Ceado

The Coffee Grinder – we have discussed coffee grinders here in the past and defined what a weight measuring coffee grinder can do. Now I’m going to tell you a seldom revealed astonishing fact; the quality of the coffee grinder directly affects the taste and crema of the espresso!

For instance you can experiment starting with a very good espresso machine like the Gaggia Classic. Make espresso shots using grounds of the same coffee from various coffee grinders like a low end burr grinder, then go up in quality to a better home burr grinder, then to a prosumer-commercial burr grinder and on to a high end commercial conical burr grinder. You will actually notice how much better the espresso is using coffee grounds from each coffee grinder!

In keeping with the spirit of our espresso-as-science experiment and the ability to be consistent, we had talked about the very good Baratza Vario-W Coffee Grinder.

The next step up, in my opinion, would be a prosumer-commercial grade machine like the Ceado E37 Coffee Grinder, which is a programmable dosing grinder that has amazing burrs and will give you a better espresso because of the burrs and the design of the grinder.  It also lets you program the dose electronically based on grind time. So again you can be consistent in the amount of coffee you use. Here is a link to learn more about this amazing grinder. Ceado E37 Coffee Grinder. 

The next step up to a commercial grade machine may seem like a little much for home use; however, a  great choice would be the Mazzer Kony as it has conical burrs and it is also available in an electronic version for producing consistent doses of coffee grounds. This coffee grinder or any commercial conical burr coffee grinder would permanently end any further need to upgrade your coffee grinder. A coffee grinder like this will absolutely give you the best chance of making a truly superior espresso.

Looking at the coffee grinder as one of the controllable variables in our espresso-as-science experimenting we find that selecting the best grinder we can afford is one thing we can change and get a predictable result. That is, if we keep everything else the same, tamp, amount and type of coffee, and the size of the shot, then adjusting the grind and tasting the shot results will determine what grinder and grind fineness will give us the best tasting results.

For most people the grinder and grind settings would be the variable that would give them very noticeable results quickly.

The Espresso Machine – So far we have looked at many of the variables involved in making great espresso. Another variable is the espresso machine. Many espresso aficionados consider the espresso machine to be the most important one. I do somewhat agree that the machine is an important part of producing quality espresso. 

With the correct machine you have the potential to make a great tasting shot of espresso. I say potential because so many factors go into making a great espresso. Many of these factors are going to be based on the user’s knowledge and skill at crafting an espresso from what they have to work with.  Again if we look at this as a science experiment one of the factors that can be controlled if you have the proper machine is the brewing water temperature.

Espresso coffee taste will vary considerably when brewed at different temperatures. I always tell people about wine and how to relate wine temperature and how it affects wine almost the same as coffee. Actually wine and coffee have many similarities as far as how they are cupped, tasted and have different characteristics based on where they are grown and even how good or bad the growing season was.

Back to temperature and wine; If you order a really good bottle of white wine somewhere and it is kept in the beer cooler at near freezing you know when you get that wine it will only taste cold. It is not at the proper temperature for the wine to let you in on all the nuances and flavors the vintner has worked so hard to get in that great bottle of wine. As the wine warms up and gets to the proper temperature for serving then you start to notice the flavors of the wine such as oaky, fruity, flowery, and all the other great descriptions of the wine.

Coffee is the same way. Temperature plays a very large roll in how exactly the espresso will taste.  The whole idea of looking at this as a science experiment is to learn how you can control many of the variables in making espresso. Having a machine where you can control temperature is a huge advantage at being able to make an espresso that may be the best you have ever had.

Spending your money on the right equipment will give you the potential to make an espresso shot that is downright amazing.  The ability to control temperature is going to let the espresso have different tastes. You may be able to pick out chocolate, berry, caramel, fruit and also something like currants. Notice the similarity to wine descriptions.

If you invest in a machine that allows you to control the brewing water temperature, like one of my favorites the Expobar Brewtus IV Espresso Machine, and you  keep all the other variable parameters consistent, you will get to the point where you know exactly the temperature that will yield the best tasting espresso coffee.

Having an espresso machine that will brew at exact temperatures will certainly help us in our quest to make the perfect shot. Since our love of espresso coffee and our ability to be scientists should have a goal and a plan to get there I will discuss how this all ties together in part three of espresso as science and perhaps reveal what this all means!

What I like about the Grinder:

The Grind adjustment – The Ceado E7 grinder is very simple to adjust compared to other grinders in its class. While most grinders in its class use an adjustable collar the Ceado E7 has an easy to use clearly marked slide that moves precisely for coarse or fine grind adjustments.

The Doser – The doser works extremely well and does a very good job of doing a clean sweep of the grinds in the dosing chamber, thus preventing unused grinds from getting stale. The lever also has an admirable action and carries a lifetime warranty on the spring. The doser does an excellent job of shooting the coffee straight down into the portafilter. Of all the grinders I have used it does the best job of delivering the coffee grounds into your portafilter with little mess. Most grinders push the coffee to the right or left.

The Burrs – The 64 MM flat burrs do a great job of producing a consistent, quality grind. They are made of high quality steel specifically to be used in a grinder. They will stay sharp and functional for a long time. I like how the burrs are held in place by three screws not a conventional collar. This means there is no place for extra grounds to accumulate as happens with many other grinders. The collar design can cause some serious issues such as eventually not being able to adjust the grinder.

Cleaning - This is probably the best aspect of the many innovative design features. As mentioned before three screws hold the burrs in place. Removing the screws allows the top burr to be removed in one piece for cleaning or replacement. You can clean the burrs quickly and there is no build up of grounds in strange places. What is really nice is that when you reinstall the burrs they are in exactly the same place as when you started. Therefore you don’t have all the hassle of dialing in your grinder to the setting that works best for your espresso.

Some things that could be better:

The timer – The timer model does have a timer but it is preset for a specific time. This is Ok but I would like to see a dial that when turned will give you a better idea of how much coffee you are going to get.

Smaller hopper – The grinder is more of a commercial grinder. Many people would be thrilled to have this in their home along with a great pro?sumer espresso machine. The large hopper may hold more coffee then most home users will need and/or it may be too tall to fit under standard cupboards. We do have a mini grinder hopper that will work but was not designed specifically for the Ceado.

My overall impressions:
This is a great grinder with more innovative features then I’ve mentioned. I have really been impressed by how quiet it is, how well it grinds, how easy it is to keep clean, and how easy it is to adjust. If you want a quality piece of equipment that works well - then get this grinder. They are manufactured in Italy by a company with a long and successful tenure in the food equipment industry. In my opinion this grinder ranks number one out of all the grinders that I have used.

I had the good fortune of attending the National Restaurant Show in Chicago recently. We exhibited there and were really happy to be able to introduce the Gaggia line of commercial espresso machines. I am very impressed by and have been able to make some amazing drinks using these beautiful and powerful machines. We also featured the Ceado grinders at our booth. Ceado grinders are the quietest in the industry. Ceado has the only full line of NSF approved grinders on the market. NSF safety and sanitary standards that are very strict and in order to qualify for certification, companies must pay to have their equipment thoroughly tested.

One of the great things about having some good coffee, great machines and a little skill is you can make some pretty impressive drinks. At the trade show, our booth became quickly known as a place to get a great espresso or a wonderful latte. We got to make drinks for and talk business with a lot of potential customers in the restaurant industry. One of the things I found interesting was how much people actually knew about coffee and even more surprising was the awareness and fondness for a good-tasting, well-made espresso. People were really curious about the espresso and why it was so good and smooth; which naturally lead to discussions about the importance of having a good espresso machine and grinder.

The new Gaggia Deco espresso machine was a point of great interest for many of the visitors to our booth. It is absolutely beautiful and showcases a neat blue backlit piece set against the vibrant red of the machine. We feel very strongly that the Deco should be a centerpiece of any restaurant or cafe looking to make great espresso and specialty drinks. Along with an eye-catching design, this semi-automatic machine also features advanced technology to take it from a showpiece to a real, well-functioning machine. It has some great programming to give users control over the espresso. For instance, the heated group heads really help with temperature stability to result in smooth, well-extracted espresso.

Also, people who have some familiarity with grinders were impressed with the Ceado line, as the equipment was quiet, well engineered and was easy to operate. I think these grinders will be very well known someday and we are certainly doing our part to make that happen.

It was nice talking with all the restaurant people, it seems they have a lot of passion for their business and are always looking for that next great item. I really enjoyed listening and talking with everyone and was very proud to introduce the Gaggia and Ceado lines.

Mark
Whole Latte Love Commercial

The Ceado E37 is a new product for us at Whole Latte Love. It is a great grinder that has a timer for consistency in the sizes of the espresso to be dispensed. They also are the only commercially approved grinders with NSF approval

If you would like to learn about the Ceado E7 and E10, you should watch this video. These grinders have been uniquely engineered to standards that we have not seen in grinders before. I think the E7 would be great for home and light commercial use. The E10 with its exact grind, low rpm and cooling fan would be well suited for high volume locations. In this video, I'll give you an overview of the features that set the E10 and E7 apart from their peers.

We are proud to announce the arrival of the Ceado grinders from Italy. Ceado has a well-earned reputation in over 70 countries for making great equipment. We created the videos on Ceado to show you how they operate. Perhaps the most noticeable difference has to do with the engineering that makes them quieter, more consistent as well as easier to clean and calibrate. The Ceado line is also the only one to be fully NSF approved.

There are only a few days left before October 31 and our 5th Annual Halloween Contest is in full swing. This year, coffee lovers have to guess how much candy corn we have stashed in the bean hoppers of five different grinders: the Gaggia MDF, Rancilio Rocky, Baratza Vario, and Ceado E7. The Whole Latte Love member with a guess closest to the actual count will take home the Gaggia MDF. The second-place prize is a $100 Whole Latte Love Gift Certificate.

If you’re serious about winning one of these great prizes, I’ve got a few tips to help you out. First, a little research goes a long way. Check out our product descriptions for these grinders, chances are you’ll be able to find the bean hopper capacity of each model. Determine the total capacity and you’ll have a rough idea of how much volume we’re working with. Also, keep in mind that candy corn is bigger and denser than coffee beans. For example, if a hopper can hold 500 beans, it won’t be able to hold nearly as much candy corn. Last but not least, make sure you watch Tracy and Darren’s video. It will give you a live-action visual of what we’re talking about and may be able to help you eyeball the count.

Remember, you have to be a Whole Latte Love member, 18+ and located in the continental US to win. Good luck and Happy Halloween!

Tho
Writing Department