Mazzer presents the new Kony Sg gravimetric grinder, which provides higher precision but the same quality as the original model.
The Kony S grinder works by time, but the new Kony Sg, designed for medium-volume venues and specialty coffee shops, grinds by weight.
When it comes to grinding with a weight- based system using a high-precision load cell, the first thing users have to face, is being able to manage the vibrations of a real-life coffee shop environment.
Grinder manufacturer Mazzer has been working with this criteria for years, testing different technologies and looking for the best solution. It’s a process Mazzer started in 2015, and one it has adopted through the many tests and firmware releases of its Kony model. The result, is the latest version of the Kony Sg, Mazzer’s first commercial gravimetric grinder.
Its vibration control system ensures that all doses are weighed, eliminating time-based dosing even when used in environments with many vibrations. Mazzer Vice President Luigi Mazzer says this feature sets the Kony Sg apart from other grinders.
“We decided to bring the scale technology into a grinder much appreciated by the coffee community, the Kony S,” says Luigi.
“What people like about this model is still there, which is the overall platform, its usability and the taste profile of the burrs, with the same particle size distribution. On top of this we added to the grinder the possibility to grind by weight to streamline the workflow, and increase the precision of the dose.”
Luigi says this a great feature for specialty coffee shops and any barista willing to have more control over the final result in the cup, without having to manually weigh every single dose.
The grinder features a professional-grade built-in scale that is able to weigh each dose within a precision of a hundredth of a gram. Luigi says this provides “top-notch accuracy” and improves the final result in the cup.
“We decided to be transparent, showing on the electronic display not the target weight of the selected dose, but the actual weight of the ground coffee in the portafilter,” he says.
“For example, if the target dose was 8.20 and the actual dose is 8.29, the difference is 0.09 grams, which is way less than an actual bean in terms of accuracy.
“I think it’s good to have this feature and be honest about the result. In this way the barista can check the dose and adjust if desired. Not only are we being transparent in communicating the real weight, but precise and consistent in the dose. The Kony Sg achieves levels of dose repeatability that are challenging to replicate by other devices on the market.”
The portafilter is weighed via the scale before each dose, then quickly tared to ensure maximum accuracy.
“This is just the first of our models to feature this technology but if the market’s feedback is as good as we expect, it will be deployed to other grinders such as Major and Robur,” Luigi says.
He says the process behind the release of the Kony Sg gravimetric grinder has been long, but a journey the Mazzer team has embraced and used to continually improve the final product.
“At the Mazzer factory, during the construction of the new laboratory, we noticed there was a jack hammer being used. It was so noisy and disruptive. Rather than asking the construction workers to stop while we were testing the grinder, the research and development team took advantage of the situation and decided to test the grinder with these conditions to assess how vibrations impacted the final results, and it helped. We learned a lot from that unexpected test,” Luigi says.
The grinder features 63-millimetre conical burrs, designed and produced in the Mazzer factory near Venice. With 420 revolutions per minute (50 hertz) and a double cooling system, the grinder protects the coffee beans from heat exposure, making it suitable for medium-volume coffee shops.
Kony Sg features the Grind Flow Control (GFC) system, which features a removable aluminium outlet insert equipped with a through-flow wire damper that responds to the coffee flow.
“The GFC reduces the static charge which causes the coffee powder on tray and counter and prevents clumping. This system is easy to customise, with users able to choose between an AntiClumping or Hybrid damper depending on weather conditions, coffee origin, roast profile, work environment, or barista preference,” Luigi says.
In addition, it is easily removable, meaning the cleaning of coffee grinds is made easy.
For baristas wanting to be informed about the accuracy of their dosage and areas for adjustment, the Kony Sg includes daily grinding statistics, Internet of Things connectivity for remote data monitoring, and firmware upgrade option.
Kony Sg will be released in Australia in Q2 2024.
“The Kony Sg really is something special.” Luigi says. “I hope the coffee community will see the passion and innovation behind this model, and that Mazzer is committed to manufacturing all our products with the goal of delivering something we’re proud of, and most importantly is a beneficial tool for baristas of all abilities and experience.”
For more information, visit www.cwe.com.au
This article appears in the February 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.