Help With a Mahlkonig Grinder

[Wayne Oberholzer]

We have just recently installed a WBC Spec Mahlkonig Grinder in our shop, and I'm having a few problems with it.

The whole idea behind getting this grinder was for competion training purposes, yes we have the Aurelia WBC as well.

When we grind, it tends to spit the coffee out, almost as if there is static charge that is building up in the grinder. Has anyone every had a problem like this? And how do you get around it?

[Kyle Fraser]

Just to add to that...

- The ground coffee also "clumps" instead of coming through fine and flowing... What could we do to fix this?

[Jared Rutledge]

the thing about the mahlkonig is (i believe) it's a flat burr grinder, so it still has a fairly high rpm and will heat the beans as it grinds. that's what made me decide not to get one for my shop (going with the compak k-10 wbc edition instead). and a lot of doserless grinders have clumping problems, from what i've heard.

you know you can bring your own grinder to competitions, right? i noticed most baristas at this years final brought their own.

[nik orosi]

sadly, nothing...
thats k30....
i just dont know (except money) how they become sponsors...
i was working with k30 last 3y and now i know how much i was wrong...
same coffee taste diff than with other grinders...

[Jesse Bladyka]

I agree that it's just a fault in the grinder. I've worked on several K30's and they've all given me that problem, in fact, thanks to my k30 I lost enough technical points on grinder waste in competition at last years USBC to keep me out of the semifinals. Needless to say the grinder has been replaced with a conical burr doserless.

That having been said, if you take the top off, you have clear access to the chute, which is covered with a thin steel flap. If you fabricate a Z or X or even W shaped insert and fasten it at the end of that chute, it breaks up clumps and also slows the coffee down a little bit, which cleans up the grinders function. At the USBC Rolf told me that the company was working on something similar, which you would be able to retrofit. I don't know if it's out yet or what.

[Chris DeMarse]

I work with a company that sells a lot of equipment and have worked on the k30. Sadly, when I asked Mahlkonig to address the clumping issues, they just said they were going to put a plastic retainer that forced the clumps of coffee through it and broke them up. This is only addressing the symptom rather than the real issue. I would say that any flat burr grinder with high rpm's is going to be subject to heat and changing of the coffee oils. Compak just came out with a k10 (just like the wbc), but doserless and with a digital timer. A lot of the top baristas in the US are using those and mazzer's robur e nowadays.

[Eugene Kimber]

Mahlkoenig K30ES has both clumping and static issues. it was their first GOD (Grind On Demand) grinder later versions like K30ES Vario and K30 twin both stepless on demand grinders have fixed these issues mahlkoenig makes top notch flat disk burrs very even grind their burrs are excellent i've had K30ES and as you guys have guessed was dissapointed by clumping issue

now i have K30 Twin and mazzer robur - e and love them both K30 twin does not have any known issues and this one is one of the best espresso grinder i've owned so far no clumping no static infact very powdery

2009~2011 WBC grinders are Mahlkoenig K30 VARIO and K30 Twin both stepless grinders
the old K30ES is not one of them and this one is stepped grinder

[Chris Tellez]

there is a little metal flap at the top of the dosing chute. If that is bent to far down it compacts the coffee... That can be a cause of the clumping... take apart the grinder and have a look and see... As for the coffee spitting out, the chute can cause this to happen as well... if you've cleaned the chute before you may have pushed the metal flap up above where it is supposed to be, which can cause inconsistency in the dosing. unfortunately this is just something you learn to deal with, with the K30... however on their new models they are using an anti-static coating to help and manage this issue better. I am not sure when this will be available though. I personally love your K30, now that I have a better handling of it... give it time, and you'll become good friends. I promise.

[Jay Caragay]

Talk to Mahlkonig. The K30 grinder they lent me for the 2009 USBC had a special modification that eliminated the clumping and static problems. I was presuming they were going to put this version into production but maybe you can get the parts.

[Wayne Oberholzer]

Thanks to everyone for the information and the help! i really appreciate it guys!

We have been in contact with Mahlkoenig and they have suggested several Mods that we can use. Seems that they have adressed the problem. now all we need to do is try and get one of these mods in South Africa! Ha ha ha! Good times

[tom]

I just had a visit from Gary Horne, a part owner in Mahlkonig the other day. He brought a new K30 with those modifications on them. They are going around and showing people who rep for them some of the advancement they have made in terms of clumping and there is a significant difference now. They have added some sort of anti static metal piece to the dosing chute which has virtually eliminated clumping, and the dose is cleaner than it ever has been.

Jay Caragay said:

Talk to Mahlkonig. The K30 grinder they lent me for the 2009 USBC had a special modification that eliminated the clumping and static problems. I was presuming they were going to put this version into production but maybe you can get the parts.

[Jean-Francois Truchon]

Does anyone know if the Compak K10 doserless + digital timer are now available? I know they had prototypes in shows, but impossible to buy one yet...

Chris DeMarse said:

Compak just came out with a k10 (just like the wbc), but doserless and with a digital timer. A lot of the top baristas in the US are using those and mazzer's robur e nowadays.

[Lorenzo Perkins]

BUMP*

anyone know where to get these??

Jean-Francois Truchon said:

Does anyone know if the Compak K10 doserless + digital timer are now available? I know they had prototypes in shows, but impossible to buy one yet...

Chris DeMarse said:

Compak just came out with a k10 (just like the wbc), but doserless and with a digital timer. A lot of the top baristas in the US are using those and mazzer's robur e nowadays.