OPTION-O - Lagom Casa

I went from BBE to Bambino Plus. BBE is a great intro machine, but the grinder isn’t the best. I am loving the Bambino Plus (I have Lagom Casa grinder with it). All Brevilles are super easy to use and I think you’d be happy with either

I was actually happy enough with the BBE grinder (older model). But seeing constant posts about it not being the best had me curious. I know see that the steps between settings on the BBE are a little big and I am able to get better results with the Casa.

I’ve owned a 65 Casa and a gen 2 Ode. Workflow IMO goes towards the Casa. In the cup they’re fairly similar, I think you’d get slightly more clarity to my taste from the Ode, but if you only have room for one grinder then the Ode cannot do espresso without shortening its lifespan.

I LOVE my Casa

The Lagom Casa is also a good option for pour over - great work flow

I am loving my option o casa with 65mm burrs. I have the 48s as well and the bigger burrs have a noticeable decrease in astringency with better clarity and same sweetness. There have been issues with the bigger burrs grinding for espresso but I think that is mostly resolved and no reported issues for pour over usage.

The Z1 is a beast. But the Casa is amazing also, and at the price I purchased ($389 USD) is incredibly hard to beat.

So, one good grinder that is all metal that works for drip/press/etc is the lagom casa. The least expensive would be something like the df54 or 64. I think they may have a plastic spout where the grinds come out, but that's it. They are possibly more aimed towards espresso. Quality control isn't great from what I know. If you're OK with a bit of plastic outisde of the grind chamber, then something like the fellow opus or any of the baratza grinders would be great.

I have a lagom casa and I would say it does an excellent job of grinding for both filter and espresso. Pretty easy to change back and forth and has very low retention (0.1-0.2g) so I don’t even bother to purge when changing brew methods. Would recommend.

Grinder: Lagom Casa Brewer: Breville Bambino Plus The grinder is actually more important than the brewer, so you’ll get more bang for your buck there.  If you can’t wait for a Casa, you can also check out the Niche Zero, DF64, Timemore Sculptor 064, or Eureka Mignon Specialita.  The Bambino is probably good for you since you don’t drink milk drinks; most people like the brewing capability, but some people say the steam wand is a little weak.

This is obviously wrong to anyone who frequents this sub. There are tons of complaints about the Lagom Casa (mine included) and you don’t have the Pietro listed, which is talked and repeated on nearly every recommendation thread from the last 6 months.

Your budget is fine. You can easily get a good grinder that will do both, which generally means grind fine enough for espresso as that is the more demanding. Most people prefer, for multiple types of coffee making (esp. pour over and espresso), flat burrs. Just a preference thing, conical burrs can still work well with pour-over, it is just that classical people look for greater clarity with pour-over. The best answer is two grinders, one conical and one flat, but that is luxury, however, given how good and inexpensive conical hand grinders are now, that can make for a best of both worlds solution. One key question is if you want to single-dose or hopper feed. The workflow is different with pros and cons of either way. It is just a preference thing. Most people on this sub seem to be single-dosing (inc. me), just be aware that may not be what you prefer. If it was me, I would get a good budget flat electric grinder like the Turin DF54 or the Fellow, and a conical hand-grinder (a Kingrinder, Timemore or 1zpresso). If I wanted to favour espresso and only do pour-over occasionally, I would look at a grinder like the Option O Casa. Finally, if you want to go with a hopper grinder, the Eurekas models are worth looking at. As a small tip - pay attention to the noise level of the electric grinder, if you are noise sensitive. Some of them can be annoyingly loud. Hope it makes sense and helps.

\> I would prefer a single dose as I use 3 types of coffee beans I use here and there. Agreed, go with a single-dosing grinder. \> I am thinking of getting the DF54 My strong recommendation is to get one via a retailer who can support you if there are issues and not direct. My own experience of buying directly from Turin is woeful; their customer service was non-existent. If you buy from an in-country retailer, they are responsible for sorting any issues. \> Would you recommend a DF64 instead or try and get a DF54? I had a v1 DF64 previously - IMO, it is probably the best value grinder on the market today, given its price and its ability to have different burrs. Given you say you don't mind loud noise (and it is, IMO a very loud grinder), this seems like a good option for you (but buy via an in-country retailer). \> Off topic, but it seems like the DF series is way more favoured than the Niche. I am not so sure. There is a lot of talk and recommendations for them, but when you see pics of people's setups, there are an awful lot of niche zeros out there (inc. with me - I have one alongside an Option-O P64 and some hand-grinders). The Zero is not favored so strongly as the flat grinders for pour-over, it tends to get used primarily for espresso, which IMO is is very good for. Plus, has the best workflow and sound (quietness) of any grinder I have used. \> On another note, I am thinking of getting a Lagom Casa A superbly well-built and capable grinder. Option-O are legendary in the business.

It is the internet, with a global reach. Many of the subs and forums get dominated by people who need to tell why they are right and you are wrong. Having owned a DF64 and found it to be one of the loudest, most unreliable grinders backed with no customer service, I have had in 40 years, I would say well done you dodged a bullet. Anything by Option O gets my vote (I have a P64 now, owned a Mini and tested a Casa and P100). The cheaper Eurekas I like as hopper fed grinders, but not single dose (the adjustment is not consistent). Niche Zero (I have one) is bombproof, quiet and lovely adjustment. However, more of a traditional darker to medium roast grinder. A used Mazzer SJ or Mini would be bombproof and a good find.

Curious what your issues with the Lagom Casa have been? I just returned one that arrived with the top section tilted to the left so they are sending a replacement. I was also finding that it produced a ton of fines compared to my K6, but I’m hoping the replacement will not have that issue. 🤞🏻

I got a k ultra to tick me over until my Lagom casa arrives I’ve been very happy with the results of the k ultra so far both for espresso and pour over but I have only had my breville/sage barista express impress to compare with. The casa has a very small footprint and have only heard good things about it for both styles too

I have the 65 personally. I believe they have a full comparison on their site but switching between pour over would be no issue its just a dial.

I have A Lagom Casa I got from Alternative Brewing. It has been fantastic, no retention, no RDT, super simple workflow and it looks great. We are lucky in Australia, our consumer protection laws will cover you well after the “warranty” period. Most importantly these days Option-O who make Lagom are an Australian company.

It is a game changer and a ton of fun

Also, if you ever want to get into filter coffee, it is only one revolution of the grind dial. Very easy to switch back and forth.

The Lagom Casa is exceptional with pour over and espresso for medium to light beans. No retention, no RDT, auto stop and great support from a well respected manufacturer.

Have a serious look at the Lagom Casa

If you're needing to grind 60g at a time you can count the casa out, probably the P64 and varia too. The casa hopper (is it really a hopper?) supposedly holds 30g, I can comfortably feed it 37g in one go, but a 60g dose you'd definitely need to feed it in two parts. I think 60g would be pushing it for all of the hoppers you've mentioned, although I think both the ode and timemore have extended hoppers available if needed.

Eagerly awaiting my Casa. I have the Ode 2 w/ Gen 2 and SSP MP burrs, but I get far more enjoyable coffee out of my Kingrinder K6. Richer fruit notes, more rounded sweetness. I experienced the same with pourover from a friend’s Niche Zero, so my current theory is that my palate just likes the profile of coffee from conical burr grinders better. Worst case, the Casa will do espresso duty and I’ll just hand-grind for filter.

The answer is absolutely yes, and the best recommendation will depend so much on what kind of beans you like, what kind of drinks you like, and your budget. But if it were me, these would be my top choices for a two-in-one (I do both pourover and espresso, but I lean towards pourover these days): If you're willing to hand grind, 1zpresso K-Ultra or Comandante would be outstanding. Kingrinder K6 on a budget. A lot of people find this tedious but it's actually my preferred method and I swear by my 1zpressos. You won't beat a hand grinder for price to quality, and you'll save space. For electric, Lagom Mini would be fantastic and space saving, or a Lagom Casa. Timemore 078s for a slightly higher budget. If you want to blow your budget, you've got TONS of options. Lagom P64, Zerno Z1, WPM ZP-1, Acaia Orbit, Lagom O1...we could go on. The DF grinders are an option I guess...Excellent bang for your buck but I personally do not like them or recommend them at all (I have a DF64 Gen 2 and...let's just say it's gonna be gone soon).

I have both. Enjoy both but I keep the casa just for espresso. I prefer the ode 2 but that may be because the espresso fines leads to less clarity through the casa. With that said the casa is great and you can use it for both of you are only willing to get one grinder.

wondering if it's a QC issue since I didn't experienced these problems in the last 3 months of use. No drift (mine doesn't move easily actually and I sometimes have to hold the body while changing grind settings). Never RDT'd and never had static either.

Zp6 is a no brainer at your budget and preference for super floral, use it for pour-over. Then choose a motorized grinder for espresso. Lagom Casa for example. Downside is that you commit yourself to hand grinding for pour over and electric to espresso.

No I haven’t, but after some superficial searching it seems great! Why isn’t this grinder more widely recommended/known?

I’ve now ordered a Lagom casa. There are no suppliers in my country (the Netherlands), but managed to find one still in Europe for around €600. For me stretching the budget a bit is worth it, if it means not having to buy two grinders. I have fairly limited kitchen countertop space. I only came across origin-o because of answers on this thread, lagom casa seems to promise to tick all the boxes I have so I’m very excited and hope they expand their suppliers to more countries in future.

Top 3 would be Baratza ESP, DF54, Lagom Casa. Baratza ESP because it is probably the most beginner friendly of the three and baratza has generally great customer service (at least in US). DF54 has worse quality control and minimal customer service but definitely has a higher ceiling than the baratza as you learn. The Lagom Casa is definitely an upgrade from the other two but at over twice the price.

Ah right I forgot they discontinued the cheaper burr option.

I would pick 98mm platform over 80mm… Titus Nautilus, Lagom, Levercraft Ultra and its variants, heck… even EK43.