Eureka makes many good grinders. But for a long time, the Italian manufacturer was not present in the game of single-dose espresso grinders. Now, Eureka has followed suit and built a single-dosing espresso grinder that combines the strengths of the Eureka Mignon XL and the Eureka Specialita. In addition, it features a forward-tilted design to further reduce retention. In this review, we will discuss whether Eureka's plan has succeeded and how the espresso grinder compares to the popular Niche Zero and the underdog G-Iota.
This review is part of our major espresso grinder test series. The summary of the tests can be found here. For these tests, we use our Espresso Apas. This allows you to replicate our results at home:
Where can you order the X? E.g. at the Bohnendealer*, Lücke, Die Röster
Single Dosing and single portions
The principle of single-dose espresso grinders is clearly timely. More and more manufacturers are introducing such grinders, helping the barista community achieve even greater freshness. Direct grinding has long been the norm, 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 keeps the coffee not only fresh but, above all, aromatically complex.
Single-dosing espresso grinders like the Niche Zero, the DF64 (G-Iota), or the EK43 used in commercial settings consistently implement this concept. The home barista weighs the espresso, puts it into the running grinder, and—if the grinder is good—receives the exact amount of ground coffee back out. Then, they proceed directly to the next grind.
Advantages of single-dosing espresso grinders:
- Espresso is freshly ground. No old coffee remains in the grinding chamber.
- The coffee type can be changed quickly and easily. Guest A can opt for decaf, Guest B for a complex espresso from El Salvador. Changing the beans and the grind size is quick and easy.
- Grind size adjustments are possible faster because no ground coffee needs to be purged.
- Cleaning the grinder is faster, and there is no need to purge coffee.
- Some single-dose grinders are also well-suited for grinding filter coffee if espresso is not desired for once.
Inside is a Eureka Mignon XL
The Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose is, on the inside, a Eureka Mignon XL. Accordingly, it performs well across almost all parameters. The 65mm grinding discs do fast and good work. This is evident not only with espresso but also carries over through the parameters.
The increased noise level compared to the Mignon XL is possibly due to the altered base area. As a reminder, the XL was delivered with a rubber mat. The "fictitious" retention of the grinder is 0.9 grams.
For the sake of comparability with classic espresso grinders, we interrupted the grinding process in single-dose grinders and removed the beans. Then, analogous to other grinders, we weighed the coffee grounds remaining between the grinding discs. The Single Dose measured only 0.9 grams. This already demonstrates the positive effect of the approx. 15-degree tilt.
If the Eureka Single Dose is used as intended and purged, 0 grams of coffee remain. In other words: what goes in, comes out. Very good! That's what makes single dosing fun.
A bit funny: Eureka itself doesn't seem to have believed that the grounds would slide out of the grinder completely. Therefore, the grinder was equipped with a bellows which, like with the G-Iota, is supposed to eject the remaining coffee powder through repeated pumping. Well-intentioned, and thanks for that. But unfortunately, you can't get less than 0 grams of retention.
Stable, high-quality, and a bit poorly thought out
The grinder is well-made, impresses with a weight of almost 8.1 kilograms, and is available in chrome and black as well as other color variants. The wooden lid looks chic on the rubber bellows and makes the XL a real eye-catcher.
Since we found in our test that the bellows is not actually necessary, we removed it. This is definitely intended. The bellows can simply be pulled off. It is unfortunate that the chic wooden lid is now just a millimeter too large to fit on the plastic bean hopper. Instead, a plastic lid is included. A bit frustrating, because it really wouldn't take much for the wooden lid to fit and add that certain something to the grinder's compact form.
With a width of 12 cm, a height of 32 cm, and a depth of 26 cm, the grinder is typically Eureka-compact and fits well next to almost any espresso machine.
Espresso quality and particle distribution
We pulled many good espressos with the Single Dose. The coffees were smooth and balanced. In some cases, we had a slight astringency in the finish, but that wasn't particularly significant.
The particle distribution of the Eureka Single Dose meets our expectations. The main peak is not too wide, and the proportion of fines is relatively low. This should ensure less unpleasant bitterness in the cup. The main peak's width is in the mid-range, while the fine peak tends towards the lower mid-range, meaning it has fewer fines.
In our example, it was relatively easy to return to the original espresso after making adjustments. It's not easy with the small grind adjustment knob of the Eureka Single Dose. As with the Mignon XL, this works better than with the Eureka Specialita, but the Eureka Single Dose cannot impress as much here as other grinders with larger grind adjustments.
Attention: Before you read the conclusion, you should know two things. First, it is important to always read different sources and reviews. We describe our perspective on 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, above all, also attractively priced. It is cheaper than the XL but contains comparable technology inside. So, if you don't necessarily want to fill a bean hopper, you are better off with the Eureka Single Dose.
It has lower retention because the remaining grounds slip out of the grinder surprisingly effectively due to the angle of inclination. The grinder is also impressive in terms of speed.
The central aspect is, of course, the espresso quality, and the Single Dose delivers proven Eureka quality here as well. The temperature hardly increases over multiple extractions, putting it ahead of the Specialità here.
There aren't really any significant arguments against the grinder. The biggest weakness might be the grind adjustment. However, in our tests, we returned to the baseline setting quite reliably.
The only downside: the grinder cannot simply be turned into the filter coffee range. At coarse grind settings, the adjustment mechanism no longer engages reliably. That's a shame, because the best single-dose grinders also shine in this category.
Where can you order the X?
