A4Z Electric Coffee Grinder

as someone who also finally got to where they want with pour over in 2025, I'm surprised by the pushback op is getting and the amount of downvotes some of his comments got, the guy seems like someone throwing out what worked for them to start a discussion around it and hopefully pick up some new tips along the way. I found out a few things too: 1. A good grinder is the best upgrade you can have, but not everything you see online can apply or necessarily would be to your liking/taste, i tried a zp6 (a friend lend me his for a week) then discovered that high clarity grinders are just not for me, got a k-ultra instead and I can't be happier, it really is true that high clarity burrs are way less forgiving to bad technique/bad beans and I enjoy a syrupy body more than flavor separation. 2. Water is the next biggest upgrade i saw, when i first started, i used the everyday cooler water, followed by bottled mineral water, then the biggest impact was when i first tried TWW from a friend who gave me a sachet (light roast), followed by buying the big bulk size of CoffeeWater minerals (125 gallons), seemed weird at first since they aren't discussed around as much as TWW but the price was way more appealing ($30 for the big pack) made a concentrate and experimented with TDS (got a cheap meter for like $10) until I settled around 120 TDS which I found to be (to my tastes at least) a great balance between body and clarity and enjoyed the results more than I did with TWW (this is all subjective of course) and with that I finally got to enjoy some coffees that I was thinking of gifting away (looking at you funky Ethiopian beans) or relegating to burr seasoning thinking that the roaster was bullshitting with the notes on the bag. 3. It's fine to have more than one brewer, just make sure that you understand the strengths and shortcomings of the design as everything is a tradeoff (flat vs conical for example), and if you really want to have fun, avoid redundancy at first, get something that you don't have to see clearer differences in the cup (after getting the grind and water dialed down). 4. Different paper filters warrant different techniques, as long as you stay away from the tabbed harios in my experience, i could just never get consistent results with them, might be a skill issue but again this is my experience. 5. Try to understand the why behind the different recipes you see online and when to add or subtract pours for example, this alone improved my technique and results tenfold. Finally, AVOID HYPER OPTIMIZATION, I remember I went through a phase where I obsessed over every gram of water and every 0.1 gram of coffee while preparing a cup, instead take a more "bob Ross-ian" approach, this is meant to be fun and interesting, that's why we started doing it in the first place, not another KPI or work item to add to our already overstimulated lives.

I have the Oxo and I think with a lower budget, it's really hard to beat. I have a C3S and ZP6 as well.

It's a ZP6 with more body. If you want to grind for a 1:4 ORB soup shot, you will need two grind cycles for 18-20g of coffee. If you can live with it taking about 60 seconds to grind for a normal pourover, then do it. It's on par with a handgrinder. While grinding I go rinse my filter and prep everything else. I'm happy with mine, I can't compare to a Pietro. My comandante and ode 2 are collecting dust right now.

I have 4. A C40 and a Zp6 for pour over (one stays at work). And a DF64V and a niche zero for espresso. Got the Df64V to try flat burrs for espresso so might sell the niche but tempted to keep it for dark roasts.

Taste wise Zp6 hands down

Got the A4z for grinding for pourover; or more precisely right now with technovorm mochamaster (spelling?) It grinds enough for 10 cup coffee maker, and coarse enough to use. It is small and very heavy-comes with travel case. It takes about 3 minutes to compltely cycle through a grind when full. The grind seems uniform. I believe it has a feature that breaks beans apart before actually grinding them; so maybe that is why it is slower. Must be careful not to fill to brim with beans, otherwise the brush that rotates to keep the bottom of grind area clean will fall off in grind cup every time- I am surprised I have not brewed with this small piece lost in ground beans, and then even worse thrown brewed beans in garbage, along with brush.Just do not overfill, or make sure tiny little magnetically attached brush still there. One thing this grinder seems to do better than my ode gen 2 with stock burrs, is it produces much less coffee fines; so filter does not get clogged with fines; and has more uniform grind.

The Ode Gen 2 is a significant upgrade over an Encore, but if you're going to be spending that much money on a grinder, just get an a4z for a little more, which is a significant upgrade over the Ode Gen 2. I personally upgraded over the years from encore -> vario -> ode gen 2 -> a4z. Just skip the middle, go right for the a4z.

I use my Zp6 more than my ode. I use Ode for 3+ cups of coffee

I would go for a hand grinder over Ode Gen 2 (just sold mine last week after not really using it for months). If you don't want to hand crank, consider a Femobook over the Ode (i have an A4Z), unless you absolutely want 64mm flat burrs.

I picked up a Pietro (coated burrs) about 3–4 months ago and not gonna lie, I hated it at first. It was throwing a ton of fines and the cups were not very clear. I kept getting this bitter finish. It has gotten noticeably better with daily use but the workflow is still kind of a pain. I grabbed the Femobook A4Z a couple of weeks ago and it was the opposite experience- great cups straight away with loads of clarity. For context, I came from a ZP6 and was happy with that. If this is mainly for home use , I would go A4Z. I still use the Pietro at work during the week and I am fine with it now, but I would not choose it for convenience at home.

I have kept the ZP6 for home use as my wife flat out refused to use the Pietro at home. Once the A4Z arrived I ended up gifting the zp6. Honestly though, I have really enjoyed the ZP6. Its straightforward and pleasant to use. If you are into delicate and tea like brews it absolutely delivers. People often assume the A4Z and ZP6 share the same burrs (and maybe they do) but in the cup they do not taste identical to me. A4Z gives noticeably more body.

I picked up a Pietro (coated burrs) about 3–4 months ago and not gonna lie, I hated it at first. It was throwing a ton of fines and the cups were not very clear. I kept getting this bitter finish. It has gotten noticeably better with daily use but the workflow is still kind of a pain. I grabbed the Femobook A4Z a couple of weeks ago and it was the opposite experience- great cups straight away with loads of clarity. For context, I came from a ZP6 and was happy with that. If this is mainly for home use , I would go A4Z. I still use the Pietro at work during the week and I am fine with it now, but I would not choose it for convenience at home.

I have kept the ZP6 for home use as my wife flat out refused to use the Pietro at home. Once the A4Z arrived I ended up gifting the zp6. Honestly though, I have really enjoyed the ZP6. Its straightforward and pleasant to use. If you are into delicate and tea like brews it absolutely delivers. People often assume the A4Z and ZP6 share the same burrs (and maybe they do) but in the cup they do not taste identical to me. A4Z gives noticeably more body.