Why Does the EK43 Grind Coffee Particles So Evenly?
The Mahlkonig EK43 series splits into four versions: the newer, shorter EK43S with stepless settings from 1 to 16, plus the taller EK43T, EK43, and twin-headed EKK43, all with stepless ranges of 1 to 11. The grinder became a cafe standard after Matt Perger used one on the competition stage in 2013.
Ditting uses horizontal burrs that emphasize a different flavor profile, while the EK43's vertical burr set is what produces the even coffee particles behind its reputation for uniform extraction. Early testing at Montreal's Cafe Myriade in 2009 first flagged the higher yield ratios the grinder delivered.
As the "legendary machine" of the specialty coffee world, the Mahlkonig EK43, with its outstanding grinding uniformity and extraction performance, has long since risen from a single-origin grinder to a standard fixture in espresso cafes. From early experiments at Café Myriade in Montreal in 2009 to Matt Perger's endorsement on the world competition stage in 2013, the EK43 was gradually elevated to iconic status. Meanwhile, Ditting, also a "high-end grinder," is often compared with the EK43, with the two emphasizing different aspects in burr layout and flavor profile. This article reviews the grinding settings and structural differences of each version in the EK43 series (EK43S, EK43T, EK43, EKK43), traces its rise to fame, compares it with the design features of Ditting's horizontal burrs, and, combined with Matt Perger's particle experiment data, analyzes why the EK43 can achieve more uniform extraction. Front Street Coffee will also share related product recommendations in this article.
Differences between the versions of the Mahlkonig grinder king EK43:
EK43S: New version, shorter body. Grinding settings 1-16, stepless adjustment.
EK43T: Taller body. Grinding settings 1-11, stepless adjustment.
EK43: Taller body. Grinding settings 1-11.
EKK43: Twin-headed, taller body. Grinding settings 1-11.
Today's star is the Mahlkonig coffee grinder, the model you often run into when visiting cafes. If you see it in a cafe, you can basically conclude that the owner is willing to spend money, haha.
These days, La Marzocco is the standard for espresso, and the EK43 is the go-to single-origin grinder for a shop. The EK's frequency of appearance has reached arcade-level ubiquity, making it a well-deserved machine god of its generation (however, our shop still hasn't bought one, haha).
According to the official rules of the 2018 World Barista Championship, competitors could choose sponsored grinders from Mahlkonig: the Peak, EK43, and EK43(S) models.
To talk about the EK43 grinder, we have to rewind to Montreal, Canada, in January 2009.
At Café Myriade, one of the most famous cafes in the area, owners Scott Rao and Anthony Benda were pioneers in the specialty coffee field and among the earliest baristas to use VST filter baskets and calculate espresso yield ratios. They noticed that coffee ground with the EK43 grinder tasted better and achieved a higher yield ratio. So they concluded that the EK43 grinder helped improve coffee quality.
Many competitors favored the EK43 grinder, but all of that changed in the hands of 2013 World Barista Champion Matt Perger. The market's mythologizing worship of the EK43 stems from the fact that Australian Matt Perger used this grinder to win the 2012 World Brewers Cup championship and place second in the 2013 World Barista Championship.
At the time, he used the EK43 to prepare coffee on the main stage. Although Perger was not the first barista praised for using an EK to grind espresso, he was undoubtedly the barista who popularized the EK.
What's the difference between Ditting and EK43? Both count as high-end grinders, and there's no need to talk about grind output—it's mostly a difference in flavor profile. The main design difference is that Ditting uses horizontal burrs, while the EK43 uses vertical burrs. Although both can shake out retained grounds, the EK43 is a bit better in this regard. Currently, there are two burr types for the EK43 on the market: one is the standard version burr (for grinding single-origin coffee), and the other is the Turkish version burr (for grinding espresso).
The image below shows the burrs of the K30.
The Mahlkonig EK43/EKK43 uses 98mm steel alloy flat burrs. Coffee made with the EK43/EKK43 shows noticeably more outstanding body—thick yet silky, with a very comfortable coating sensation on the tongue. EKK43 ground particles are mostly spheres and cubes, with circular cross-sections being relatively common, and particle consistency is quite good.
The EK was initially designed for grinding pour-over drip coffee, and its advantages outweigh the inherent shortcoming of unstable dosing (for example, if you put in 20 grams of coffee beans, the error is 1-1.5 grams of grounds).
Data shows that EK43 ground particles are not only the smallest but also the most uniform in texture, which means the coffee extraction is more uniform and approaches perfection, without over-extraction. Ordinary grinding compromises due to polarization in particle size; although there can be fine errors below 100 microns, particle size errors usually fall in the range of 200-1000 microns. But with the EK, particle size errors are noticeably smaller than with other grinders.
Matt Perger once tested four grinders in an experiment: the Mazzer Robur, Mahlkonig K30, Anfim Super Caimano, and Mahlkonig EK43. The Robur grinder indeed produced the smallest amount of fine coffee powder, and coffee extracted from Robur-ground coffee is usually extremely under-extracted, with yield ratios rarely exceeding 19%. The mode particle size of EK43 ground coffee was 295 microns, the smallest among the four grinders.
Data shows that EK43 ground particles are not only the smallest but also the most uniform in texture, which means the coffee extraction is more uniform and approaches perfection, without over-extraction. The EK43 also produces the largest amount of very fine coffee powder. Matt Perger believes there are two reasons for this phenomenon:
First, the EK43 cuts coffee beans many more times than other grinders, so its coffee particle size is the smallest among the four grinders, and the amount of very fine coffee powder is bound to be higher than with other grinders. When grinding an equal amount of coffee and at a much finer grind setting than other grinders, the EK43's 0-90 micron coffee powder is only 3% more than the Robur, which produces the least fine powder. This shows that the EK43's efficiency and grinding quality are much higher than other grinders.
Second, most of the coffee particles ground by the EK43 are extremely close in size to the very fine coffee powder, with the smallest numerical gap among the four grinders, which is also one of the important reasons why the EK43 has better quality.
Of course, looks and prestige are what really matter—who doesn't know it's expensive... right...
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
