The Acaia Orbit is an excellent single dosing grinder. It impresses us with its taste, provides repeatability in extractions, and generally gets a lot right. It's also innovative and introduces new features that we appreciate.
However, as good as the grinder is, it struggles to integrate Acaia's specialty. That has always been high-priced, sensitive, and fast scales. And, of course, an Acaia grinder shouldn't lack scale integration. And this is where Acaia completely fails. And no, this time it's not the Acaia app that causes confusion. It's actually the combination of scale and grinder.
Why the Acaia is still a grinder we can recommend, and what unfortunately doesn't work, is the subject of this test video and article.
Buy Acaia Orbit
The following specialist stores sell the Acaia Orbit, and we recommend purchasing from them. All of them offer the option to adjust the machine's offset.
Germany: [Partner links] Stoll Espresso
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We are still looking for competent partners in the DACH region for you.
The operating principle of the Acaia Orbit
The Orbit is a single dosing grinder. This means that coffee is first weighed and then placed into the grinder. The single dosing grinder then grinds the entered amount again. And the Acaia Orbit proceeds in exactly the same way. Additionally, it can be connected to an app, which in turn can be connected to an Acaia Luna. With the help of the app, the grinder can be started. Further settings, such as the rotations per minute of the grinder, can also be adjusted.
Thanks to the scale, the grinder can also be converted from a single dosing grinder to a grind by weight grinder. "Grind by Weight" means that the grinder stops when the target weight on the scale is reached. For this, Acaia's own Luna scale is necessary. The coffee is placed in the bean hopper, and the grinder grinds until the scale measures the target coffee amount.
So much for the operating principle. How well that works in practice fills a separate chapter of this review.
Technical Specifications
- Grinder: 64mm flat burrs (either Mazzer 33M or SSP Multi-Purpose)
- Motor: 200W brushless DC motor
- Speed range: 600-1500 RPM, adjustable
- Grind adjustment: Stepless
- Capacity: Single dosing up to 20g3
- Dimensions: 394 mm (H) x 108 mm (W) x 266 mm (D)
- Power supply: 100-240V, 200W, 50/60Hz
Gadgets, Accessories, and Price
Besides the Acaia Lunar Bluetooth scale for $250, which is logically sold as a bundle with the grinder, there are other accessories for the grinder.
Four bean hoppers with sizes from 250 grams to 2 kilograms support the Grind by Weight activity (cost: $50 to $200). An external ion generator called "Ion Beam" is supposed to reduce the grinder's static problem. This is available for $165.
The Acaia Orbit itself costs between $1600 and $1700, depending on the burrs.
Much precision, little speed
The Acaia Orbit can be set to speeds from 600 to 1500 revolutions per minute. We primarily used it at the preset standard speed of 1000 RPM, but of course, we also checked faster and slower speeds. At 1000 RPM, the grinder grinds the 18 grams of coffee in 18.5 seconds. This makes the grinder one of the slower ones. This doesn't change even with a full hopper. 14 grams of coffee are ground in ten seconds.
During grinding, there is no significant temperature increase in the grinding chamber and thus in the ground material. We measure 32.6 °C. The grinder achieves this with a relatively quiet noise level. We measure 76 decibels when grinding coffee.
Control and Operation
Operating the single-dosing grinder feels very harmonious and smart. It's intuitive at first glance. If you're willing to delve a little deeper into the controls, you'll quickly discover that there are also other useful shortcuts and functions that make the Acaia stand out in the single-dosing grinder market.
The grinder is controlled via a button. This can also be adjusted in the app. A simple press grinds the last created profile. A double press grinds the grinder for a fraction of a second longer, thus releasing any remaining coffee grounds or increasing the amount of coffee in the dosing cup. A triple press makes the grinder grind first in one direction and then in the other. This excellently clears the temporary retention from the grinding chamber. A truly outstanding function!
Pressing the button for a longer period changes the grinding profile. A color code indicates which profile we are currently in. If we press for 10 seconds, the grinder goes into standby mode, which the grinder also does automatically after some time.
What also distinguishes the grinder is its automatic detection of the end of grinding.
If no coffee is ground for 3 seconds, the grinder stops automatically. Many users of other grinders would wish for such a function.
The grinder also uses this function at the end of grinding. As soon as it detects that no more beans are being ground, the grinder "purges". In the case of a grinder, this means it grinds backwards once and then forwards again. This dislodges a large part of the temporary retention in the grinding chamber.
The Lunar is not only well-built but also stylish. And for those who like "floodlight grinding," the ground coffee can even be illuminated during grinding.
It is also positive that the grinder can be operated consistently from the front, making it accessible for people in wheelchairs.
This excerpt shows the current RPM measurement, grinding time, and the effective measured quantity in the dosing cup. The target RPM and weight are shown small, respectively.App control
Numerous functions can be performed in the app. In addition to remote control, the grinding pulse or purging can also be triggered here. Additionally, grinding profiles can be defined and saved as presets A, B, and C.
The app is available in the App Store and does not require login information. It connects to the scale via Bluetooth. The app can display the grinding time, the actual RPM (revolutions per minute), and, when connected to the Lunar, the real weight.
A completely new feature to explore is RPM control. This function is reminiscent of pressure profiles in espresso brewing. The RPM can be adjusted during the grinding process itself. For example, grinding can start at 600 RPM and be increased to 1200 RPM after 10 seconds.
Conclusion on usability
What the Acaia Orbit delivers and enables so far is unique. Especially the automatic regrinding to empty the grinding chamber is excellent. But beyond that, the operation of the grinder is a joy, and it is easy to work with. RPM profiling opens up completely new possibilities for coffee aficionados. And yet one thing stands out: so far, we have managed without a scale. We have saved this topic because we first need to talk about retention.
Retention and Grind by Weight
Retention, i.e., coffee residue in the grinder after grinding, is not pronounced initially. With a temporary retention of 0.2–0.3 grams and a permanent retention of 0.4 grams, the Acaia Orbit performs well, but not excellently. The absolute retention of 0.7 grams is excellent compared to most bean hopper grinders. This retention only refers to the grinding chamber! However, some single-dosing grinders have less retention.
The Acaia Orbit has a pronounced static charge, which is why the manufacturer optionally sells a tool called "Ion Beam" to reduce static. We tested the grinder in the basic version without the Ion Beam. Without the tool, working with water spray is definitely recommended – as with many grinders.
Let's go back to retention. If we use the grinder with a scale as a grind-by-weight grinder, we have a different retention problem. An additional 0.7–1 gram of coffee remains in the grind outlet, depending on whether we work with water spray or not.
This completely undermines the performance of the grinder's scale control. The grinder stops when a defined amount has reached the dosing cup on the scale. However, since the aforementioned 0.7 grams of coffee are still hanging in the chute, the amount of ground coffee does not correspond to the target amount. If I now – which I naturally do in the single-dosing process – remove the remaining powder with the intended click-release, the remaining 0.7 grams fall into the dosing cup.
And as the coffee falls, the entire concept of a grind-by-weight grinder collapses. Grind by Weight only works if a grinder dispenses all of its ground coffee automatically.
We understood Grind by Weight as a principle for weighing more precise coffee quantities. With the Acaia Orbit, we have to program 17.3 grams as the target amount to click the remaining 0.7 grams of coffee from the chute and get to 18 grams of coffee. That makes no sense to us! Many grinders with timer control are much more precise.
What we do like, by the way, is the dosing cup. It sits on the portafilter, doesn't slide too deep on the sides, and is less likely to cause channeling.
Another tip: A fair amount of permanent retention accumulates on the relatively large burr carriers of the grinder over time. Regular cleaning is advisable. Unfortunately, this requires unscrewing a few screws. The accessibility of the burrs is not ideally solved.
Particle Distribution and Espresso
The article so far somewhat reveals the symptoms of what a grinder with an app and extensive settings offers. We have written about the multitude of possibilities and gotten lost in the app. But it should actually be about espresso and coffee quality here.
And that's where the Acaia Orbit completely convinces us. We used the 33M burrs and found very good results in the cup as well as in the particle distribution.
We measure a narrow main peak of only 209 microns, and when re-extracting after adjusting the grinder in between, we are also able to return to the initial grind size without further ado. The stepless adjustment is precise, and replicating different recipes works very well.
Conclusion Acaia Orbit
The Acaia Orbit is undoubtedly a very good grinder. Even with the cheaper standard burrs, it achieves a particle distribution with a narrow main peak and is capable of producing very good espresso results and surprisingly good filter coffees with this grinding result.
The grinder is high-quality, elegant, and relatively quiet. Its usability is unparalleled. The most important functions can be used intuitively at the touch of a button. Those who engage with the grinder and delve into the app will discover many more setting options. A playground for an espresso grinder, unlike any other grinder available.
We particularly like the pulse and purge functions: This is really cleverly designed, and the automatic forward and backward grinding after each grind would suit any grinder well.
That a tool to reduce static has to be bought separately is frustrating. Without it, the grinder performs significantly better when used with water spray.
The range of functions becomes problematic where Acaia tries to live up to its own name and market leadership by integrating its own scale into a sensible grind-by-weight process. This does not work at all for us, because the grinder does not grind completely, but retains 0.7 grams of coffee in the chute. This means that the amount on the scale is also incorrect, and a scale for better precision becomes an illusion. Acaia stumbles here over its own legacy, as it seems to us during the test. It would have been smarter to use the scale only as a display for the RPM and for profile control. This would not have been quite as fancy as also being a grind-by-weight grinder, but it would have rounded off the good grinder harmoniously without trying to do too much.
