I labored in espresso retailers for over three years, and now as Tom’s Information’s resident espresso knowledgeable, I get my caffeine-addicted mitts on each piece of hot-bean-juice tech ever made. I’ve examined $3,000 and $129 espresso machines, $20 and $300 espresso scales, $60 and… $1,500 espresso grinders.
Sure, $1,500 for a espresso grinder. Let me introduce the revered Mazzer Philos. Simply the slightest utterance of this identify will ship fellow espresso nerds into frenzies. Whereas sure, costly, the Mazzer Philos can also be a magnificence. Simply take a look at it (scroll up, in your left). With a 0.8% common retention, the Philos can also be the lowest-retention motorized grinder I’ve ever examined.
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Erin Bashford
Former Barista, Senior Author, Espresso Machine fanatic
Hello! I am Erin, and I am a former barista and now an expert espresso machine reviewer. I examined a great deal of espresso machines yearly — final yr I reviewed 30 espresso machines — and I am additionally a self-professed espresso snob. I take advantage of the Breville Bambino Plus, Comandante C40 MK4, and Wacaco Exagram Professional to make constantly scrumptious espresso.
Meet the rivals
Inexpensive vs premium grinder style check 1: flat white
(Picture credit score: Erin Bashford)
For the primary check, I made my favourite drink: a flat white. I used my Breville Bambino for each drinks, the identical Ethiopian beans, and the identical 1:2 ratio shot within the “golden window” of 25-28 seconds. I made an obscene quantity of espresso to get equivalent photographs (I misplaced depend at 20).
Check out the images above. From the photographs, are you able to inform which one used the Philos and which the Encore ESP Professional?
In the event you guessed left: Mazzer Philos and proper: Baratza Encore ESP Professional, you would be appropriate. Now let’s get into the meat (or the crema?) of the story: the outcomes.
I labelled the Philos as espresso A and the Encore ESP Professional as espresso B.
I had six style testers, various from critical espresso fans: Pete, my colleague on MusicRadar, and Pete (complicated), our Opinions Senior Editor right here at Tom’s Information, espresso appreciators: my colleagues Harry on TechRadar and Matt, our photographer, and self-described espresso novices: my colleagues Simon and Stu on MusicRadar.
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)
Pete (MusicRadar) instantly recognized espresso A because the Philos, as espresso B was a bit bitter and espresso A had extra juicy, floral notes. Philos = 1.
What to learn subsequent
Simon mentioned espresso B was sourer and most popular espresso A, however the distinction wasn’t as huge as he’d anticipated. He guessed espresso A was the Philos. Philos = 2.
Pete (Tom’s Information) mentioned he thought espresso B was the dearer grinder. Encore ESP Professional = 1.
Stu mentioned he most popular the richer taste of espresso A; consequently, the Philos was used on espresso A. Philos = 3.
Matt mentioned espresso A was milkier, but additionally richer. Nevertheless, he guessed espresso B was the Philos because it tasted extra full-bodied than espresso A. Encore ESP Professional = 2.
Harry mentioned espresso B had extra of that archetypal “espresso” taste, however was fairly bitter on the finish of every mouthful. He mentioned espresso A was creamier and extra nice to drink, and guessed espresso A was the costly grinder. Philos = 4.
The outcomes: espresso A obtained probably the most votes, so the Philos was appropriately recognized.
Mazzer Philos wins the flat white spherical.
Inexpensive vs premium grinder style check 1: Americano
(Picture credit score: Erin Bashford)
As with the flat white spherical, I made each of those Americanos on the Breville Bambino with as close-to-identical espressos as potential. Each espressos have been extracted at a ratio of 1:2 throughout the “golden window” of 25-28 seconds. I used the identical quantity of 200°F water to prime up the double photographs.
Are you able to inform which was floor utilizing the Mazzer Philos and which was utilized by the Baratza Encore ESP Professional?
I switched it up for this spherical: left (espresso A) was Encore ESP Professional, and proper (espresso B) was Philos.
Let’s get into the outcomes. Bear in mind, espresso A = cheaper grinder and espresso B = costly grinder.
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)
Pete (MusicRadar) mentioned espresso B was a bit astringent and dried out his mouth. He mentioned espresso A was a bit bitter, however on account of its softer mouthfeel, he guessed espresso A was the Philos. Encore ESP Professional = 1.
Simon discovered espresso B smoother general, however most popular the richness of espresso A, so guessed espresso A was the Philos. Encore ESP Professional = 2.
Pete (Tom’s Information) mentioned espresso B was a bit watery, and espresso A was fuller-bodied, so he thought espresso A was the Philos. Encore ESP Professional = 3.
Stu mentioned espresso A was bitter, whereas espresso B was a bit softer in taste and had extra bloom. Nevertheless, he thought espresso A was the Philos. Encore ESP Professional = 4.
Matt instantly guessed espresso A was the Philos and espresso B was the Encore ESP Professional, as B had extra depth. Encore ESP Professional = 5.
Harry did not like espresso B in any respect, saying it tasted overwhelmingly bitter, and mentioned espresso A was way more drinkable. He guessed espresso A was the Philos. Encore ESP Professional = 6.
This spherical was unanimous: everybody thought espresso A was made with the Philos. Nevertheless, espresso A was really made with the Baratza Encore ESP Professional — $1,200 cheaper.
The Baratza grinder matched the Mazzer Philos general
(Picture credit score: Erin Bashford)
Because the Philos gained the flat white spherical and the Encore ESP Professional gained the Americano spherical, this blind style check resulted in a draw.
I used to be actually stunned by these outcomes. I truthfully anticipated the Philos to win each spherical with little or no rivalry. The Philos is far more uniform than the Encore ESP Professional — large jumps from 0%-100% in my lab testing. Primarily, this implies all of the espresso grounds are the identical dimension, which is what you need.
In distinction, the Encore ESP Professional struggled to grind constantly: 0%-20%-50%-70%-80% in coarser grind settings. This implies the espresso granules have been all totally different sizes. Zero grounds have been >300μm, 20% have been 300-500μm, 50% have been 300-800μm, 70% have been 300-1100μm, and 20% have been bigger than 1400μm.
Nevertheless, in real-world testing, it appears to be like like uniformity won’t be the be-all and end-all of having fun with your espresso. Possibly saving $1,200 is definitely price it — you most likely will not be capable of style the distinction.
Value is not the one factor to think about, although
(Picture credit score: Erin Bashford)
Though this blind style check was for espresso-based drinks, there are hundreds extra espresso brewing strategies. The Mazzer Philos is extra constant throughout your complete grind dimension spectrum: espresso grounds have been simply as uniform as chilly brew grounds in my testing. In the event you have a tendency to make use of a wider vary of strategies, the Philos may be well worth the splurge.
This additionally calls into query the longevity of the 2 grinders. Baratza grinders are good, sure, however they’re largely plastic. The Philos is 100% metallic, and you’ll clear your complete grinding system with out instruments (or risking breaking something).
For underneath $300, although, Baratza has improbable aftercare. Baratza affords a restore program for a flat price cost; a Reddit person reported that Baratza repaired a 10-year-old grinder. You additionally get a 2-year guarantee with each grinders, so the Mazzer is not precisely the winner right here.
Nevertheless, the Philos and the Encore ESP Professional are constructed for completely totally different functions. The Philos is a home-slash-commercial grinder, whereas the Encore ESP Professional is solely a house grinder. As Mazzer constructed the Philos to face up to the calls for of a restaurant atmosphere, you possible would not be flawed to suppose it might outlast a Baratza.
However what do you suppose? Do you suppose the $1,500 asking worth of the Mazzer is an excessive amount of? Do you suppose it is one thing price saving up for, or would you be pleased with a Baratza or Baratza-adjacent grinder? Let me know within the feedback!
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