Product Review: Wilfa Uniform Grinder
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- čas přidán 20. 01. 2019
- Important: I was sent this unit by Wilfa to review, I did not pay for it.
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James "I'm definitely weighing my coffee" Hoffmann
It's mad how much your voice changes in the conclusion segment lol
Sounds maybe like he had a cold, took some time off, and filmed the conclusion as he was recovering.
Orrrr just a crazy, massive difference in the acoustic properties of the room? idk
James pre coffee
@@matiaschacana5768 you
Thanks for the review. I like your way of honest reviewing and in general your humor with a taste of irony.
I love how much effort and thought he puts into the review. You can almost feel his anxiety over getting it right. Thank you for your videos.
That's not anxiety - hes just British.
Thank you for using your time to bring us the videos, reviews, opinions and so on! Thanks!!
I really appreciate your way where you clarify every single side with complete fairness.
Amazing attention to detail, this should be how all reviews should be done , spoken from someone who gets the minut details of the coffee experience
What an absolutely stonkingly good review, James! Very nicely balanced and honest.
I love your honesty, and your presentation style.
"It does grams and the other..thing." Nearly spit my coffee out laughing this morning. Thanks for that 😂
Great review James. I use my aeropress funnel when emptying the coffee out of my grinder into the portafilter, found it works a treat
i do enjoy how fussy you are
It's a British super power
It’s part of his charm 😉
@@halelloyd It's called having standards, and it's an anglo super power.
Not just anglo-saxon. Ask any engineer about the flaws in any of their tools or gadgets, and they'll talk your ears off.
@@ultrademigod only seconded by pretentiousness lol
Great review, i appreciate your details and laughed a little how you talked about Tim W, it seems like you were putting him up on a pedestal. That shocked me i think of you guys as on the same level. So i appreciate you being so humble.
CZcams algorithm now knows I like coffee a lot. It's sent me here and now I'm hoping you get more subscribers here soon.
I will only say that James Hoffmann is probably my favorite barista. Now it is wrong to simply blindly believe everything the man says just because he is a big deal, but it cannot be denied that he is one of the few people in the world of coffee who has the experience of that to speak future direction of the coffee industry.
I just got mine, it's a huge improvement in taste over my previous (cheapish) blade grinder. Thanks for the review. :) The grinding speed does not bother me. While it grinds, I prepare my Aeropress and start the kettle. The coffee container's lid is indeed a bit finicky but a lot easier if you put it on, for lack of a better description, coming from the back of the container. There is almost no static at all, after tapping a few times on the container at the end, it's pretty much empty.
the change in voice tone at 14:09 was startling... were you using a different mic, or was it something else?
Andrew Chien hormonal therapy 😂😂
Yo I’m sayin!!!! I was like WTF happened?! 😂😂😂
I'm pretty sure he got sick
Looks sick, lots of colour out of his face
@@MelbourneMeMe corona
The grind time was shocking at first.
But, I thought about it and decided it wouldn’t bother me since the time bottleneck for me will always be heating my water. I have the Stagg EKG kettle and it’s really fast, but still takes a couple minutes.
Great review, just something to consider unless you have a hot water tank.
So i realise your comment is over a year old but i was watching this video and been deeply contemplating the Stagg EKG. I have an electric temp variable Bonavita kettle. is it worth it?
@@kyleyoung4405 so I realise that this comment is over two years old, but what on earth does the stagg offer you that you dont already have? And is that worth $150.
I'm sure that you have long since made your decision, but I think it is worth pointing out the questions that you should ask when you're considering a purchase
Your honesty is so satisfying.
I really enjoy your CHANNEL. I’ve learned an enormous amount about espresso and brew coffee. Thank you.
Oh you speak to my soul, James, when you mentioned the eternal suffering of cleaning Mazzers and that threading...
Still waiting for the comparison with other grinders. Thinking about buying it. Love your videos James!
The fact the lid is actually a scale blew my mind.
Scale + timer would have blown mine. But like this you'll still need an extra device (paired phone or just a coffee scale with timer altogether)
I currently can't afford even your cheapest gadget recommendations so I'm just lifting my mood by watching your vids.
Ofc I'm sipping my Ikea coffee made haphazardly in old Starbucks moka pot. Mhhhmmm, the artificial vanillin sugar really makes it. Happy lockdown everyone!
Can't argue with a moka pot! He's made a few videos on that, the long and short of it is fill with hot water (to reduce stove time), take it off the stove and cool down (under a running tap) as soon as steam starts coming through
Just chew the beans with your teeth and drink some hot water, I mean like a real man and like they used to do it in the past
My favorite extremely cheap coffee gadget (but more like hack) is to just straight up put coffee in a filter in a cup and pour water on it, let it steep a couple minutes and then slowly lift the filter. Can be kind of messy but back when I worked at a place with a shitty electrical brewer that was a lifesaver
@@TovaHolmberger wow I thought I was the only one who knew about this trick! But yeah it can be a lifesaver and it produces some pretty alright coffee.
James, thank you for the review. It was clear, concise, and I appreciate your objectivity. The only little quibble I have, and it is a small one, is that your voice was noticeably lower in the summary. This isn't a big deal as I said. And I did find it a bit jarring.
I hope this was helpful. Thanks again for the great, very solid information.
True coffee connoisseur with great reviews!
I got the Stainless steel Uniform without the scale. It matches my Sage Precision Brewer well so I now have the same brew setup as James.
Good to hear that you like it for what it is. I'm upgrading from the oldest version of the Wilfa conical (WSCG-2) and I hope the Uniform will give me a bit more sweetness.
I got it in silver on "pre-sale" for approx. £180.
Regarding Sette 270 vs Wilfa:
When I tried to brew 15g brews with my Kalita wave, the 270 had no chance against the Wilfa. Way too much fines to get a great tasting cup of coffee with the beans and ratios I normally use. I have not tried more than a few times and only with the espresso burrs, the brew burr cone might do a better job.
Thank you for the review!
Good video, I really enjoy the depth you go into. I think you may want to do a bench mark or unpacked video we’re you can explain some of the more esoteric terms.
P.s. be mindful of the audio jumps and quality of the audio. Your voice is such an important signature of the channel. It was a bit of a shock at the end of the video.
Well, now I want one .... -.- ... Thank you, for showing me what I'll now miss :)
Great review as always. One thing I would've been curious about is grind retention. This is something that has bugged me with a lot of grinders I've used at home. Having to purge and waste coffee every time I pull a shot or make a filter coffee and having to weight the ground coffee once more gets sometimes a bit tedious. The Niche Zero I currently have gives a reliable output and it has made my routine so much more convenient that I wouldn't want to miss this feature with a new grinder. On the other hand, it produces a bit too much fines for my taste.
I am not seeing much retention. My scale only measures in whole grams. Sometimes it will go down 1, which can be a difference in rounding. Rarely, it will decrease by more... and then I know I ground a lot of oily beans too fine.
Thanks James! Can you share which grind settings you ended up with for V60 and Aeropress?
Thanks for these reviews! I appreciate that you give quality time to the nuances as they relate to daily/actual use. I would love to see a comparison to the Rancilio Rocky grinder, it also has flat burrs and a similar price point.
@@jameshoffmann That's why I originally got one, but since I switched to drip and pour over at home it's seems pretty good. As a complete amateur I'm not sure if I'm missing something or not, seems to be able to go corse enough, looks consistent.
Don't know if someone already asked... but a review of this against the Baratza Vario with steel burrs would be a very good comparison!
Thank you for starting a CZcams channel. It's been a long time coming.
Hit the thumb up button for the "grams and the other... thing"
OH and the rest of the video too ;)
Great! Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Hi James, thank you for the always comprehensive reviews - highly appreciated. I think it would be really interesting to see a comparison of the grind quality between this grinder and the new Ode Fellow Grinder. I own this already and I am very happy with the grind for pour over and coarser settings. Will there be a difference in quality and will it be worth the “upgrade” (considering the difference in price)?
thanks for changing my every day coffee experience
Could you please do a video where you discuss the difference of different burrs? (Flat vs conical)
Longevity, precision, speed, cost etc.
Also what makes an 'espresso grinder' and a 'filter grinder'? Why could one not do both well?
Thank you for the video definitely food for thought as I'm in the market for a new grinder.
@@jameshoffmann the shop I worked at had a well calibrated EK and then later switched to a Peak when they moved the EK to their new location. The EK shots were so much cleaner and sweeter compared to the Peak. A lot more consistent too (not really a burr thing though)
@@jameshoffmann I could be wrong, however range of adjustment seems like an easy 'problem' to fix. Use of more or coarser threads or detentes. Retention of the settings and just holding the 2 burrs in place seem like what really separates grinders (the wiggly wireless grinder you reviewed seemed quite inexpensive to produce) If you know of an article written in regards to the grinders, could you please share? It would be much appreciated
After googling the second half of that reply, and spending an hour or two down the 'modal' hole, I feel left with more questions then answers hah. That kind of depth and blatant passion is why I love coffee. I am relatively new to the market of coffee and its' accessories (had no clue what an EK was) and appreciate your insight.
@jameshoffman
Have you had any issues with the paint peeling off from the coffee grounds container? I have he mine for a week with gentle use, and it looks totally abused even though i’m babyong it being super careful.
I worry how it will look after just a few months of use.
You've convinced me to get the svart
Concerning the speed, I have an even older version of a Wilfa grinder (WSCG-2) and practically the only difference is that its successor is significantly slower. What it does is it reduces the number of times my roasted coffee beens get stuck in the grinder which is a terrible thing in my model (any lighter grind is impossible unless I decide on a very coarse grind).
Hi James,
Going to stick with my knock aergrind (have you checked one out yet?)
I also question whether 35s is too long. However, it seemed quieter? This could be seen as a bonus, especially in the early mornings. Flat mates, significant others and your own sanity could benefit. Just a thought!
Love the vids man, keep them flowing!
just remove the annoying plastic lid to the grounds container, it works without it in place and a nice bonus is it's easier to remove and replace the container too
Just a small nitpick: I believe the grinder for comparison at 9:51 is named Wilfa Svart, not Precision (which is the name for their automatic brewer).
Svart Aroma to be… precise.
I found a nice metal cup that fits into the bin to catch the coffee and it makes it easier to pour into a portafilter when needed
Where did you find it and is it available in Germany? I've got the Uniform Silver version and I use it for Filter and Pour Over. But I want to start and try it for Espresso.
Love the review and your videos, which have given me a broad view of a field that is new to me - I was given an aeropresss month ago. Buying some decent coffee for the first time and using that changed my my life.
A question, though: basically I've been on a learning curve, changing grinders, water and technique, trying to to get something approximating what I can get in the coffee shop. I reckon I'm about 80% of the way there. I am using the other Wilfa, the black Precision you reviewed. I do feel there is always a slight edge of muddiness clouding the sweetness. You say elsewhere on this page that this upgrade is worth it, in your opinion - is the Uniform going to deliver clearer, sweeter brews on an aeropress? Is that the difference you are referring too? Cheers.
Which grind setting would you use for V60? Or a, say, Moccamaster full pot? I know, it depends on a lot of things, but I’m curious anyhow. And of course, we’re talking about light roasts here. :)
Lovely review! Thanks
I got the Sette grinder the other day and didn't check the specks. I only use drip at home and the sette is crap at that so I now have the BG burr set on order.
I bought it because I liked the look.
hi just discovered your channel, enjoy the reviews. Can you do test videos on the grinders you review? It would be cool to see how the coffee holds up when ground for french press/chemex vs pour over etc
does anyone know how the grind quality compares to the comandante for pourover?
when you say very cold beans grind better.. how cold are we talking and how does it improve the grind (more even, less static)?
I have one of these and I find that the auto-off leaves some grounds inside. If I scale the grounds and compare to measures from before grinding, there will be some 2-3% missing. I don't get them out my restarting the grinder though, unless I turn the grind setting from my setting 26 to closer to 40 and then restart. Then I will have almost if not all my beans through the grinder.
If you wonder after a grind if you have some left in the grinder, try turning the grind setting to finer. There will be resistance if there's unground coffee. After grinding with coarse setting as described above, the resistance is gone.
Dear James, it looks like this machine is also very suitable for an on-the-go cupping grinder if you don't have space to bring a bigger/heavier machine. Also, would you suggest this grinder to a small wholesale customer who wants to grind decaf fresh and try their hand at filter coffee?
Great review as always. Only comment is how gobsmacked I was in the difference in your voice between recording locations. It's as if you dropped 2 full octaves between espresso and wrap up!
Great review James, I am in the market for a new grinder but I cannot find the Wilfa Uniform anywhere in the UK. Is it on general sale in the UK?
The continuity problem at the end freaks me out as well. And I find it hilarious that James looks down (at his script?) before he says that the grinder is good for the money (14:12). Normally these little details would be caught in editing, and I wonder if it was intentionally put there. I hope so :-)
It would be great to see you pull what you consider to be an excellent espresso at the highest level - you're reviews are utterly fantastic but I'm not sure the results have ever exceeded beyond 'very good' or a 'nice' cup of coffee in your opinion. Bring us a review of the ferrari of espresso/professional coffee making equipment! Some of your current favourite coffee and equipment would be great to see and the process of 'dialling in'.
If ground coffe and the threads are an issue, could they build a piston seal vor o-ring inside the grinding chamber to prevent grinds getting to the threads and to scribe oft ans Gründe when disassembling?
I purchased this grinder (without the scale) partially based on this review. The long auto off thing doesn't bother me because I'm doing pour over and the whole boiling water and setting up the filter blah blah takes time anyways. Overall I'm happy with it, but I'm still messing around with the grind settings.
Great videos! You should make a few cocktail videos!
suggestion: do a comparison between the wilfa uniform and for example baratza virtuso/vario, with flat steel burrs. Should be an interesting battle!
At some point James has clearly influenced my decisions. I bought the silver Wilfa uniform and brew with the Sage Precision and I’m sat here drinking my morning coffee and thinking this is a little bitter from this new bag.
I’m recommended this video which I’ve watched before and there’s James saying he’s using 28 on the grinder and I’m on 24 and he’s using the same set up as me. Clearly I’ve made my purchase decisions because of these videos and in true copycat style I dial back the grinder to 28. It’s only right. I feel tomorrow’s coffee will be a little less bitter.
Perhaps I should start spraying my beans next… I’m not quite at that level yet but someday, maybe…
How is the grind retention? Seems like that would be important for what is being marketed as a single dose grinder.
This may be a dumb question but can it do a coarse grind that may be appropriate for cold brew? I have a sette 270wi and I can’t grind that coarsely. I know you aren’t a cold brew person though
One thing about it being slower is that its also quieter (at least compared to the other unit you compared it with)
I bought Wilfa.U. with scale and love it. It's more quite than NicheZ. Scale is great and responsive and I don't get too much static. James you could make a video on Gabi, it's great and simple
You mentioned grounds in the threading being a pain to clean. How bad is it if my grinder had some coffee stuck in the threading for a wile now? It adjusts fine but can this eventually break the threading?
Great review, I think the scale, while a really neat idea could be sold separately, to achieve even lower price. I think most people who buy this kind of grinder already have a scale. I understand though that it makes sense for a company to sell them together for a bigger profit.
Hubert Gajewski They are sold separately too, and there is another machine without the scale too :)
One huge benefit (at least for me) you did not mention is, that this grinder is remarkably quiet. You can very clearly hear the difference to the cheaper Wilfa grinder (9:59), but also compared to other grinders, the Uniform is noticeably quieter.
So the verdict is that it's okay for occasional espresso drinkers. Would this pair well with using a manual espresso machine like a Flair or Cafelat Robot on the weekends? I just drink v60 in the week, so this grinder seems like a good compromise... Thanks for the content!
Could you please do a video where you review all amazing professional equipment like in this video from 11:50 ? Especially Mythos 2 Gravimetric, Black Eagle Gravimetric?
I think it will be very interesting for professionals from coffee world.
Thank you a lot!
How would this fit into the comparisons of high end manual grinders?
Ok, which one is giving better grind result. Commandante or Wilfa uniform?
I know one is manual and the other is electric. But, I just wanna know the quality of the grind result by comparing it with Commandante.
Thanks!
Would love to know that as well.
www.tek.no/nyheter/guide/i/8meWed/derfor-br-du-kverne-kaffe-for-hand
Bought one yesterday and Im very happy with the grinding results. But i have one concerne with the adjustments. With my old wilfa grinder i had the motor running when adjusted to finer. When i do this with the Uniform it feels like the motor is jamming a little. The manual dosent mention anything about how to adjust to finer when having coffee wasten in the burrs.
I know this is a late reply, but don't put beans in when you adjust it. It should be empty after every use.
What is a good single dosing electric espresso grinder around this price or cheaper?
My prefer coffee maker is a siphon pot with a glass rod filter. Fines can cause stalling in the draw down and can lead to a vacuum implosion. I’m looking for the most uniform grind. Could this grinder do it?
Recently I’ve been seeing fellow products ODE brew grinder on my sns. I wonder if you’d be doing (or could do) a review on it
9:52 to see the grinder actually being used!
Thanks you've read in my mind.
Thanks again for your great insightful reviews. Are you able to do a review on the Hario Siphon coffee maker? I'd love to hear your opinion on it before I purchase one.
@@jameshoffmann A review comparing it to other models would be fantastic.
I wish I can afford a Burr Grinder. I live in Mexico and it would literally take me a week to just to buy the cheapest burr grinder. James you are the best. I enjoy watching your videos. I have learned so much from watching your videos. One day I would like to send you some coffee beans from a local area where I buy it from so you can let me know what you think. I really enjoy that coffee. I wish your brand of coffee was sold here.
Do you still need a burr grinder?
What about your Niche Zero grinder? I personally love my Baratza Sette 270Wi as it's very fast (even though it's loud, it's just for a moment)
So is it actually available anywhere? I can see some shops in the UK theoretically have the Uniform available, but there seems to be 2 versions of it, the Uniform+ which you have and a more bare bones Uniform without the scales in the lid, but that is only as a pre-order and only in brushed steel colour, not black... There is a lot of confusion, cause you can't even buy it from Wilfa themselves and their pages online are very outdated...
Thoughts on using this as an entry level commercial filter grinder for a coffee shop to start batch brew?
“We will talk about espresso grinding towards the end” - James.
*Towards the end: most played section of the video 😂
does it stain from fingers? I'd be so annoyed since it's so pretty!
11:26-12:01 This is how I picture this scene in my head:
James: "I didn't bring my car today so I'll just borrow my friend's car."
*cuts to his friend's garage full of Lamborghinis*
Me: O_O
What is a comparable grinder? Vario?
Love the video James. Would be interesting to see how this compares to the higher priced manual grinders like the Comandante C40 and Kinu M47
Another great review!
Still Great!
Even still
What about fines, does it produce few or many? I’m looking for a grinder which can help me with quick drawdown times. Is this it?
Very currious if the burrs are the exact same found in the Mazzer Mini? Burrs should be stamped on the back with somekind of number. If so, I think there is room for improvement in grind uniformity. Odd that they call it "Uniform" when they are using an espresso burr designed to be bi-modal. Correct me if I'm wrong! I also wonder how much thought went into the design regarding alightment. Eitherway, I will pick one up to compare with Vario with steel burrs. Thanks James!
KP cadnzfin also curious to compare to forte with steel burrs
I mill my own flour from wheat grain. The mill specifically is to run after all the wheat has passed through to clean the mill. It's problematic if grain is stuck. It follows for me as a coffee novice that the additional time will knock out a certain amount of the coffee grinds.
You can use teflon tape around the threading and the coffee dust will not migrate into the threads.
Surprised you don’t mention the Baratza Vario as a direct comparison. Same price point, flat burrs, etc...
james mentioned the sette from baratza (3:16). ?
klaus stroismiller The sette is conical burr set and more of a direct comparison to the original wilfa grinder. Vario has similar sized flat burrs to the grinder James discusses here.
@@jameshoffmann hopefully with the steel burr set upgrade as well, if possible
If you have used Baratza Virtuoso, how does it compare to this? I think I saw it in one of your videos in the background.
I was about to ask the same question.
How is the Uniform compared to the Virtuoso?
Nice review, i'm really happy with my Wilfa Precision, but is looking to upgrade at some point.
A question: How often do you clean your burrs?
If you do only few shots or drips per day and dont mind getting your hand "dirty" (aka working), get Comandante C40 (Ironheart if you want espresso, regular if you dont).
It just wipes floor with Wilfa.
I did this upgrade, and apart manual work needed, its immense upgrade. Wilfa Swart (or Precision depending where you live) is kinda.. ehm not so good grinder, for any purpose frankly.
The cons would bother me but but what about the customer support? I think my baratza (sette) worth it even though I know about when it's gonna let me down cause baratza supply parts and they are more amazing than every companies I know. I speak for having dealing with them few time.