The new Mazzer Mini A is here, and I have some thoughts! I will refrain from brand-loyal prejudice and be as fair and honest as possible. But of course, we’re talking about Mazzer here and I think most of us already know how well deserved their place in the industry really is. In this review, I will go through the new design, grind speed, grind adjustment, quick word on the burr set, retention and share a few numbers on grind amount consistency and conclude this quick read with my final thoughts.
Disclaimer
I’m not affiliated/sponsored by Mazzer and they also didn’t ask me to make content – I asked Mazzer to send me the grinder in order to help me make content. They aren’t paying me, I’m not getting anything for the review and my content.
Design
Let’s start with the new design – I really like it! It has changed notably while preserving the design language I really fancy about Mazzer grinders. Seeing the older B and the new A side by side, the difference is actually more pronounced than you’d think! Both new Mini A and Mini B have received a completely redesigned body with sleeker, sharper lines and modern appearance, newly designed adjustment collar (more on that further in the review) and of course the new funnel with face-lifted user interface lid for the Mini A to match the rest of Mazzer’s new lineup.
The lid for the hopper has a nice sealing gasket, feels sturdy and to be made of a high quality plastic. The new Mini A feels fresh, looks amazing on the bar and the timeless design is something that many grinder manufacturers still can’t catch up with.
Grind Speed
I’m only going to elaborate further on the point I already made in my Mazzer Mini Electronic B review, which applies here as well. This is actually the third Mazzer Mini Electronic I’ve the opportunity to make coffee with and I never had to grind 18g for espresso longer than 12-13 seconds with stock burrs on either of these grinders. In this short video, I’ve set the timer to 13 seconds and intended to grind 18g for espresso on a fine setting resulting in your traditional a 25s 1:2 ratio. I’d have to grind really, really fine to even get on the 13 seconds for 18g on my Mini B with stock burrs – this is consistent with the new Mini A as well. Of course, grind speed will depend on the beans, but I’ve run kilos of various beans from super light to medium dark through my Mini B and never had to grind longer than 12-13 seconds with stock burrs, I expect the same to be true with this grinder. I’m willing to argue the point that this grinder is – for a home user – faster than it will ever need to be. It grinds faster than it takes me to take out and wipe the portafilter dry and to be frank, I’m pulling a few shots on a one group machine for me and my family/friends, not serving a line of people here. I don’t need to grind faster than 11-12 seconds. Now, kindly open your mind to the possibility that shaving off another 2-3 seconds wouldn’t make a difference to your daily workflow with this truly amazing grinder.
Grind Adjustment
I’m such a fan of the Super Jolly V Pro adjustment ring, and this new collar is (almost) just like it! It doesn’t have the adjustable numeric ring, but it looks so nice! The collar moves smoothly and changing the grind setting is easily repeatable. I’m not entirely sure if this is new, but the grinding of a dose can now be stopped by pressing the dose button a second time. I think I’ve read that this wasn’t present on the older A models, and that you had to literally switch the grinder off to stop grinding. That’s an improvement for sure!
Retention and grind amount consistency
I will measure the total retention of this grinder after a few kilos of coffee, but in my opinion, total retention isn’t really a reason to be concerned or a deciding factor here. After I ran two bags of coffee through the grinder, after gaps filled the exchange with this grinder stays at around 2-3g – which is the same as with my Mazzer Mini Electronic B. After a short purge, Mini A will deliver doses with a very good consistency. I’ve ground 5 doses set to 13 seconds, here are the results:
| Grind Time | Grind Amount |
| 13s | 18.1g |
| 13s | 18g |
| 13s | 17.9g |
| 13s | 18.2g |
| 13s | 18.1g |
| Average: | 18.06g |
Burrs and flavour profile
The burrs are 64mm Mazzer 189D burrs with the exact same flavor profile as described in my Mazzer Mini Electronic B review. Cups with these burrs are rich, thick bodied with a really nice mouthfeel. This is the traditional espresso burr style with an increased amount of fines to create that almost conical sort of cup. This isn’t a high clarity focused or high uniformity burr set, but don’t misunderstand – these burrs are fantastic. In my opinion, Mazzer manufactures the best commercially available burrs on the market. Should you get picky and crave something different once these burrs are fully seasoned, get a different burr set. Be assured that Mini’s 250W motor will handle different burr set with ease and without stalling. However, for most people the stock 189D burrs is more than you can ask for.
Differences A/B
The first notable difference is obviously the new design. What I noticed as well, is that the cone seems to be made out of a different material. It has a different finish, feels smoother and has a slightly different shade to it. The lid on the hopper, as mentioned earlier, has a sealing ring to perhaps reduce exposure to the outside environment. The user interface on the A is something I find you have to see and use in person to appreciate more. It looks like a thin plastic lid with buttons when you see it on pictures, but the lid is actually thick, heavy and feels really sturdy. I enjoy using the interface on the Mini A, however I still prefer the interface on my B. It’s a subjective preference and it really doesn’t mean that one is better than the other. Apart from these differences, both grinders will produce the exact same results with the same stock Mazzer burrs.
Conclusion
To conclude this, Mazzer has yet again proved to be the only go-to grinder manufacturer I can recommend with clean conscience. I’m more inclined to spending money on products that will last a very long time, are of a high quality and made by a reputable manufacturer. My Mazzer Mini Electronic B and my Mazzer Omega hand grinder are products that will last for generations, and I’m really glad Mazzer hasn’t stopped innovating and improving their line-up and has delivered a new, fresh update to this iconic grinder. I’ve also posted an unboxing video on my YouTube channel and as always, I’ll be posting workflows with the grinder in the future. I will also update this review should I have any new thoughts or findings to share. So stick around!
This is, in fact, my very first collaboration with a manufacturer and I’m proud to say it’s Mazzer. I bought my other two Mazzers and absolutely love them, I don’t need to be paid or bribed to tell you that Mazzer grinders are proven by the industry to be reliable, long lasting and hight quality grinders. I must say they took a surprising step and did an astonishing job with the refresh of the Mini A, I’m pretty sure we can expect great things from Mazzer in the future. I couldn’t be more proud for being able to try it out and share my thoughts. So be nice!
August 5, 2022
That’s some great read, as always! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Two Mazzers are better than one 😀
August 5, 2022
Thank you, and thanks for reading! I agree!
August 22, 2022
This writeup is everything i needed to know about the grinder, thank you so much!
August 26, 2022
Hi! Thanks for the great writeup. I just wanted to ask if the old Mini hopper short version still fits these new refreshed Mini’s? Thanks in advance for your help.
August 27, 2022
Hi Julio,
It does fit perfectly, I think the dimensions of the neck didn’t change at all.
Thanks for asking!
Jaroslav
August 27, 2022
Great thank you! Are there any tips you have Jaroslav of dealing with losing grind setting on the Mini every time you clean the burrs? I currently use a Mignon Turbo 65mm and I’ve only used Mignon Manuale before this. On both these models, no grind setting is lost when cleaning.
Can you also stop a dose on the Type B models by touching the portafilter button again to stop a dose early?
August 28, 2022
Hi Julio,
I wouldn’t worry about it. You only need to clean the grinder once or twice a year, since I need to dial in two grinders almost daily I seriously couldn’t care less about having to dial in after cleaning. Dialing in is quicker than cleaning the grinder 🙂 There are many good grinders out there that lose grind setting after cleaning, it’s nothing to have concerns about.
Yes, you can stop grinding by pressing the button on both B and A.
Thanks for asking!
Jaroslav
August 28, 2022
Thanks Jaroslav!
September 9, 2022
Hi Jaroslav, How well does the portafilter fork work with the Acaia dosing cup you have there? Can the fork be removed to use the dosing cup sitting on top of scales? How well does a bottomless portafilter sit on the fork? Any insight from you before I make the upgrade is appreciated.
September 9, 2022
Hi Max,
The dosing cup sits very nicely, there’s just enough space to put/take out the dosing cup under the funnel. I’ve posted a few videos on YouTube, you can see how that works there:
Espresso with Mazzer Mini A and La Marzocco Linea Mini
I’ve tried that with the scales and it kind of works, but also not really. For one, there’s hardly enough space to quickly spoon out ground coffee from the cup, and then there’s this lip that doesn’t let the dosing cup to sit right beneath the funnel (maybe a differently shaped dosing cup would work better here). It sort of works because the coffee shoots right into the cup, leaving very little amount of coffee that doesn’t make it into the cup (I took some pictures, you’ll get what I mean). While it’s nice to see it hit the dose, it’s somewhat useless at the same time because the grinder doesn’t stop at weight (sorry, just my honest opinion). Here’s what it looks like:
Picture 1
Picture 2
The bottomless portafilter sits really nicely as well, almost as if it was made specifically for La Marzocco portafilters. I still like to use a funnel, though it’s not really necessary. Here’s what that looks like:
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
I hope this helps Max!
Jaroslav
September 9, 2022
Brilliant! Either dosing cup or bottomless portafilter work very well. And easy enough to weigh separately. Thanks for speedy reply and especially the visuals.
September 9, 2022
Anytime!
September 22, 2022
Thanks alot for this review. Im a total rookie who fell in love with the Elektra micro casa a lever s1. I will recieve it this weekend and needed to find a grinder for it. I thought I had to find a somewhat high end at a decent price and I found this Mazzer for roughly 500 dollars. Only used for a year with very little usage. Your review made me convinced that I should chose the Mazzer mini Electronica B. Thanks again for your passionate and brilliant review!
If of any interests, here’s the beauty Im getting home this weekend (chrome at the rose gold though). I think they will do an astonishing pair 🙂
https://www.1stincoffee.com/elektra-lever-s1.htm
You might be interested in this amazing review of the Mashine 🙂 : https://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/microcasaleva/
November 24, 2022
Nice read as always. Wondering where did you buy the updated version? Been looking around online shops in Europe and haven’t found it yet.
June 25, 2023
Brilliant! Could you explain how long I can leave beans in the hopper before going stale? Everything is pointing towards single dose grinder for my next upgrade based on the requirements to limit exposure but are beans as precious as the YouTubers might have me believe? I make 3-4 coffees a day so assume I could dump 150g in the hopper and just top up every other day without risk. As someone with a Mazzer mini doser I’m keen to stick to the brand.
June 25, 2023
Hi Nick,
I’ve answered your question in your previous comment, so I’ll just copy/paste it here:
I used to single dose, then I started leaving maybe 100g of coffee in the hopper, I’d fill just enough for a day. Then I started dumping the whole 250g bag, still haven’t noticed slightest degradation in flavour and aroma. Now I put literally half a kilo into the hopper, all I need to keep an eye on is the grind setting as I need to tighten it up a tiny bit every other day.
I do the same – I have a few coffees I’d like to try in my drawer but use them bag after bag. If you aren’t drinking 5 different coffees daily, there’s very little benefit to single dosing the same coffee all the time. I’ve settled on an on-demand grinder (SJ V Pro), I compelety stopped caring about what new single dosing grinder just came out/will come out.
The new Super Jolly V Pro is an absolute dream to use, engineered to perfection, it ticks all boxes for me.
Jaroslav
December 17, 2023
Hi
Great information
Can you put a scale and naked portafilter on forks ?
Is mazzer good for filter coffee ?
December 17, 2023
Hi Rasoul,
I don’t think you can, why would you do want to that?
Bottomless portafilter fits perfectly, yes.
It’s an espresso focused grinder, not intended for filter. However there is a filter version of the Mini with filter-focused burrs, but I wouldn’t buy the Mini for filter. I’d either get a handgrinder and use it for filter, or Mazzer Philos.
Jaroslav