My NEW Vario

Kelsey

Mallacoota, by 'in the field' I do mean cafe coffees, but my choice of Caf

mycuppa

As a provider to many, many thousands of Australian home baristas, time and again the #1 issue we face is related to grinders, followed very closely by the unfortunate lack of knowledge in how to use them (or perhaps those rankings should be reversed as a lack of skill plays a larger part than equipment shortcomings). If I was granted one Xmas wish, it would be that every kitchen in Australia was equipped with a decent grinder that helped the home barista improve and develop their skills. A mythical machine that dosed consistently and more importantly, provided easy and reliable adjustment with minimal grounds retention. So much time, energy and quite frankly rubbish is written about espresso machines. Yes, we have read it many times before - spend more on the grinder and less on the machine. A grinder that is easier to use (read less frustrating) will contribute to more consistency and enjoyment in the cup and represents better value for money than expensive bling espresso machines. Having 3 grinders on my kitchen bench they all at various times they annoy the shite out of me. I will be buying yet another 1 or 2 grinders for home so that I can move some annoying ones back to the storage shed. I can sympathize with you Malla - all I want is something a bit better that makes my daily ritual more enjoyable, but I will be adopting UNM's stance and evaluating the grinders before deciding. No amount of forum content will sway my opinions.

Lacehim

Well I only have one grinder at home, the Vario. 😛 It suits me, but can get a bit messy because the grind is so light and fluffy it sprays out around the grinder a bit. It is a quiet grinder though, the grinder doesn't retain much, and it's easy to use in my opinion. Also if you do any other brewing like syphon, filter etc you can quickly change grind. 🙂 With the new lever it seems to like a finer grind which I think the Vario is starting to stuggle with on some beans. I'm a little unsure as to how far I can push it though, but it's hard to pin point the exactly postion the burrs are touching, being ceramic, they don't make a that pronounced metal on metal sound! 😉

LaSanMarcoMelb

AM, nice to hear mention of the Eureka mignon, I use one at home too and love it. Can clump a bit but its a good size and built like a tank. I've also sold heaps of these and they don't come back which is always a good sign.

LaSanMarcoMelb

Mostly what works well with my Eureka and my setup is it makes a good coffee, it's size but the fact that its straight and boxy means that it slots into a tight spot when space is an issue.

mallacoota

Well I am still looking to get the vario but it will be later than sooner as I more than blew my budget buying a new e-bike. The coffee I have at the moment from "mycuppa" is Burundi Mirango and I find it a darker roast than I have had before. The smart grinder is at it's extreme end of fineness and I have to tamp a good 20 kilo's or more to get it to reach 9 bar. Until I used this coffee most pours were at 9.5 bar so I guess when I get the vario I will have much more range. This smart grinder is one of the later models that did not need the shim kit.

mallacoota

Well I just got round to replacing my grinder with the vario, took a few wasted shots to dial it in a better grind flow with no visible clumping, much better crema coming through on the Breville bes 900, which will be replaced by a VBM junior hsx on Tuesday ..late delivery with Easer. So I will be looking forward to working with this. So the duel boiler will be for sale and the smart grinder also. I will give my opinion on the VBM after a few weeks use, I like the smaller footprint and the fact that I will be able to repair it myself and spares are abundant and it will suit me who only has one or two double shots a day.

Brett_H

mallacoota wrote:

Well I just got round to replacing my grinder with the vario, took a few wasted shots to dial it in a better grind flow with no visible clumping, much better crema coming through on the Breville bes 900, which will be replaced by a VBM junior hsx on Tuesday ..late delivery with Easer. So I will be looking forward to working with this. So the duel boiler will be for sale and the smart grinder also. I will give my opinion on the VBM after a few weeks use, I like the smaller footprint and the fact that I will be able to repair it myself and spares are abundant and it will suit me who only has one or two double shots a day.

Well done mate and Happy Easter. Your star has and will have certainly risen now you've leap-frogged the appliance grade machinery!

mallacoota

Still waiting for VBM junior it reached Bairnsdale {only 240 k's away} 7 days ago and no info forth coming from on forwarder so I have had to hang around Tuesday till this coming Friday with no idea when the delivery will be. Unable to contact them. I find this hard to understand with the level of technology available today. Just hope it is not lost.

Brett_H

mallacoota wrote:

Still waiting for VBM junior it reached Bairnsdale {only 240 k's away} 7 days ago and no info forth coming from on forwarder so I have had to hang around Tuesday till this coming Friday with no idea when the delivery will be. Unable to contact them. I find this hard to understand with the level of technology available today. Just hope it is not lost.

Fingers crossed for you mate! I often find with lapidary parts that I can get them quicker from the States than supplies from domestic sellers. We really have a poor postage system.

Cuir_Beluga

mallacoota wrote:

Still waiting for VBM junior it reached Bairnsdale {only 240 k's away} 7 days ago and no info forth coming from on forwarder so I have had to hang around Tuesday till this coming Friday with no idea when the delivery will be. Unable to contact them. I find this hard to understand with the level of technology available today. Just hope it is not lost.

I feel your pain mallacoota, I am on the edge of my seat waiting for a non coffee related delivery to show up. Here's to a good day for deliveries ^-^.

mallacoota

Brett H wrote:

Fingers crossed for you mate! I often find with lapidary parts that I can get them quicker from the States than supplies from domestic sellers. We really have a poor postage system.

Yes I get stuff from China And England in 5 days.......I just reviewed by bank statement from coffee italia for the vario grinder it seems they have charged me currency conversion $23.00 how can they do this when they give you an advertised price. I presumed I was buying it from Australia no mention on the web site about this. Where do I stand on this as I am sure this is illegal.

Koffee_Kosmo

Re this

I just reviewed by bank statement from coffee italia for the vario grinder it seems they have charged me currency conversion $23.00 how can they do this when they give you an advertised price. I presumed I was buying it from Australia no mention on the web site about this. Where do I stand on this as I am sure this is illegal.

This is a statement from the site It's possible that you purchased from another Coffee Italia site ?

Let's state this right at the beginning! We will not assist anyone in avoiding tax and GST responsibilities. We just don't do it. After purchasing, you will be issued with a TAX Invoice showing the GST component. We are not affiliated with any other Coffeeitalia website. If you've seen a cheaper price on another coffeeitalia website, be aware your purchase will not be recogised by any Consumer Affairs Office in Australia. Nor will you be issued with a TAX Invoice. Our ABN is 57 191 397 724. Always check for an Australian Business Number before you make any purchase.

I had a look at the AU site and they are Under New Management KK

mallacoota

Koffee Kosmo wrote:

Re this This is a statement from the site It's possible that you purchased from another Coffee Italia site ? I had a look at the AU site and they are Under New Management KK

yes it says new coffeeitalia.com.au and this charge is for currency conversion not GST. I was under the impression from the web site that I was buying in Australia, so I am sure that this is not right. will look into further I am like a dog with a bone if someone is misrepresenting cost. cheers

mallacoota

I contacted my bank about this and they have told me that coffeeitalia.com.au do there banking offshore therefore any purchase with this company will attract exchange rate fee's NO where on the website does it indicate this. So I would strongly advise not to deal with people who are misrepresenting the fact that they are an Australian based business when in fact they are really drop shipping. This grinder did not come with an Australian plug only an adapter which makes me think it possibly does not comply with Australian standards...please correct me here if I am wrong

Brett_H

It's a good lesson for us all to learn! Knowing this I will certainly never buy from them as clearly you just can't be sure of what you're getting and at what price!! Your grinder will comply work just fine and its a easy change-over for a sparkle to put a new plug on it if running with an adapter upsets you. The quality of the excellent grinder is really not the point! Bitter-sweet coffee mate! Let us know how you go with this company and any reparations that may be offered for undisclosed information.

Lwowiak

You have got to love Australian Banks, the most profitable in the world. If I buy goods from overseas, there usually is a 2-4% currency exchange fee. The Vario: http://www.newcoffeeitalia.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=MAHLKONIG&cat=112 is $727.00. So...about 3% fee. There are 2 coffee italia websites in Oz. One does not sell the Vario. I believe you have some recourse. If the amount was in AUD, that is what should have been charged. If you paid by CC, take it up with the bank. If the list price was in overseas currency, then yes.. a currency exchange fee is to be expected. The banks are making a killing by charging this fee. Complain to the bank and to Consumer Affairs as this is false advertising. I am curious how the conversion would have shown up if paid by Paypal.

Lwowiak

mallacoota wrote:

This grinder did not come with an Australian plug only an adapter which makes me think it possibly does not comply with Australian standards...please correct me here if I am wrong

Why wouldn't the grinder comply with Australian Standards?? People really have to stop reading the BS written by Aussie retailers and understand how electrical products work. What are the differences between IEC and ASNZ? Can those retailers doing the scaremongering actually list actual differences, that people with an Electrical background, can review and dispute? If a product works fine in Europe and is safe to use, why would it be dangerous in Australia? ASNZ standards are based on IEC, with a few quirks. If you take a grinder with a UK plug on it and run it through an adapter, it is perfectly safe. If you chop off the plug and fit one yourself, then the ball game changes, as you have played with electrical wires and supposedly are not qualified to terminate a plug. You may stuff things up by incorrectly wiring it etc, etc. The laws are there to protect us from the 1% who should not touch electrical components anywhere. Also the tag testing is another money spinner which was instigated by unions, those lovely organisations that love to add as much cost and red tape to everything. They are slowly destroying our great nation, but hey... ignorant is bliss for the masses.

Lwowiak

Brett H wrote:

It's a good lesson for us all to learn! Knowing this I will certainly never buy from them as clearly you just can't be sure of what you're getting and at what price!!

I know many people who have bought goods from this company and received excellent service. They were charged what was listed on the website. In one case a friend bought a coffee machine listed as very cheap as it was the last one. It seemed they sold it twice in error, so offered the upgrade version (saving of $400) at no extra cost to them. Machine was received and has been excellent. The only downer was seeing a packing slip that showed the buy price in Euros. Even with freight etc, the profit margin was large. It seems CI have very good buying power.

mallacoota

Lwowiak wrote:

You have got to love Australian Banks, the most profitable in the world. If I buy goods from overseas, there usually is a 2-4% currency exchange fee. The Vario: http://www.newcoffeeitalia.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=MAHLKONIG&cat=112 is $727.00. So...about 3% fee. There are 2 coffee italia websites in Oz. One does not sell the Vario. I believe you have some recourse. If the amount was in AUD, that is what should have been charged. If you paid by CC, take it up with the bank. If the list price was in overseas currency, then yes.. a currency exchange fee is to be expected. The banks are making a killing by charging this fee. Complain to the bank and to Consumer Affairs as this is false advertising. I am curious how the conversion would have shown up if paid by Paypal.

Yes that is where I bought it and it clearly states with Australian plug ...not adapter and it is quoted in Aussie dollars. I will replace the plug as it is very bulky with the enclosed adapter I was fitting plugs to leads when I was 10 years old so no real drama I certainly would not bother with the 1 year warranty with these guys better to do it myself if it ever should need it. They will never be getting another dollar from me again. How could you trust them with all the false info on the web site. The reason I went with them was I looked at their site 2 years back and the price was nearly $200.00 cheaper then and I did not look further they told me it was a generation 3 but I can not find any info on gen 3, it is made in Switzerland. My new VBM HSX junior from Coffee parts is fine and Pedro is very helpful too.

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