In our search for the best espresso grinder for beginners, we are taking a closer look at the Rommelsbacher EKM300 coffee and espresso grinder. We have seen the grinder priced at around 80 euros in Germany, and it is available in Switzerland for 100 francs. That is relatively inexpensive for a coffee grinder and makes it one of the cheapest grinders in our comprehensive espresso grinder test. Before we discuss the Rommelsbacher EKM300 as an espresso grinder, we will first address the central question for affordable coffee grinders: is the Rommelsbacher EKM300 capable of grinding fine enough for espresso at all?
Can the Rommelsbacher EKM300 grind fine enough for espresso?
The answer is no. A typical espresso extraction time is 25 seconds in the basic setting. Depending on the espresso and personal preference, the grind size is adjusted slightly finer or coarser to brew espressos that run a few seconds faster or slower. The grind size and the resulting particle size, known in technical terms as particle distribution, provide the necessary resistance in the portafilter to reduce or increase the extraction time.
However, with the coffees we used, the Rommelsbacher EKM300 does not grind fine enough to achieve an extraction time of over 20 seconds. With our test espresso, Apas from Brazil, the extraction time was only 15 seconds!
That is far too fast and leads to a correspondingly poor taste. The coffee tasted sour and aggressive due to the pronounced under-extraction, while simultaneously being watery and having an unpleasantly dry aftertaste. In short: this is not what espresso should taste like.
Rommelsbacher advertises the EKM as a "Premium coffee grinder <...> for demanding coffee and espresso lovers" and describes that the coffee can be set from "Mokka, Espresso" to coarse. This is inaccurate, or to put it another way, completely off the mark.
To be continued...
This article will be updated.
