Frequently asked questions -
LAGOM mini
Q: Can I grind light roast coffee with LAGOM mini?
A: Yes, you can definitely do so! We have designed LAGOM mini to be a filter-grinder for light roasted specialty coffees. Despite its tiny form-factor, the motor on Lagom Mini is powerful enough and was able to handle all commercial light-roasted coffees we have thrown at it.
Q: Can I use LAGOM mini for espresso? (updated 9th June 2022 with recommended best practice)
A: Yes, you can - although we haven’t designed the grinder specifically for espresso initially, our users have reported great results with using the Mini for espresso. Using it for espresso will not void your warranty.
With 48 mm burrs on the LAGOM mini, grinding for a double espresso (18g dose) typically takes around 45-60s. Based on our further testing, the LAGOM mini will work well for home grinding duty (but is strictly not for commercial use). However, please refer and adhere to the duty cycle as recommended in User Guide page 5 (abbreviated version below) for getting the best out of your grinder.
Duty cycle: <90s (1.5 min) grind time per cycle, with a minimum rest time of 90s (1.5 min) in between cycles, for no more than 4 shots within a 10 minute period. Rest for at least 30 minutes once total cumulated grinding time has exceeded 6 minutes.
Starting July 2022, we have also updated the motor/gear component using reinforced gears to allow the Mini to handle even more demanding espresso applications (e.g. light roasts).
Q: Who is this grinder intended for? Where do you think Lagom Mini sits and how does it compare to xx grinders?
A: Through our experience with grinders, we learned that a grinder/burr that makes great traditional-style espresso (i.e. high mouthfeel) is typically a poor performer for filter-brewing or pour over, and vice versa. From interacting with our customers, many do still prefer the traditional high-mouthfeel espresso shots but also want to be able make great filter coffee (sweet and complex with no bitterness). Unfortunately, this would often mean two grinders are needed.
For years, we have enjoyed pour over brews made by the 38mm Conventional burrs using our hand grinder and many of our customers seem to be the same too. We think the brew quality from these unassuming conical burrs is equally enjoyable (by no means inferior) compared to some of the filter-focused flat burrs. So we’ve designed a compact electric grinder based upon the 38mm burrs. The compactness was an important consideration so that it doesn’t take up much space and is sure to fit on any counter top (not every household can accomodate two large grinders).
With new 48mm Moonshine burrs, we think it has brought the capability of the LAGOM mini to the next level and we believe the brew quality would make most home coffee enthusiasts very happy. We are quite confident it would make filter brews that would easily stand head-to-head to the grinders at several times its price.
So if you’re looking for a simple no-fuss filter-only grinder that makes delicious coffee, that also happened to be very compact and is designed to last for many years to come, the LAGOM mini is for you.
Q: What are the burrs options for the LAGOM mini?
A: As of 2nd Jan 2023, our new 48mm Moonshine burrs will be offered as the standard burrset for all LAGOM mini. This is in part due to the high praise for the Moonshine burrs from our LAGOM mini users, as well as the glowing early feedback provided by our beta testers. The 48mm Moonshine burrs are capable of making both excellent filter brews and espresso, making it a versatile burrset for most coffee brew methods.
Information about the Moonshine burrs shared during beta testing:
Moonshine burrs is the result of our new burrs manufacturing process developed based on our previous experience. The manufacturing process resulted in burrs surfaces that looked extremely polished and shiny, like moonlight – hence the inspiration of the name. In our testing, Moonshine burrs resulted in a noticeable reduction in fines, and a narrower range in grind distribution (based on sifting) - more grind particle in the target grind size. In the cup, we believe it highlights the flavour clarity and presents the acidity in an elegant manner, which pairs well with high quality light roasted coffee. This also appears to correlate very closely to what our beta testers are observing.
We find that Moonshine burrs provide a narrower grind distribution, with relatively fewer fines. For our preference, it really shines for filter-brewing - the brew profile tends to taste cleaner, with high clarity, and acidity is more elegant and appears to be sparkly/brighter and yet complex. In espresso, it is still providing a reasonable amount of body and mouthfeel (unmistakenly a conical burrs), but with a better flavour separation and clarity compared to conventional conical espresso burrs.
Q: Can I use Lagom Mini as a portable travel grinder?
A. The Lagom Mini has been designed to accept 100-240V - so it can be used anywhere in the world as long as you have access to an electric outlet. With a universal adapter, it is suitable for use in any hotel or accomodation with wall outlet access, no matter where you go.
Q: How loud/quiet is the Lagom Mini?
A. The Lagom Mini isn’t any louder than most grinders - but admitedly it is not as quiet as our Lagom P64 which is the gold standard that many of our customers hold our standard to! Due to the size constraint, we don’t have too many options to choose from - i.e. we can’t find a whisper-quiet motor at that size and hence our focus was on the reliability & torque-rating instead. In decibel (dB), the Lagom Mini is equivalent to some of the more expensive grinders and is quieter than many budget grinders. With Lagom Mini rev 1.1 (shipping Aug 2021 onwards), we have updated the motor on the Lagom Mini with a motor that is lower in pitch - which we think makes it much more pleasant to the ears and would be an acceptable noise-level for most users.