Single-dose coffee grinders are becoming increasingly popular in domestic brewing, and it’s not difficult to see why, as they generally offer lower retention – meaning less coffee waste and lower noise levels. Among excellent single-dose grinder, options are the Niche Zero and DF64. However, Eureka has built a solid reputation among coffee enthusiasts.
The Eureka Single Dose Grinder promises low retention, minimal noise, and fast, easy grinding suitable for every brewing method. But is it up to the task? This review goes in-depth on the machine so you can make an informed decision as to whether it’s the best single-dose grinder for your needs.
Eureka Oro Mignon Review
Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose Espresso Grinder
Pros:
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Very low retention
- Not too noisy thanks to the silent technology
- Fast grinding speed
- Durable and consistent stainless steel flat burrs
Cons:
- The grinder tends to overheat if you grind more than 160g
- It can be a hassle to alternate between grind settings
Build Quality And Design
Eureka is a company with over 100 years of history, so you would expect a high level in the build quality of its products, and the Eureka Mignon single-dose grinder doesn’t disappoint.
This Italian-made grinder looks beautiful. The main body is box-like, offset by the circular branded wooden lid. Meanwhile, the oak base complements the finish of the lid perfectly. The grinder has a pleasing symmetry, with the central chute ready to dispense grounds into the beautiful branded stainless steel dosing cup that sits on the base.
The machine is angled at 15°, which allows gravity to ensure low grounds retention, and looks interesting and appealing. The hopper has a revolving metal tab with slits, which you shut when adding beans into the hopper and open to let the beans drop into the burrs after grinding. Meanwhile, the transparent single dose hopper itself has a (1.5oz) 45g capacity.
The adjustment knob is small and blends into the overall aesthetic, sitting on top of the main body of the grinder.
Overall, this is a classy-looking, well-built product. It pairs any high-end espresso machine well, regardless of whether you choose the black or white option. Finally, the white version also has a silver chute and trimmings, which is a particularly nice touch.
Burr And Motor Quality
Every Eureka grinder has a high-quality burr set, and this grinder is no exception. However, while one of Eureka’s most popular grinders, the Specialita, has a 55mm burr set, the Mignon single-dose grinder takes it to another level with a 65mm stainless steel flat burr set.
Not only that, but the burrs use the company’s patented Pure Diamond material, which is tough and durable and should stay sharp and consistent for an estimated 1,000kg of grounds. Meanwhile, the burr set is multi-purpose, so they should work whether you’re brewing espresso or manual brewing.
The motor quality is equally impressive. The grinder’s 1650rpm motor is AC rather than DC, which ensures a decent amount of torque between the burrs. Naturally, this increases the grind speeds. Indeed, you can expect it to grind at around 3 grams per second, depending on the size you’ve selected (the coarser the selection, the quicker the grind will be).
The downside of the motor is it generates a lot of heat when grinding, and there’s no in-built fan in the grinder. Therefore, Eureka recommends grinding no more than 160g back-to-back before switching the machine off to cool down.
The grinder has the same sound-insulated silent grinding design as other Eureka coffee grinders, too, meaning that, even though the motor is powerful, the grinder isn’t too noisy. You can expect around 70dB grinding noise.
Ease Of Use
The grinder is relatively easy to use. Let’s look at the steps.
- Weigh out your beans and attach the billows (Blow Up System) to the hopper.
- Pour your beans into the hopper.
- With the metal tab shut, turn the grinder on by pressing the on/off switch on the side and reopening the tab.
- Close the tab again once the last bean is in the grinding chamber.
- When no more coffee is coming out of the chute, press the billows a few times to clean the grinding chamber.
- Switch off the grinder.
Thanks to the 58mm dosing cup, you can easily transfer ground coffee to the portafilter of the same size, as the two fit beautifully.
Grind Size And Quality
The Eureka Mignon single-dose grinder is a stepless grinder meaning you can make incremental adjustments to dial in for beautiful espresso.
However, the grinder is built for any brewing method thanks to that precise adjustment mechanism and high-quality flat burrs.
It can be hard to optimize for every brewing method in one grinder because some methods suit conical burrs, whereas others are better suited to flat burrs. Still, this grinder does an excellent job of most, but if you prefer to brew darker, richer espresso, a conical burr set might be more appropriate. Here’s a general guide of the settings to use for each brew method.
- Turkish coffee – 1
- Espresso – 2-5
- Moka pot – 10
- AeroPress – 18
- Pour-over – 18-24
- Auto drip – 25
- French press – 28
- Cold brew – 30+
The grind adjustment wheel is on top of the grinder. Meanwhile, the mechanism is inside the casing to stop it from clogging with particles. The dial is larger than the ones on other Eureka grinders, making it more user-friendly (although it’s not as large as the Niche Zero dial).
Several rotations are required for some grind settings. For example, a setting of 30 requires three rotations. The dial offers consistent tension as you turn. Meanwhile, you shouldn’t need to go beyond five turns in total. However, because you need to count the rotations, changing the settings can be a hassle.
Grind Retention
The Eureka Mignon single-dosing grinder uses the Extremely Low Retention (ELR) system, encompassing several elements to minimize grind retention. For example, the single-dose grinding chamber is compact, with the burrs having tiny sweepers to direct the flow of grinds. They’re pushed right to the edge of the chamber to guarantee they pick up every particle.
The Blow Up feature we mentioned earlier also ensures all the grinds are pushed into the burrs. Finally, that 15 degrees angle ensures that gravity plays its part in leaving as little waste as possible. The results are impressive, 18g of espresso grinds producing 0.2g retention or less.
That nearly zero retention is essential for most domestic brewers, not only because you don’t waste as many grounds, but if there are grounds still in the burrs and chute from previous uses, the quality of your drink will ultimately suffer. The Espresso Mignon single-dose grinder is up to the task.
Cleaning And Maintenance
Cleaning the grinder is straightforward. The Blow Up Cleaning system helps clean the burr chamber in between uses.
Meanwhile, getting to the burrs for a deeper clean is relatively straightforward, too. First, turn the grinder off and unplug the cord. Next, remove the hopper and take out the screw at the back of the machine. To get to the burr chamber, remove two more screws, and three more for each burr set. Next, you can brush the burrs and remove any grounds from the grinds chamber and the chute. Finally, place it all back together in reverse order.
Value For Money
The Eureka Mignon single-dose grinder is not cheap. Indeed, it is more expensive than the Eureka Mignon Specialita, which we’ve already reviewed. The latter only has a 55mm burr set, although it is more feature-heavy. So, the Specialita has a touch screen to alter the dosage by time. It also has a larger hopper capacity that stores 12oz (340g) of beans. Also, you can use the Specialita as a single-dose grinder thanks to its low grind retention. Nevertheless, the Eureka Mignon single-dose grinder’s larger, more productive burr set is impressive, and the single-dosing design should lead to a more streamlined workflow for home brewers.
Compared to brands producing other single-dose grinders, Eureka is one of the best, offering Italian-built products and over 100 years of history. Therefore, you can rest assured that this is a high-quality coffee grinder even at the price.
Drawbacks
There are only a few minor drawbacks with the Eureka Mignon single-dose grinder. One of the most obvious is the cost. However, Eureka has such a solid reputation, and the grinder is such a well-built and designed product that there’s a strong argument that it’s well worth the money.
Another issue is the trickier workflow of the grind setting dial. You need to make several rotations to get different sizes, although this needn’t be a big deal with practice.
Finally, there is the problem of overheating if you prepare many back-to-back grinds. Indeed, the machine will likely shut off automatically if you grind enough doses one after the other without letting it cool down. However, that would take many doses, and the chances are you would only rarely – if ever – need to do this. If the machine needs to cool down, leave it for 10 minutes and go back to normal.
Our Verdict
Considering the brand that produces the grinder, the Eureka Mignon single-dose grinder comes with high expectations, and it doesn’t disappoint.
It offers very low retention, it’s quiet, it’s quick, and its burr grinders should work consistently for a long time. The machine is well-built and incredibly easy-on-the-eye, too, which will almost certainly make it a talking point on any kitchen countertop. Finally, it works well for almost every brewing method, whether for the finest espresso, Turkish coffee, or a coarse cold brew.
Overall, this is a great all-rounder that not only looks the part, but comfortably delivers the goods.
