COFFEE
Overview
The Major-E is a heavy duty grinder designed for medium-high throughput in a commercial setting. Sitting in the middle of the Mazzer range- a big brother to the ever popular Super Jolly and Mini, and little brother to the Kony and Robur- the Major E is almost identical to the Mazzer Royal, the difference being the slower motor speed on the Royal to keep the coffee cool whilst grinding.
Initial Impressions
Heavy- Mazzers are renowned for their cast steel bodies and solid build quality, and the Major-E maintains that reputation and more. The polished steel dosing funnel dramatically contrasts against the hardened steel body- this is industrial design that looks great on a cafe counter. The Lid housing the digital timer controls and dose buttons brings the design right up to date, and is technical but simple to use.
The large hopper will hold 1.8kg and in our experience grinds and doses more consistently when the hopper is at least half full, though this is generally the case with most grinders.
Grind Quality
We're very familiar with this model, and use it as the main grinder in our espresso bar. The grind quality is fantastic- very smooth, fluffy grinds, slightly clumpy at very fine settings (as with most grinders)- with even distribution, neat and fairly direct with the odd half gram being strewn onto the counter by static.
Timer Setting
The dose timer can be adjusted in 0.05 second increments, allowing for incredibly accurate dose control. Initially the time for 18g was around 8/9 seconds, but once the burrs had ground over 10kg, the time significantly reduced to around 5/6 seconds.
Grind Retention
Usually with grinders, the larger you go, a higher amount of grind is retained. The Major holds around 10-12g in the exit path, which isn't uncommon for a grinder of its size, and as it is on demand, there is lower grind retention than its dosered counterpart.
Conclusion
The Mazzer Major-E is an amazing grinder for medium-high volume use (up to 500 shots per day). It is fairly simple to use, doesn't waste lots of coffee, allows for accurate dose and grind changes with its digital timer, and also offers stepless grind adjustment.
We enjoy grinding with the Mazzer Major-E and use it daily in the espresso bar as our main grinder. We would also recommend this for growing commercial settings, as business grows and something quicker is needed, this would serve as an efficient secondary grinder.
