Turin DF64E - In Depth Review
About a year and a half ago the Turin DF64 took the world by storm. A simple and effective home espresso grinder with the same burrs that are used in many commercial machines. It is designed for drip and espresso, and the ease of adjusting the settings was another huge win for this grinder. While the original DF64 had mostly positives, there were a few things that left people desiring more. The DF64E (electronic dosing) and DF64P (Premium) offer a more espresso focused grinder.
Low retention grinders have also become a major concern for home users. Most of us are only grinding enough beans for maybe 1-4 cups of coffee or espresso per day. On most coffee grinders without bellows, a small quantity of grounds will be left in the grinder until the next time you use it. Not with the DF64 and their bellows system!
I originally heard talks of the DF64P, a premium version of the DF64 which was more suited towards only espresso. I did not however know they were talking about the DF64E with timed electronic dosing! I am a huge fan of electronic dosing for the day to day use, but even better the DF64E is designed for both timed dosing as well as single dosing.
I got my hands on the DF64E, and WOW I loved it immediately. A completely upgraded DF64, at first appearing to be extremely similar to the traditional DF64, but I was wrong. The E model has a small display with multiple dosing options and a manual grinding function similar to many of the prosumer electronic dosing grinders on the market. It also has many of the premium wood features as well as many upgrades throughout the grinder.
The E model gives you the flexibility of single dosing with a bellows, or the biggest change is the addition of a hopper! The hopper is extremely well made with a smoked plastic glass appearance. It is much nicer than I was expecting for this grinder. The bellows is basically the same as the DF64, but slightly shorter base. The lid of the bellows on the grinder I received has an upgraded walnut lid! Looks fantastic
Premium accents with a wooden bellows lid.
If you are curious, yes the hopper does fit onto the traditional DF64 and yes Espresso Outlet is planning to sell them.
If I haven't already mentioned it (I did) but both E and P models have been been upgraded with wood accents which most people love! They really add a nice touch to your kitchen and espresso bar. My wife said she loved the wood and looks very premium on the counter.
Now here's where things are even more different. The original DF64's adjustment mechanism used a collar on the top of the grinder which spun to adjust the grind setting. The DF64E (and P) have an adjustment mechanism on the bottom of the grinder. The dial is easy to read and the adjustment lever is easy to adjust. Why is this a big deal? Well, with this style of adjustment mechanism it is adjusting the bottom burr rather than the top burr. If we were to remove the top burr for cleaning, as long as you don't touch the adjustment mechanism, after cleaning your setting will remain the same. Very similar to Eureka grinders.
Here is a picture showing how easy it is to remove the top burr for cleaning. Utilize the supplied Allen wrench to remove the top burr. It only takes a few seconds and gives you zero excuses to not clean this grinder regularly.
Now one thing I noticed right away is the dosing cup does kind of block the adjustment mechanism. This might be a bit annoying for some. I recommend using a "Turin Tiler" from Portakeeper to move the cup slightly upwards and at an angle. Doing so allows for easy access! If you are getting your DF64E or P from Espresso Outlet, there is a drop down menu to add a Turin Tilter at checkout.
The dosing cup on mine was identical to the DF64 dose cup, as was the portafilter/dose cup fork. So if you wanted to dose directly into the portafilter, it is not a problem.
The electronics are extremely easy to use, which is a huge plus. Some grinders are very difficult to adjust the timers. On the DF64E, simply hold down the dose button and use the single/double buttons as a +/- button for the time. After the time has been adjusted, hit the same button again and your time will be retained. See the following video for a better in depth explanation.
I am sure the thing everyone is wondering is how is the retention on this grinder compared to the DF64? Well my V1 DF64 was very good with minimal retention, but that was much upgraded on my V2 with stock clump breaker membranes. On the DF64E, the clump breakers were a lot different from the regular DF64. Mine came with 2 thin plastic layers, they appear to be a great upgrade! Also, if you are wanting to play with only using 1, or the other style, or removing completely, it is much easier to access the clump breakers compared to the DF64.
For disassembling the DF64E, check out the following video, it should answer most of your questions for upgrades.
Now, retention is a bit different depending on if you are using the bellows or the hopper. Naturally with the hopper, it will retain a bit more. With the bellows, its even better than ever! My grinder retains almost zero.
So what's not to like? Well, I want people to know, I consider this an espresso grinder. It is not a full range multipurpose grinder like the DF64 is. The easy to adjust fine adjustments does a spectacular job with dialing in your espresso shots, but the range just is not enough to use this grinder for all coffee methods. You might be able to adjust the grinders zero, but it is really designed for espresso.
I am a huge fan of timed dosing, my daily grinder is the Atom 75. Waking up and pulling a few shots with ease is amazing. No weighing, no messing around. Just pull your shots and go. I found this to be the same with the DF64E as long as your timers are set accurately. Come the weekend, if you are inclined to spend some extra time and use some different beans, you can easily use the single dose feature to make the perfect cup of espresso!
Should you get the DF64E (or P)? I would say its an amazing espresso grinder right out of the box. If all you want is espresso, you will not be disappointed. I mean, my Atom 75, Superjolly, and K30 are really only used for espresso, so this is not a new phenomenon. If you are looking for a dedicated drip grinder, the Turin SD40 or the traditional DF64 are great options to use as dedicated drip grinders.
One of my favorite options with selecting the DF64 is the ability to use SSP Burrs to upgrade an already great grinder. I have been loving both the Multipurpose Unimodal as well as the Cast burrs. If you end up upgrading the burrs, but are left scratching your head during the installation process, check out this video I put together to help you out.
I have been eagerly waiting to get my hands on this grinder and it did not disappoint. I did test with stock burrs, but the Multipurpose Unimodal have taken this grinder to the next level. Who is this grinder for? Well it could be for anyone, but I really recommend it for a dedicated espresso grinder. It is value packed with electronic dosing as well as single dosing options. Low retention, great aesthetics, and an ease to use, both with dialing in as well as the daily use of the grinder. You can pick up the DF64E at Espresso Outlet Here
If Electronic dosing is not your thing, you can still opt for the DF64P without electronic dosing here
If you are still unsure, or want to compare these two grinders to the original DF64, here is a link to the original.
Pros:
- Fine adjustment mechanism is next level for dialing in espresso.
- Upgraded wood accents, overall redesign while looking the same.
- Electronic dosing allows you to used timed dosing or single dosing. The electronics are very simple to use
- Finally offering a hopper, but also the bellows, which makes this a great grinder to suit your preference.
- 64mm burrs accept premium SSP burr options.
- Choose between using a dosing cup or grinding directly into a portafilter.
Cons:
- Limited grind range. It is less of a multipurpose grinder, and more of an espresso focused grinder. You can look at this as either a pro or a con. You might be able to use for other brew methods by readjusting the zero, but now you will lose some of the finer grinding capabilities.
- Using the hopper prevents you from using a bellows unless you wanted to pull the hopper off and use the bellows, and then replace.
- Some people find it a bit loud compared to the DF64. It is still an acceptable loudness. It does appear a bit louder than the traditional DF64.
