For this month's Gear of the Month we're featuring the Eureka KRE. This mammoth grinder has been our primary source for espresso grinding for the last month, and we love it! But at this price we needed to be impressed. This is an expensive machine designed for demanding commercial environments, but in that environment it excels.
Overview
The Eureka KRE features large, 68mm conical burrs, stepless adjustment, bottom burr adjust, and timed dosing controlled by a bright, easy to use interface.
It's an expensive grinder, with much of the cost being driven by the large burrs and powerful, gear-reduction motor. In general, the KRE offers stable grinding and is quick despite its gear-reduced low RPMs. It is also extremely consistent, requiring limited adjustment after dialing in.
Burrs and Motor
The 68mm conical burrs are the real stars of this grinder. It's rare to see a large format conical grinder come out, and this one is already at the top of the grinding game. These burrs feed beans extremely well, and we haven't experienced any jams after thousands of shots.
These burrs also adjust at the bottom burr, below the motor. This is a great feature when it comes to cleaning the KRE. Because of the way the motor and burrs are assembled, you can open the grinder up for cleaning and maintenance without modifying the grind setting. This means you won't need to re-dial the grinder, which means less wasted coffee, and less time spent doing maintenance.
Speaking of the motor, the KRE's high powered motor really kicks when you fire it up. This is a good sign, as it indicates a high quality motor. This grinder features gear reduction to lower the RPMs as well. This means that it takes full advantage of a powerful motor, while still providing consistent grinding without clogging. What's more, even with gear reduction this is still an incredibly quick grinder.
Odds and Ends
Everything else about the KRE is just as dreamy as the motor, burrs, and adjustment. This grinder features a sturdy portafilter holder, a clicky grind trigger that feels just resistant enough, and timed dosing controlled with a bright, vibrant screen.
The dosing timer can be set for double or single shots, which allows one grind with the click of the trigger for either need. With a 2.2 lb hopper you will be able to handle a bag or so of coffee at a time as well.
The Verdict
It all ties together to make a great piece of technology that is as reliable as it is efficient. We did find that it has more retention issues than we were hoping, which is a negative, but with everything else this grinder has going on it's hardly a deal breaker. The biggest concern with this model is, of course, the price. But the grinder you choose for your café or restaurant should be one of the most important purchases you make, and the Eureka KRE justifies its price tag in numerous ways.
Check it out
here for yourself, and remember to make coffee you love!
