Italian equipment manufacturer Cimbali Group discusses the importance of quality grinder burrs and how its brands cater to every market segment.
Cimbali Group may be renowned for its professional espresso machines, but what some customers may not know is that the brand places just as much emphasis on its coffee grinders.
Cimbali Group Category Manager Marco Tesconi says the coffee grinder is arguably the most important piece of equipment when maintaining the quality of the coffee.
“Transforming the coffee from whole beans to grinds is crucial for a quality in-cup result. Our grinders are specifically designed to guarantee the best grinding experience for individual brewing methods, with a focus on particle size distribution and dimensional homogeneity of the coffee particles,” he says.
According to Tesconi, the speed of the grind is particularly crucial to the uniformity of particle sizes.
“It is important to have the right trade- off between speed, in-cup quality, and reproducibility when grinding. The coffee grounds need to come out of the grinder quickly, but if the grinding chamber is not working properly, friction can cause them to clash with each other, creating electrostatic currents and the risk of burning the coffee, which can produce a bitter flavour,” he says.
Cimbali Group’s focus on how the perfect grind yields the perfect cup of coffee was front of mind in 2019 when it acquired Keber, an Italian manufacturer with 30 years of experience designing, developing, and producing steel burrs.
Also taking over its production plant in Dolo, Venice, the acquisition has enabled Cimbali Group to have a better understanding of one of the key components of grinding.
“Grinder burrs are the mechanical element that influence the grind size and in-cup result. The burrs are the technological heart of every coffee grinder, playing a crucial role in quality and repeatability,” Tesconi says.
“Keber has always been one of the key global players in the industry. Renowned for its specific expertise with a full in-house production process, wide product range, and tailor-made approach, it provides the right solution for professional and industrial burrs.”
Through production and process optimisation, technological excellence, and effective communication, Keber is leading the way in innovation and quality, according to Tesconi.
“Its products are available in many different combinations of materials, coating, and diameters, both for flat and conical burrs application. The material- coating combinations don’t just allow for a longer-lasting product, but also create a deeper impact in every cup in line with the desired aromatic profile,” he says.
“Taking a tailor-made approach, each Keber product is custom made to meet any customer’s specific requirements. The customer is involved from the design stage of the final product to mass production, in order to achieve maximum productivity and quality in the cup.”
Cimbali Group’s grinders have an integrated system that facilitates the barista’s workflow. Thanks to this innovative technology, the barista is guided step by step throughout the entire beverage preparation process, from coffee grinding to brewing.
“Our Perfect Grinding System provides constant control of coffee-dispensing parameters so our grinder dosers, which connect to the machine via Bluetooth, carry out any grinding and dosing corrections automatically to ensure optimal, constant dispensing,” says Tesconi.
The integrated Barista Drive System (BDS) facilitates the work of the barista by maintaining a dialogue between the machine and grinder doser.
“This innovative technology guides the barista through all the beverage preparation stages, from grinding the coffee to dispensing. The BDS enables the on-demand, wireless grinder-doser to identify the coffee dose to grind (single or double), dispense it, and communicate this to the machine,” Tesconi says.
“This system is extremely useful when there are multiple grinder dosers with different coffee blends. The grinder doser tells the machine which blend has been selected and indicates the appropriate coffee dosage. Only the buttons for the recipe compatible with the dispensed blend will light up, while the others are disabled, preventing potential operator error.”
To give baristas ultimate control over the final product, Cimbali Group has developed intuitive user interfaces as part of its grinders.
“The user interface and touchscreen display is easy to use and completely customisable. This starts with the design, which is left to the discretion of the barista.
In just a few steps, you should be able to adjust the grinding settings to ensure you get the result you want, every time,” Tesconi says.
With a wide range of products, Cimbali Group has the ideal grinder for each segment of the market.
“Our Casadio brand features two different versions of the entry level grinder Enea, while Faema and La Cimabali offer grinders for both the medium to high level segments. The Faema Groundbreaker and La Cimbali Elective are the most complex grinders, ideal for volumes of up to 10 kilograms per day,” says Tesconi.
To add to its entry level range, Cimbali Group will launch a new version of the Casadio grinder in late 2024.
“This new grinder is beautifully designed and impresses flexibility and consistency. Our aim is to reach the new generation of baristas that require a high-quality beverage,” Tesconi says.
“It’s a zero-retention grinder, meaning it can dispense the same amount of coffee that you put into the grinder. For example, if you add 18 grams of coffee beans to the grinder, it will dispense 18 grams of coffee grounds.”
Although Cimbali Group has an ever- growing product line-up, the company remains committed to the environment, ensuring sustainability is the driving force behind its business model that sees collaboration, diversity, and inclusion as essential to future growth.
“Even when we talk about grinders, we are pushing innovation and sustainability. This year we are changing all our products to include 100 per cent recyclable plastic for the hopper,” says Tesconi.
For Cimbali Group, sustainability is a strategic asset for the company. It’s not a project, it’s a culture.
“Here at Cimbali Group, we enhance our collaborators, reduce the environmental impact of our equipment, and optimise emissions from both processes and production plants for the benefit of society and the planet,” says Tesconi.
“This is part of a dynamic process of change which has seen us take another step forward, broadening our vision of the future and redefining our market position more effectively.”
For more information, visit cimbaligroup.com
This article was first published in the May/June 2024 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
