Rancilio Rocky - Doser & Doserless Reviews

ArcticFox

The last time I purchased a coffee grinder, my Rancilio Rocky Doserless, I wrote up a short review (here)

I purchased the doser model (below) for my father in law a few weeks back and having played around with it a bit, I thought I'd write another short review.

ORDERING & DELIVERY

Having had a very good experience ordering with HomeCoffeeMachines.ie previously, I was pleased to see that their pricing remains very competitive and that they still offer free overnight shipping on all orders over €50. Another big selling point for me is that they're a small Irish company, offer personalised support and even supply spare parts and a repair service for the products they sell if you ever need it. They're based in Galway and the shipping of my grinder to Dublin was very quick.

THE MACHINE ITSELF AND USE

The base frame of the Rancilio Rocky doser is the exact same as it's sibling, the doserless model, and that's a very good thing. It's weighty and feels substantial and sturdy; with a nice brushed metal frame. It compliments the Rancilio Silvia Coffee machine perfectly when parked alongside too. The things that I liked about the doserless model all remain with the doser model but it adds one new trick - it allows you to pre-grind some beans in advance and then dose the exact amount necessary into the portafilter. Each time you pull the handle, it doses 7g of coffee. Want a double shot, just pull the handle twice - it's that simple! Both the bean hopper and ground coffee container are dyed blue to prevent UV light ruining your fresh beans and grounds which shows a nice attention to detail in the design.

PROS

Grind quality - powdery smooth for espresso.

Consistency - extremely consistent throughout each grind and when using different beans.

Build Quality - robust and sturdy. I expect this machine to last a long time. My existing doserless grinder is going strong after years of daily use.

Aesthetics - Slim, sleek design, metal frame that compliments the Silvia perfectly.

Convenience - the doser model dispenses exactly 7g of ground coffee and saves you the hassle of grinding every single time.

CONS

Same as before, very few

Lid - doesn't clip on or vacuum seal but not a major complaint.

alec76

Why would anyone needs doser version at home?

unless you are running small cafe it is very wasteful.

Retention level bad enough for the Rocky doserless and this way even worse .

Almost every single person in this forum knows : keep coffee fresh and never pre-ground the coffee in advance .

Oxidation is number one enemy for the coffee ,by grinding it you increase contact surface for oxygen and ground coffee get stale few times faster than bean coffee.

Rocky is OK grinder , good starting point. Doserless version obviously.

Well known CONS for Rocky

1 Retention

2 Clumps

3 Stepped grinder, no fine tuning .

4 Loud

If someone looking grinder on a budget then

Eureka Mignon silence

better grinder in every single way and cost about the same .