Varia VS6 Coffee Grinder

Varia VS6

Great grinder for the home barista. Build quality is excellent and feels substantial. 5 stars. Out of the box, one issue experienced was the spacing between the upper and lower burr at the calibrated zero point. I followed the included User Guide instructions, but this space was too large and resulted in not being able to dial the grind in fine enough. There was nothing in the User Manual that addressed this. I found the solution in the Varia website FAQ section, which recommended "Add an additional washer between the spindle and the burr (for a total of two washers). The spare washer can be found in the spare parts kit." Problem solved. The spares kit provided is another positive. While the service from Alternative Brewing was good, the shipping service was not. Delivery service took in excess of ten working days to a delivery point of 250km from the warehouse. Thankfully the shipment arrived in good order.

Tasting the difference

I have noticed a more balanced flavour dialling in grind speed and size. I prefer a darker roast and use low grind speed and smaller grind size. Still early days and I’ll keep playing with each bag o beans. The spray bottle does reduce static inside collection cup and ground coffee comes out easier. It wasn’t until I watched a you tube video that I saw it came with the coffee sprayer. Also, comes in a hard plastic case which one needs to store and pay for, though I appreciate the protection it provides for transporting. Setup was a bit tricky though construction of unit was solid as. All used with WDT method and big bang puck with weighed beans, dialled pre infusion and dose. Minus 1 star for having to house and pay for the storage hard case that I’ll never need again.