#1zpresso — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #1zpresso, aggregated by home.social.
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Today I brewed this special coffee with the Tsubame #Kalita Wave 155 (flat bottom dripper) + #1Zpresso
ZP6 Special hand grinder (4.8 clicks):* Roaster: Manhattan Coffee Roasters (NL)
* Name: Sweet Valley
* Producer: Cafe Granja La Esperanza (CGLE)
* Farm: Potosi...View full note: https://burgeonlab.com/notes/2026/0720-0452
This is post 68 of #100DaysToOffload
https://burgeonlab.com/tags/100daystooffload/#coffee #specialtycoffee #coffeebean #coffeemastodon #coffeeStodon #homebarista #filtercoffee #pourover #coffeesnob
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Today I brewed this special coffee with the Tsubame #Kalita Wave 155 (flat bottom dripper) + #1Zpresso
ZP6 Special hand grinder (4.8 clicks):* Roaster: Manhattan Coffee Roasters (NL)
* Name: Sweet Valley
* Producer: Cafe Granja La Esperanza (CGLE)
* Farm: Potosi...View full note: https://burgeonlab.com/notes/2026/0720-0452
This is post 68 of #100DaysToOffload
https://burgeonlab.com/tags/100daystooffload/#coffee #specialtycoffee #coffeebean #coffeemastodon #coffeeStodon #homebarista #filtercoffee #pourover #coffeesnob
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Today I brewed this special coffee with the Tsubame #Kalita Wave 155 (flat bottom dripper) + #1Zpresso
ZP6 Special hand grinder (4.8 clicks):* Roaster: Manhattan Coffee Roasters (NL)
* Name: Sweet Valley
* Producer: Cafe Granja La Esperanza (CGLE)
* Farm: Potosi...View full note: https://burgeonlab.com/notes/2026/0720-0452
This is post 68 of #100DaysToOffload
https://burgeonlab.com/tags/100daystooffload/#coffee #specialtycoffee #coffeebean #coffeemastodon #coffeeStodon #homebarista #filtercoffee #pourover #coffeesnob
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Today I brewed this special coffee with the Tsubame #Kalita Wave 155 (flat bottom dripper) + #1Zpresso
ZP6 Special hand grinder (4.8 clicks):* Roaster: Manhattan Coffee Roasters (NL)
* Name: Sweet Valley
* Producer: Cafe Granja La Esperanza (CGLE)
* Farm: Potosi...View full note: https://burgeonlab.com/notes/2026/0720-0452
This is post 68 of #100DaysToOffload
https://burgeonlab.com/tags/100daystooffload/#coffee #specialtycoffee #coffeebean #coffeemastodon #coffeeStodon #homebarista #filtercoffee #pourover #coffeesnob
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Today I brewed this special coffee with the Tsubame #Kalita Wave 155 (flat bottom dripper) + #1Zpresso
ZP6 Special hand grinder (4.8 clicks):* Roaster: Manhattan Coffee Roasters (NL)
* Name: Sweet Valley
* Producer: Cafe Granja La Esperanza (CGLE)
* Farm: Potosi...View full note: https://burgeonlab.com/notes/2026/0720-0452
This is post 68 of #100DaysToOffload
https://burgeonlab.com/tags/100daystooffload/#coffee #specialtycoffee #coffeebean #coffeemastodon #coffeeStodon #homebarista #filtercoffee #pourover #coffeesnob
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Ich habe gestern etwas zu einem neuen Kaffee und der #1Zpresso #ZP6 geschrieben:
https://kafija.org/p/2026/03/colombia-penas-blancas/
Ich fange an zu verstehen, was mit "Separierung der Geschmäcker" gemeint ist, gerade im Vergleich mit der C40. Ich freue mich sehr auf den Coldbrew im Sommer, für die #Mizudashi und schön fruchtige, gewaschene Bohnen wird diese Mühle sehr, sehr gut sein
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Ich habe gestern etwas zu einem neuen Kaffee und der #1Zpresso #ZP6 geschrieben:
https://kafija.org/p/2026/03/colombia-penas-blancas/
Ich fange an zu verstehen, was mit "Separierung der Geschmäcker" gemeint ist, gerade im Vergleich mit der C40. Ich freue mich sehr auf den Coldbrew im Sommer, für die #Mizudashi und schön fruchtige, gewaschene Bohnen wird diese Mühle sehr, sehr gut sein
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Ich habe gestern etwas zu einem neuen Kaffee und der #1Zpresso #ZP6 geschrieben:
https://kafija.org/p/2026/03/colombia-penas-blancas/
Ich fange an zu verstehen, was mit "Separierung der Geschmäcker" gemeint ist, gerade im Vergleich mit der C40. Ich freue mich sehr auf den Coldbrew im Sommer, für die #Mizudashi und schön fruchtige, gewaschene Bohnen wird diese Mühle sehr, sehr gut sein
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Ich habe gestern etwas zu einem neuen Kaffee und der #1Zpresso #ZP6 geschrieben:
https://kafija.org/p/2026/03/colombia-penas-blancas/
Ich fange an zu verstehen, was mit "Separierung der Geschmäcker" gemeint ist, gerade im Vergleich mit der C40. Ich freue mich sehr auf den Coldbrew im Sommer, für die #Mizudashi und schön fruchtige, gewaschene Bohnen wird diese Mühle sehr, sehr gut sein
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Ich habe gestern etwas zu einem neuen Kaffee und der #1Zpresso #ZP6 geschrieben:
https://kafija.org/p/2026/03/colombia-penas-blancas/
Ich fange an zu verstehen, was mit "Separierung der Geschmäcker" gemeint ist, gerade im Vergleich mit der C40. Ich freue mich sehr auf den Coldbrew im Sommer, für die #Mizudashi und schön fruchtige, gewaschene Bohnen wird diese Mühle sehr, sehr gut sein
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Time to learn!
Ein Paket aus Finnland kam an und damit zieht hier eine neue Mühle ein: eine 1zpresso ZP6 und ich freue mich extrem diese in meine Routine einbinden zu können.
Das Mahlgut schaut schon sehr gut aus!
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Time to learn!
Ein Paket aus Finnland kam an und damit zieht hier eine neue Mühle ein: eine 1zpresso ZP6 und ich freue mich extrem diese in meine Routine einbinden zu können.
Das Mahlgut schaut schon sehr gut aus!
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Time to learn!
Ein Paket aus Finnland kam an und damit zieht hier eine neue Mühle ein: eine 1zpresso ZP6 und ich freue mich extrem diese in meine Routine einbinden zu können.
Das Mahlgut schaut schon sehr gut aus!
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Time to learn!
Ein Paket aus Finnland kam an und damit zieht hier eine neue Mühle ein: eine 1zpresso ZP6 und ich freue mich extrem diese in meine Routine einbinden zu können.
Das Mahlgut schaut schon sehr gut aus!
-
Time to learn!
Ein Paket aus Finnland kam an und damit zieht hier eine neue Mühle ein: eine 1zpresso ZP6 und ich freue mich extrem diese in meine Routine einbinden zu können.
Das Mahlgut schaut schon sehr gut aus!
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I might have given in to temptation on the sale, giving me 60€ off the price for the #1zpresso K Ultra.
It arrived today (pick-up point during our vacation 😅) and I already tried it out with a light roasted Rwanda Microlot #coffee out of my Aeropress.
Haven't seasoned the burrs, yet..still very yummy!Also it's a beast of a handgrinder.
Had my little KinGrinder P2 with me on the trip and it's... Small ^^'. -
I might have given in to temptation on the sale, giving me 60€ off the price for the #1zpresso K Ultra.
It arrived today (pick-up point during our vacation 😅) and I already tried it out with a light roasted Rwanda Microlot coffee out of my Aeropress.
Haven't seasoned the burrs, yet..still very yummy!
Also it's a beast of a handgrinder.
Had my little KinGrinder P2 with me on the trip and it's... Small ^^'. -
I might have given in to temptation on the sale, giving me 60€ off the price for the #1zpresso K Ultra.
It arrived today (pick-up point during our vacation 😅) and I already tried it out with a light roasted Rwanda Microlot coffee out of my Aeropress.
Haven't seasoned the burrs, yet..still very yummy!
Also it's a beast of a handgrinder.
Had my little KinGrinder P2 with me on the trip and it's... Small ^^'. -
I might have given in to temptation on the sale, giving me 60€ off the price for the #1zpresso K Ultra.
It arrived today (pick-up point during our vacation 😅) and I already tried it out with a light roasted Rwanda Microlot coffee out of my Aeropress.
Haven't seasoned the burrs, yet..still very yummy!
Also it's a beast of a handgrinder.
Had my little KinGrinder P2 with me on the trip and it's... Small ^^'. -
I might have given in to temptation on the sale, giving me 60€ off the price for the #1zpresso K Ultra.
It arrived today (pick-up point during our vacation 😅) and I already tried it out with a light roasted Rwanda Microlot coffee out of my Aeropress.
Haven't seasoned the burrs, yet..still very yummy!
Also it's a beast of a handgrinder.
Had my little KinGrinder P2 with me on the trip and it's... Small ^^'. -
I might have given in to temptation on the sale, giving me 60€ off the price for the #1zpresso K Ultra.
It arrived today (pick-up point during our vacation 😅) and I already tried it out with a light roasted Rwanda Microlot coffee out of my Aeropress.
Haven't seasoned the burrs, yet..still very yummy!
Also it's a beast of a handgrinder.
Had my little KinGrinder P2 with me on the trip and it's... Small ^^'. -
Want a new manual coffee grinder
Currently using an "antique" I picked up for cheap at a flea market that does its job. Does it? At least it grinds. Started looking for a new one. Since I enjoy grinding I'm looking into the (lower) premium segment. Want one that will last me decades as well.
Currently looking heavily at 1Zpresso K-ultra that sits at the upper end of my budget. But am far from locked into it. Other suggestions? Alternatives?
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1Zpresso X-Ultra Manual Grinder
Article The Handle Spindle Free Inside the Case Scan Code for Manual 1Zpresso Case On the Testing Bench Silicone Grip X-Ultra vs J-Ultra Grippy Bottom X-Ultra Grinder from 1Zpresso Optional Grip Upper Chamber Ultra Boxes-1 Grinder Taken Apart Spindle Locked In Open Case Pull Ties Box Opened The Case and Grinder Burr Details Grinder Taken Apart Drill Friendly The Ultras Magnet Catch Cup The Bottom Burr The Burr and Spindle Assembly Specialized Nut Air Squeezer Ultra Series Boxes Cap for Grinder Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier Not an Affiliate Link Buy from Amazon (US) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! Buy from Cafune (CA) A CoffeeGeek Supporter! coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
advertise with us and reach a global audience. advertisers make this website possible. a coffeegeek advertiser and supporter.
want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.Out of the Box
The X‑Ultra I received in Pacific Blue arrived in a simple cardboard box, which itself contained a hard‑shelled zippered case. That case is not only protection in transit but also designed for daily use as your grinder’s permanent home. Inside, everything is neatly fitted: the grinder body, the folding handle, a removable silicone grip, a cleaning brush, and a small rubber air blower. No tools, since the grinder is designed with tool‑free disassembly in mind.
I am sad to report there’s two pieces of polystyrene foam inside the case to keep the X-ultra secure; 1Zpresso could have easily used cardboard forms here to do the same job, but in a much more eco-friendly way. I hope the company moves away from these nearly impossible to recycle packaging materials.
All the Ultra grinders from 1Zpresso come in the same outer box design. They do mark the specific model on the side. Opening the box reveals the X-Ultra Case The case that comes with all Ultra grinders. A nice detail, the pull ties are branded for 1Zpresso Sad to see they're using polystyrene here inside the case, when cardboard forms would have worked perfectly. Inside is the grinder, handle, blower, dual sided brush (fine and coarse), silicone grip, and a scan card. No manual included, instead, a scan code card. Here's the QR code for the manual download.The grinder body itself makes an impressive first impression. Weighing about 590 g, it is heavier than some of the other travel grinders we’ve reviewed, but still light enough to toss in a bag with confidence. At 17.5cm tall and 5.5cm in diameter (6.7” x 2”), the X‑Ultra fits easily into most hands, though people with larger mitts will want to pay attention to how they grip it during more forceful grinding.
With the folding handle collapsed against the body, the width stays under 12cm, keeping it slim enough for its case or even the side pocket of a backpack. The sandblasted matte finish has both aesthetic and practical value: it looks sleek while giving your hand extra grip. For tougher beans or fine espresso settings, the removable silicone sleeve provides even more traction.
The handle, borne out of a legal fight with Comandante, folds and bends. The mounting cap and handle for the X-Ultra The silicone grip provides extra grip security if you're grinding a lot for espresso or with ultra light roasts. The grip is optional, because the slightly sandblasted body gives enough grip for most grinding applications.The finish on the Pacific Blue model is especially striking. When new, it has a vibrant brightness, though I have noticed it darkens slightly with use and handling, adding a kind of lived‑in patina which I think is pretty cool. For those who want different looks, 1Zpresso also offers the X‑Ultra in Midnight Black and Space Grey.
The bottom of the grinder features a silicone anti-slip disk, which is welcome because it helps keep the grinder more stable on countertops when not in use. It also keeps the catch cup more secure on the counter, and prevents any damage to wood tabletops. Still, the grinder is top-heavy with the handle installed, so it can be easily knocked over (a common problem with manual grinders).
Grippy silicone base with the 1Z logo, keeps itself secure on the counter. The magnets in the catch cup. They do a good job, but not as grippy as models like the Blade R3 with 2x the magnets. The robust spindle in the X-Ultra, plus it's mounting system means 1Zpresso officially endorses using a drill with this grinder for speed grinding. The upper chamber containing the burr, spindle, bearings, dual mount and adjustment system is very solid and dense in feel.At the heart of the grinder is its 40 mm stainless steel heptagonal burr set, which has a distinct seven‑sided cutting profile. The machining and engineering design is crisp, with sharp edges that make quick work of dense beans. This burr geometry is designed to limit fines and highlight clarity in the cup. Mounted on a thick central driveshaft (which is powered drill compatible!), the burrs are kept centred by a dual‑bearing system. Unlike earlier grinders where burr alignment was more of a hope than a guarantee, here the stability is evident right out of the box.
The external grind adjustment dial is one of the defining features of the X‑Ultra. It comes factory‑set at zero, with numerals and hash marks clearly embossed. Each full rotation provides 60 clicks, with every click moving the burrs by 12.5 microns. That puts it in the sweet spot for both espresso and filter brewing: fine enough for meaningful espresso adjustments, coarse enough that pour over settings don’t require endless clicks. Under good light, the embossed markings are easy to see, but in dim conditions you may find yourself tilting the grinder to catch the right angle. One thing I wish it had is an indicator for tracking full rotations, as found on grinders like the J-Ultra, or Blade R3 from MHW‑3Bomber.
A change from previous X-Ultra designs, the burr no longer has a bottom external plate attached. It is directly mounted on the spindle, for added stability. The gear select system and mounts for the grinding shaft are very robust, beefy and secure. The burr is sort-of permanently attached directly to the spindle. Note the mid plate, spring, and top hex nut design. I'm always fascinated at these macro shots of modern burrs. So much engineering going on. Note the collar has 3 anchor pins to slot into the top nut for the grind adjustment. The case and stuff the grinder comes with. Note the dual sided brushCapacity is another plus-point. The hopper can hold up to 31g depending on bean density. For my part, I rarely go above 25 g in this grinder, which is plenty for most pour over brews, but the extra headroom means you can push to a larger 450 ml brew if needed.
Cleaning the X‑Ultra is surprisingly straightforward and requires no tools. You simply rotate the dial a couple turns, push up on the burr from below, turn a very specialized locking nut up top about 5 degrees, and the drive shaft and lower burr just slide out. Reverse the process to reassemble. It’s deep clean–friendly without resorting to wrenches or dicey prying.
This very specialized nut is what holds the spindle anchored in place and allows for tool free disassembly. Here, the spindle is free to drop down through the body, removing the burr and spindle assembly. Here, the spindle is locked into place with the specialized nut, after turning it about 5 degrees. Here's the various parts of the X-Ultra, taken apart. Another view of the parts, lying on their side. The little air squeezer thingie the grinder comes with. It's surprisingly strong airflow, for like .5 seconds.Re‑calibrating the dial after a deep clean is easy too. Pop off the numbered ring, realign it to zero, and you are back in business. The included brush and blower handle routine cleaning duties well. Just remember the big rule: no water. A sticker inside the grinder itself reminds you that moisture can spell trouble for the burrs and bearings, which is why the Ross Droplet Technique (RDT, lightly misting beans to reduce static) is officially discouraged.
Taken together, this grinder looks the complete package. Smart engineering, sleek, tight as a drum snare, and it even comes with its own travel case. It’s a grinder designed to be used daily, used hard, and looking good doing so.
The X-Ultra, the evolutionary descendant of the Porlex Mini. Better in every single way Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f Search coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.Using the
Getting the X‑Ultra ready for use starts with the folding handle, and here is where my experience is a little mixed. The mechanism is clever and unique, but it occasionally takes a couple of tries to lock it into place. Once it’s engaged, the ergonomics are fantastic. The bend of the crank arm feels natural, and the handle itself fits snug in the hand, keeping longer grinding sessions from feeling like a McJob. These minor hiccups don’t ruin the workflow, but they do add a moment’s pause before getting down to the actual grinding.
With beans in the hopper – I usually dose around 20 g, though it will handle up to 30 comfortably – the grinder feels nicely balanced. The size and weight balance a sweet spot between sturdy and portable, and I’ve found it easy to keep steady even at finer grind settings.
The external adjustment dial is a real highlight during daily use. Each click equals 12.5µm, which is fine enough for espresso while remaining broad enough that pour over adjustments don’t feel endless. Just the fact it is so easy to make nice tight adjustments (without having to take the grinder apart) is a pleasure. After a few brews, memorizing your click counts for different methods becomes second nature. The dial markings are easy to track in bright light, though in dim kitchens or early mornings I sometimes tilt the grinder to catch them properly.
Grinding itself is smooth and consistent. Thanks to the dual‑bearing system keeping the burrs aligned, there’s no wobble or unwanted resistance beyond what you’d expect at espresso settings. An 18 g espresso dose typically takes me around 45 seconds. For pour over, grinding feels quicker and easier, with a steady resistance that reassures you the burrs are grabbing onto the flow of beans, and doing their job well.
The X-Ultra, on the testing bench. We've put well over 30 pounds of coffee through this grinder for this First Look.The magnetic catch cup keeps the workflow tidy and transferring grounds simple, though I’ve knocked it off a couple of times (only a couple, and I’ve put about 30lbs of coffee through this grinder) when gripping too low on the grinder. Holding slightly higher solves that issue.
Cleaning fits well into a daily routine: a few quick brushes and a puff of the included blower keep the internals clear. Those tool-free deeper cleans aren’t pain points either, with the job itself, and calibration back to zero taking only a few moments.
In practice, the X‑Ultra feels like a grinder built for real daily use by the solo coffee drinker. Even with the minor quirks – the stubborn handle, or the catch cup that you need to be aware of when gripping the grinder – the overall workflow is smooth, intuitive, and satisfying across brewing methods.
In our Full Review, we’ll dive even deeper into specific brewing methods and how this grinder delivers.
How the X-Ultra (on left) stacks up against the K-Ultra (middle) and J-Ultra (right). Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f Search coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.The X‑Ultra competes directly with several manual grinders aimed at serious coffee nerds. Each of these grinders brings its own strengths and foibles, which makes the landscape interesting if you’re deciding where to put your money.
1Zpresso J‑Ultra
The J‑Ultra is the sibling that goes all in on espresso and let me tell you, we love it for that; make sure to check out our article on it. With its titanium‑coated 48 mm burr set and ultra‑fine 8‑micron increments, it’s designed for those who pull shot after shot and want minute control over flow rates. If you’re the type to agonise over the difference between a 25‑second and 27‑second extraction, the J‑Ultra is your machine. The downside is its kinda normal performance with filter brewing. Where the X‑Ultra produces clear and sweet pour‑overs, the J‑Ultra can come across as a tad muddier and less refined. At $200USD, you’re paying for that espresso precision. For anyone who brews across methods, the X‑Ultra gives you more flexibility at a lower price.
The two grinders, side by side.Comandante C40 Nitro Blade
The C40 is the grinder that many see as the benchmark. It has earned its reputation for great build quality, a robust nitro‑hardened steel burr set, and a track record among competition baristas. It does, however, come with a few trade‑offs. Priced around $300, it’s nearly double the X‑Ultra. It also lacks an external calibration dial, so while grind quality is outstanding, repeatability relies more on careful counting and memory. Grinding speed is slower too, especially at espresso fineness. For those who want a beautifully crafted object with some heritage, the C40 is compelling. But if you value a fast, intuitive workflow and a smaller price tag, the X‑Ultra delivers much of the same grind quality with fewer headaches.
MHW‑3Bomber Blade R3
The Blade R3 is a more recent competitor and feels cut from the same cloth as the X‑Ultra. It shares a similar emphasis on portability and premium build, with one standout feature: a grind dial that tracks full 360‑degree rotations. That detail is a godsend if you want precise reference points without second‑guessing. Where it falls a bit short is the burrset: don’t get me wrong, the R3 has a fantastic burr design for its price point. But it does produce more fines, especially in the mid range. 3Bomber just doesn’t have the history of burr design that 1Zpresso has already accumulated. And I haven’t even mentioned how much more static that grinder produces. At about $50 more, I still give the big nod to the X-Ultra here, but the Blade R3 is a king of a choice if budget is your primary focus.
The Blade R3 sure has a lot of parts and bits!Kingrinder K6
The Kingrinder K6 is the budget challenger that punches above its weight class. It uses a 48 mm heptagonal burr, larger than the X‑Ultra’s 40 mm set, and it offers external adjustment at roughly 16 µm per click. Capacity is higher, handling up to 35g of coffee in the hopper. The real draw here is price: around $100-110USD, saving $60 off the X-Ultra’s price. For many, the K6 is a revelation, providing grind consistency suitable for both espresso and filter without breaking the bank. It does lack the premium touches of the X‑Ultra: no magnetic catch cup, no folding handle, and a plainer overall design. Build quality is good but not at the same level of refinement. Still, if budget is a concern, it’s a serious contender.
Competition Roundup
In this group, the X‑Ultra doesn’t dominate in every single category, but it offers the most balanced package. The J‑Ultra wins for espresso micromanagement but stumbles in pour‑over. The Comandante C40 shines with heritage and burr quality but costs much more and slows you down. The Blade R3 appeals to detail‑oriented calibration junkies yet feels less polished overall. The K6 makes a strong case for affordability, but you give up some convenience and finesse.
What the X‑Ultra does so well is combine thoughtful features, a precise external dial, premium build quality, and a versatile burr set, all while staying within a price point that makes sense for serious enthusiasts. For many coffee drinkers, that balance is the sweet spot.
A feature I wish they could have figured out how to incorporate into the X-Ultra - a rotations indicator (this, on the J-Ultra). But the way the X-Ultra's adjustment dial is engineered makes this specific solution impossible. coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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advertise with us and reach a global audience. advertisers make this website possible.If you enjoy and learn from this resource, please consider making a one time or recurring donation to help support our work and fund purchases for future reviews.
Donate donate via Paypal a coffeegeek advertiser and supporter.
want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.Conclusion
The 1Zpresso X‑Ultra earns its spot as one of the most versatile manual grinders you can buy today. It is compact yet solidly built, with 40 mm burrs, a precise external dial, and practical touches like a magnetic catch cup and foldable handle. At around USD 159 or CAD 240, it costs significantly less than many competitors while still delivering excellent grind performance.
For espresso, it is not quite as specialised as the J‑Ultra, and for filter coffee, it may not deliver the body of the K‑Ultra. Yet for 95 percent of coffee drinkers, the differences will be indistinguishable. The X‑Ultra’s sweet spot is being a single grinder that can handle almost any brewing style well.
The quirks are worth noting: the foldable handle can be fiddly, the catch cup may slip if you are not careful, and the dial is hard to read in poor light. But these are manageable with practice. The included brush, blower, and case add value, and the all‑metal build gives confidence that it will last for years.
If you want one manual grinder for daily use across espresso and filter methods, the X‑Ultra is well worth considering. We will have a full review in a few months, where we will dive deeper into grind quality testing, sieving, and direct comparisons with the J‑Ultra and K‑Ultra.
Do you already own an X‑Ultra, or are you thinking of buying one? Leave a comment below. We would love to hear your experience or what you are most curious about.
The X-Ultra, the evolutionary descendant of the Porlex Mini. Better in every single way Where to Buy the Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier (US) Not an affiliate link Buy from Amazon (US) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! Buy from Cafune (CA) A CoffeeGeek SupporterWe use affiliate links to a) Amazon, and b) manufacturers only. Any links to vendors (including CoffeeGeek Sponsors) are not income generating links unless otherwise specified. Further details about our commission and affiliate link policies can be found on our Terms and Conditions Page. The use of any affiliate links have no effect on our editorial policy or review objectivity.
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advertise with us and reach a global audience. advertisers make this website possible. COFFEEGEEKNEWSLETTER Join 12,850 coffee enthusiasts and sign up for the Coffee Pulse Newsletter from CoffeeGeek, delivered 2-3 times per month. Newsletter SignupSubscribe to
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1Zpresso Q‑Air Grinder
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ArticleBox OpenedBurr CloseupGrinder WeightAdjustment DialQ-Air Handle1ZPresso BodyQ-Air vs Kingrinder P21ZPresso Q-Air in AeroPress1Zpresso Q-Air and X-UltraComparedAdjustment System1zpresso Q-Air GrinderQ-Air vs Kingrinder P2Inner ConstructionAdjustment DialBox Opened1Zpresso Box Side1ZPresso Q-Air Max CapacityBean Hopper1ZPresso Q-Air with AeroPressSpindle CoverTotal Weight of the GrinderBurr AssemblyBurr AssemblyWhereto BuyManufacturer WebsiteBuy from Amazon (US)Buy here to support CoffeeGeek!Buy in CanadaBuy here to support CoffeeGeek!Out of the Box
Unboxing the 1Zpresso Q‑Air gives you a compact package: the grinder itself weighs in under 365 g and measures 14.5 × 15 × 4.6 cm, roughly the size of a Red Bull soda can. It arrives with a silicone anti‑slip band (which you’ll need to remove to fit inside the AeroPress), the removable crank handle lid, and that’s about it; no brush or pouch, just simple and straightforward.
Sadly, 1Zpresso uses a lot of polystyrene to package this product, something we urge every manufacturer in the specialty coffee arena to get away from. They could easily create a cardboard cocoon to protect this grinder during transport.
The Q-Air comes in four colour choices: Black, Blue, Grey and Purple, so you can pick one that suits your style. We went with the kind of steel blue model for this review.
The box is pretty basic; the grinder details are on the side.The side of the box indicates the model and colour.Box opened, reveals a lot of polystyrene. Initially, the grinder was also wrapped in plastic, and the silicone sleeve was not attached.There’s also an instruction card with a QR code to go and read a manual online.
At first touch, the plastic exterior of the Q‑Air feels light but well put together. While it lacks the all-metal heft of its Q2 sibling, the Q‑Air still houses the same internals. That means a 38 mm stainless steel heptagonal burrset, shared with the Q2 and original Q, and the same internal adjustment collar mechanism. The grinding core elements are steel and aluminum, so while your hand holds plastic, the force transfers through solid metal.
The body is a rigid, ribbed plastic, with a metal collar mid body. The grinder also comes with a silicone sleeve to provide extra grip.Inside the Q-Ar, almost everything is metal (aluminum and steel). The inner structure is very rigid, with little to no burr wobbleThe burr assembly is straightforward and easy to remove. The adjustment dial can be installed wrong though, “zero’ing” out the grinder at 5 instead of 0.The adjustment Dial system for the Q-Air. Note, going from 9 to 8 makes the grinder coarser, not finer.
Disassembly is intuitive and tool-free. Just unscrew the hopper, unscrew the adjustment dial, and lift everything out – adjustment system, bottom burr and spring. One small trap to watch out for: the adjustment dial mount is reversible, though not by design. It’s possible to reassemble it with the zero point accidentally offset, and I have done that myself, ending up with the zero point at the 5 click mark. Another quirk is that the dial counts up as you turn finer, which runs opposite to most zero-down designs and takes a little mental reprogramming.
The grind adjustment dial is easy to use, and each “click” delivers 25um of adjustment.The hopper comfortably holds 18g, and you can sort of max stuff it with 20g.
The adjustment system offers 30 clicks per full 360-degree rotation, each moving the burrs by roughly 25 microns (as claimed by 1Zpresso; we haven’t confirmed this granular detail as we don’t go that deep in Snapshot reviews, but others who have tested this confirm the click adjustment range is around 25 microns).
Also interesting to note: while the Q2’s dial markings might appear more extensive at a glance, the Q‑Air and Q2 share identical mechanisms underneath. This makes the Q‑Air just as repeatable and precise for grind settings within its target range as the more expensive grinder.
The adjustment dial, burr (lower) and click-plate of the burr assembly. Not pictured, the spindle or spring.A closeup of the 7 point 1zpresso burrs for the Q-Air
The handle is short, but it feels balanced and responsive. The ball shaped wooden knob rotates smoothly, and the textured plastic ridges along the body give a decent grip, even with slightly damp hands. Our test unit weighed in at 361g (367g with the included silicone grip), matching 1Zpresso’s spec sheet.
The handle is a wood ball, spins very freely and evenly. The bend in the handle helps with grinding.The cover and mount for the handle; it stays secure on the grinder in operation.
The build may not scream luxury, but it does feel deliberate. It’s designed for portability and function, not flexing on your Instagram brew rig (though to be honest, it looks pretty cool when stuffed in an AeroPress). And knowing it shares its internals with the Q2 gives some reassuring confidence that this budget grinder is cut from the same cloth, even if the suit is polyester instead of wool.
The grinder fits nicely inside the Aeropress plunger tube. In a pinch, you can leave the silicone sleeve on, but it needs to be near the top of the grinder.First impressions: the crank rotates smoothly, though not silky‑smooth: a mild gritty feel gives tactile feedback. The plastic housing invites a pinch of skepticism, as it lacks the ruggedness of X‑Ultra or K‑Ultra, but the build feels thought‑out for travel, not the shop.
Early trial runs with coarse and medium grind settings deliver a fast grind with minimal retention. An 18g dose takes about 30-40 seconds, handy for V60 or Aeropress. Visually, it’s simple, functional, perhaps a little plastic, but undeniably compact. Early verdict: At $70, this grinder spent all its money in the right places.
Using the
Cranking away on the Q‑Air is straightforward and easy: pour your beans into the hopper (cheat-sheet: filling to the brim is around 19–20g, depending on the bean size), secure the lid, dial in your grind setting, attach the grinds bin, and go to work. For Aeropress, especially if you want a more condensed, extracted brew, try starting at one full rotation on the grind dial from zero; that should give you grinds in the 500 micron range. For V60, our starting point is around 50 clicks off zero, or 1.5 rotations on the grind dial.
Brew MethodMicron TargetDial Clicks (~)Q‑Air Dial Starting ValueAeroPress500–600 µm~30–40 clicks~1.0.0V60 Pour‑Over650 µm~50–60 clicks~1.5.0Chemex800 µm~80+ clicks~2.5.0Siphon650 µm~60–70 clicks~1.7.0I love grinders that pair up with the AeroPress, even if by accident. The Q‑Air easily slots into the standard Aeropress main plunger (something the Kingrinder P2 can’t do). In fact, you can kind of wedge it in with the silicone collar attached, as long as the collar is at the top of the grinder. The dose limit also suits the AeroPress, going up to 20g is about as much as you want to do in the 250ml (typical) max brew volume of the iconic plunger brewer.
The Q-Air fits nicely in the AeroPress standard plunger. You can also leave the silicone sleeve on, but you’ll have to move it to the top of the grinder for everything to fit and for easy grinder removal.For a full 18–20 gram V60 brew, grind time clocks in around 30 to 35 seconds, stretching to 40 if you’re dealing with a particularly light roast. The process feels efficient and easy to manage. That same timing generally applies for other pour-over methods like the Kalita Wave and Melitta-style cone brewers.
Cleaning the Q‑Air is straightforward: unscrew the adjustment dial until it (and the bottom burr) slide out, give the burrs a light brush (with your own brush, since they don’t include one), and reassemble without tools. If you’ve adjusted the dial, just be sure to double-check your zero point, as the orientation can flip if you’re not careful.
Because of the mix of materials in this grinder, static is an issue. You definitely want to use the RDT method if you can (spritzing the beans with a light mist of water) to keep things manageable. For me, this is an acceptable tradeoff considering all the good things about the grinder.
At the finer end of its range, the Q‑Air can reach espresso-adjacent grinds, but it’s not the grinder’s sweet spot. You’ll find a steep curve of diminishing returns in grind speed and comfort. Grinding at that level takes effort, and the results, while acceptable in a pinch, aren’t what most espresso drinkers would settle into long-term.
The Q‑Air offers impressive grind precision for its price. Each click moves the burrs by a company-claimed 25 microns, giving you repeatable settings as long as you note them down. The adjustment dial is internal, which means removing the grinds bin to make changes. It works, but it’s a step down in convenience compared to the external dials found on models like the X‑Ultra. That’s part of the trade-off in this entry-level category.
While it shares some design DNA with 1Zpresso’s higher-end grinders, the Q‑Air is not in the same class. The J‑Ultra, K‑Ultra, and X‑Ultra all feature better burr geometry, stronger construction, and much more refined adjustment mechanisms. Those models are not just the company’s flagships, they are also benchmarks across the entire manual grinder space right now.
That said, the Q‑Air performs better than its price might suggest. It creates more fines than the flagships, but fewer than similar grinders like the Kingrinder P2 (which I tested, head to head). When stacked against an entry-level electric grinder like the Baratza Encore (non-M2), the Q‑Air pulls ahead in grind clarity and consistency at pour-over and coarser settings.
For a lightweight, low-cost grinder, it holds up well. It’s easy to use, simple to clean, and genuinely capable if your brew method stays in the filter to immersion range.
The Q-Air next to the X-Ultra. The latter is one of the best manual grinders you can buy today.The Q‑Air is clearly aimed at coffee adventurers: travellers, backpackers, campers, cottage dwellers, or minimalists building a budget-friendly setup. If you mainline AeroPress or brew 1–2 cups of filter coffee, and you value portability and burr quality over capacity, it is a great entry to quality manual grinding without heavy commitment. It offers an economical way into 1Zpresso’s precision burr tech without splurging on full-metal siblings.
This is an excellent starting point for any solo coffee drinker looking to improve their brew. The grind quality handily outperforms most electric grinders under $100 and even rivals some that cost over twice as much from just a decade ago. Manual grinders like the Q‑Air remind us how good things have gotten for coffee lovers on a budget who still want quality in the cup.
However, if capacity and price are major factors for you, the Kingrinder P2 offers a larger hopper and typically comes at a significantly lower cost. You basically only lose the ability to stuff the P2 in the AeroPress plunger for travel. Those who regularly grind for espresso or tend to brew bigger, multi-cup batches might find the P2 better suited to their needs.
The Q-Air’s compact format, short crank, and internal dial cater to simple routines rather than volume or pressure-focused prep. Essentially, this grinder will delight anyone who prioritizes travel usability, decent clarity, and grinder performance at a reasonable price, without needing full café-grade metal housing or advanced tuning control.
The Q-Air, with the silicone sleeve, weighs less than a pound, at 367g.Kingrinder P2
The Kingrinder P2 and Q‑Air are both plastic-bodied, travel-focused manual grinders with similar 38 mm stainless steel burrs. In side-by-side testing, the Q‑Air produced slightly fewer fines and a cleaner cup, especially for pour over. Both use internal grind adjustment, but the P2 in real world testing holds about 23 g of coffee (its rated range is 20–25 g), while the Q‑Air tops out around 19–20 g.
The Q‑Air feels a bit better in the hand; the bent crank handle aids in operation compared to the straight handle on the P2. The Q-Air also has the edge in burr quality, delivering more clarity in the cup.
That said, with the P2 priced at around USD 44 compared to the Q‑Air’s USD 69, and with its larger capacity, the P2 may be the stronger value dollar for dollar. For those prioritizing budget and capacity, the P2 pulls ahead. For those focused on AeroPress compatibility and a touch more refinement in grind quality, the Q‑Air holds its ground.
Side by side, the P2 is a bit wider, and has a straight handle arm.Grinds bins are similar, though the P2 has a wider diameter.The absolute, stuffed to the brim max capacity of the Q-Air is just under 20g.The Kingrinder P2 max capacity is nearly 24g.
Baratza Encore (electric)
The Baratza Encore is a go-to electric grinder for beginners, offering dependable grind consistency for most brew methods and easier day-to-day use with its push-button simplicity. It handles light espresso duty better than the Q‑Air, though neither truly shines in that range.
Where the Q‑Air pulls ahead is in grind quality at coarser settings: producing noticeably fewer fines than the Encore, resulting in more cup clarity and better draw downs. If you’re mostly brewing single batch filter or AeroPress and don’t mind a bit of elbow grease, the Q‑Air is the cleaner cup in a smaller, quieter package. The Encore is your entry choice if you’re also grinding for larger batches (like Chemex or auto drip machines).
Timemore C2 (Basic)
The Timemore C2 basic, usually around USD 75 (sometimes as low as 65), offers excellent grind consistency, solid build quality, and outperforms the Q‑Air when it comes to espresso range and overall versatility. The all-metal construction feels more robust in hand, and the spike-to-cut burrs give it an edge in cup clarity at finer grinds. Less static issues too. If you can find the folding handle version for under $80, that’s a complete bargain.
That said, the Q‑Air is lighter, cheaper, and compact enough to nest inside an AeroPress, making it the better pick for travel and ultralight setups.
Value is more complicated than it first appears. For around CAD 90 (USD 69), the Q‑Air gives you sharp heptagonal burrs, tool‑free disassembly, and reasonably precise click adjustments; features often found in grinders that cost twice as much. It delivers 1Zpresso’s signature grind clarity, packing solid performance in a very compact footprint.
But when you bring the Kingrinder P2 into the picture, things shift. At roughly USD 44, the P2 offers a larger real‑world capacity (around 23 g versus the Q‑Air’s 19–20 g) and similar performance in grind consistency. I still believe the Q‑Air’s burrs are the better of the two, especially for pour‑over clarity, yet dollar for dollar the P2 arguably wins on sheer value.
If your focus is travel convenience, AeroPress compatibility, and grind clarity, the Q‑Air justifies its higher price. If you care more about stretching each dollar and grinding a bit more coffee per session, the P2 is hard to ignore.
Conclusion
The 1Zpresso Q‑Air remains a strong contender in the realm of portable manual grinders. Lightweight yet precision‑based, it brings clarity, convenience, and consistent performance in a minimalist frame. It’s ideal for coffee lovers on the move: backpackers, travellers, chalet dwellers or weekend cyclists, who brew with AeroPress or 1‑cup pour‑over and want reliable mornings without bulky gear.
The plastic body, internal dial, and smaller capacity are its main tradeoffs. And while it can reach espresso‑adjacent grinds, it’s not a daily espresso grinder. Where it shines is in portability and cup clarity.
That said, when factoring in price and capacity, the Kingrinder P2 deserves serious consideration. At nearly two‑thirds the cost, and with a higher capacity, it is the better dollar‑for‑dollar buy. Still, for those who value burr quality, 1Zpresso’s industry leading designs, and AeroPress‑friendly package, the Q‑Air makes a compelling case.
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1Zpresso Q‑Air Grinder
Article Q-Air GrinderGallery Box Opened Burr Closeup Grinder Weight Adjustment Dial Q-Air Handle 1ZPresso Body Q-Air vs Kingrinder P2 1ZPresso Q-Air in AeroPress 1Zpresso Q-Air and X-Ultra Compared Adjustment System 1zpresso Q-Air Grinder Q-Air vs Kingrinder P2 Inner Construction Adjustment Dial Box Opened 1Zpresso Box Side 1ZPresso Q-Air Max Capacity Bean Hopper 1ZPresso Q-Air with AeroPress Spindle Cover Total Weight of the Grinder Burr Assembly Burr Assembly Showing Slide 1 of 24 Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Amazon (US) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! Buy in Canada Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
advertise with us and reach a global audience. advertisers make this website possible. a coffeegeek advertiser and supporter.
want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.Out of the BoxQ-Air Grinder
Unboxing the 1Zpresso Q‑Air gives you a compact package: the grinder itself weighs in under 365 g and measures 14.5 × 15 × 4.6 cm, roughly the size of a Red Bull soda can. It arrives with a silicone anti‑slip band (which you’ll need to remove to fit inside the AeroPress), the removable crank handle lid, and that’s about it; no brush or pouch, just simple and straightforward.
Sadly, 1Zpresso uses a lot of polystyrene to package this product, something we urge every manufacturer in the specialty coffee arena to get away from. They could easily create a cardboard cocoon to protect this grinder during transport.
The Q-Air comes in four colour choices: Black, Blue, Grey and Purple, so you can pick one that suits your style. We went with the kind of steel blue model for this review.
The box is pretty basic; the grinder details are on the side. The side of the box indicates the model and colour. Box opened, reveals a lot of polystyrene. Initially, the grinder was also wrapped in plastic, and the silicone sleeve was not attached. There's also an instruction card with a QR code to go and read a manual online.At first touch, the plastic exterior of the Q‑Air feels light but well put together. While it lacks the all-metal heft of its Q2 sibling, the Q‑Air still houses the same internals. That means a 38 mm stainless steel heptagonal burrset, shared with the Q2 and original Q, and the same internal adjustment collar mechanism. The grinding core elements are steel and aluminum, so while your hand holds plastic, the force transfers through solid metal.
The body is a rigid, ribbed plastic, with a metal collar mid body. The grinder also comes with a silicone sleeve to provide extra grip. Inside the Q-Ar, almost everything is metal (aluminum and steel). The inner structure is very rigid, with little to no burr wobble The burr assembly is straightforward and easy to remove. The adjustment dial can be installed wrong though, "zero'ing" out the grinder at 5 instead of 0. The adjustment Dial system for the Q-Air. Note, going from 9 to 8 makes the grinder coarser, not finer.Disassembly is intuitive and tool-free. Just unscrew the hopper, unscrew the adjustment dial, and lift everything out – adjustment system, bottom burr and spring. One small trap to watch out for: the adjustment dial mount is reversible, though not by design. It’s possible to reassemble it with the zero point accidentally offset, and I have done that myself, ending up with the zero point at the 5 click mark. Another quirk is that the dial counts up as you turn finer, which runs opposite to most zero-down designs and takes a little mental reprogramming.
The grind adjustment dial is easy to use, and each "click" delivers 25um of adjustment. The hopper comfortably holds 18g, and you can sort of max stuff it with 20g.The adjustment system offers 30 clicks per full 360-degree rotation, each moving the burrs by roughly 25 microns (as claimed by 1Zpresso; we haven’t confirmed this granular detail as we don’t go that deep in Snapshot reviews, but others who have tested this confirm the click adjustment range is around 25 microns).
Also interesting to note: while the Q2’s dial markings might appear more extensive at a glance, the Q‑Air and Q2 share identical mechanisms underneath. This makes the Q‑Air just as repeatable and precise for grind settings within its target range as the more expensive grinder.
The adjustment dial, burr (lower) and click-plate of the burr assembly. Not pictured, the spindle or spring. A closeup of the 7 point 1zpresso burrs for the Q-AirThe handle is short, but it feels balanced and responsive. The ball shaped wooden knob rotates smoothly, and the textured plastic ridges along the body give a decent grip, even with slightly damp hands. Our test unit weighed in at 361g (367g with the included silicone grip), matching 1Zpresso’s spec sheet.
The handle is a wood ball, spins very freely and evenly. The bend in the handle helps with grinding. The cover and mount for the handle; it stays secure on the grinder in operation.The build may not scream luxury, but it does feel deliberate. It’s designed for portability and function, not flexing on your Instagram brew rig (though to be honest, it looks pretty cool when stuffed in an AeroPress). And knowing it shares its internals with the Q2 gives some reassuring confidence that this budget grinder is cut from the same cloth, even if the suit is polyester instead of wool.
The grinder fits nicely inside the Aeropress plunger tube. In a pinch, you can leave the silicone sleeve on, but it needs to be near the top of the grinder.First impressions: the crank rotates smoothly, though not silky‑smooth: a mild gritty feel gives tactile feedback. The plastic housing invites a pinch of skepticism, as it lacks the ruggedness of X‑Ultra or K‑Ultra, but the build feels thought‑out for travel, not the shop.
Early trial runs with coarse and medium grind settings deliver a fast grind with minimal retention. An 18g dose takes about 30-40 seconds, handy for V60 or Aeropress. Visually, it’s simple, functional, perhaps a little plastic, but undeniably compact. Early verdict: At $70, this grinder spent all its money in the right places.
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Donate donate via PaypalUsing theQ-Air Grinder
Cranking away on the Q‑Air is straightforward and easy: pour your beans into the hopper (cheat-sheet: filling to the brim is around 19–20g, depending on the bean size), secure the lid, dial in your grind setting, attach the grinds bin, and go to work. For Aeropress, especially if you want a more condensed, extracted brew, try starting at one full rotation on the grind dial from zero; that should give you grinds in the 500 micron range. For V60, our starting point is around 50 clicks off zero, or 1.5 rotations on the grind dial.
Brew MethodMicron TargetDial Clicks (~)Q‑Air Dial Starting ValueAeroPress500–600 µm~30–40 clicks~1.0.0V60 Pour‑Over650 µm~50–60 clicks~1.5.0Chemex800 µm~80+ clicks~2.5.0Siphon650 µm~60–70 clicks~1.7.0I love grinders that pair up with the AeroPress, even if by accident. The Q‑Air easily slots into the standard Aeropress main plunger (something the Kingrinder P2 can’t do). In fact, you can kind of wedge it in with the silicone collar attached, as long as the collar is at the top of the grinder. The dose limit also suits the AeroPress, going up to 20g is about as much as you want to do in the 250ml (typical) max brew volume of the iconic plunger brewer.
The Q-Air fits nicely in the AeroPress standard plunger. You can also leave the silicone sleeve on, but you'll have to move it to the top of the grinder for everything to fit and for easy grinder removal.For a full 18–20 gram V60 brew, grind time clocks in around 30 to 35 seconds, stretching to 40 if you’re dealing with a particularly light roast. The process feels efficient and easy to manage. That same timing generally applies for other pour-over methods like the Kalita Wave and Melitta-style cone brewers.
Cleaning the Q‑Air is straightforward: unscrew the adjustment dial until it (and the bottom burr) slide out, give the burrs a light brush (with your own brush, since they don’t include one), and reassemble without tools. If you’ve adjusted the dial, just be sure to double-check your zero point, as the orientation can flip if you’re not careful.
Because of the mix of materials in this grinder, static is an issue. You definitely want to use the RDT method if you can (spritzing the beans with a light mist of water) to keep things manageable. For me, this is an acceptable tradeoff considering all the good things about the grinder.
At the finer end of its range, the Q‑Air can reach espresso-adjacent grinds, but it’s not the grinder’s sweet spot. You’ll find a steep curve of diminishing returns in grind speed and comfort. Grinding at that level takes effort, and the results, while acceptable in a pinch, aren’t what most espresso drinkers would settle into long-term.
The Q‑Air offers impressive grind precision for its price. Each click moves the burrs by a company-claimed 25 microns, giving you repeatable settings as long as you note them down. The adjustment dial is internal, which means removing the grinds bin to make changes. It works, but it’s a step down in convenience compared to the external dials found on models like the X‑Ultra. That’s part of the trade-off in this entry-level category.
While it shares some design DNA with 1Zpresso’s higher-end grinders, the Q‑Air is not in the same class. The J‑Ultra, K‑Ultra, and X‑Ultra all feature better burr geometry, stronger construction, and much more refined adjustment mechanisms. Those models are not just the company’s flagships, they are also benchmarks across the entire manual grinder space right now.
That said, the Q‑Air performs better than its price might suggest. It creates more fines than the flagships, but fewer than similar grinders like the Kingrinder P2 (which I tested, head to head). When stacked against an entry-level electric grinder like the Baratza Encore (non-M2), the Q‑Air pulls ahead in grind clarity and consistency at pour-over and coarser settings.
For a lightweight, low-cost grinder, it holds up well. It’s easy to use, simple to clean, and genuinely capable if your brew method stays in the filter to immersion range.
The Q-Air next to the X-Ultra. The latter is one of the best manual grinders you can buy today. Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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Donate donate via PaypalQ-Air GrinderWho it's For
The Q‑Air is clearly aimed at coffee adventurers: travellers, backpackers, campers, cottage dwellers, or minimalists building a budget-friendly setup. If you mainline AeroPress or brew 1–2 cups of filter coffee, and you value portability and burr quality over capacity, it is a great entry to quality manual grinding without heavy commitment. It offers an economical way into 1Zpresso’s precision burr tech without splurging on full-metal siblings.
This is an excellent starting point for any solo coffee drinker looking to improve their brew. The grind quality handily outperforms most electric grinders under $100 and even rivals some that cost over twice as much from just a decade ago. Manual grinders like the Q‑Air remind us how good things have gotten for coffee lovers on a budget who still want quality in the cup.
However, if capacity and price are major factors for you, the Kingrinder P2 offers a larger hopper and typically comes at a significantly lower cost. You basically only lose the ability to stuff the P2 in the AeroPress plunger for travel. Those who regularly grind for espresso or tend to brew bigger, multi-cup batches might find the P2 better suited to their needs.
The Q-Air’s compact format, short crank, and internal dial cater to simple routines rather than volume or pressure-focused prep. Essentially, this grinder will delight anyone who prioritizes travel usability, decent clarity, and grinder performance at a reasonable price, without needing full café-grade metal housing or advanced tuning control.
The Q-Air, with the silicone sleeve, weighs less than a pound, at 367g.Q-Air GrinderComparisons
Kingrinder P2
The Kingrinder P2 and Q‑Air are both plastic-bodied, travel-focused manual grinders with similar 38 mm stainless steel burrs. In side-by-side testing, the Q‑Air produced slightly fewer fines and a cleaner cup, especially for pour over. Both use internal grind adjustment, but the P2 in real world testing holds about 23 g of coffee (its rated range is 20–25 g), while the Q‑Air tops out around 19–20 g.
The Q‑Air feels a bit better in the hand; the bent crank handle aids in operation compared to the straight handle on the P2. The Q-Air also has the edge in burr quality, delivering more clarity in the cup.
That said, with the P2 priced at around USD 44 compared to the Q‑Air’s USD 69, and with its larger capacity, the P2 may be the stronger value dollar for dollar. For those prioritizing budget and capacity, the P2 pulls ahead. For those focused on AeroPress compatibility and a touch more refinement in grind quality, the Q‑Air holds its ground.
Side by side, the P2 is a bit wider, and has a straight handle arm. Grinds bins are similar, though the P2 has a wider diameter. The absolute, stuffed to the brim max capacity of the Q-Air is just under 20g. The Kingrinder P2 max capacity is nearly 24g.Baratza Encore (electric)
The Baratza Encore is a go-to electric grinder for beginners, offering dependable grind consistency for most brew methods and easier day-to-day use with its push-button simplicity. It handles light espresso duty better than the Q‑Air, though neither truly shines in that range.
Where the Q‑Air pulls ahead is in grind quality at coarser settings: producing noticeably fewer fines than the Encore, resulting in more cup clarity and better draw downs. If you’re mostly brewing single batch filter or AeroPress and don’t mind a bit of elbow grease, the Q‑Air is the cleaner cup in a smaller, quieter package. The Encore is your entry choice if you’re also grinding for larger batches (like Chemex or auto drip machines).
Timemore C2 (Basic)
The Timemore C2 basic, usually around USD 75 (sometimes as low as 65), offers excellent grind consistency, solid build quality, and outperforms the Q‑Air when it comes to espresso range and overall versatility. The all-metal construction feels more robust in hand, and the spike-to-cut burrs give it an edge in cup clarity at finer grinds. Less static issues too. If you can find the folding handle version for under $80, that’s a complete bargain.
That said, the Q‑Air is lighter, cheaper, and compact enough to nest inside an AeroPress, making it the better pick for travel and ultralight setups.
Q-Air GrinderWhat's the Value Like
Value is more complicated than it first appears. For around CAD 90 (USD 69), the Q‑Air gives you sharp heptagonal burrs, tool‑free disassembly, and reasonably precise click adjustments; features often found in grinders that cost twice as much. It delivers 1Zpresso’s signature grind clarity, packing solid performance in a very compact footprint.
But when you bring the Kingrinder P2 into the picture, things shift. At roughly USD 44, the P2 offers a larger real‑world capacity (around 23 g versus the Q‑Air’s 19–20 g) and similar performance in grind consistency. I still believe the Q‑Air’s burrs are the better of the two, especially for pour‑over clarity, yet dollar for dollar the P2 arguably wins on sheer value.
If your focus is travel convenience, AeroPress compatibility, and grind clarity, the Q‑Air justifies its higher price. If you care more about stretching each dollar and grinding a bit more coffee per session, the P2 is hard to ignore.
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The 1Zpresso Q‑Air remains a strong contender in the realm of portable manual grinders. Lightweight yet precision‑based, it brings clarity, convenience, and consistent performance in a minimalist frame. It’s ideal for coffee lovers on the move: backpackers, travellers, chalet dwellers or weekend cyclists, who brew with AeroPress or 1‑cup pour‑over and want reliable mornings without bulky gear.
The plastic body, internal dial, and smaller capacity are its main tradeoffs. And while it can reach espresso‑adjacent grinds, it’s not a daily espresso grinder. Where it shines is in portability and cup clarity.
That said, when factoring in price and capacity, the Kingrinder P2 deserves serious consideration. At nearly two‑thirds the cost, and with a higher capacity, it is the better dollar‑for‑dollar buy. Still, for those who value burr quality, 1Zpresso’s industry leading designs, and AeroPress‑friendly package, the Q‑Air makes a compelling case.
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Grinders are all cleaned up (more or less - please don't zoom in) and ready for another year of good #coffee .
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Grinders are all cleaned up (more or less - please don't zoom in) and ready for another year of good #coffee .
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Grinders are all cleaned up (more or less - please don't zoom in) and ready for another year of good #coffee .
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Grinders are all cleaned up (more or less - please don't zoom in) and ready for another year of good #coffee .
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Grinders are all cleaned up (more or less - please don't zoom in) and ready for another year of good #coffee .
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Trying not to think of what might happen today with my Dad, let's have a quick look at my grinder setup at work.
The work place coffee always gave me heart burn, so I decided to switch to an affordable but nice brewing equipment and specialty #coffee.My brewing equipment (not shown) consists of a plastic Hario V60 and an Aeropress, without the Flow control cap that I have at home.
Both are capable of brewing a great cup.As for the grinders, I am running a #Timemore #Chestnut C3s Pro and a #1zpresso #Q2s Heptagonal handgrinder.
Both are two nifty little grinders with conical 38mm burrs, although they have a different geometry.
The Timemore features some additional cutting teeth which function as prebreakers.
The Chestnut is a bit sturdier and bigger, feels better in the hand, while the build quality on the Q2s feels a bit higher.
Also the Q2s fits into the plunger of an Aeropress for easy travel.Both a capable of producing a great cup for pour-over. The Chestnut is also capable of grinding fine enough for Espresso, but it's focus is clearly Filter.
I like both of them and highly recommend both, If you are looking for a good quality budget grinder.
Clocking in at just under 100 Euro (sometimes a little over, sometimes a little under), both are great value for money.
Personally I prefer the flavor profile of the 1zpresso Q2s, but the Timemore Chestnut C3s really isn't far behind and you might prefer the Chestnut. -
Trying not to think of what might happen today with my Dad, let's have a quick look at my grinder setup at work.
The work place coffee always gave me heart burn, so I decided to switch to an affordable but nice brewing equipment and specialty #coffee.My brewing equipment (not shown) consists of a plastic Hario V60 and an Aeropress, without the Flow control cap that I have at home.
Both are capable of brewing a great cup.As for the grinders, I am running a #Timemore #Chestnut C3s Pro and a #1zpresso #Q2s Heptagonal handgrinder.
Both are two nifty little grinders with conical 38mm burrs, although they have a different geometry.
The Timemore features some additional cutting teeth which function as prebreakers.
The Chestnut is a bit sturdier and bigger, feels better in the hand, while the build quality on the Q2s feels a bit higher.
Also the Q2s fits into the plunger of an Aeropress for easy travel.Both a capable of producing a great cup for pour-over. The Chestnut is also capable of grinding fine enough for Espresso, but it's focus is clearly Filter.
I like both of them and highly recommend both, If you are looking for a good quality budget grinder.
Clocking in at just under 100 Euro (sometimes a little over, sometimes a little under), both are great value for money.
Personally I prefer the flavor profile of the 1zpresso Q2s, but the Timemore Chestnut C3s really isn't far behind and you might prefer the Chestnut. -
Trying not to think of what might happen today with my Dad, let's have a quick look at my grinder setup at work.
The work place coffee always gave me heart burn, so I decided to switch to an affordable but nice brewing equipment and specialty #coffee.My brewing equipment (not shown) consists of a plastic Hario V60 and an Aeropress, without the Flow control cap that I have at home.
Both are capable of brewing a great cup.As for the grinders, I am running a #Timemore #Chestnut C3s Pro and a #1zpresso #Q2s Heptagonal handgrinder.
Both are two nifty little grinders with conical 38mm burrs, although they have a different geometry.
The Timemore features some additional cutting teeth which function as prebreakers.
The Chestnut is a bit sturdier and bigger, feels better in the hand, while the build quality on the Q2s feels a bit higher.
Also the Q2s fits into the plunger of an Aeropress for easy travel.Both a capable of producing a great cup for pour-over. The Chestnut is also capable of grinding fine enough for Espresso, but it's focus is clearly Filter.
I like both of them and highly recommend both, If you are looking for a good quality budget grinder.
Clocking in at just under 100 Euro (sometimes a little over, sometimes a little under), both are great value for money.
Personally I prefer the flavor profile of the 1zpresso Q2s, but the Timemore Chestnut C3s really isn't far behind and you might prefer the Chestnut. -
In case you missed this yesterday in all the "delete Tweeter" hoopla around my fediverse account... we put out some new content, covering what is most likely the best manual espresso grinder on the market today:
#espresso #coffee #espressogrinder #1Zpresso
https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/1zpresso-j-ultra-manual-grinder-first-look/
-
In case you missed this yesterday in all the "delete Tweeter" hoopla around my fediverse account... we put out some new content, covering what is most likely the best manual espresso grinder on the market today:
#espresso #coffee #espressogrinder #1Zpresso
https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/1zpresso-j-ultra-manual-grinder-first-look/
-
In case you missed this yesterday in all the "delete Tweeter" hoopla around my fediverse account... we put out some new content, covering what is most likely the best manual espresso grinder on the market today:
#espresso #coffee #espressogrinder #1Zpresso
https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/1zpresso-j-ultra-manual-grinder-first-look/
-
In case you missed this yesterday in all the "delete Tweeter" hoopla around my fediverse account... we put out some new content, covering what is most likely the best manual espresso grinder on the market today:
#espresso #coffee #espressogrinder #1Zpresso
https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/1zpresso-j-ultra-manual-grinder-first-look/
-
In case you missed this yesterday in all the "delete Tweeter" hoopla around my fediverse account... we put out some new content, covering what is most likely the best manual espresso grinder on the market today:
#espresso #coffee #espressogrinder #1Zpresso
https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/1zpresso-j-ultra-manual-grinder-first-look/
-
Article J-Ultra GrinderGallery J-Ultra Grinder J-Ultra Parts Breakdown Another closeup of the burr Grinder and Blow Bulb Top Lid 1zpresso J-Ultra X-Ultra Ti-Coated Burr The Grinder and Brush 1zpresso Box One Piece The Shape Agressive Burrs Opening the Case Travel Case 1zpresso K-Ultra J-Ultra Spindle Top Burr Stack and Parts Parts, Sideways ID Tag The Grinder and its Parts 1zpresso Handle Folded Testing Stage More Branding! A Whole Lotta Magnets Burr in Place Dial and Textures J-Ultra Grinder Two Rotations The Main Grip Grinder at Zero Point Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Amazon (US) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! Buy from Amazon (CA) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.Out of the BoxJ-Ultra Grinder
The J-Ultra grinder from 1zpresso comes in the same box that the other Ultra series grinders come in. The only way to tell what grinder is inside is by looking at the small white label on the side.
Because these grinders ship with a protective travel case, packaging is minimal, and the only environmentally unfriendly part in the box is a square of polystyrene to keep the shape of the travel case intact, in case some 500 pound weight is placed against the outer box.
The travel case is quite nice, with a good zipper, a nice small size, and the 1zpresso logo emblazoned on one side. Opening it up reveals the grinder, all assembled. There is also a blower to blow out stray grinds when you clean the grinder.
In the back of the case you’ll find a cleaning brush, a silicone ring you can optionally attach to the main body of the grinder for extra grip, and card with a scan code. Scan that and you’ll be taken to the product page and manual for the grinder.
The box the J-Ultra comes in is identical in almost every way to the other Ultra grinders from the company. The white label ID tag on the box is the only way to tell what's inside. The 1zpresso travel case. They have stopped using the tube shaped one, and gone for this mini briefcase style When you first open the case, there's one block of polystyrene to deal with, then the rest is all grinder stuff. The J-Ultra is already all assembled and calibrated in the case. Everything the J-Ultra comes with: brush, blow bulb, silicone spare grip collar, and a card.At 684 grams, the 1zpresso J-Ultra is a substantial piece of metal, though still lighter than previous J series grinders. Indeed, other than the semi opaque plastic lid, silicone grip and foot, and the wood handle, it is all metal construction top to bottom.
Holding it in your hand gives the utmost confidence in the device. This isn’t some janky basic plastic manual grinder. The grip area is a slightly smaller diameter than the grind adjustment ring or the bottom catch cup area, giving your hand a natural place to grip and hold the device. When extended, the handle is a good length and the wood grip feel like the perfect size and shape for the task.
The body of the grinder is all curves, and curves with intent. Because the catch cup is held on with magnets, some grinders with this feature had the rare tendency to be knocked off by your gripping hand if you were going to town cranking the handle and grinding at speed. This wasn’t a good thing: ground coffee would fly everywhere. The J-Ultra’s shape is designed to minimize this error because of the bulge and curve of the body about 1.5cm above where the catch cup attaches.
The J-Ultra, with the handle extended. It has a very good overall reach and wide turning circumference.Same goes with the adjustment dial: on some manual grinders with external adjustment rings, users have reported accidentally adjusting the grind size while grinding because their hands would slip and the top external grind selection rings would rotate. On the J-Ultra, this is not an issue: again, the bulge and larger diameter of the adjustment ring area naturally stays separate from your gripping hand as you operate the grinder.
Top to Bottom, Externally
Right up top is the lid and handle assembly. The J-Ultra, like all of 1zpresso’s top grinders features the folding handle design they were forced to come up with after Commandante’s threatened lawsuits. On one hand, I’m not a fan of it because it can be tricky to operate and it’s not the ideal solution for travel or storage, but on the other hand, it does make the grinder more compact when not in use, and makes it less prone to toppling over because of the heavy one sided weight of the grinder when the handle is extended.
As for the range and “feel” of the handle when extended, it’s nearly perfect. The big bulbous wood handle fits perfectly in most hands, and gives you a good operating area for using the grinder. The handle’s rotation circumference aids in good grinding speed and countering the resistance crunching down beans will give to shorter handles.
The main lid that closes off the bean hopper is the only plastic on the device: this is actually a good thing because it helps keep the weight down a bit, and honestly, this part never needs to be metal on any manual grinder. It just needs to fit well on the central spindle shaft connection, and the 1zpresso one does this very well. Of course, the actual metal handle connects to a metal spindle connector.
The handle folded, the grinder has a tighter center of gravity and is less prone to tipping over. The dial is very easy to read and adjust. Clicks feel solid and authoratative. The grip is... grippy. The grinder, with handle in the folded down position. The wood handle is big and well formed for most hands. The top lid is the only plastic on the grinder, which is fine. The mounting point for the spindle is all metal.Speaking of the spindle and shaft: 1zpresso is one of only two manual grinder makers who currently recommend their grinders are compatible with electric drills. In fact, the shaft connector is the same size as the bit holder in most electric and cordless drills. They can claim this because their spindle shafts are thicker metal than most other manual grinder makers’ designs on the market currently.
So basically when the Jim Hoffmanns of the world recommend using an electric drill to power your manual grinder, you really shouldn’t, unless you own a 1zpresso manual grinder (or 3Bomber’s Blade R3, or certain KINGrinders).
Moving down from the lid, we have 1zpresso’s unique (and frankly: amazing) external grind selection dial. It actually works a bit opposite from their other grinders: Rotating it clockwise both lowers the dial into the grinder body more, and make the grind coarser. On their X-Ultra and K-Ultra clockwise rotation also makes the grind coarser, but the dial itself doesn’t move up or down.
The adjustment dial is easy to grip, and features 100 very reassuring and confident clicks per full rotation. The adjustment dial can be rotated a total of five times, giving you 500 (!!!!) total click settings. At the fine end, it stops rotating when the burrs are locked together (and the grinder is factory calibrated to be indicating 0 at this lock point). The collar will also stop rotating after 5 clockwise rotations at the top end, or 500th click.
There are numbers 0 through 9 embossed on the grind dial, with an embossed dot between each. Between each number are ten click settings (the dot indicates the 5th click in each range). They are easy to read in most lighting conditions. The grind selection indicator on the grinder body is five rows of dots, shaped like a pyramid, with the lowest row having 5 dots, and the top row having one dot.
I have a lot to say about this grind selection dial and how it works (including an absolutely ingenious feature 1zpresso built into it) which will come later on in this First Look.
The top of the spindle; very strong and thick, and will fit standard drill bit holders. The grind dial is easy to read and very study.Below the grind selection dial is the grip area for the grinder. If you only rely on photographs of this grinder, you might think this area is wrapped with fabric, showcasing the 1zpresso logo. It’s actually textured silicone, and very grippy. This keeps your hand very secure when operating the grinder.
Moving down the grinder, the narrow diameter of the grip area bulges out to a wider diameter for the lower body. There is a hash ring around the body and just below that, the catch cup is attached, via 12 rare-earth magnets.
This design is the result of 1zpresso’s long term experience designing these grinders and getting user feedback. In previous versions of their magnetic catch-cup grinders, the grip area was the same diameter as the catch cup. Because there was little separation between the grip area, sometimes users would accidentally dislodge the magnetic catch cups while operating the grinder, sending ground coffee flying everywhere.
With this new design, your hand stays more secure in the grip area, and is much less prone to accidentally knocking the catch cup off. 1zpresso also beefed up (upgraded as they say!) the magnets to stronger versions.
The main grip is made from textured silicone. On its own, it gives a good no-slip area to hold the grinder. If you still find it slipping, put the included silicone ring on this area. The grip, and curves keep your hand steady while operating the grinder. A lot of magnets built into the catch cup; the X-Ultra has more than previous models. The overall shape and design of the grinder helps give a confident grip and assurance in use.The catch cup can be removed either a) through brute force, pulling it straight down, or b) much easier by just twisting it slightly then pulling it down. The magnets line up with counter-magnets built into the main body of the grinder, so twisting the catch cup misaligned them, taking away their magnet effect.
The catch cup’s capacity is just under 40 grams of ground coffee. The J-Ultra’s hopper can hold about 38.5g of coffee in my testing, which is in line with 1zpresso’s claim of 35-40g capacity.
Right at the bottom of the grinder is a silicone footpad, with the 1zpresso logo on it. I mention this because the addition of this kind of material gives long term benefits from a manual grinder. It makes it less prone to slide around and topple over on your counter or table, and long term, will prevent possible damage to wood table tops and the like. It also just makes less noise when you put the grinder back on your table or countertop.
The bottom silicone pad, an upgrade from just leaving this area as metal.Overall, the 1zpresso J-Ultra is just… a work of engineering art. Curves in the right places. Finished edges. Graceful lines. Fit and finish is honestly the best in the industry. This grinder looks and feels like a precision instrument. It is very reassuring and inspires confidence in its use.
Unlike the X-Ultra, the J-Ultra only comes in one colour choice: it’s a bit hard to describe, but it’s like a midnight blue-purple colour that almost seems like a midnight grey in some light, more purple in other light, and more midnight blue in different light. 1zpresso themselves call it “iron grey”.
What’s Inside
A lot of engineering, that’s what. The entire gear design for the grind selection is brilliant and unique to the J-Ultra (the K and X Ultras are different). The grind dial actually moves up and down on the J-Ultra when adjusting the dial, which also leads to one of the grinder’s killer features, detailed more below.
The spindle is held in place by three bearing rings and three connection points, two of them a solid range of metal. Way back in the bad old days of manual grinders, spindles would wobble as you operated the grinder, causing very uneven grinds. The spindle arm in the J-Ultra stays absolutely straight through the full 360 degree rotation of the grind handle.
The grind selection click dial built into the top of the grinder is very solid and gives reassuring clicks for each individual grind setting. If you want to do just one click (8 microns!) adjustment, you can, with confidence. The grinder can be taken apart entirely without tools, and this starts at the top. Rotate the grind selection a full rotation from zero, then push up on the bottom burr, and you can unscrew the top lock nut, by hand, to disconnect the spindle from the grind selection mechanism. Slide the spindle down through the body, and the spindle with attached inner burr will pop out.
The J-Ultra, completely disassembled. The burr stack, with the three attaching nuts / bearings. The Ti-coated burr has a unique cutting pattern in 1zpresso's lineup. A super close up shows additional groves in the sloping surfaces. The burr in place show an all black area at the bottom of the grinder's insides. The outer burr, hard mounted into a section of the grinder shows pretty agressive teeth patterns. Another closeup of the burr, note the details in the design. A side view of the main three parts of the grinder. Unlike previous generations, the "stack" of the burr in the J-Ultra is permanently attached - you can remove the washer and spring, but the burr is hard mounted on the spindle.For the J-Ultra, 1zpresso ditched their mounting bottom plate for the burr. It is now directly attached to the spindle (on previous models, only the bottom plate was attached, and the burr mounted on it via a steel nub). You can remove the burr from the spindle, but there is absolutely no reason to do so, unless you need to replace the burrs.
The burrs themselves are a custom 48mm heptagonal (7 bladed) design, titanium coated. These burrs are different from the ones in 1zpresso’s other Ultra series grinders. They are specifically tuned for better output in the espresso and finer range, but still do an excellent job for drip coffee, and a good job for press pot grinding.
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After putting about 2.5kg of old coffee through the J-Ultra to season it, (thank God it is drill compatible!), I started actually using the grinder for its primary use: espresso output. Using 1zpresso’s guide, which says espresso starts at 100 clicks (one full rotation of the dial off zero), I set it to 110 clicks 1+1) and loaded up 18.5g to pull in our lab machine, a Breville Dual Boiler.
The first shots ran very tight, so an adjustment 10 clicks (keeping in mind that’s 80 microns of vertical burr travel, but only about 40-50um actual grind size difference), tried again. This time too fast. I took off 4 clicks (32 microns vertical, about 18um particle size), and as they say in Australia, bob’s your uncle: I had a nearly perfect (visually, and time based) shot of espresso, delivering out 45g of liquor in 35 seconds (including the 10 second preinfusion). This is based on our long standing espresso testing regimen.
Taste? It was a postcard perfect representation of what Social Coffee’s People’s Daily blend can deliver. This was looking very promising.
I happen to be a closet Turkish Coffee fan, and have an automatic Turkish coffee maker. I noted that 1zpresso gleefully claim their grinder can do the powder grind needed for Turkish, so I set that up next. 7.1 on the dial, or 71 clicks off zero.
It took some time, and the grinder was pretty hard to crank at times but we got there, and I got powder. Almost talcum powder levels of coffee grounds. And it brewed a lovely, foamy cup of turkish coffee. This is significant, because even though it was a difficult and long grind session, a) it was easier than other turkish-capable grinders I have, and b) I felt I could go even finer.
Third, pour over testing. Comparing to other products’ output would come later on, I just wanted to see how the cup tasted using the J-Ultra and brewing in a Hario Mugen / Switch hack device. To get there, 1zpresso recommends 2.7 on the click dial – that is, 2 full rotations, then go to 7. 270 clicks off zero! But because the selection dial and markings are so well made, rotating it and getting there was easy. The little pyramid indicator (more on that below) also helps keep track of how many full rotations you’ve done on the grinder.
Absolutely no complaints about the pour over quality from this grinder. In fact, it was one of the better cups I’d had in a few weeks. And fast… this grinder is very fast for a manual grinder. Visually, I didn’t see a lot of excessive fines either, either in my hand, on a white table, or in the filter.
The J-Ultra delivers. Especially for espresso.
The Killer Feature
For many, the killer feature of the 1zpresso J-Ultra is the grind selection dial and the micron adjustment size: just 8 microns in vertical movement in the burr set (which translates to about 5 microns or smaller in actual grind change) per click. And each click feels very precise.
That’s not my fave killer feature though, no matter how amazing it is. No, mine is the innovative way 1zpresso shows how many rotations you’ve made on the grind selection dial! Because the dial moves up and down on the body as you adjust the grind, for each full 360 rotation of the dial, a set of dots is displayed at the adjustment marker. When the grinder is “zeroed” out, meaning the burrs are fully locked, the dial reads “zero” at the marker point, and the marker is a pyramid of five rows of dots: 5 dots at the bottom, 4, then 3, then 2, then finally 1 dot at the top. When you do a full rotation coarser, the first single dot row is hidden by the grind dial, showing 2 dots, indicating the grinder is on its second 360 rotation. Keep going coarser, and then the 3 dot line is the first visible one. And so on.
It’s brilliant, because this grinder has so many clicks to get from an espresso grind to pour over grind (about 140 total clicks between those two!), this little indicator really helps you know exactly where the grinder is in its range of 500 (!!!!!) total clicks.
At zero, or locked, the pyramid indicates all five rows, with 1 dot at the top. At one full rotation, the pyramid shows that you are on the second rotation. After 2 rotations, the 3 dot row is shown, indicating you are on your third rotation with 3 full rotations, the indicator shows 4 dots. After rotating the dial 4 times, the last row with 5 dots shows.Speaking of clicks: the dial has embossed numbers from 0 to 9 on it, with a mid dot between each number. Going one full number on the dial is 10 clicks in the grind setting. This means one full 360 degree rotation on the dial is 100 clicks. The dial can be rotated 5 total times (it has a lock out at the coarse end). Given that each click is 8 microns of burr movement vertically, this grinder has an effective range of 0 microns to 4,000 microns, in 500 steps.
Keep in mind, this is vertical movement. The actual grind particle size varies across this range because of the overall shape and curve of the burrs: in the turkish to espresso range, it could be 3 microns change in particle size per click, expanding to around 6 microns by the time you get to press pot. Based on some initial evaluation, the effective grinding particle size of this grinder is 150 microns to about 1800 microns.
1zpresso recommends starting at 7.5 (or about 75 clicks off zero) for turkish style powder (I did this at 7.1). Espresso range starts at 1 full rotation (0, or 100 clicks) through 140 (1rotation+4). Aeropress starts at 2 full rotations (200 clicks), pour over at 2rotations+5, (250 clicks), Chemex / no-bypass brewers at 3rotations+5 (350 clicks), and press pot at 4 full rotations.
That may seem like a lot of clicks – 400 to get to press pot? – but in reality, it’s very easy to do, and the pyramid dot indicators help you know how many rotations you’ve done.
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want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.ComparisonsJ-Ultra Grinder
For this First Look, this section is going to be very brief. I put the grinder up against its siblings, the K-Ultra and X-Ultra, and also tested the output next to the Lagom Mini, Turin SK40 and Baratza Encore ESP.
Against the 1zpresso K-Ultra and X-Ultra
The J-Ultra is very close in size and shape to 1zpresso’s K-Ultra; they are even the same colour externally. Two main elements of each grinder is quite different: the K=Ultra’s grind selection system is different engineering and has a bigger micron gap between clicks; and second, the burr group in the K-Ultra is a different design and composition when compared to that inside the J-Ultra.
K-Ultra on the left, J-Ultra on the right. Note the K's different grind dial, and the black handle.The K-Ultra is 1zpresso’s “brew primary” grinder, meaning it s designed for optimal pour over, drip, and Aeropress coffee brewing. It is very capable as an espresso grinder, but you don’t have the fine dial in adjustment ability that the J-Ultra provides.
For the First Look, I organized 3 side by side blind taste tests of espresso shots using our standard formula of 18.5g in, 45g out in 35 seconds on our lab machine, the Breville Dual Boiler. After calibrating the grinders as best I could, three samples were brewed and tasted, and in all three cases, the J-Ultra presented the better shot. It was a close sampling, and in two cases, I had to drink the entire shots to come up with my determination.
On pour over tests, the K-Ultra produces a slightly cleaner, more balanced shot with a slightly faster flow through time, telling me that the J-Ultra, for a V60 style grind, produces slightly more fines.
The X-Ultra… this is 1zpresso’s “all purpose” grinder, equally capable on espresso as it is on pour over. The X-Ultra has a much finer micron adjustment range between its clicks, which provides the grinder better dial in ability. The burrs look similar to the K-Ultra burrs, but I’ve been told they are a slightly different geometry and pattern. Taste wise, the X-Ultra is very, very close to the J-Ultra on espresso. I didn’t do the formal 3 shot blind taste test I did with the K-Ultra, but some informal side by side tasting, and I struggled to find a difference between the X and J models.
I will say the X-Ultra, with its more-slim body and weight is actually my favourite of the three models to use. It seems to just work better in my hands.
The X-Ultra on the left. It turns a bit easier, and I like the feel better, but that is personal preference.Against the Lagom Mini
I didn’t think I’d find another conical burr grinder that produced better espresso and pour over results than the Lagom Mini. That grinder is absolutely amazing.
But guess what: the J-Ultra edged it out on espresso taste. It was so close, I had to do 3 different taste tests, and the J-Ultra won 2 of the 3. It’s also faster to grind for espresso: I could do 18.5g in the J-Ultra in about 45 seconds or less; the Lagom Mini’s electric motor takes almost 60 seconds.
On pour over, the Lagom Mini remains the champ, at least compared to the J-Ultra. Cups are more expressive, more rounded, more things to discover. Again, the taste difference is pretty slight, but on three blind tests, the Mini won all 3, one almost a tie though.
Testing the J-Ultra against the Lagom Mini and Timemore C3 ESP Pro.Baratza Encore ESP
When I get into the full review process, this one is going to be the most interesting lineup: the J-Ultra and Encore ESP are the same retail price, but offer very different packages to the end user.
In a very brief side by side test of both grinders, the J-Ultra is the “ultimate” in terms of dial in ability. As lauded as the Encore ESP’s espresso-side grind adjustment system is, it cannot match the calibrated magic that the J-Ultra offers. I found on the Encore ESP going one click difference on the grind selection resulted in no real changes some times, and other times, a very big jump in shot times. This tells me the collar doesn’t always move with each single click, but will jump a big jump in selection at other times.
Look, on its own, the Encore ESP’s adjustment system is fantastic. But when you put it up against the precision tool that the J-Ultra is, you see issues.
On taste, I also have to give the nod to the J-Ultra’s shots. As mentioned way earlier in this First Look, I had a postcard perfect example of what our test coffee – Social Coffee’s People’s Daily Blend – has to offer, with the J-Ultra. I didn’t get to that level of shot perfection with the Encore ESP.
When it comes to pour over grinds, I found the grinders were a lot closer in taste quality, but again, the J-Ultra offers way way tighter grind dial in ability, which also gives it the edge. It’s also pretty fast hand grinding 21g for pour over: around 30 seconds. It won’t match the 10-ish seconds of the Encore ESP (not to mention the Encore does the work for you), but it is noticeably fast.
Turin SK40
We didn’t do any real tests against the Turin SK40 and the J-Ultra for this First Look, but plan to compare them in our Full Review.
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Given that I had one of the best shot pulls ever from our test-standard espresso blend, Social Coffee’s People’s Daily, and dial in was extremely easy, those two factors alone really speak volumes for how fantastic 1zpresso’s J-Ultra manual grinder really is.
I don’t want our First Looks to draw too many conclusions; for that reason we don’t score products in these articles or give final ratings. But it’s hard not to, with the J-Ultra.
Everything about the grinder screams quality, engineering perfection and precision. I struggle to find anything I don’t like about the grinder. The least favourite thing is the handle design; I don’t like how difficult it is to fold down to its storage position, and don’t like how it has a click-lock half way through the process (why did they design it that way?) But the handle and crank arm itself function excellent under operation and make the grinder very easy to use.
All the materials, all the construction, the ways the 1zpresso J-Ultra go together are best in class. As an espresso grinder, I don’t think this has an equal in the market. I was also amazed at its Turkish coffee grinding ability. As a brew grinder, it is more than capable, being beat by a few models (including it’s sibling, the K-Ultra) but not by any large measure most home baristas would notice.
$200 may seem a lot for a manual grinder. Considering the Commandantes and other ultra-premium grinders are $100 to $150 more, and the grinder I have that is closest in terms of output – the Lagom Mini – is double the price (and slower on output), $200 is a pretty decent price.
Sometimes when I do a First Look, I have a gut feeling my Full Review might change some of my opinion; in the case of the 1zpresso J-Ultra, I’m confident my opinion of this grinder will only get better.
This grinder is the complete package with a special focus on espresso. The case, the accessories, the build quality, the materials, everything are best of class. If you want one of the best espresso grinders on the market today, this is the model for you.
If you are interested in this grinder, please consider buying it via our affiliate link with Amazon. The small income we make from these sales keeps our website going.
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Article J-Ultra GrinderGallery J-Ultra Grinder J-Ultra Parts Breakdown Another closeup of the burr Grinder and Blow Bulb Top Lid 1zpresso J-Ultra X-Ultra Ti-Coated Burr The Grinder and Brush 1zpresso Box One Piece The Shape Agressive Burrs Opening the Case Travel Case 1zpresso K-Ultra J-Ultra Spindle Top Burr Stack and Parts Parts, Sideways ID Tag The Grinder and its Parts 1zpresso Handle Folded Testing Stage More Branding! A Whole Lotta Magnets Burr in Place Dial and Textures J-Ultra Grinder Two Rotations The Main Grip Grinder at Zero Point Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Amazon (US) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! Buy from Amazon (CA) Buy here to support CoffeeGeek! coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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The J-Ultra grinder from 1Zpresso comes in the same box that the other Ultra series grinders come in. The only way to tell what grinder is inside is by looking at the small white label on the side.
Because these grinders ship with a protective travel case, packaging is minimal, and the only environmentally unfriendly part in the box is a square of polystyrene to keep the shape of the travel case intact, in case some 500 pound weight is placed against the outer box.
The travel case is quite nice, with a good zipper, a nice small size, and the 1Zpresso logo emblazoned on one side. Opening it up reveals the grinder, all assembled. There is also a blower to blow out stray grinds when you clean the grinder.
In the back of the case you’ll find a cleaning brush, a silicone ring you can optionally attach to the main body of the grinder for extra grip, and card with a scan code. Scan that and you’ll be taken to the product page and manual for the grinder.
The box the J-Ultra comes in is identical in almost every way to the other Ultra grinders from the company. The white label ID tag on the box is the only way to tell what's inside. The 1zpresso travel case. They have stopped using the tube shaped one, and gone for this mini briefcase style When you first open the case, there's one block of polystyrene to deal with, then the rest is all grinder stuff. The J-Ultra is already all assembled and calibrated in the case. Everything the J-Ultra comes with: brush, blow bulb, silicone spare grip collar, and a card.At 684 grams, the 1Zpresso J-Ultra is a substantial piece of metal, though still lighter than previous J series grinders. Indeed, other than the semi opaque plastic lid, silicone grip and foot, and the wood handle, it is all metal construction top to bottom.
Holding it in your hand gives the utmost confidence in the device. This isn’t some janky basic plastic manual grinder. The grip area is a slightly smaller diameter than the grind adjustment ring or the bottom catch cup area, giving your hand a natural place to grip and hold the device. When extended, the handle is a good length and the wood grip feel like the perfect size and shape for the task.
The body of the grinder is all curves, and curves with intent. Because the catch cup is held on with magnets, some grinders with this feature had the rare tendency to be knocked off by your gripping hand if you were going to town cranking the handle and grinding at speed. This wasn’t a good thing: ground coffee would fly everywhere. The J-Ultra’s shape is designed to minimize this error because of the bulge and curve of the body about 1.5cm above where the catch cup attaches.
The J-Ultra, with the handle extended. It has a very good overall reach and wide turning circumference.Same goes with the adjustment dial: on some manual grinders with external adjustment rings, users have reported accidentally adjusting the grind size while grinding because their hands would slip and the top external grind selection rings would rotate. On the J-Ultra, this is not an issue: again, the bulge and larger diameter of the adjustment ring area naturally stays separate from your gripping hand as you operate the grinder.
Top to Bottom, Externally
Right up top is the lid and handle assembly. The J-Ultra, like all of 1Zpresso’s top grinders features the folding handle design they were forced to come up with after Commandante’s threatened lawsuits. On one hand, I’m not a fan of it because it can be tricky to operate and it’s not the ideal solution for travel or storage, but on the other hand, it does make the grinder more compact when not in use, and makes it less prone to toppling over because of the heavy one sided weight of the grinder when the handle is extended.
As for the range and “feel” of the handle when extended, it’s nearly perfect. The big bulbous wood handle fits perfectly in most hands, and gives you a good operating area for using the grinder. The handle’s rotation circumference aids in good grinding speed and countering the resistance crunching down beans will give to shorter handles.
The main lid that closes off the bean hopper is the only plastic on the device: this is actually a good thing because it helps keep the weight down a bit, and honestly, this part never needs to be metal on any manual grinder. It just needs to fit well on the central spindle shaft connection, and the 1Zpresso one does this very well. Of course, the actual metal handle connects to a metal spindle connector.
The handle folded, the grinder has a tighter center of gravity and is less prone to tipping over. The dial is very easy to read and adjust. Clicks feel solid and authoratative. The grip is... grippy. The grinder, with handle in the folded down position. The wood handle is big and well formed for most hands. The top lid is the only plastic on the grinder, which is fine. The mounting point for the spindle is all metal.Speaking of the spindle and shaft: 1Zpresso is one of only two manual grinder makers who currently recommend their grinders are compatible with electric drills. In fact, the shaft connector is the same size as the bit holder in most electric and cordless drills. They can claim this because their spindle shafts are thicker metal than most other manual grinder makers’ designs on the market currently.
So basically when the Jim Hoffmanns of the world recommend using an electric drill to power your manual grinder, you really shouldn’t, unless you own a 1Zpresso manual grinder (or 3Bomber’s Blade R3, or certain KINGrinders).
Moving down from the lid, we have 1Zpresso’s unique (and frankly: amazing) external grind selection dial. It actually works a bit opposite from their other grinders: Rotating it clockwise both lowers the dial into the grinder body more, and make the grind coarser. On their X-Ultra and K-Ultra clockwise rotation also makes the grind coarser, but the dial itself doesn’t move up or down.
The adjustment dial is easy to grip, and features 100 very reassuring and confident clicks per full rotation. The adjustment dial can be rotated a total of five times, giving you 500 (!!!!) total click settings. At the fine end, it stops rotating when the burrs are locked together (and the grinder is factory calibrated to be indicating 0 at this lock point). The collar will also stop rotating after 5 clockwise rotations at the top end, or 500th click.
There are numbers 0 through 9 embossed on the grind dial, with an embossed dot between each. Between each number are ten click settings (the dot indicates the 5th click in each range). They are easy to read in most lighting conditions. The grind selection indicator on the grinder body is five rows of dots, shaped like a pyramid, with the lowest row having 5 dots, and the top row having one dot.
I have a lot to say about this grind selection dial and how it works (including an absolutely ingenious feature 1Zpresso built into it) which will come later on in this First Look.
The top of the spindle; very strong and thick, and will fit standard drill bit holders. The grind dial is easy to read and very study.Below the grind selection dial is the grip area for the grinder. If you only rely on photographs of this grinder, you might think this area is wrapped with fabric, showcasing the 1Zpresso logo. It’s actually textured silicone, and very grippy. This keeps your hand very secure when operating the grinder.
Moving down the grinder, the narrow diameter of the grip area bulges out to a wider diameter for the lower body. There is a hash ring around the body and just below that, the catch cup is attached, via 12 rare-earth magnets.
This design is the result of 1Zpresso’s long term experience designing these grinders and getting user feedback. In previous versions of their magnetic catch-cup grinders, the grip area was the same diameter as the catch cup. Because there was little separation between the grip area, sometimes users would accidentally dislodge the magnetic catch cups while operating the grinder, sending ground coffee flying everywhere.
With this new design, your hand stays more secure in the grip area, and is much less prone to accidentally knocking the catch cup off. 1Zpresso also beefed up (upgraded as they say!) the magnets to stronger versions.
The main grip is made from textured silicone. On its own, it gives a good no-slip area to hold the grinder. If you still find it slipping, put the included silicone ring on this area. The grip, and curves keep your hand steady while operating the grinder. A lot of magnets built into the catch cup; the X-Ultra has more than previous models. The overall shape and design of the grinder helps give a confident grip and assurance in use.The catch cup can be removed either a) through brute force, pulling it straight down, or b) much easier by just twisting it slightly then pulling it down. The magnets line up with counter-magnets built into the main body of the grinder, so twisting the catch cup misaligned them, taking away their magnet effect.
The catch cup’s capacity is just under 40 grams of ground coffee. The J-Ultra’s hopper can hold about 38.5g of coffee in my testing, which is in line with 1Zpresso’s claim of 35-40g capacity.
Right at the bottom of the grinder is a silicone footpad, with the 1Zpresso logo on it. I mention this because the addition of this kind of material gives long term benefits from a manual grinder. It makes it less prone to slide around and topple over on your counter or table, and long term, will prevent possible damage to wood table tops and the like. It also just makes less noise when you put the grinder back on your table or countertop.
The bottom silicone pad, an upgrade from just leaving this area as metal.Overall, the 1Zpresso J-Ultra is just… a work of engineering art. Curves in the right places. Finished edges. Graceful lines. Fit and finish is honestly the best in the industry. This grinder looks and feels like a precision instrument. It is very reassuring and inspires confidence in its use.
Unlike the X-Ultra, the J-Ultra only comes in one colour choice: it’s a bit hard to describe, but it’s like a midnight blue-purple colour that almost seems like a midnight grey in some light, more purple in other light, and more midnight blue in different light. 1Zpresso themselves call it “iron grey”.
What’s Inside
A lot of engineering, that’s what. The entire gear design for the grind selection is brilliant and unique to the J-Ultra (the K and X Ultras are different). The grind dial actually moves up and down on the J-Ultra when adjusting the dial, which also leads to one of the grinder’s killer features, detailed more below.
The spindle is held in place by three bearing rings and three connection points, two of them a solid range of metal. Way back in the bad old days of manual grinders, spindles would wobble as you operated the grinder, causing very uneven grinds. The spindle arm in the J-Ultra stays absolutely straight through the full 360 degree rotation of the grind handle.
The grind selection click dial built into the top of the grinder is very solid and gives reassuring clicks for each individual grind setting. If you want to do just one click (8 microns!) adjustment, you can, with confidence. The grinder can be taken apart entirely without tools, and this starts at the top. Rotate the grind selection a full rotation from zero, then push up on the bottom burr, and you can unscrew the top lock nut, by hand, to disconnect the spindle from the grind selection mechanism. Slide the spindle down through the body, and the spindle with attached inner burr will pop out.
The J-Ultra, completely disassembled. The burr stack, with the three attaching nuts / bearings. The Ti-coated burr has a unique cutting pattern in 1zpresso's lineup. A super close up shows additional groves in the sloping surfaces. The burr in place show an all black area at the bottom of the grinder's insides. The outer burr, hard mounted into a section of the grinder shows pretty agressive teeth patterns. Another closeup of the burr, note the details in the design. A side view of the main three parts of the grinder. Unlike previous generations, the "stack" of the burr in the J-Ultra is permanently attached - you can remove the washer and spring, but the burr is hard mounted on the spindle.For the J-Ultra, 1Zpresso ditched their mounting bottom plate for the burr. It is now directly attached to the spindle (on previous models, only the bottom plate was attached, and the burr mounted on it via a steel nub). You can remove the burr from the spindle, but there is absolutely no reason to do so, unless you need to replace the burrs.
The burrs themselves are a custom 48mm heptagonal (7 bladed) design, titanium coated. These burrs are different from the ones in 1Zpresso’s other Ultra series grinders. They are specifically tuned for better output in the espresso and finer range, but still do an excellent job for drip coffee, and a good job for press pot grinding.
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After putting about 2.5kg of old coffee through the J-Ultra to season it, (thank God it is drill compatible!), I started actually using the grinder for its primary use: espresso output. Using 1Zpresso’s guide, which says espresso starts at 100 clicks (one full rotation of the dial off zero), I set it to 110 clicks 1+1) and loaded up 18.5g to pull in our lab machine, a Breville Dual Boiler.
The first shots ran very tight, so an adjustment 10 clicks (keeping in mind that’s 80 microns of vertical burr travel, but only about 40-50um actual grind size difference), tried again. This time too fast. I took off 4 clicks (32 microns vertical, about 18um particle size), and as they say in Australia, bob’s your uncle: I had a nearly perfect (visually, and time based) shot of espresso, delivering out 45g of liquor in 35 seconds (including the 10 second preinfusion). This is based on our long standing espresso testing regimen.
Taste? It was a postcard perfect representation of what Social Coffee’s People’s Daily blend can deliver. This was looking very promising.
I happen to be a closet Turkish Coffee fan, and have an automatic Turkish coffee maker. I noted that 1Zpresso gleefully claim their grinder can do the powder grind needed for Turkish, so I set that up next. 7.1 on the dial, or 71 clicks off zero.
It took some time, and the grinder was pretty hard to crank at times but we got there, and I got powder. Almost talcum powder levels of coffee grounds. And it brewed a lovely, foamy cup of turkish coffee. This is significant, because even though it was a difficult and long grind session, a) it was easier than other turkish-capable grinders I have, and b) I felt I could go even finer.
Third, pour over testing. Comparing to other products’ output would come later on, I just wanted to see how the cup tasted using the J-Ultra and brewing in a Hario Mugen / Switch hack device. To get there, 1Zpresso recommends 2.7 on the click dial – that is, 2 full rotations, then go to 7. 270 clicks off zero! But because the selection dial and markings are so well made, rotating it and getting there was easy. The little pyramid indicator (more on that below) also helps keep track of how many full rotations you’ve done on the grinder.
Absolutely no complaints about the pour over quality from this grinder. In fact, it was one of the better cups I’d had in a few weeks. And fast… this grinder is very fast for a manual grinder. Visually, I didn’t see a lot of excessive fines either, either in my hand, on a white table, or in the filter.
The J-Ultra delivers. Especially for espresso.
The Killer Feature
For many, the killer feature of the 1Zpresso J-Ultra is the grind selection dial and the micron adjustment size: just 8 microns in vertical movement in the burr set (which translates to about 5 microns or smaller in actual grind change) per click. And each click feels very precise.
That’s not my fave killer feature though, no matter how amazing it is. No, mine is the innovative way 1Zpresso shows how many rotations you’ve made on the grind selection dial! Because the dial moves up and down on the body as you adjust the grind, for each full 360 rotation of the dial, a set of dots is displayed at the adjustment marker. When the grinder is “zeroed” out, meaning the burrs are fully locked, the dial reads “zero” at the marker point, and the marker is a pyramid of five rows of dots: 5 dots at the bottom, 4, then 3, then 2, then finally 1 dot at the top. When you do a full rotation coarser, the first single dot row is hidden by the grind dial, showing 2 dots, indicating the grinder is on its second 360 rotation. Keep going coarser, and then the 3 dot line is the first visible one. And so on.
It’s brilliant, because this grinder has so many clicks to get from an espresso grind to pour over grind (about 140 total clicks between those two!), this little indicator really helps you know exactly where the grinder is in its range of 500 (!!!!!) total clicks.
At zero, or locked, the pyramid indicates all five rows, with 1 dot at the top. At one full rotation, the pyramid shows that you are on the second rotation. After 2 rotations, the 3 dot row is shown, indicating you are on your third rotation with 3 full rotations, the indicator shows 4 dots. After rotating the dial 4 times, the last row with 5 dots shows.Speaking of clicks: the dial has embossed numbers from 0 to 9 on it, with a mid dot between each number. Going one full number on the dial is 10 clicks in the grind setting. This means one full 360 degree rotation on the dial is 100 clicks. The dial can be rotated 5 total times (it has a lock out at the coarse end). Given that each click is 8 microns of burr movement vertically, this grinder has an effective range of 0 microns to 4,000 microns, in 500 steps.
Keep in mind, this is vertical movement. The actual grind particle size varies across this range because of the overall shape and curve of the burrs: in the turkish to espresso range, it could be 3 microns change in particle size per click, expanding to around 6 microns by the time you get to press pot. Based on some initial evaluation, the effective grinding particle size of this grinder is 150 microns to about 1800 microns.
1Zpresso recommends starting at 7.5 (or about 75 clicks off zero) for turkish style powder (I did this at 7.1). Espresso range starts at 1 full rotation (0, or 100 clicks) through 140 (1rotation+4). Aeropress starts at 2 full rotations (200 clicks), pour over at 2rotations+5, (250 clicks), Chemex / no-bypass brewers at 3rotations+5 (350 clicks), and press pot at 4 full rotations.
That may seem like a lot of clicks – 400 to get to press pot? – but in reality, it’s very easy to do, and the pyramid dot indicators help you know how many rotations you’ve done.
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For this First Look, this section is going to be very brief. I put the grinder up against its siblings, the K-Ultra and X-Ultra, and also tested the output next to the Lagom Mini, Turin SK40 and Baratza Encore ESP.
Against the 1Zpresso K-Ultra and X-Ultra
The J-Ultra is very close in size and shape to 1Zpresso’s K-Ultra; they are even the same colour externally. Two main elements of each grinder is quite different: the K=Ultra’s grind selection system is different engineering and has a bigger micron gap between clicks; and second, the burr group in the K-Ultra is a different design and composition when compared to that inside the J-Ultra.
K-Ultra on the left, J-Ultra on the right. Note the K's different grind dial, and the black handle.The K-Ultra is 1Zpresso’s “brew primary” grinder, meaning it s designed for optimal pour over, drip, and Aeropress coffee brewing. It is very capable as an espresso grinder, but you don’t have the fine dial in adjustment ability that the J-Ultra provides.
For the First Look, I organized 3 side by side blind taste tests of espresso shots using our standard formula of 18.5g in, 45g out in 35 seconds on our lab machine, the Breville Dual Boiler. After calibrating the grinders as best I could, three samples were brewed and tasted, and in all three cases, the J-Ultra presented the better shot. It was a close sampling, and in two cases, I had to drink the entire shots to come up with my determination.
On pour over tests, the K-Ultra produces a slightly cleaner, more balanced shot with a slightly faster flow through time, telling me that the J-Ultra, for a V60 style grind, produces slightly more fines.
The X-Ultra… this is 1Zpresso’s “all purpose” grinder, equally capable on espresso as it is on pour over. The X-Ultra has a much finer micron adjustment range between its clicks, which provides the grinder better dial in ability. The burrs look similar to the K-Ultra burrs, but I’ve been told they are a slightly different geometry and pattern. Taste wise, the X-Ultra is very, very close to the J-Ultra on espresso. I didn’t do the formal 3 shot blind taste test I did with the K-Ultra, but some informal side by side tasting, and I struggled to find a difference between the X and J models.
I will say the X-Ultra, with its more-slim body and weight is actually my favourite of the three models to use. It seems to just work better in my hands.
The X-Ultra on the left. It turns a bit easier, and I like the feel better, but that is personal preference.Against the Lagom Mini
I didn’t think I’d find another conical burr grinder that produced better espresso and pour over results than the Lagom Mini. That grinder is absolutely amazing.
But guess what: the J-Ultra edged it out on espresso taste. It was so close, I had to do 3 different taste tests, and the J-Ultra won 2 of the 3. It’s also faster to grind for espresso: I could do 18.5g in the J-Ultra in about 45 seconds or less; the Lagom Mini’s electric motor takes almost 60 seconds.
On pour over, the Lagom Mini remains the champ, at least compared to the J-Ultra. Cups are more expressive, more rounded, more things to discover. Again, the taste difference is pretty slight, but on three blind tests, the Mini won all 3, one almost a tie though.
Testing the J-Ultra against the Lagom Mini and Timemore C3 ESP Pro.Baratza Encore ESP
When I get into the full review process, this one is going to be the most interesting lineup: the J-Ultra and Encore ESP are the same retail price, but offer very different packages to the end user.
In a very brief side by side test of both grinders, the J-Ultra is the “ultimate” in terms of dial in ability. As lauded as the Encore ESP’s espresso-side grind adjustment system is, it cannot match the calibrated magic that the J-Ultra offers. I found on the Encore ESP going one click difference on the grind selection resulted in no real changes some times, and other times, a very big jump in shot times. This tells me the collar doesn’t always move with each single click, but will jump a big jump in selection at other times.
Look, on its own, the Encore ESP’s adjustment system is fantastic. But when you put it up against the precision tool that the J-Ultra is, you see issues.
On taste, I also have to give the nod to the J-Ultra’s shots. As mentioned way earlier in this First Look, I had a postcard perfect example of what our test coffee – Social Coffee’s People’s Daily Blend – has to offer, with the J-Ultra. I didn’t get to that level of shot perfection with the Encore ESP.
When it comes to pour over grinds, I found the grinders were a lot closer in taste quality, but again, the J-Ultra offers way way tighter grind dial in ability, which also gives it the edge. It’s also pretty fast hand grinding 21g for pour over: around 30 seconds. It won’t match the 10-ish seconds of the Encore ESP (not to mention the Encore does the work for you), but it is noticeably fast.
Turin SK40
We didn’t do any real tests against the Turin SK40 and the J-Ultra for this First Look, but plan to compare them in our Full Review.
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Given that I had one of the best shot pulls ever from our test-standard espresso blend, Social Coffee’s People’s Daily, and dial in was extremely easy, those two factors alone really speak volumes for how fantastic 1Zpresso’s J-Ultra manual grinder really is.
I don’t want our First Looks to draw too many conclusions; for that reason we don’t score products in these articles or give final ratings. But it’s hard not to, with the J-Ultra.
Everything about the grinder screams quality, engineering perfection and precision. I struggle to find anything I don’t like about the grinder. The least favourite thing is the handle design; I don’t like how difficult it is to fold down to its storage position, and don’t like how it has a click-lock half way through the process (why did they design it that way?) But the handle and crank arm itself function excellent under operation and make the grinder very easy to use.
All the materials, all the construction, the ways the 1Zpresso J-Ultra go together are best in class. As an espresso grinder, I don’t think this has an equal in the market. I was also amazed at its Turkish coffee grinding ability. As a brew grinder, it is more than capable, being beat by a few models (including it’s sibling, the K-Ultra) but not by any large measure most home baristas would notice.
$200 may seem a lot for a manual grinder. Considering the Commandantes and other ultra-premium grinders are $100 to $150 more, and the grinder I have that is closest in terms of output – the Lagom Mini – is double the price (and slower on output), $200 is a pretty decent price.
Sometimes when I do a First Look, I have a gut feeling my Full Review might change some of my opinion; in the case of the 1Zpresso J-Ultra, I’m confident my opinion of this grinder will only get better.
This grinder is the complete package with a special focus on espresso. The case, the accessories, the build quality, the materials, everything are best of class. If you want one of the best espresso grinders on the market today, this is the model for you.
If you are interested in this grinder, please consider buying it via our affiliate link with Amazon. The small income we make from these sales keeps our website going.
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A new toy!
Or .. maybe not. It's actually practical and I got it for a reason.
Following my father's heavy surgery next week, I will have to visit my parents more often. If he survives at least.Which means I need some good coffee.
For work, I bought myself a super compact 1zpresso Q2s Heptagonal.
Which fits inside the plunger of an Aeropress for easy transport.
Which is ideal for traveling.I didn't want to spend another 100 bucks on a another grinder (since I already have the much more expensive DF64 and Ode 2 (Or 1,5 hackers edition XD) and the Q2S.
But then I saw the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro on sale for just a little over 70.
Which is really a great price.
It's sturdy, has decent conical burrs, enough capacity and grinds reasonably fast.
(I would have prefered a numbered scale for the grind settings, tho. If you forget your number you have to zero it again.
No big deal, can be done in seconds. But it's a design oversight in my opinion)
Also, the White version is gorgeous. Almost has a ceramic feel to it.
So here it is for you!In theory, it could do espresso, but it is not specifically made for it.
It's better to use it for all other brewing methods, like Pour-over, Aeropress, French Press etc.I will switch out my workplace 1Zpresso Q2S for the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro, so I can take the more compact Q2S for traveling.
-
A new toy!
Or .. maybe not. It's actually practical and I got it for a reason.
Following my father's heavy surgery next week, I will have to visit my parents more often. If he survives at least.Which means I need some good coffee.
For work, I bought myself a super compact 1zpresso Q2s Heptagonal.
Which fits inside the plunger of an Aeropress for easy transport.
Which is ideal for traveling.I didn't want to spend another 100 bucks on a another grinder (since I already have the much more expensive DF64 and Ode 2 (Or 1,5 hackers edition XD) and the Q2S.
But then I saw the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro on sale for just a little over 70.
Which is really a great price.
It's sturdy, has decent conical burrs, enough capacity and grinds reasonably fast.
(I would have prefered a numbered scale for the grind settings, tho. If you forget your number you have to zero it again.
No big deal, can be done in seconds. But it's a design oversight in my opinion)
Also, the White version is gorgeous. Almost has a ceramic feel to it.
So here it is for you!In theory, it could do espresso, but it is not specifically made for it.
It's better to use it for all other brewing methods, like Pour-over, Aeropress, French Press etc.I will switch out my workplace 1Zpresso Q2S for the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro, so I can take the more compact Q2S for traveling.
-
A new toy!
Or .. maybe not. It's actually practical and I got it for a reason.
Following my father's heavy surgery next week, I will have to visit my parents more often. If he survives at least.Which means I need some good coffee.
For work, I bought myself a super compact 1zpresso Q2s Heptagonal.
Which fits inside the plunger of an Aeropress for easy transport.
Which is ideal for traveling.I didn't want to spend another 100 bucks on a another grinder (since I already have the much more expensive DF64 and Ode 2 (Or 1,5 hackers edition XD) and the Q2S.
But then I saw the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro on sale for just a little over 70.
Which is really a great price.
It's sturdy, has decent conical burrs, enough capacity and grinds reasonably fast.
(I would have prefered a numbered scale for the grind settings, tho. If you forget your number you have to zero it again.
No big deal, can be done in seconds. But it's a design oversight in my opinion)
Also, the White version is gorgeous. Almost has a ceramic feel to it.
So here it is for you!In theory, it could do espresso, but it is not specifically made for it.
It's better to use it for all other brewing methods, like Pour-over, Aeropress, French Press etc.I will switch out my workplace 1Zpresso Q2S for the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro, so I can take the more compact Q2S for traveling.
-
A new toy!
Or .. maybe not. It's actually practical and I got it for a reason.
Following my father's heavy surgery next week, I will have to visit my parents more often. If he survives at least.Which means I need some good coffee.
For work, I bought myself a super compact 1zpresso Q2s Heptagonal.
Which fits inside the plunger of an Aeropress for easy transport.
Which is ideal for traveling.I didn't want to spend another 100 bucks on a another grinder (since I already have the much more expensive DF64 and Ode 2 (Or 1,5 hackers edition XD) and the Q2S.
But then I saw the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro on sale for just a little over 70.
Which is really a great price.
It's sturdy, has decent conical burrs, enough capacity and grinds reasonably fast.
(I would have prefered a numbered scale for the grind settings, tho. If you forget your number you have to zero it again.
No big deal, can be done in seconds. But it's a design oversight in my opinion)
Also, the White version is gorgeous. Almost has a ceramic feel to it.
So here it is for you!In theory, it could do espresso, but it is not specifically made for it.
It's better to use it for all other brewing methods, like Pour-over, Aeropress, French Press etc.I will switch out my workplace 1Zpresso Q2S for the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro, so I can take the more compact Q2S for traveling.
-
More on the #1ZPresso's J-Ultra grinder, Asser, the Coffee Chronicler, did a video on it last month, which was a big influence on my own opinion of the grinder and 1ZPresso in general.
-
More on the #1ZPresso's J-Ultra grinder, Asser, the Coffee Chronicler, did a video on it last month, which was a big influence on my own opinion of the grinder and 1ZPresso in general.
-
More on the #1ZPresso's J-Ultra grinder, Asser, the Coffee Chronicler, did a video on it last month, which was a big influence on my own opinion of the grinder and 1ZPresso in general.
-
More on the #1ZPresso's J-Ultra grinder, Asser, the Coffee Chronicler, did a video on it last month, which was a big influence on my own opinion of the grinder and 1ZPresso in general.
-
More on the #1ZPresso's J-Ultra grinder, Asser, the Coffee Chronicler, did a video on it last month, which was a big influence on my own opinion of the grinder and 1ZPresso in general.
-
I always seem to get good news late in the evening.
We're going to be reviewing both the J-Ultra and X-Ultra grinders from 1Zpresso in the next few months. I've been looking forward to using these grinders for a long time now.
Our Blog contributor Natia owns a J-Max, and absolutely loves it. The J-Ultra is the successor grinder. Many believe it is THE BEST manual espresso grinder on the market today. I finally get to find out if that's true.
-
I always seem to get good news late in the evening.
We're going to be reviewing both the J-Ultra and X-Ultra grinders from 1Zpresso in the next few months. I've been looking forward to using these grinders for a long time now.
Our Blog contributor Natia owns a J-Max, and absolutely loves it. The J-Ultra is the successor grinder. Many believe it is THE BEST manual espresso grinder on the market today. I finally get to find out if that's true.