The last few years have seen an explosion in the home grinder market with a stack of decent options available. The latest trend in the coffee community is single dose grinding after the release of the Niche Zero. Unfortunately, the Niche Zero has been plagued with supply issues, leaving a gap in the market, which Eureka has stepped in to fill.
There has been much anticipation for Eureka’s single dosing offering: the Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose. Eureka is a popular Italian manufacturer known for producing high-quality grinders. And on paper, the Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose looks very promising; 65mm flat burrs, low retention, and a stunning design. So let’s dig in and see how this little beauty performs.
Eureka Mignon Single Dose
The Eureka Mignon Single Dose grinder has been highly anticipated. It boasts 65mm flat burrs, grinds exceptionally fast, and produces delicious espresso. Unfortunately, users have had some issues with vibration, grind retention, and the grind adjustment system with the first production release. While this is a superb espresso grinder, we recommend waiting for a few of these issues to be ironed out if you are considering investing in one.
Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose Review
Specs
About Eureka
Eureka is a popular name in home barista circles. They were founded over 100 years ago and have a reputation for producing great espresso grinders. Their grinders are manufactured and hand-assembled in Italy, delivering unparalleled quality.
They are most well known for the Eureka Atom and the Mignon series of grinders. The Eureka Mignon Specialita was one of the first prosumer grinders available and has become one of the most popular espresso grinders. The Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose is the latest in the Mignon lineup and flaunts the classic Mignon style.
Design
The Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose is a stunning grinder; featuring the distinctive sharp lines and boxy build that characterizes the Mignon range. The grinder is available in three colors: white, matte black, or chrome, paired with a branded wooden lid and base. It also comes with a 54mm stainless steel dosing cup, which is a nice addition. The grinder has a solid build, with most of it being made of metal. Like other Eureka grinders, it is hand-assembled in Italy. There is no doubt that the Eureka Single Dose is a striking and polished-looking grinder.
The Eureka Mignon Single Dose has been designed with single-dosing in mind and has several design details to minimize grind retention. The grinder is built on a 15° angle for a more direct grind path. It also has a small 45-gram single dose hopper with optional bellows you can install to reduce retention. As a side note, if you own another Mignon grinder you can now purchase the single dose hopper to pair with your grinder.
Eureka has also included a revolving metal tab on the hopper to prevent coffee beans from popcorning. While the idea is good, this small valve has become the Single Dose’s Achilles heel, with many reviewers criticizing the poor finish. The revolving metal tab is thin and sharp and doesn’t spin smoothly. And while we are on the topic of poor finishes, there have also been complaints that the bellows don’t fit tightly enough onto the hopper and are easily knocked off. And if you opt not to use the bellows, the oak lid is a very tight fit on the hopper. Eureka has already addressed these complaints and confirmed that the gate valve and wooden lid issues will be fixed with the next production batch.
Burr and Motor Quality
The Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose is decked out with 65mm stainless steel flat burrs (the same burrs found on the Eureka Mignon XL). These burrs are Eureka’s own diamond burr set, designed to be tough and remain sharper for longer. They are a multi-purpose burr set, grinding for both espresso and filter coffee.
The burrs are powered by a 320 watt AC motor that rotates at a speed of 1650 RPM. The large burrs combined with a high-speed motor make the Eureka Single Dose very fast, grinding at rates of 2.3 to 2.8 grams per second. Unfortunately, the downside of the speed is that the motor does vibrate a lot, making it louder than the other grinders in the Mignon range. Eureka opted not to include sound dampeners in the design, likely to prevent the motor from overheating. They did include a hefty metal cup holder, ensuring the dosing cup remains fixed in place.
Grind Quality
While there have been a few questionable design choices with the Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose, grind quality is an area Eureka has always excelled in. And the Single Dose is no exception. The ground coffee is fluffy and falls from the grinding chamber with little clumping due to the ACE system- an anti-clumping and electrostatic system.
The flat burrs produce some delicious espresso. The espresso is full-bodied and textured with both complexity and clarity. The filter coffee is also excellent with good clarity. Most users agree that they prefer the flat burr flavor profiles of the Eureka Single Dose compared to the Niche Zero, but they cannot compare with high clarity burrs like the SSP burrs. And to answer the question on everyone’s mind- unfortunately, you can’t swap out the burrs on the Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose to SSP burrs without modding.
Grind Adjustment
The grind adjustment system on the Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose is one of the more interesting design decisions. Eureka opted to stick with the adjustment dial (albeit a larger one) used in their Mignon range. This stepless adjustment system doesn’t directly move the burrs but instead drives a shaft inside the motor, which raises or lowers the bottom burr. This system gives very precise grind changes, which is ideal for espresso. But the downside is that it requires a large adjustment to switch between espresso and filter settings. You have to rotate the dial several turns to do so, making it hard to find your way back. Many users have lamented the lack of a number system to indicate how many rotations you have made.
With the adjustment system as it stands, the Eureka Mignon Single Dose is an excellent espresso grinder and a good option if espresso is your mainstay. However, because it is so fiddly to switch between brew methods and difficult to dial in, it is hard to recommend this as a multi-purpose grinder over something like the Niche, DF64, or DF83.
Retention
The Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose is advertised as having extremely low retention. This is achieved by the careful design of the grinding chamber, the 15-degree incline and presence of bellows. And when everything is working smoothly, it does accomplish this. Below are the retention rates for the Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose vs. the Niche Zero. Bear in mind that flat burrs do naturally have a higher grind retention.
Eureka Single Dose
Niche Zero
Despite this, there have been some issues with grind retention. Some users have found the exit chute can get clogged due to grinds being retained in front of the declumping system. Unfortunately, in most cases, even the bellow system cannot generate enough pressure to unclog the chute. Removing the declumper can mitigate this issue but then causes problems with static.
Using RDT, where you spray the beans with a spritz of water, helps reduce static. But the fact remains that for a grinder at this price point, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Ease of Use
The Eureka Mignon Oro single dose is straightforward to use. You weigh your beans out, close the hopper gate and add your coffee to the hopper. Then turn the grinder on with the side button and open the hopper gate. Once the beans have dropped through to the burrs, close the gate, and voila! Freshly ground coffee in the dosing cup. You can also use the bellows at the end to push through any remaining ground coffee before turning off the grinder.
Eureka Mignon Single Dose vs. Niche Zero
So how does the Eureka Single Dose compare to the Niche Zero? Many espresso enthusiasts were hoping that the Eureka would be the new go-to single dosing grinder, but unfortunately, at this stage, we would say it hasn’t trumped the Niche.
The Niche Zero is a beautiful grinder that has been superbly designed. It is well built, simple to use, offers low retention, and is quick and easy to switch between brew methods. The Niche is a conical burr grinder that produces more fines and thus a more traditional flavor profile. The cups made from the Niche are rich, textured, and balanced but lack the clarity that a flat burr grinder produces. This is more pronounced when brewing filter coffee. The only downside of the Niche is the supply issues- to get one of these bad boys, you will most likely have to pre-order and wait a few months before you can get your hands on one.
The Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose is also a stunning grinder, but as this is the first rendition, there do appear to be some teething issues. It vibrates more than expected, there have been some issues with grind retention, and for a multi-purpose grinder, it falls short when it comes to grind adjustment. Despite this, it does produce a delicious cup of coffee that is well textured with more pronounced clarity.
Alternatives To the Mignon Single Dose
Niche Zero
As mentioned above, the Niche Zero is the current king in the single-dosing grinder range. It is loaded with 63mm conical burrs by Mazzer. Conical burrs produce a more traditional flavor profile with a deep, richer shot. Conical burrs also have lower grind retention and run slower, making them quiet when in use. The Niche Zero is a polished grinder that is the whole package- there is no need to mod this grinder. It is simple to use and offers superb grind consistency. The downsides of the Niche are that it is expensive, and there are supply issues.
DF64
The DF64 is a budget-friendly grinder that has made waves in the coffee world this past year. An unknown Chinese manufacturer produces it, but despite this, it is a decent grinder that is very affordable. Perhaps the best thing about this grinder is that it is loaded with 64mm flat burrs, delivering superb quality coffee. There is also the option of upgrading to SSP burrs. The downside of the DF64 is that the grinder does have a few known issues like regrinding caused by the declumper and static retention. As such, this grinder requires modding to perform at its best. However, it is a superb buy for the grind quality it produces.
Final Verdict- Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose
The Eureka Single Dose has great potential- it looks incredible, is well built, and who are we kidding? A decent single-dosing flat burr grinder is what the coffee community is waiting for.
However, the Eureka Mignon Single Dose, as it currently stands, is not quite there yet. The grind adjustment system, retention, and vibration issues are disappointing in a grinder at this price point. But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Hopefully, the second reiteration can give the Niche a better run for its money!
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