee, but the volume of coffee brewed relative to the amount of grounds is a bit crazy, even when you dilute it with water to make an Americano. I just felt like I was wasting huge amounts of expensive coffee.

I purchased a Chemex several months ago, and have been thrilled with it. It makes a delicious, balanced cup of coffee--perhaps not quite as hard-hitting as the Bodum, but not wimpy either. It contains no solids, so stays fresh for hours (or even days if kept in the fridge for iced coffee). Cleanup couldn't be more simple--throw out the filter, rinse out the glass, and you're done. Night and day versus the Bodum. The only negative with the Chemex is that it uses large, thick filters--not great for the environment.

I also find that the Chemex is a bit of a Zen coffeemaking experience. You have to slow down and live in the moment to brew. This is not the solution for you if you're rushing out the door every morning. Its simple design is also quite a beautiful.

Happy brewing!

EDIT (seven months later): still very happy with the quality of the Chemex and the coffee. To illustrate how much easier cleanup is with the Chemex (vs. the Bodum)--I have never once had to wash the Chemex! I always rinse it out immediately after use, and it stays perfectly clean. Granted, I should probably wash it twice a year. But try that with the Bodum.

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ESPRESSO MKR 6CUP SS

This is the cheapest coffee espresso maker I have ever seen. I would not trust to heat it up on a stove at all. Sent it right back and the whole return process was a cluster. You have to send them a tracking number. It took probably 10 emails and 3 to 4 weeks before I got my refund back. Not to mention they have a restocking fee. Never again..........................

Mr. Coffee 4101 Filter Cup for Espresso Basket

This was a pleasant surprise. I bought it hoping it would fit my old Krups Expresso Machine and guess what? IT DID!

Works like a charm-arrived in good time and I am completely satisfied. I really liked the product. Now I can have my espresso.

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This basket saved me from trashing my expresso maker, which I was on the verge off. Thanks you so much

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the filter works great, I'm very happy with it. All the esspresso drinkers loved the purchase as we can now use our machine.

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I lost the basket to my Mr. Coffee espresso machine a year ago, so when I discovered this one on amazon I was delighted. It works perfectly and I'm happily making lattes again!

Primula Neapolitan 4 Cup Aluminum Stovetop Coffee Maker

I own one of these, it has seen better days...but it still continues to brew wonderfully dark and rich Italian style coffee...It is so simple, very few moving parts...and if you use the size of cups you are supposed to...you will get 4 small cups...REAL...espresso sized cups...Needless to say...you need to have espresso coffee..not the weak American coffee's...The only thing I do that is not mentioned in the original instructions is to put a paper filter in the filtering portion. I tend to grind my own beans...and espresso grind is a near powder...so one more layer of protection is always good...for the last drop.

Fill the bottom with cold water, insert the espresso grounds to the top of the container, connect the items together and place on the stove on a low heat setting. When you hear the water bubbling it's time to remove the pot and gingerly turn it upside down and allow the flavor to begin. Within a minute or so you will have the most wonderfully strong and dark brew awaiting your espresso cup.....

The coffee maker made better coffee after I used my father's method instead of the enclosed instructions. The coffee came out very weak when using the directions of placing the coffee grounds in the top part of the coffee grind holder. Also it was easier to boil water in a pot instead of the coffee pot and then pour the water into the coffee groud holder and let it seep through.

Please email if you have any questions.

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This classic Coffee Maker was originally designed in Italy in late 30's and early 40's... It's a simple concept and makes the Best Coffee, hands down!

I'm sorry for the folks who wrote the reviews prior to mine. They simply DID NOT use it correctly.

First you need to have the right ESPRESSO GRIND, meaning the grind has to be fine and powdery versus course grind, allowing the water to get the best of the beans.. DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA, This does not mean you will be drinking a strong dark espresso. This just means you will drink a full flavored tasty coffee. Even a bad coffee-brand will taste great using this.

Two, For Best Results...If you get the 4 CUP maker, then you need to make 4 cups every time, not 3 or 1...Plus after boiling and evaporation in fact you end up with 3 well proportioned Cups worth.

USING IT: The Lid is only used to keep your coffee warm after boiling, so remove the lid. Fill the Water pot (without spout) to the top, insert the Filter part into the water pot. Add your coffee grinds into the filter. (Don't be shy if you want to taste your coffee)(Putting the right amount of coffee for flavor is TRIAL and ERROR) After you've added your coffee, twist the filter lid onto the filter. Place the Coffee-Pot (with spout) upside-down on top, creating one single unit. (WITHOUT the SMALL LID) Place onto the stove top (do not burn the handle). After it comes to a boil, with oven mittens or cloth, put one hand on each handle keeping the unit connected, then flip it upside down. This will put the Coffee-Pot with spout in the correct usable position as your coffee percolates through :-) yummy! Wait 2-3 mins then serve

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I have been using the Neapolitan type coffee maker for many years and still have a 6-cup and 8-cup which I'm very satisfied with. However, when I received this pot there was a slight dent which I decided to just live with rather than return it. I have to use a filter with it to avoid having coffee grinds in my coffee because apparently the holes are just a little too large as I have been using the same brand coffee for years with no problem in my other pots. Needless to say, I am very dissatisfied with this product and would never purchase this brand again.

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This was NOT a good Buy. I was lucky to get one cup of coffee and it was a supreme hassle brewing it. The description was obviously incomplete (in hindsite) and misleading. Wasted Gift and Money. Very disappointed.

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