Eureka makes many good grinders. However, the Italian manufacturer was long absent from the single-dosing espresso grinder market. Now, Eureka has caught up and built a single-dosing espresso grinder that combines the strengths of the Eureka Mignon XL and the Eureka Specialita. Additionally, it features a forward-tilted design to further reduce retention. In this review, we discuss whether Eureka's plan succeeded and how the espresso grinder performs compared to the popular Niche Zero and the G-Iota as an underdog.
This review is part of our extensive espresso grinder test series. The summary of the tests can be found here. For the tests, we use our Apas espresso. This allows you to replicate our results:
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Single Dosing and Individual Portions
The principle of single-dosing espresso grinders is clearly timely. More and more manufacturers are presenting such grinders and helping the barista community achieve even more freshness. Grinding on demand has long been standard practice, and the trend towards smaller bean hoppers has also become established in recent years.
The reason for this is simple. Coffee should be exposed to oxygen and light as little as possible to prevent premature aging and oxidation. This not only keeps the coffee fresh but, more importantly, also aromatically complex.
Single-dosing espresso grinders like the Niche Zero, the DF64 (G-Iota), or even the EK43 used in gastronomy consistently implement this concept. The home barista weighs the espresso, puts it into the running grinder, and - if the grinder is good - gets the exact amount of ground coffee back out. Then grinding continues immediately.
Advantages of single-dosing espresso grinders:
- Espresso is freshly ground. No old coffee remains in the grinding chamber.
- The coffee variety can be changed quickly and easily. Guest A can opt for decaf, Guest B for a complex espresso from El Salvador. Changing beans and grind size is quick and easy.
- Grind adjustments are faster because no ground coffee needs to be purged.
- Cleaning the grinder is faster, and no coffee needs to be purged.
- Some single-dosing grinders are also well-suited for grinding filter coffee when espresso is not desired.
Internally, a Eureka Mignon XL
The Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose is internally a Eureka Mignon XL. Accordingly, it performs well across almost all parameters. The 65mm burrs deliver fast and good results. This is evident not only with espresso but extends across all parameters.
The increased noise compared to the Mignon XL is probably due to the altered setup area. To recap, the XL was delivered with a rubber mat. The "fictitious" retention of the grinder is 0.9 grams.
For comparability with classic espresso grinders, we interrupted the grinding process and removed the beans from the single-dosing grinders. Then, analogous to other grinders, the ground coffee residue remaining between the burrs was weighed. The Single Dose came in at only 0.9 grams. This already shows the positive effect of the approx. 15-degree tilt.
If the Eureka Single Dose is used as intended and ground completely, 0 grams of coffee remain. In other words: what is put in is also ground out. Very good! That's what makes single dosing fun.
Somewhat amusing: Eureka itself didn't seem to believe that the ground coffee would slide out of the grinder completely. That's why the grinder was equipped with a bellows, which, like the G-Iota, is supposed to expel the remaining coffee powder by repeatedly pumping. Well-intentioned and thanks for that. But less than 0 grams of retention is unfortunately not possible.
Stable, high-quality, and somewhat short-sighted
The grinder is well-made, impresses with a sturdy weight of almost 8.1 kilograms, and is available in chrome, black, and other color variations. The wooden lid on the rubber bellows looks chic and makes the XL a great eye-catcher.
Since we found in our test that the bellows is not necessary, we removed it. This is entirely intended. The bellows can be easily pulled off. Unfortunately, the beautiful wooden lid is now almost one millimeter too large to fit on the plastic bean hopper. Instead, a plastic lid is supplied. This is a bit frustrating, as it's really not much off, and the wooden lid would fit and also give the grinder that certain something in its reduced form.
With a width of 12 cm, a height of 32 cm, and a depth of 26 cm, the grinder is compactly designed, typical for Eureka, and fits well next to almost any espresso machine.
Espresso Quality and Particle Distribution
We brewed many excellent espressos with the Single Dose. The coffees were smooth and balanced. In some cases, we experienced a slight astringency in the finish, but this was not particularly significant.
The particle distribution of the Eureka Single Dose meets our expectations. The main peak is not too broad, and the fine particle content is relatively low. This should lead to less unpleasant bitterness in the cup. The main peak, with its breadth, is in the mid-range, while the fine peak is more towards the lower mid-range, meaning it has less fine particle content.
In our example, it was relatively easy to return the espresso to its original setting after adjustment. This is not easy with the small grind adjustment of the Eureka Single Dose. While it is better than with the Eureka Specialita, the Eureka Single Dose cannot convince as much as other grinders with a larger grind adjustment.
Attention: Before reading the conclusion, you should know two things. First, it is important to always read different sources and reviews. We present our view of the grinder, but other reviews may emphasize different strengths and weaknesses.
Conclusion on the Eureka Mignon Single Dose
The Eureka Mignon Single Dose from the Oro series is an overall very good espresso grinder for home use and is particularly attractive in terms of price. It is cheaper than the XL, but has comparable technology inside. So, if you don't necessarily want to fill the bean hopper, the Eureka Single Dose is a better choice.
It has lower retention, as the remaining ground coffee slides out of the grinder surprisingly effectively due to the tilt angle. The grinder also impresses in terms of speed.
Naturally, the espresso quality is central, and here too, the Single Dose delivers proven Eureka quality. The temperature hardly increases over several shots and also has an edge over the Specialità here.
There are no really significant counter-arguments against the grinder. Its biggest weakness may be the grind adjustment. However, in our tests, we reliably returned to the basic setting.
The only drawback: the grinder cannot be simply adjusted further into the filter coffee range. For coarser grind settings, the grind adjustment is no longer reliable. This is a shame, as the best single-dosing grinders also excel in this category.
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