Sage BCG820BSSUK the Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Grinder - Silver

Product Information

I'd previously made the assumption (as this has happened to me many times with integrated grinder machines) that it was an issue to do with the humidity in the hopper changing in integrated grinder machines like the Barista Express or the Oracle when the machine is turned on, but I found that the changes in humidity in my studio, which is a fairly normal environment, changed by as much as about 12% during a period of about an hour, both outside the hopper, and inside the hopper. It's been more than a few years now ;-), and my opinion now is that this is one of the most reliable grinders you're likely to get at this price point. My Smart Grinder Pro is still fine, I actually lent it to someone recently but up to that point it was still going strong, and I was still using it mainly for manual brew. Anyway, my search stopped at the Smart Grinder Pro. It was more than I was looking to spend (as the amount I was looking to spend was closer to zero), but at the time (and it's more or less the same now really) there wasn't really anything that appeared to be as good across the board, including ease of use, reliability, and compatibility with most brew methods including espresso, for this kind of price.

I just want to give a little bit of attention to the hopper, as I realize that a lot of people look at the hopper and hopper capacity etc., as being an important part of their research. So what I'd say about the hopper, is it's great, but I'd highly recommend temporary use only. Your coffee will taste bitter and over extracted if you hand grind your coffee too fine for your required brew method. It should never be complicated, uncomfortable or difficult to use your coffee grinder. It should be simple to load up your coffee beans and get the perfect grounds you're looking for. The Smart Grinder Pro is an all-rounder grinder, It'll grind for manual brew methods such as Aeropress, pour-over, stove top & cafetiere, and it will also grind for espresso, with traditional or pressurized baskets.

How we tested

It didn't take me too long, however, to realize that this is just because the paddles on the side of the portafilter have to be parallel with the sides of the cradle, and because of where these are on the Gaggia Classic, you just have to put the portafilter in with the handle over to one side. As you can see, I needed to insert the portafilter with the handle to the left. You will have to have change the grind as you make the first espresso and alter it either finer or coarser to brew the perfect espresso. Remember, at this time I knew nothing about grinders, and I knew very little about espresso making in general at that point, I'd mainly brewed manually up until not long before getting the Smart Grinder Pro as an upgrade to my manual (Hario Skerton) grinder and cordless drill setup. But I was up and running instantly, without even bothering to look at the instructions. I know a lot more about grinders these days, so I understand that these don't have “true” burrs, they have “flat grinding wheels” which crush beans, and it's a common misconception that this is what burrs do, but actually, burrs are made to more or less “chew” beans into uniform chunks, not so much to crush them. So it's this crushing with these types of grinders that is the problem.

The dose programming is just about setting the time for the number of shots, to get you close to the required dose, and this is separate to the grind size setting. You can’t really rely on timing for dosing, you really need scales, and the timing then is just there as a guide. Anyway, this question is ringing in my ears as it's asked so often, and there is no right answer. The optimum grind size will depend on the beans you're using, the brew method you're using, the particular espresso machine you're using for example, and even specifically what baskets you're using. It has a pair of 40mm stainless steel conical burrs, as do most of the other cheaper grinders on the market. So if you're looking at the Wilfa Svart, Gaggia MD15, Baratza Encore, etc., when it comes to particle uniformity in the medium to coarse grind sizes, it's unlikely that we're going to find much of a difference by going for the Smart Grinder Pro instead of the Wilfa Svart, which is just under half of the price. Which one is best for you depends on what type of coffee you like to make, how much you make, and whether you want the flexibility of being able to achieve different grounds tailored to different coffee types. Blade coffee grinders We would advise against using your coffee grinder to grind spices as various spices have greater oil content which may clog up the bean burrs. Plus you don’t want your floral Ethiopian coffee to taste like cardamom. Can You Blend Coffee Beans?

The verdict: Sage smart grinder pro

If I've just confused you re baskets, pressurized baskets come with the most entry-level domestic espresso machines, They're easy & convenient, but they don't give the user the ability to tweak things towards perfection, which is known as “dialing in”. If you want that level of control, you'll need standard, traditional baskets, and working with this kind of basket requires more of the grinder.

With the Smart Grinder Pro (and the dose control pro, and all of the integrated grinder machines from Sage) the outer burr has a thread, which enables you to shim it by simply adjusting it to one of the numbered settings, from 1-10. The reason for this is that the environment, whether it's in your kitchen or in your office, isn't the best place for coffee beans – and if the beans are in your hopper, they're in your environment. The hopper doesn't give any protection from oxygen or from fluctuations in temperature and humidity. These things will mess with your beans, and you don't want things messing with your beans. So my opinion with hoppers is to use them as temporary storage only and keep your beans in air-tight storage, preferably in a cool and relatively dark location (such as a cupboard, or on the moon, whichever is easiest). Don't do what most people do, which is to open your beans and empty them into the hopper as soon as you get them, and leave them in there until you run out. If you're doing this, you may as well leave them in the bag and just leave the bag open, as the hopper (any hopper, not just the hopper on the Sage grinders) doesn't protect against the environment. We bought pre-ground coffee in coarse, medium and fine sizes along with fresh coffee beans from the same brand, and tried to grind the beans to match the pre-ground coffee.This is the aforementioned internal burr adjustment, and it's such a clever, and useful feature, and one I very rarely hear anyone talking about. I bought this grinder for pairing with my Gaggia Classic, which was a used 2003 model, but also for Aeropress, cafetiere, and V60, and this is the main reason I was looking at the Sage grinders in the first place, as they appeared to be perfect for varied use. You should also give your grinder a clean after it has ground around 20 kg. Different grinders have different needs however, some are generally quite clean while others create a great deal of mess. How To Clean a Burr Coffee Grinder? This is my “warts ‘n all” user review of the hugely popular Sage Smart Grinder Pro, and given that you're here reading this, you're probably wondering whether you should buy this grinder, and my answer is, probably, but just hold fire at least until you've read my “nutshell” version of the review, and keep an eye out for the bit where I mention discount codes… A Review Almost Seven Years in The Making I also believe it's among the best grinders at this kind of price point when it comes to durability.

Overall the coffee will taste crap, unless you’re buying crap beans then the coffee will taste crap anyway.A much fairer comparison would be the Sage Smart Grinder Pro vs the Baratza Virtuoso +, as the Virtuoso Plus is only slightly more expensive, and is sold as being mainly a brew grinder. I've used both (and the forte, and most other Baratza grinders), and again, the SGP has a lot of pros vs the Virtuoso, mainly where features and ease of use are concerned, and I think they're incredibly evenly matched where cup quality is concerned, in fact, this more scientific comparison resulted in the Smart Grinder Pro being awarded the title for the best particle uniformity. Automated Shimming The Sage smart grinder pro feels like the Ferrari of coffee grinders, boasting all the bells and whistles that make you feel like you may have “made it” in the world of home coffee grinding, yet still with the safety net of being guided through the process if you’re not quite at barista-level yet.