Mahlkönig K30 Vario

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txrpls

Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

I'm not really happy with my Baratza Vario except for the size. I would like a grind into the portafilter with as little mess as possible (wife requirements) I have a Mazzer Mini that I have used fro several years, but hated the doser. I now see that the Mahlkönig K30 Vario is greatly reduced in price on several sites, but it looks as big as as an S1. Any thoughts or suggestions? Size and grind quality are the primary requirements.
symbology

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by symbology »

Go Big......... :)

have you looked into the new Mahlkonig Pro M?

I went with the Macp M7D (a little cheaper than the K30 Vario) and I love it. It is big / tall, but I got used to it. A custom short hopper helps out a lot. The Baratza Vario was a good grinder, but I am loving my results with the new M7D. I needed to come up with a dosing funnel to help eliminate potential loss of grounds / mess. Once I came up with a funnel, I have no issues at all. I actually use the bottom edge of the funnel to do a quick level of the grinds (as I remove it) before tamping.

Good luck with your decision.
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

What are you seeing for pricing on the K30? $1500-$1600 is pretty typical. I think the K10 ($1300) does a better job & certainly turns out a fluffier grind but you don't like dosers?? The K30 is big but with a small hopper it isn't too bad. A bitch to open up if you like to clean out your grinder occasionally.
oton

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by oton »

No way big as an S1. Height or width. However it's very tall due to the hopper, so if you have no space, you'll need to find a mini hopper (I think that Mahlko U.S sells one) or make yourself one.

It's very quiet and fast. Very easy to adjust. About 5 grams of waste. Grab one if you find a good price, but first check the conic grinders. Probably the grind quality will be superior.
JohnB wrote:. A bitch to open up if you like to clean out your grinder occasionally.
Why? Only 1 screw to remove the top and access to the upper burrs and 4 turns to disassemble it.
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

oton wrote:Why? Only 1 screw to remove the top and access to the upper burrs and 4 turns to disassemble it.
That's the impression I got from talking with a former owner of the previous generation K30 but maybe I got it wrong or maybe the latest version is improved in that regard? Either way with the new ProM producing a fluffier grind & retailing for around $900 I see little reason to spend the $$ on a K30 if you wanted a flat burr Mahlkonig grinder.
symbology

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by symbology »

JohnB wrote:What are you seeing for pricing on the K30? $1500-$1600 is pretty typical. I think the K10 ($1300) does a better job & certainly turns out a fluffier grind but you don't like dosers?? The K30 is big but with a small hopper it isn't too bad. A bitch to open up if you like to clean out your grinder occasionally.
Was this directed at me? Not sure. I paid less than $1500 for my Macap M7D. I got it from http://www.coffeeshopsolutions.com/c-43 ... offee.aspx
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

No, I was asking the OP about the "reduced pricing" he had mentioned in his first post but he seems to have left the building. :roll:
symbology

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by symbology »

Gotcha, yeah I don't think the K30's have dropped again (from the $1500-1600) range.
Endo

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by Endo »

There's a used one for sale now at CoffeeGeek for $950.
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

The last time I checked on the K30 is was in the $2K range. The Pro M would definitely be my wife's first choice. If it does a quality grind I'm game also. The Baratza Vario is the perfect size in my wife's eyes and I'm still in the house.
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

txrpls wrote:The last time I checked on the K30 is was in the $2K range. The Pro M would definitely be my wife's first choice. If it does a quality grind I'm game also. The Baratza Vario is the perfect size in my wife's eyes and I'm still in the house.
I picked the ProM because of the footprint. I didn't want a large "titan" device. The Baratza Vario was my first choice until I saw the ProM last weekend at the SCAA Expo. I picked one up on the spot.

Here's a video of my ProM. The grind is VERY fluffy. It's overpouring so much because the double basket of a Silvia is designed for 12g, as opposed to 14g like everyone else's. But still, it pretty much requires me to tap the portafilter to settle the coffee midway through the timed grind. You'll have to do that or use a funnel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY23l9mvK5Q
LJCoffeeGuy

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by LJCoffeeGuy »

bamaster-
Were you the one who walked out with a pro m for $800?
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

Haha! I wish! No, I got it for $950. I was the one that talked to the guy who did.

Next year I'll come prepared to wait until the last hour before buying anything. I talked to the guy at the Wega booth and he told me he'd give me a deal on the Mininova if I waited until the last hour. I just didn't want one of those. I had hoped Izzo or Vibiemme would be there but they weren't. Instead I talked with La Spaziale and got a Mini Vivaldi (v1) for $1550 +tax. Picked it today.
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GDK
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Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by GDK »

Congrats on the new Mini! This is a great price for new machine.
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

txrpls wrote:The last time I checked on the K30 is was in the $2K range. The Pro M would definitely be my wife's first choice. If it does a quality grind I'm game also. The Baratza Vario is the perfect size in my wife's eyes and I'm still in the house.
$2k is close to the K30 inflated list price but they can be bought new for around $1600. 2 friends who owned K30s have bought or used the ProM & both say the ProM puts out fluffier grounds and doesn't have the clumping issues. Email Nasi at http://www.coffeeshopsolutions.com for pricing on either one before you buy as I believe he has the best pricing. If I recall correctly he was selling the ProM for under $1K. Only downsides to the ProM are that it is not designed to be disassembled for cleaning, there is no bean chute door in the hopper & it is a little noisy.
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

JohnB wrote:Only downsides to the ProM are that it is not designed to be disassembled for cleaning, there is no bean chute door in the hopper & it is a little noisy.
I don't have any other reference point than a Rancilio Rocky, that said, the ProM is considerably quieter than the Rocky. Can't comment on the disassemblnig of the unit (yours is the first I've read on that) but I would describe the ProM as relatively quiet. Just my opinion.
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

bamaster wrote: I don't have any other reference point than a Rancilio Rocky, that said, the ProM is considerably quieter than the Rocky. Can't comment on the disassemblnig of the unit (yours is the first I've read on that) but I would describe the ProM as relatively quiet. Just my opinion.
The "no disassembly" thing has been mentioned in all the ProM threads on H-B. As for noise it depends on what you are used to but most grinders are quieter then a Rocky.
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

I don't clean my grinder anyway. I run some Grindz thruogh it and then some coffee and call it good. I obviously don't have a sophisticated palate. Called Nasi and the Pro M is on its way. I would have gotten a Speedster, but I can't afford the divorce. :grin: Looks like I Coffee Shop Solutions with be my go to dealer in the future since Chris is off the radar.
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

One good thing about the ProM is that you won't get to see how much of the Grindz powder stays behind in your grinder. If you grind oily beans the Grindz will clean the oil off of your burrs but doesn't do didly for the old grounds & caked on coffee oils stuck to the sweepers & chamber walls. It will add a nice white layer to everything left behind.
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

The Pro M arrived Saturday, unfortunately without the manual. Nasi called last week and asked if I would settle for his demo as he only had one new model and another customer wanted new. I accepted the demo machine but it arrived without the manual and the base plate. Nasi was extremely apologetic and is sending the stuff to me, but in the mean time I haven't quite figured the timer out and the why the light on the side flashes. Any help would be appreciated. The grind quality is definitely better that the Baratza and the ground are fluffy with no clumping. I like the single knob vs the two levers on the Vario.
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

The flashing light. Well, it means that there's time left on the timer. Let's say you have a 10 sec grind. You can use the grind for 5 seconds, remove the portafilter (the light will start blinking at this point), and then resume the remaining time on the timer. To stop this, simply quickly press and release the grind button.

I use this feature all the time. It's a fluffy grind, so I will grind for 7 seconds or so, then remove the portafilter to tap it on the counter (to settle the coffee a bit). Then I return the portafilter for the remaining timed grind. Otherwise there's a lot of overflow and wasted coffee.

Here's the link to the PDF files for the grinder. There are three files.
http://www.mahlkoenig.com/us_products/P ... inder.html
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

Thanks for the info. I can't believe I missed the links on Mahlkönig website. I set the time for 7 seconds and use the same technique you describe. My on criticism is the that you can't punch the button and pull the PF forward and the timer stay on for the full 7 seconds.
JohnB

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by JohnB »

Sounds like you guys might find the OE Dosing Funnel useful. http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-Alumin ... _2415.html The K10 output is very fluffy but with the funnel on the basket I can fit the entire dose without stopping or spilling any grounds.
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

txrpls wrote:Thanks for the info. I can't believe I missed the links on Mahlkönig website. I set the time for 7 seconds and use the same technique you describe. My on criticism is the that you can't punch the button and pull the PF forward and the timer stay on for the full 7 seconds.
I agree. The problem I have is that with the smaller 53mm portafilter, the coffee lands in the basket on the rear side, not in the center, while the button is engaged. So I might come up with a way to make the button longer so that the coffee lands in the center. A magnet maybe? Don't know.

Maybe next version will include a button on the side, as well? That way we could manually control it.
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

Pulled out the bottomless PF for the first time in a while and got a nice stream with no spritzers, something I was not able to accomplish with the Baratza. Overall I am very pleased with the Pro M. Not sure if it is worth double the money for the Vario though.
peter

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by peter »

txrpls wrote:Pulled out the bottomless PF for the first time in a while and got a nice stream with no spritzers, something I was not able to accomplish with the Baratza. Overall I am very pleased with the Pro M. Not sure if it is worth double the money for the Vario though.
Nice streams with no spritzers is always worth double the money. :lol:
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

Nice streams with no spritzers is always worth double the money. :lol:
I'm not sure. I think a lot of this stuff is just coffee geek propaganda. I bet I could give you a blind taste test and you wouldn't be able to which shot has spritzers and which shot didn't. I think a lot of this stuff is just a bunch of sheep following the judas goat to slaughter. I have about 5 different type of steaming pitchers and can get the same foam from each one. Each one I purchased because it was the must have pitcher for micro foam. I can do the same thing with each of them. What changed was me and my abilities. What the hell, I still like no spritzers and the wife likes the size (in this case smaller is better). :bom:
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

hehe... well, in theory, spritzing occurs with channeling, which introduces over-extraction (bitterness). And that typically means that there's some under-extraction (sourness) as well. I dunno if I could taste the difference, but I don't really have the spritzing problem anymore, so it's all good in the hood!

That said, have you tried Metropolis Redline Espresso? I was on a Red Bird kick for a while but I still had a hard time with the perfect grind... it's somewhere around 1.0 on the ProM. Metropolis Redline is much more forgiving, somewhere around 2.25 on the grind. Perfect! I have a new favorite bean!
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

I have not, but I am blessed to have a small roaster here in San Antonio that is exquisite. I am able to go to his shop and knock out a capa or espresso and pick up coffee roasted that week, Browncoffeco.com
bamaster

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by bamaster »

Ah. I'm in Houston so I might give them a shot. Although they don't say how much coffee is in an order, 12 oz or 16 oz? Another excellent Texas roaster is Cuvee in the Austin area. I like the Medici blend.
txrpls

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by txrpls »

I be over there today or tomorrow and I will find out. I think it is 14 oz.
Richard

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by Richard »

bamaster wrote:The problem I have is that with the smaller 53mm portafilter, the coffee lands in the basket on the rear side, not in the center, while the button is engaged.
I am these days using a ProM with 49mm baskets, no fuss, no muss. How? The portafilter has no spring clip so the baskets slip out readily. I use this OE funnel, holding the funnel-basket combination under the grinder discharge chute, rotating the basket while grinding. It's a simple matter then of taping the basket on the tamping mat once and removing the funnel. Distribution is quite good without further fuss, just a light blessing with a tamper.
Richard

Re: Mahlkönig K30 Vario

Post by Richard »

JohnB wrote:. . . friends who owned K30s have bought or used the ProM & both say the ProM puts out fluffier grounds and doesn't have the clumping issues.
Hi, John! The K30 I had was the old-style discharge chute. The person to whom I sold the grinder swapped in a new chute setup and says the difference is night and day, comparing favorably to the ProM in terms of "fluffiness."
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