The Mahlkönig E65S Grind by Weight (GbW) places us in the top price range of our espresso grinder test series. This grinder is considered the benchmark in our range, combining state-of-the-art technology with professional performance. The test video already raised the question of whether the E65S GbW is actually the best grinder in the test—and whether it might not be completely oversized for home use.
In this blog post, we address these questions. We introduce the grinder and its special features, discuss its design and workmanship, examine its operation and technical features such as the grind-by-weight system, examine grinding speed, particle distribution, and precision, discuss single dosing and dead space, and share practical experiences from both the hospitality industry and home use. Finally, we draw a conclusion: Who is this high-end grinder really worth it for, and is it suitable for home use?
Buy Mahlkönig E65s Grind by Weight
The following specialist retailers sell the Mahlkönig E65s GbW, and we recommend purchasing from them. All offer the option of adjusting the machine's offset.
Germany:
Austria:
We search for specialist partners for you who we know offer good work and excellent service, and we maintain close contact with the retailers mentioned. The links are so-called commission links. If you order through one of these links, you won't pay a cent more – however, we receive a small commission, which we invest directly in new test equipment.
We are still looking for competent partners for you in the DACH region.
Design & workmanship
The Mahlkönig E65S GbW impresses at first glance with its powerful yet elegant design. Despite its size, it appears slimmer and more modern than older Mahlkönig models. Where earlier commercial grinders were often very wide and bulky, the E65S GbW boasts a more slender silhouette: approximately 20 cm wide and a considerable height of 62 cm. The body is made of high-quality materials (metal housing in matte black, robust workmanship), which also contributes to the substantial weight of around 13 kg. Depending on the measuring point, the depth ranges between 23 cm (without drip tray) and 29 cm at the base. With these dimensions, the grinder takes up significantly more space than typical home barista grinders – a first indication that it is primarily designed for professional use.
The included bean hopper also underscores its professional character: Its 1.2 kg capacity allows for a full kilogram of coffee beans. This is ideal for continuous operation in cafés, but rarely necessary for home use. Overall, the design appears well-thought-out: Despite its size, the E65S exudes a certain elegance – clean lines, a high-quality finish, and a design that is more vertical than wide. The quality of the materials is impressive; everything feels sturdy and durable. This grinder is designed to withstand the intensive daily use typical of the hospitality industry. In short, the workmanship is top-notch, which is to be expected in this price range (around €2,000 or CHF2,700).
Operation & Features
Despite – or perhaps because of – its professional aspirations, the E65S Grind by Weight relies on modern, user-friendly features . The display on the front is central; it is not only used for operation but also shows important information. The grinder can be controlled intuitively using an icon-based menu (e.g. calling up dosage settings, changing profiles). A special highlight: the grinder distance is shown in real time on the display. This Disc Distance Detection (a patented technology from Mahlkönig) measures the distance between the grinding discs in micrometers and thus enables extremely precise and reproducible setting of the grinding level . In practice, this means: once you have determined the perfect grind size for an espresso, you can save this value exactly or at least set it again at any time. It is even possible to lock the grind size so that nothing gets accidentally adjusted - a useful feature, especially in the hectic everyday life in a café when several people are using the grinder.
Operation is largely via the rotary/push button in combination with the display. For more advanced settings – such as calibrating the scale or changing the language – you need to access the administrator menu, which is protected by a PIN code. This code (mentioned in the video) allows you to calibrate the grinder and adjust parameters such as the scale's sensitivity . The E65S GbW offers a range of customization options: For example, you can adjust the sensitivity of the integrated load cell. A higher sensitivity ensures maximum weighing precision, but can cause the grinder to "think" a little longer (more on this in our practical experience). A lower sensitivity speeds up the workflow by accepting small weight fluctuations more quickly.
Another great strength of the grinder is the automatic portafilter recognition . As soon as you hang the portafilter in the holder, the scale tares briefly (the display initially lights up red) and then automatically starts grinding until the target dose is reached. Once the target amount is in the portafilter, the display turns green - the signal that the portion is ready. This traffic light principle makes operation foolproof: Red means "please wait, grinding in progress/about to start" and green means "dose reached, you can remove the portafilter". The grinder learns from shot to shot: Usually, it settles on the exact dose after a few extractions and then grinds the desired weight with high precision with every extraction. It is important that you first calibrate the scale when using the grinder for the first time (or after a longer break) - ideally with a suitable calibration weight. Regular calibration ensures maximum accuracy (Mahlkönig recommends a tolerance of ±0.1 g; in the test, the deviation was practically 0.00 g after calibration!).
The heart of the E65S GbW is, of course, the grind-by-weight system – the built-in load cell beneath the portafilter fork. Unlike timer-based grinders, the E65S GbW doesn't grind by time, but stops exactly when the target weight is reached. This system works with impressive precision: In our tests, we were able to grind exactly 18.0 g of espresso over many extractions, without any noticeable deviation. This gives us enormous confidence when setting the espresso – you know that dose X really ends up in the filter as dose X, extraction after extraction. Also unusual: The built-in weighing system is so precise that conventional barista scales pale in comparison. In our tests, we found that it hardly makes sense to double-check with an additional (often less accurate) scale. Of course, this assumes that the internal scale is calibrated and used correctly. Our tip : Get a calibration weight and adjust the scale regularly; then the grinder will operate at laboratory scale level.
In addition to the weighing mechanism, the E65S GbW also offers the usual features of a professional grinder: memory for various dosages (such as single and double shots, possibly even multiple recipes), easy-to-use grind adjustment (infinitely adjustable via a non-slip ring), and an easily removable ejector/portafilter holder for cleaning or adjusting to different portafilter sizes. Overall, operation – despite many high-tech elements – is logical and fluid. After a short period of familiarization, you can confidently navigate the menu, adjust grinds and doses, and focus on what matters most in everyday life: consistently good espresso.
Grinding speed & power
In terms of performance, the Mahlkönig E65S GbW sets new standards. The grinding speed is truly brutal – and it does so with high precision. In our test, we ground approximately 18 g of espresso in just under 3 seconds. Extrapolated, the grinder manages around 6 g per second, which means that, for example, 40 g of ground coffee lands in the portafilter in about 6-7 seconds. This makes the E65S GbW one of the fastest espresso grinders we've ever had in our lab. "Speed is amazing," I summarize it in the video. This speed is particularly worth its weight in gold in the gastronomic environment: During peak times in cafés, when many espressos are being prepared one after the other, every second per shot saves time and stress.
Importantly, despite the high speed, the grinding performance remains extremely consistent . Fast grinders often suffer from overshooting the target amount or fluctuating when grinding at such high speeds. Not so with the E65S GbW – thanks to real-time weighing, it hits the target dose almost exactly. We observed that the grinder "pulses" at the very end of the grinding process in a finely dosed manner – grinding slows down slightly shortly before reaching the target weight, only to then stop at exactly 18.0 g, for example. This clever fine dosing allows for fast and precise grinding.
The E65S also impresses in other performance aspects: The large grinding unit (65 mm flat grinding discs made of hardened steel) grinds the beans efficiently and without excessive heat buildup. Our measurements resulted in an average ground product temperature of approximately 33–34 °C, which is only about +1.3 °C higher than the beans before grinding. Such values are within the acceptable range and indicate good temperature management despite high-speed grinding. Furthermore, the grinder is surprisingly quiet for its size and power. At approximately ~70 dB (measured at a distance of 1 m), it operates within a pleasant noise range in our tests. Some smaller grinders were similarly quiet or even slightly quieter in our measurements, but for a commercial grinder of this performance class, ~70 dB is excellent and unobtrusive in daily use.
A word about its performance during continuous operation : The E65S GbW is designed as a workhorse. It can grind repeatedly for hours without any problems, for example, during a coffee shop shift, without any deterioration in results. The robust motor (approx. 450 W) and the sophisticated cooling system pay off here. We noticed no significant loss of consistency even after grinding several portions in a row – the dosage was correct, the grind size remained stable, and the temperature barely rose. All of this underscores the fact that this grinder is a performance benchmark in our test field, and for this reason, it has also found its place in our cafés.
Particle distribution of the E65S Grind by Weight
Conclusion and summary Mahlkönig E65S GbW
