The Eureka Mignon Specialita is one of the most successful espresso grinders to emerge in the last couple of years.
The Specialita is a dedicated espresso grinder with 55 mm flat burrs and a time-based dosing function.
This model might not be as well known as the Baratza Sette or even the Niche Zero. But if you talk to hardcore espresso geeks who follow the scene closely, then they will tell you that this is one of the best options when it comes to espresso mills for the home user.
Until recently, the market for domestic espresso grinders has been a bit disappointing.
You only had some really big and expensive options that would take up a bunch of space in the kitchen and have crazy amounts of retention.
In the lower, cheaper range, you’d have some conical burr models that weren’t engineered for espresso.
The Specialita is one of those newer kids on the block that comes in to bridge that gap in the middle.
It’s small enough that you can easily have it on the counter. It has low retention and is super quiet. And the dosing is straightforward while still being flexible. So it kind of checks a lot of boxes.
Design
In my opinion, this is one of the most gorgeous models out there. It looks like an espresso grinder, but it has something more modern about it, with that square-shaped hopper.
The color of my unit is a beautiful matte black. However, you can get it in several different colorways. I was tempted by the white version as well.
As I mentioned, the size is relatively compact. I think Mignon means mini in Italian, and maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it’s definitely small.
It’s not flimsy, though. The weight is pretty substantial, and when you hold it, you get the feeling that it’s quality all the way through.
Sound
This grinder excels when it comes to sound – or should I say lack of sound.
Eureka has done a fantastic job here.
I remember back in the days when I found out how much my grinder annoyed my roommate in the morning; it was kind of embarrassing. I think I had some cheap Cuisinart grinder, and it sounded like a jackhammer.
With this one, I don’t think you’ll get any enemies if you use it in the early morning when people are still asleep.
Read More: Eureka Filtro Grinder Review
If you don’t count manual grinders, I’m pretty confident in saying that this is one of the quietest grinders you will find. Of course, Eureka also has their slightly smaller model called Silenzio, which is supposed to be even quieter, but that would be the only other option I could think of.
All people are different regarding noise, but I can’t stand sudden loud sounds, so this is a plus.
Single dosing with the Eureka Mignon?
One of the hottest topics in espresso recently has been single dosing and “zero” retention grinders.
Historically, almost all of the espresso had huge hoppers. However, adding a bunch of beans to the hopper is kind of dated here in 2020.
If you have a whole bag of beans stuck in the hopper, they will get exposed to air and light. So they are going to go stale a lot faster.
At home, you’re probably only pulling 1 or 2 shots in the morning, so it’s not the same thing as in a coffee shop where you go through a lot of coffee in a single day.
Of course, there can be situations where you have some visitors, and you want to be able to pull a lot of shots back to back, but that’s probably not the common scenario for most people.
Single dosing also gives you more flexibility if you like to experiment with many different kinds of beans at the same time.
The full hopper paradigm
So one could say that the idea of a full hopper kind of comes from a different coffee paradigm; a paradigm where you used espresso blends rather than single-origin and freshness was less important.
Most people brewing specialty coffee at home are already single dosing for pour-over, so I think it’s not peculiar that they also want to do the same when it comes to espresso.
Most traditional espresso grinders got their inspiration from professional gear, but you can argue that a full hopper is a different kind of matter in a coffee shop where you need to be able to work fast and where you go through the coffee fast.
So I would argue that single dosing isn’t just a fad. It does make some sense.
What I like about the Specialita is that you can both single-dose and use a hopper-based approach to espresso brewing, depending on what you prefer.
When you fill the hopper and use the time-based dosing, you get a precise amount of coffee every time. It’s super convenient and works great in daily life.
However, you can also single dose if you have that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Grind retention
Another thing people often discuss in relation to single dosing is grind retention.
Most old-school espresso grinders retain quite a bit of coffee every time you grind. To mitigate that issue, it’s common to purge a few grams every time you touch the settings or some time has passed.
The Specialita has a relatively low retention/exchange, so you don’t necessarily have to purge. In my test, exchange has been around 1 gram.
It’s relatively easy to get down to almost zero retention by modding the grinder.
In the online coffee communities, there have been many interesting single-doser mods around the Mignon.
Some people have made a single dosing funnel by cutting a bit of plastic pipe, and there are also 3D printing designs.
You can find the files here and try for yourself.
Many people into single dosing also purchase a special blower/bellows to get rid of the last bits of retention.
Grind Quality
Last but not least, we also have to talk about grind quality.
The grounds are very nice and fluffy. Clumping is pretty much minimal.
Since this is a flat burr grinder, you get some additional clarity in the cup. Compared to conical grinders like the Jx Pro, I definitely feel like there are some additional nuances in the cup.
There’s a broader spectrum of flavors compared to the conical burrs, especially when it comes to aftertaste and the more fruity notes.
I have seen people pair the Specialita with high-end machines like La Marzoccos, so there’s no doubt it can punch above its weight.
I think when it comes to top-notch domestic espresso grinders (that are still affordable), at the moment, it’s mainly a discussion between the Sette, the Niche Zero, and the Specialita.
The Niche Zero can also be used for filter coffee with decent results, but I don’t recommend the Specialita for that.
First of all, it has this step-less adjustment, so it’s just a bit more difficult to find back to your old grind settings – even though it is doable – however, the grind quality isn’t that outstanding.
I brewed a few V60s with it and quickly decided that I was only going to use it for espresso.
I think the ideal home coffee setup is a hand grinder for brewed coffee and an electric grinder for espresso. That way, you don’t have to fiddle around with adjustments all the time, and you get the best from both worlds.
I don’t think it’s a lot of work to grind manually for pour over, but it’s a lot more work for espresso because it’s harder to turn the crank at these super fine settings.
So if you grind for 1 minute and then have to discard your shot because you changed beans or dose, that’s something I get tired of pretty quickly.
DOWNSIDES
So what are some things I wish were better?
Well, there are a few things that are not perfect. The adjustment wheel here is pretty handy, but sometimes I wish that it was bigger and had some more numbers to make it easier to remember different settings for different beans and espresso machines.
Also, sometimes I feel like I’m a little bit too close to the zero point where the burrs are touching. It mostly happens when I’m grinding Scandinavian espresso beans for the Robot – this requires an ultra-fine grind – then I’m pretty close to burr rub.
In the 5 months, I have had the grinder, it hasn’t been a problem, but it’s just something I have had in the back of my mind.
In general, I like the look of the hopper, but it would be nice if it was less conducive to popcorning when single dosing. Then you wouldn’t have to do this little hack with the hopper stopper.
CONCLUSION: Eureka Mignon Specialita Review
I think the Eureka Mignon Specialita is probably the ideal espresso grinder for most people.
I’m saying most people because there will be some who want a dedicated single-dose grinder, and for them, it probably doesn’t make sense to pay extra for the weight-based timing function.
But for people who are not firmly in one camp or the other, this one just ticks all the boxes.
The Specialita was released in 2018, and so far, I haven’t heard anybody complain about long term issues.
It’s worth pointing out that Eureka is a really old company — this year marks their 100 years anniversary, and that’s also reassuring. A company doesn’t get that old if it doesn’t make good products.
The Specialita is currently available here:
➡️ Amazon
