So the basics. The Ceado’s E6X is a commercial style dosing grinder for serious espresso grinding. It features Ceado’s Steady-Lock system which until now was only available on their more expensive grinders. Steady-lock maintains a constant space between the grinding burrs for more consistent particle size when grinding.
On the outside the E6X has a minimalist design. A simple on off button, grinding and dosing adjustment are the only controls. The case is all metal with plastic trim at the bottom. It’s a large grinder that fits in small spaces. It’s just 17.5 inches in height with its shorter bean hopper which has a 600 gram capacity.
The dosing chamber has a 220 gram capacity. Dosing ranges from 5.5 to 9 grams per pull and is very easy to adjust via a raised knob. In many dosing grinders some finger contortions are required to reach the adjustment. The dosing lever has a nice solid feel to it and the return spring has a lifetime guarantee.
Setup and Operation
Grind size is adjusted with a stepless ring up top. There are 3 screws and one knob on the ring. The knob can be turned in to lock in a grind size. This screw can be turned in to limit adjustment to one 360 degree turn of the collar. The other 2 screws attach the collar to the adjustment ring.Burr access is simple, just loosen the adjustment stop and remove the adjustment limit screw and turn to the coarse setting until it comes off. Grinding is handled by 64mm flat burrs spinning at 1400 rpm powered by a 300 watt motor. In the grinding chamber you’ll find extras like a smooth rounded top nut on the motor shaft for smooth bean flow and a sealing ring below the top burr which helps to stop coffee from getting into the adjustment threads which would otherwise bind them and make adjustment difficult.
Calibrating the grinder after cleaning is straightforward. First replace the sealing and spring rings, and replace the top burr aligning the notch. Place the adjustment collar on. Now the trick to avoiding cross threading the adjustment collar on this and other similar grinders is to first turn to a coarser adjustment until you feel or hear the threads drop down. Then turn to a finer setting. Now If you feel any resistance turn back towards coarse and try again. Whatever you do, take your time and don’t force anything. Grinder adjustment threads are very fine and cross threading them can cause permanent damage.
With the thread lined up, turn the grinder on and continue turning until you hear the burrs touch and then back off slightly and that’s your zero or finest grind setting. From there you can re-align the adjustment collar in quarter turn increments if you like by removing the 2 screws, turning the ring and replacing those screws. Just be aware you can't always position the zero indication exactly where you want as the screw holes line up in quarter turn increments.
The bean hopper has a shut-off allowing for removal without dumping beans everywhere. As mentioned the dosing lever has a nice solid feel. A robust fork holds a portafilter in place, but there’s no hook so you have to hold the portafilter handle when dosing. When dosing, coffee falls nicely into the center of the portafilter. Any grind spillage is caught be a removable tray held in place by a raised lip. The tray tilts out for emptying without tilting the entire grinder.
When grinding, the E6X is smooth and quiet. Ceado rates the grinder for continues use in service of a two group espresso machine. Here’s a look at some grinds from the E6X. On the left is a very fine setting which is very close to the finest possible. Here’s a coarser setting in the press or maybe cold brew range. Being a dosing grinder we’d expect most would use the E6X exclusively for espresso.
So at the beginning of the article I mentioned discussing why you might pick the E6X over popular grinders like the Mazzer Mini doser or the Baratza Vario. All are very close in price. What you get on the E6X compared to the Mazzer are bigger burrs at 64mm versus 58, a more powerful motor at 300 watts vs 250, potentially better grind quality with Ceado’s Steady Lock system and easier cleaning. Now I’m not a fan of those 3 little springs that carry the top burr on Mazzer grinders. And I think the Ceado does a better job of keeping grinds out of the threads which makes for smoother and easier grind size adjustment. And as for manufacturer guarantees? Well it’s 1 years on the Mazzer and 3 years on the Ceado plus lifetime on the doser return spring.
Conclusion
Now the Baratza Vario is often recommended as the entry into higher-end grinding for home espresso. But if you’re doing strictly espresso - especially if you are doing lots of it you may want to consider the E6X. Bigger burrs generally mean better grind quality and the Ceado’s 64mm beats the Vario’s 54. Beyond that, the Ceado is just more robust. Its 300 watt motor is far stronger than Baratza’s 180 watts, The Ceado has prosumer level commercial style construction built for years of heavy and dependable use. The Vario on the other hand is intended solely for home use. That all said, the E6X is an espresso grinding specialist. If you switch up brew methods and are not strictly higher volume espresso the Vario is more adaptable.
The Ceado E6X is available now at Whole Latte Love. Thanks for watching and I hope you’ll come back soon for more on everything coffee
