Excellent Results & Great Value for investment
Written: Mar 10 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Flavor & smell of the coffee!
Feature rich
User friendly
Quality product
Cons: Hopper - see notes
The Bottom Line: Works for all your coffee needs with outstanding results. Direct Dose to your espresso portafilter or use the Ground Bin for everything else.
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| scharnet's Full Review: Solis Maestro Grinder Plus |
I've "bean" a java junkie for most my life, with Latte's & Americano's being my vice to get through the morning. I've used a Krups blade grinder, Mr Coffee burr-mill grinder, the Kitchen Aid A-9, and now the Maestro Plus Conical Burr grinder. After buying the Saeco Classico Espresso machine, it needed a real mate for grinding the bean. I upgraded to the Kitchen Aid A-9 Burr grinder(because I love my Kitchen Aid mixer, and knew they had quality product and service). That didn't work out at all (I'll post an epinion on that product as time allows). My brother is an expert, and he suggested the Gaggia MDF (it was on sale for $149 too) and the Solis Maestro Plus since he knew I wasn't into spending hundreds of dollars on a top end grinder. The Solis won for having more features and solid reviews on all of the coffee sites.
Features that won my vote:
CONICAL vs FLAT/BURR vs BLADE GRINDER: Burr grinders just make a quality cup of coffee - because they grind consistency (one grind is the same as the next) the flavor of the bean really comes out. Blades simply do not produce a quality cup of java. The difference between the CONICAL or FLAT PLATE burr types: the idea of the conical is that it pushes the grounds downward, making for a natural gravity forced exit vs. needing extra electricity to force the beans out. This makes for less wasted bean, and less mess.
LOW SPEED: Has a "Gear Reduction Motor", which are usually found only in the high end grinders! I don't care about fancy terms but I can explain he importance of Low Speed by describing the undesirable alternative "High Speed": This type will warm the grind thus reduce the quality of the grind, create static & messes, and are in general pretty loud.
40 GRIND SETTINGS: This baby really grinds well! I can set mine to right below "espresso" grind and it produces awesome crema! I found the ease of changing settings awesome! Most manufacturers suggest changing settings, if needed, during grinding and this one can change easily one-handed. The others I've had required two hands and alot of muscle.
PULSE & TIME/QUANTITY CONTROL: Not just a simple on-off switch! For a 2 oz espresso shot I usually use the T/Q dial to a hair beyond the first white block (the dial area has 7 white blocks surrounding it), I gently tamp my grind and decide if it needs more - if it does I use the pulse to obtain the amount needed.
GROUND BIN & DIRECT FEED to Portafilter! Grinding directly to the portafilter saves time and is good mess control. The bin sits in a drawer, and the machine looks nice without it. I do have a regular coffee machine in storage, so I'm glad to have the bin option there when I need it.
Additional Observations:
SOLID UNIT! It doesn't move around at all.
QUIETER than any grinder I've seen/used.
EASY to clean - no need for muscles or tools! Consumer friendly, the parts come off easily, even the grinding burr.
EASY TO USE - from the grind settings, to the pulse button, to using the dial, to filling the hopper.
My only criticism is the bean hopper. While the size (it holds 1/2 lb) is perfect - you don't want stale beans, I wish it had a rubber gasket for a better lock-in-seal. Sometimes the hopper hop's off it's track a little while grinding, and I just have to push it back down. Very minor problem - it has only happened a couple times in 3 months.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
scharnet
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Location: Spokane, WA
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Mom of 2 boys
Small Kitchen Solution Seeker
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