Mazzer Major Automatic Electronic Grinder
Overview of Mazzer Major Automatic Grinder
Are you a member of a large, bustling household, filled with power coffee drinkers? Do you run a small business and have an interest in offering a variety of custom coffee drinks to your customers or employees?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you’re going to love our detailed Mazzer Major electronic review. While it’s not for everyone, if you’re looking for an all-business, high capacity grinder that’s capable of handling just about any and everything you can throw at it, this one definitely belongs on your short list of models to consider.
We’ll go over all of the Mazzer Major’s features in the sections below, and tell you about its shortcomings and limitations, so you’ll have a complete picture before making a purchasing decision. Let’s jump right in and see what this grinder can do!
Form Factor, Footprint & Aesthetic
The Mazzer Major automatic grinder is a fairly sizeable machine, measuring 9.5” x 11.5” x 25” and weighing in at a hefty 44 pounds, owing largely to its almost all-metal construction. The only non-metallic bits are the clear bean hopper, and a few plastic accents and control knobs.
It’s big enough that finding a permanent home for it could present a bit of a challenge if you’ve got a small kitchen with limited countertop space available, and it’s heavy enough that moving it about on a regular basis might be inconvenient. That might make it unsuitable for some people, and is something to keep in mind.
From an aesthetic standpoint, the Mazzer Major automatic is tastefully designed and eye-catching, but it’s not something that could be considered a work of art. Even so, it’s a good-looking device, and it’s mostly steel casing will make a nice addition to most home or business kitchens.
Hopper Capacity
This is a hugely important part of our Mazzer Major electronic review, because capacity (and speed) really matter, especially if you plan to sell specialty coffee drinks in volume.
In our view, this is one of the best features of the Mazzer Major. It’s got far and away the highest capacity of any commercial grinder in its class, featuring an impressive four-pound hopper capacity.
Where speed is concerned, don’t let the fact that the burrs’ rotational speed is low…that fact simply helps ensure that the burrs themselves don’t overheat.
What matters here is the fact that the Major is capable of grinding 3.5 grams per second, which is faster than most other grinders in its class. The combination of a big, beefy hopper and good grinding speed means that it can keep pace with demand, even in a bustling coffee shop.
It should be noted though, that a machine with this kind of capacity is a two-edged sword. If you’re thinking of buying a grinder for household use, then it’s probably overkill, unless every member of your household is a power drinker. You wouldn’t want to just load four pounds of beans into the hopper and use them over the course of a week or more, because the beans would start to lose freshness if stored in this fashion.
Of course, it’s a commercial machine, and as such, not really designed for home use, although a big enough household, filled with people who drink a lot of coffee every day could certainly make good use of its capacity.
On the commercial front, some businesses might still find the four-pound capacity to be overkill. For instance, if you’re buying it for use in a busy office setting, you may still find yourself not using anything close to the machine’s capacity.
If you’re planning to open a coffee house though, and specialty coffee drinks are going to be the mainstay of your business, then this is a great option, because even if you don’t need its full capacity on the day you open your doors, you can grow into it over time.
Burr Configuration and Materials
The Mazzer Major on demand grinder utilizes 83mm stainless steel burrs, arrayed in a flat configuration. Most coffee aficionados have a clear preference for either stainless steel or ceramic burrs. If you’re a fan of ceramics, this is going to count as a strike against the machine from your point of view.
The difference between ceramic and stainless-steel burrs is slight, but undeniably present, with stainless steel burrs providing a slightly more consistent grind. The drawback is that with constant use, stainless steel burrs, being metal, tend to heat up, which can burn your fresh grounds, ruining them.
The Mazzer Major gets around this potential problem by keeping the rotational speed low (between 1400 and 1600 RPMs) and incorporating a built-in fan as a secondary measure to counteract heat buildup. It’s a good solution that impressed us very much!
Grind Settings
This is another critical component of our Mazzer Major grinder review. Commercial grinders come in two basic types, where settings are concerned: Stepless and predefined.
Grinders with a predefined number of settings are easy for novice baristas to use, but you do sacrifice something in terms of flexibility, because you’re tied to the manufacturer’s settings, and sometimes, your flavor preferences fall in between two settings, so you can’t get the flavor exactly the way you want it.
Stepless grinders solve that, by allowing for unlimited fine-tuning. This is fantastic, but it does present something of a challenge when you want to re-create a specific grind setting, making it harder for novice baristas to use effectively. Even so, once you master its use, the limitless flexibility is priceless.
Use and Cleaning
The Mazzer Major electronic flat burr espresso grinder is a study in contrasts.
On the one hand, it’s incredibly easy to use, because it’s an entirely analog machine. There’s no LED or LCD control panel, and no advanced electronics. Just a few simple, intuitive control knobs, which means that you can be up and running in a matter of minutes.
One of the control knobs allows you to precisely set the grinding dose anywhere between 5.5 and 8.0 grams, and there is a simple time-based control feature you can make use of if, and as needed, giving you options and simplifying prep and workflow. We love it!
On the other hand, though, the presence of the stepless grinder means that mastering its use will take some time and practice. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s important to keep in mind.
Cleaning is a simple affair, but in no way automated. Periodically, you’ll need to remove the burrs to free any grounds that might be caught between them. There are no hard and fast rules here. Just give the machine a good cleaning as needed. The burrs are easy to access and remove, which makes this easy to do.
Pros & Cons of the Mazzer Major Bag Grinder
As you can see by this point in our Mazzer Major review, there’s a lot to like about this machine, and it’s basically self-selecting. What we mean is, while it has no real drawbacks from a technical point of view, there are some features that certain users won’t like based on personal preferences.
If you want a grinder with ceramic burrs, this one won’t be terribly attractive to you. Likewise, if you’re a technophile, and are looking for a grinder with lots of high tech bells and whistles, you won’t be impressed.
On the other hand, if you don’t have strong preferences either way, and you’re just looking for a commercial-grade grinder that offers unlimited flexibility and is easy to start using within minutes after unboxing, then this one will dazzle you.
Mazzer Major Electronic Review Conclusion
That wraps up our Mazzer Major electronic review. Personally, we love this grinder, and would recommend it to anyone who needs a high capacity machine to keep pace with the demands of a bustling household filled with power coffee drinkers, or a busy office or coffee shop.
It would be easier to define who wouldn’t fall in love with this machine, so we’ll approach it from that perspective. If you:
This machine will not impress, and it would be extreme overkill if you’re just a casual coffee drinker. For everyone else though, it’s a masterpiece, and highly recommended.
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