At the time, the cheapest budget grinders on the market were the De'Longhi KG79 & Krups Expert, and I mainly swerved them because it appeared to me at the time that they weren't as user-friendly as the Sage grinders, and that the grind performance wasn't the best. I was using the double shot basket, so it was obvious to me that I needed to press the 2 shots button. By the way, the reason the text “shots/cups” appears under this button, if you're grinding for espresso the digital screen will display “shots” allowing you to toggle between 1 and 2 cups, for the single or double shot baskets, and if you're grinding for manual brew methods this will change on the screen to “cups”. Have I mentioned how smart this grinder is!? 😉

This is something else that I think is fairly important, most of us are grinding coffee early in the morning, so a grinder that sounds like a Boeing 747 probably isn't the best idea. I know this grinder inside out, I very much doubt there could be any question about this grinder that I haven't answered many times, so hopefully, I'll cover all of your questions, and more, in this review, but if I haven't done, please use the “comment” feature at the bottom of the post to ask, I always respond to comments. Sage Smart Grinder Pro Nutshell ReviewWith 60 unique settings, this programmable conical burr coffee bean grinder maximizes the potential of any brew. Choose between 'cups' for French Press or Filter and 'shots' for Espresso to get the right dose for the coffee you're brewing. Grind coffee beans directly into a portafilter or an air-tight container. When you hear people talking about “performance” where grinding is concerned, what we're mainly going on about is the consistency of the grind or the size of the range of particles at one grind size. This is actually quite complex, and it's a hotly debated subject, but most experts agree that the most important element of coffee grinding is the consistency of particle sizes. Grinding Mechanism: Stainless Steel conical burr grinder efficiently designed to minimise grinding heat and protect the essential oils in the coffee bean. Some grinders are specialists, there are some grinders that are made specifically for manual brew methods, and many that are made specifically for espresso, but this is an all-rounder. For me, the Smart Grinder Pro is the best all-rounder grinder for the money, overall, especially if you also want to be able to grind for espresso, with standard baskets.

With up to 60 intuitive grind size settings, Sage’s programmable burr coffee grinders maximise the potential of any brew. Choose between 'cups' for French Press or filter and 'shots' for Espresso to get the right dose for the coffee you're brewing. Grind the coffee beans directly into a portafilter or an air-tight container. I didn't see anyone complaining of this for the smart grinder pro, and I can confirm that in my case at least, there's absolutely no issue with statically charged coffee grounds. Mess 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. 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.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.

The best grind size if you are extracting your coffee as an espresso for both the dose control and a smart grind is somewhere between 8-13. 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. Don't make the mistake I did, initially, by the way, by thinking that you need to just choose whatever dose the machine wants to give you. You'll see a default grind time come up on the display, you can simply adjust this with the grind amount knob, to get your desired dose.That being said, I am a drummer, and for many years I didn't wear earplugs when I really should have, and I'm a loud drummer, the guitarists in the bands I've been in have been just as loud, so my hearing isn't the greatest.