SageThe Smart Grinder Pro - Conical Burr Coffee Grinder - Programmable, Automatic, Brushed Stainless Steel

A lot of people hate on this grinder in the home barista scene, but don't be put off.I've been using this same grinder now for 6.5 years, it has served me well and is still in use today. I use it solely for Espresso, but it is ranked very highly for pour over, French press and percolator by many; i cannot comment on this however.I have paired this with both my Sage Barista Express, and my Sage Dual Boiler. When it comes to the Dual Boiler, it is at the very limit of what it can do, due to the 58mm, flatter wider puck; you may want more oomph from your grinder BUT, this WILL still put out amazing coffee in a 58mm machine.Today for the first time, i have adjusted the internal setting from the stock 6, to 5 as the burrs have worn enough to warrant this action (remember, over 6 years...). For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the sage grinder has 2 great additional features...1. Clutch, many don't have this. This will stop the grinder from eating its-self if it gets jammed up, think of it like an electric screwdriver when there is too much resistance.2. You can very easily take out the top burr, change the factory setting of "6" to "5" or even "4" to put the burrs closer together thus, increasing fine grind-ability. I do however not recommend this until the burrs start to wear (this is what the feature is for, if you change this too early expect to hear the above clutch working early on to save your burrs).This grinder like many of the cheaper more budget options, WILL struggle with light roasts; however most people do not drink these. Bare in mind, if you buy this for espresso you are going to want to stay in its lane in the medium/dark roast area to maintain that 1:2 ratio in 25-30 second margin.I am a single dose user, so the hopper does not see any use however, i have to say i am extremely impressed with the retention on this grinder. If i put 21g of beans in, i get 21g out, or 20.9 sometimes, but a little love-tap on the lid and that quickly adds back up. The retention for a grinder of this price point is extremely good.One thing many say, and IS true; is that this does grind a bit clumpy. Now to remedy this you can pay several hundred more on a new grinder, or; you can drop £10 on an EDT needle tool. I recommend buying a dosing jug and an EDT, single dose grind in to the jug, EDT briskly in there to remove clumps then move it to your porta basket, and EDT Finley again; this makes clumps a none issue.If you are new to the wonderful world of home barista, this is the perfect grinder. If you like french press, pour over or filter coffee, this is the perfect grinder. If you like light roasted coffee, put the money toward a better grinder.Have the Barista Express? Or other in-built grinder machine? Many say this is the same grinder that is in the Barista Express, and...Well it is BUT, it has a lot more settings and fine adjustment. It also means when you outgrow your built in grinder machine and want to upgrade, you have a separate grinder.For the right people this is a fantastic grinder :).

This grinder really is the one to buy for under £200. The consistency of my espresso has increased immensely. I upgraded from the Krups GVX231 and a hario hand grinder. The hario didn't have enough levels once you got down to espresso fineness, either clogging the machine or producing coffee with no body. The gbx231 suffered similarly, was noisy, fast and plasticy. Luckily I sold it second hand for as much as I bought it for.This Sage (sold as Breville in America for those of you looking for more reviews) really is incredible bang for the buck. And perfect if you're interested in espresso where minute grind differences have more of an effect. It's easy to use, with pre programmed settings to get you started, it even knows you're doing espresso based on the filter holder being fitted. To start you just push the filter handle into the machine and it starts, if you need to pause to level the coffee off, you press again to stop and again to restart, it then runs for the specified time and stops automatically.Refilling is easy with the airtight lid being operable one handed, and the grind tray at the bottom collects any errant grinds well, then removes easily to be emptied.All the attachments fit with a satisfying magnetic click and the grind tin (if you're not doing espresso) looks great quality too.It grinds fine enough to easily clog my De Longhi Dedica (ec685) with plenty of room to go finer. It's relatively quite (far nicer sound than the Krups I had) and doesn't ache my arm like the hario!

My girlfriend and I have been purchasing a lot of household items since moving in, and this is, hands down, my favorite.We have been steadily developing a coffee habit and decided to get an espresso machine, deciding on a Gaggia Classic and managing to snap up 2nd-hand one for a bargain.Needing a grinder, we then bought the "De'Longhi KG79 Professional Burr Grinder" (Which came highly recommended here on Amazon). It turned out to be absolute crap, and no matter how fine the grind was set, the coffee would always come out incredibly coarse. We bought this as a replacement.To say it's a step up would be a MASSIVE understatement. This thing is a beauty by comparison. The array of grind options (60!) is staggering, and even at setting 21/60 (towards the coarse end of what the guide recommends for espresso coffee) the coffee is ground 10 times finer than the DeLonghi on its finest setting. On top of that, it's infinitely more consistent. You can also select the number of shots of coffee you would like, and tailor the grind time so you get exactly the right amount and, once you've dialed it in, get the perfect cup every time.What else?Intuitive and simple to useOutstanding performanceVery well designed (especially with cleaning in mind)QuietGorgeous lookingIf you're looking at grinders (like the DeLonghi) and wondering if it's worth spending the extra money... It 100% is.

Very good grinder, loads of settings and does everything you need it to