Some additional comparisons that you might be looking forward to: -98mm LM vs. SW vs. CR (gonna get some other guys in the area with these to roll through) -98 CR vs. 98 SSP Brew ...and yes lots of grinder comparisons/reviews that I just haven't gotten around to doing 😫
I have the SW in my Flat Max. It's not ideal for long ratios IMO. But based on your comments, you describing the LM burrs are how the SW burrs were described to me.
Grind coarse through the conical burrs first then finish to desired fineness through the flat burrs. Then put the coffee in a hemp bag go out to your front yard and hop on one foot while swinging the bag above your head seven times in a counterclockwise figure eight. Then let coffee rest for 42 minutes before brewing while clicking your heels together repeating three times "There is no coffee like this" Swear it works.
Nice, I got a similar set up right now as well, I think I have similar results. Except I have the Monolith Flat with the 75mm Shuriken LM burrs, I believe they're similarly forgiving, but still not really as good for darker roasts as a lower clarity burrset, I haven't experimented too much with really short or long ratios though, might do some more experimenting now. I also have the Key, and was surprised I really like those big conical burrs, relatively high clarity and very forgiving and versatile as well, tends to give everything a kinda unami flavour I find, and Lagom P64 with SSP Multipurpose burrs, which is not so forgiving but it's kinda like a reference headphone it doesn't 'colour' the flavours, it just gives you what's there, I didn't love it at first but when you get it right it's pretty rewarding. Looking forward to trying the 64mm Lab sweet burrs soon as well.
Brian, this is my current endgame grinders combo at home: Versalab M4 + Ultra Grinder (Pre-2015 EK 98mm burr) + Ditting 804 (Lab Sweet Burr). Please try the M4, it is still a top tier wonderful grinder ! !
I can’t wait until I can start looking at even the niche zero or 64 as an end game grinder for my own use :P These just seem like luxury!! Mind you, I do love my current set up: Aeropress / Picopresso, Knock Aergrind and Subminimal kit for milk drinks
Man, I have a P100 on order to complement my Niche (which I'm still honestly not convinced I like more than the Mignon I was using before), but now you have me second guessing that I should go for a Monolith. I only drink espresso and got the P100 so I can start doing light roasts, but as a home brewer making 2 cups a day the Monolith seems like one that would be a "best of both worlds without compromise" type solution.
Awesome video and great at explaining what to expect from these burrs!! Noticed you had a WW Key in the background. Curious to know what your opinion of that burr set in that grinder is.
Nice comparison Brian, love your videos! I find them ultra useful. I'm currently searching for my endgame pair (and hopefully taking a BIG leap in quality), but I've found in my country is really hard to get things even like the Niche or the df64 :/ so I'm trying to aim for something that won't have me wondering "what if", and I would very much appreciate insight from you or anyone that can help! It's been hard finding reviews of some of this endgame grinders as well In the same way you pick those, I had something like this in mind: More traditional taste (more body, maybe more suited for espresso and maybe darker roasts): niche, and now adding the MC4 and the Flat Max. Between the last two, I kinda wonder if the conical burrs give something extra advantange or if on contrary the shuriken do better. More clarity (for lighter roast, maybe for brewing): lagom p64 MP/ p100 HU, or brew maybe, but I kinda want to be able test some more clear espresso so I'm not sure if the brew burrs would make it too difficult. Sorry if something here is not correct, I'm still kind of new to this, please have mercy. The choices here obviously are not set in stone, but is what I've liked most based on videos, what I find pretty and seems to have a nice workflow. As I've said, getting anything for me is kind of hard, so something like the df64 that needs a lot of extra stuff to not be frustrating is out of the question. Thanks to anybody who can help me!
Brian, are the real 80mm Lab Sweet burrs better than the SSP 64mm LS in any way relative to the Shuriken burrs? I remember you raved about the coffee the Ditting produced as well.
I am revisiting this in the next month or so. I have tried the v1 of the 64 cast but now there's a v2 of 64 cast and I'm waiting for the option o version of it!
@@BrianQuan v1 and v2 SSP cast 'lab sweet' burrs should be the same I believe (actual burr teeth part at least) but the back end will sit in the P64 and ODE properly in the v2. So that would throw off your results if alignment is poor due to them not sitting right.
Someone informed me since I posted that previous comment that SSP has tweaked the design of the v2 a little so it's better for espresso. Maybe giving a little more fines. Not sure if this is actually true or not though. I just got the v2 (I believe) burrs delivered installed and aligned in a Df64. I'm going to see which I prefer now that I have all 3 64mm ssp burrs side by side in different grinders :o
98 HU aren't as good of a general purpose burr IMO as SLM and are much more high clarity focused. If I want a distinctively different burr vs the SLM the 98 HU are clearer and can finish harsh, but I choose 98 Brew for pairing since it is even clearer and even more different (especially with sharp drop off) than SLM!
@@BrianQuan Makes sense Brian, thanks for sharing. I've been running the SSH HU as my general purpose, I believe the Option-O and Decent Teams do the same. IMO it's an amazing burr for most things ultralight to med/med dark. Certainly can be unforgiving. Likely just very in line with my taste preferences.
Had Mignon Specialita. Nice little grinder until it stopped working after less than 2 years light use. Cheaply made. I wouldn’t ever spend money on one again. If you look under “Specialita stalling” you’ll find lots of hits.
Really appreciate the comprehensive thoughts here, can’t imagine being able to try most of these grinders next to each other! Any thoughts on the 98mm SSP Brew vs 80mm SSP UL?
80mm SSP ULF linger and coat your tongue and have an actual after taste! Kinda less peaky Lab Sweet for me. I couldn't get them close enough in a Ditting 804 to do espresso whereas the 98 Brew can do high flow espresso.
Have you got a chance to try the 98mm SSP Ultra Low Fines Burrs (specifically for brew)? I have been trying to find some information about it, but it seems to be lacking! :( Thank you!
When I ordered my Kafatek I asked Ross which grinder would be best for medium to dark roast beans. He recommended the MC4. It would be interested if you made a side-by-side comparison between your Flat and the MC4.
You've sold me on the 98mm Shuriken LM. Are they proprietary to the Monolith or can they be popped into any other 98mm grinder? If they are interchangeable among grinders, have you tried and noticed any difference using them in a Monolith vs. Titus vs. Lagom etc.? Thanks!
Supposedly you can't put them in other grinders and buying a monolith with those burrs comes with an agreement against using them elsewhere or reselling the burrs. I got my Monolith flat used so no such agreement. I have a atom 75 I think it would be compatible with but I dont think I wanna try experimenting and mess up my grinder or burrs for that experiment lol. Supposedly the burrs spin the opposite direction but on my flat it seems to spin the same as most do. Clockwise.
Your thoughts on theKafatek Mono Flat (not the Max) with the 75mm Shuriken LM burrs ? Will or does it produce (express) the same espresso as the Max 98mm LM burrs ? Thanks.
microscopic analysis to go along with your taste commentary would be great - a more than "decent" microscope with camera adapter can be had for a fraction the cost of one of your grinders so why not do it - find out some of the reasons certain grinders produce certain effects
@@BrianQuan The only problem for me is that the 75mm (sw and lm) both stall on ultralights done ultra fine unless I drip feed them. Sw is worse on this issue ime.
@@JusBThankful I have a 2017 monlith but no issues with the mythos burrs, never went to SSP burrs. Grind speed was also like 5x faster... Despite all this zero interest on going back taste isn't close.
I have the Lagom P100 with SSP 98mm high uniformity burrs. I have not been able to compare to the flat max. By itself the grinder is awesome. It softens the acidity of the lighter beans. I think a bit unfair by not comparing to the 98mm high uniformity burr set As an aside. Espresso Vivace in Seattle has amazing beans.
I and many others with 98 HU have found it to be an extremely high clarity burr set that enhances acidity like 64 SSP MP. It is IMO a much worse all rounder burr than SLM. Try doing dark roasts on 98 HU lol. 98 LU are supposed to be a bit more blended which work better across most roast levels and methods. For all rounder pre 2015 MK SSP clones are better than 98 HU for flexibility across roasts too. So for high clarity burr sets that's why I picked 98 Brew over 98 HU.
@@BrianQuan curious to hear if you were pairing an MC4 as more of the all rounder what other setup you’d have to provide more of a broad spectrum of roasts and profiles? Do you still have your MC4? Haven’t heard much about it since your part 2 ordering video. Also interested by your comments about flats working for broader roasts ie maybe you’re done w conical?!
Haha I swapped the MC4 with my friend for the Titus. I'll be getting it back soon so I can complete a video on it. The MC4 is a fantastic all rounder but check my intro video on the Bentwood (still need to make the full review lol). I do want to note that out of all of these grinders, the MC4 is the easiest to work with. Grinds fast enough, no need to RDT, minimal retention. In cup performance is great but I'll be revisiting!
@@BrianQuan The question might be. Are you putting too much weight on the burr set? I agree it does have a major impact on the results. Can you take the same burr set and in different grinders have the same result? Most likely not the case. It's like saying the lens is more important than the camera. Or the rotory motor more important than the espresso machine. Or the engine more important than the car model. They all contribute to the final result. With the Lagom P100 I have mostly used medium beans. I think it works fine with dark. I can't profess to have an equivalent pallet as yours. To you the shot might be bad. If interested the next time you are in the Boston area you can try my P100. I know you are at the Expo but the next few weeks do not work. If you would even consider the idea. I highly recommend trying Espresso Vivace beans. It takes espresso to a whole new level.
That’s an interesting thought, as it goes against the idea that more uniform grounds are better, which grinder designers seem to go to great lengths and expense to achieve.
Brian, I have a Nautilus with these SSP Brew burrs. Currently I’m trying to figure out how to best brewing approach to take advantage of this burr set’s potential and strong points. Any guidance on techniques/brew methods you have found that highlight the presentation of this burr? Since you have the Nautilus with these burrs I’m curious what grind settings you are typically working with for a Kono, April, Stagg or Mugen? I am finding pretty high tds readings even with coarse grinds. Thanks!
May I know what ratio do you normally like drinking your espresso? For different roast? Thank you so much for the video. Would love to try the max in the near future. Im still waiting for my EG 1 and niche which will only be shipped in May. Currently still using a specialita which has been my grinder from day 1. Your videos have been an inspiration for me since day 1 of learning about coffee
I’d love to hear thoughts on a nautilus vs an EG1? Specifically for single dose espresso purposes. I’m considering getting one for our cafe but can’t decide between the two as not many people have hands on experience with both. Any pros/cons would be much appreciated.
Would love to have Kafatek burrs in my grinder, but Kafatek won't sell them. I don\'t think I'm willing to wait for a year to get another set of burrs for my 98 mm.
People also seem to like using the 'mythos' burrs in the Atom 75... not sure how those compare or what they are exactly lol A lot of people see Eureka has a Redspeed burr option and assume that means it's an SSP burr, but it's basically the same Eureka Burr (not very high clarity but a nice over-all espresso burr I think, probably ideal for medium roast espresso) but with a coating for much more longevity. 'Redspeed' is not unique to SSPs.
I’m in process of opening speciality coffee shop. Was thinking to buy 2 Bentwoods. Does anyone have better alternatives for a commercial setup or are Bentwoods just good enough?
Awesome in depth review Brian! Do you have a review of pourover oriented manual coffee grinders? I currently have a timemore g1, 1zespresso max, and lido og. They are nowhere near the price point of your review. I’m interested in your opinion/thoughts on manual grinders.
