One more quick option I have been considering is if there are any grinders in the price range with with grind to time or grind to weight options. Again this will simplify the process for others making espresso in the house.

My beans are bought from an independent local roaster (its actually only a few miles from my house and I go to pick them up so they dont have to ship them) Yes I agree they are just more oily than a light or medium roast and someone told me that the oils can cause issues sometimes, but that may not be the case I suppose.

I am really happy with my KinGrinder k6 for hand grinding and isnt a chore for one or two coffees, but anymore and it may well be.

I think I will look more at the conical than the flat but good to know that the flat wont be affected by the darker beans if the other features are better on a flat burr.

The Femobook might be a bit too much for me to spend, but will see.

I have looked at the flair in the past as they travel okay apparently and am not really keen. They are a nice idea but not for me I’m afraid. The house machine really needs to be traditional and do milk based drinks too for my wife.

Amazing. Thanks. Yes I am a dark to very dark roast kind of person which I know can cause issues with oils more than the lighter roasts.

So a conical burr is probably best for me you are saying.

I take my coffee black and strong. No sugar or cream for me thanks. It’s really the grinder I need advice on at the moment.

Was this meant for this post?

I will look at these thanks. I have had a grinder that had static before and it was a nightmare.

I am pretty proficient in being able to repair stuff, and used to repair gaggias and sage machines anyway.

Do you have an opinion on ceramic or metal and conical or flat burr at all?

Ah nice. Thanks. I did look at a similar one. I don’t mind the traditional styling. I do however have to think of my wife who loves the oracle because it is zero hassle for her. So I maybe have to go somewhere in between where if she does miss the water empty more something it isn’t a massive deal. I also thought about just getting the grinder first as then if she feels confident to do her grind and tamp herself it’s fine but if not she can continue to use the standard grinder.

She was fine with the express where she had to do everything but I think something with more of a quirk like that might be a step too far possibly.

I have an Oracle at home which is dual boiler and a bambino for the van. Yes there is a difference, is it worth the £1500 extra and the weight and fragility? Probably not. The coffee is great and unless you are really really serious about your coffee, water, puck prep then the difference is so minor there isn’t anything in it.

Would I pay the same amount for a thermoblock as a dual boiler? Nope.

This is generally a problem with hand grinders and leads to uneven grind. One way I have seen other similar grinders resolve it is by having a metal frame at the bottom the helps stop the twist. Yours doesn’t have one so there is probably no easy way to fix this issue.