The Mazzer Philos isn’t just a coffee grinder; it’s a statement. Weighing in at 28 pounds and boasting a $1,500 price tag, this machine isn’t for casual coffee drinkers. It’s designed for those who demand precision, consistency, and a noticeable upgrade to their home espresso setup.
Bridging the Gap Between Home and Commercial Grinding
For decades, Mazzer has been a staple in professional cafés, known for its robust grinders like the Super Jolly. The Philos marks a shift: it’s the first Mazzer grinder genuinely tailored for home use, offering the same level of performance without the industrial scale. This trend reflects a broader move toward high-end coffee equipment becoming accessible to enthusiasts, blurring the line between hobbyist and professional setups.
The Philos operates as a single-dose grinder, requiring you to weigh beans before each use. It features flat burrs – either the i189 for darker roasts or the newer i200 designed for lighter, more acidic beans – both proprietary to Mazzer. The i200 set, in particular, excels at extracting sweetness from beans that often produce a sharp acidity, making it ideal for modern espresso preferences.
Zero Retention: A Game Changer
The most compelling feature of the Philos is its near-zero retention design. Traditional grinders trap stale grounds, forcing users to discard portions to ensure freshness. The Philos, however, minimizes this waste with vertical burrs, a short chute, vibration dampening, and even a spring-loaded thumper to dislodge stray grounds.
Testing confirms this claim: residue is consistently under 0.1 grams, negligible enough not to impact flavor. This eliminates the need to grind extra and discard, a convenience that justifies the steep price for serious espresso lovers.
Performance Across Brew Methods
The Philos doesn’t just excel at espresso. While optimized for it, it performs admirably with drip and pour-over coffee. However, it doesn’t entirely surpass alternatives like the Fellow Ode Gen 2 for these methods, particularly in terms of clarity.
Rigorous testing against machines ranging from Breville to Ninja confirms the grinder’s impact: even entry-level machines produce significantly richer, more flavorful shots with Philos-ground coffee. This underscores a long-held belief among espresso enthusiasts: the grinder is often as crucial – if not more – than the brewing machine itself.
Minor Drawbacks
Despite its strengths, the Philos isn’t perfect. The hopper could hold slightly more beans for full-carafe drip brewing. Some users have reported occasional jams if the locking gate beneath the hopper isn’t secured, though this hasn’t been consistently replicated in testing.
The Verdict
The Mazzer Philos is a premium investment for espresso aficionados. While the $1,500 price tag is substantial, the near-zero retention, exceptional build quality, and ability to unlock hidden sweetness in light-to-medium roasts make it a worthwhile upgrade for those serious about their coffee. It’s not the best grinder for every brewing method, but for espresso, it sets a new standard.
Ultimately, the Philos justifies its cost by delivering a tangible improvement in flavor, convenience, and durability – a testament to the fact that in coffee, precision and quality matter.
