Georg Lauridsen from Mahlkönig Nordic – fresh back from the Nordic Roasters retreat in Oslo – stopped by the coffee shop yesterday and was kind enough to demonstrate the new Mahlkönig Vario (home) grinder.

It’s a very neat piece of equipment that will fit nicely into most kitchens. Adjustments are very easy with the broader range from Coarse (French Press) til Fine (espresso) on one side and within those step a finer adjustment range on the other side. Grind quality was much better than we had dared to hope for. When visually comparing the coarse grounds to that of our large Mahlkönig “R2D2”-grinder it looked very similar. And on the finer settings we were able to completely clog up our La Marzocco. After just three shots we had dialed it in at 25 seconds and had a great shot.

Georg is still a little hesitant to promise when it can be in the shops, but rumors has it that by end October it might be on the shelves. It’s definitely going to cost more than most home grinders out there, but on the other hand, how many of those can actually grind for espresso? And with the ceramic burr set the Vario sports it should last for a lot of French Presses.

We tried our best to persuade Georg to leave the grinder with us, but since it’s one of two prototypes he had to take it with him. We’ll see it soon again I hope.