DF54 Single Dose Coffee Grinder (Black)

This is hands down the best coffee grinder value that can be purchased for ordinary coffee consumers in 2024. Serious espresso/pour over hobbyists will most likely prefer to opt for a higher end grinder with a 64mm burrset, but normal household users are likely not going to spend nearly $200 for an SSP burr upgrade in an already expensive machine just to squeeze a bit of extra clarity from their cup. The next quality "tier" of grinders are nearly double the price of this little machine, and tend to be more specialized for espresso. The stock burrs do a great job producing balanced, flavorful shots as well as drip brews, and you can improve your grind consistency greatly by trickle feeding your bean dose into the hopper. The motor is extremely quiet, a faint hum next to the jet turbine of my 10 year old Baratza Encore. The unit is compact yet heavy; the entire body and interor is metal and it feels like a serious tool, but not one that will force you to sacrifice much counter space. Cleaning is a breeze thanks to the threaded stepless adjustment wheel, which lifts off in once piece for access to the grind chamber and chute. One of the best features of this grinder is the low retention; you will scarcely have anything but a few grains of fines or chaff left over after using the bellows, and the included brush works perfectly to clear the chute of any static. The ionizer does its job well and it is very easy to keep this grinder clean compared to conical grinders. If you are a Baratza grinder fan or just love the taste of coffee ground by conical burrs, the newer ESP model is probably your best option, but for $30 more, the DF54 is the king. Time will tell if the motor holds up, but as someone who doesn't grind more than 2 doses daily, I will be surprised if I don't get many years from this machine. By then I'm sure there will be compatible burr upgrades to choose from, or perhaps even better evolutions of this design. If you haven't upgraded your starting grinder in a while, this is the one to try first.

1 Month Update:I still really love this grinder. Best value purchase for the grind quality you get. After about 1-2 weeks of use, I noticed more static in the grinds, but a simple clean with the included chute brush resolved this and it's back to clean static free output. I've also started to spray my light roast beans, but not necessary for dark to medium roasts. I still love the look and how sturdy yet quiet it is. I also recommend hot starting for grinding to help maintain grind consistency. No clogging issues whatsoever. You can't go wrong with this grinder if you're looking for something for home that provides a quality grind to elevate your espresso journey.Original review:I wasn't one of the early adopters of the DF54, so I had to wait for the next batch shipment to be available so I could get my hands on one. My previous grinder was a Baratza Encore that barely met standards in terms of a good espresso grind (very inconsistent, muddy flavors), which it wasn't really designed for.I've read some of the complaints of the DF54 in terms of the zero point and static issues and I have to say so far I have none of those issues. Maybe they tweaked the manufacturing to address some of the prior issues to improve Quality Control on these latest arrivals.1. My DF54 right out of the box hasn't had any static issues yet, even when grinding light roasts (which tend to have more static than darker roasts).2. The Zero Point was spot on. Just turning the dial a hair past "0" was where the gear "chirping" happened, so I'm happy with this calibration.3. First few grinds had a little bit of retention, but after that and using the bellows, the final grind comes to +/- 0.1g from the initial beans dosed.4. Some video reviews talked about how the bellows come off too easily from the grinder, but with mine, the bellows are fairly snug that if I try to remove them, the "anti-popcorning" cap slips out with it, so seems everything fits well together.I haven't check the burr alignment on this unit, but so far I don't feel like I need to. For Espresso grinds, I have it set in the vicinity of 20, and my shots so far have produced wonderful clarity for fruity notes, but enough smoothness for flavors like vanilla.Very satisfied with my purchase. I really love the compact design, the quiet operation and pairs well with my Bambino Plus.I'll provide an update in 1 month.