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Thinking of getting a grinder for your cafe? Read on to find out why we think the Bentwood Vertical 63 is one of the most versatile and value for money pieces of gear you can get for your commercial setup. Vertical Flat Screw-less Burrs, Perfectly Aligned Out of the Box The Bentwood Vertical 63 has vertically aligned burrs like the EK43. It is a flat burr grinder, meaning it produces unimodal grind distribution, which notably gives more even extraction. (Our guide on how to choose grinders shares more about the differences between flat and conical burr grinders.) Unlike other burrs, the Bentwood's burrs feature a screw-less design -- there are no screw holes on the burrs -- and this again contributes to a more even grind distribution as burrs are perfectly symmetrical. As we know, excess heat during grinding can cause the loss of flavours. The Bentwood is equipped with a double ventilation system for its powerful motor, which helps to eliminate this problem. If you've used an EK43 before, you'll know how hard you have to work to align its burrs so as to optimise grinder performance. In the Bentwood's case, we totally appreciate the fact that it's factory aligned, meaning your machine's good to go once it's out of the box. The burr carrier is installed with super tight tolerances to minimise wobbling. Also, no shimming is required to achieve a tight grind consistency.  Photo credit: @bentwoodcoffee @m.vonscherer Minimal Grind Retention & Super Clean Workspace The two biggest issues we have with our EK43 are retention and how messy it is to use. The Bentwood Vertical 63 has a significant advantage over the EK43 in these areas. Thanks to the vertical setup and screw-less design of the burrs and a declumper, the Bentwood Vertical 63 grinds extremely clean with minimal retention. We did an experiment by dosing 20g of coffee in, and got 19.9g out -- definitely not bad. The declumper works to reduce static so your coffee grounds are falling neatly into whatever you're dosing into. The resulting grounds are also extremely fluffy! Hardly any grounds got on our workspace, which is of course great, especially if you have a busy cafe. Which brings us to the next point...  Grind adjustment by micron size. (Photo credit: @bentwoodcoffee @m.vonscherer) Hybrid Grinder: Effortless Switch Between Espresso and Filter in Commercial Settings Switching between grind sizes on the Bentwood Vertical 63 is effortless -- just turn the adjustment wheel, which is smooth and easy. The stepless grind adjustment by micron size is intuitive and makes grinding precise every time. You could switch from grinding for an espresso and a filter (by single dosing) in a matter of seconds, and it would work in a commercial setting because of the Bentwood's low grind retention, meaning you won't have grounds from your last cup getting into the next and messing it up. This would be great for using omni-roast coffees in a cafe setting. Apart from the cafe setting, the grind adjustment by micron size also works for our roastery setup when we need to do quality control and cupping. Grinding by micron size standardises the way we communicate to our partners and makes things precise and less ambiguous. The Bentwood Vertical 63 allows three programmable grind-by-time settings, which helps to speed up workflow in the cafe. It's also a pretty speedy grinder -- we tested that it can grind more than 20g of coffee in 5 seconds. We would say the Bentwood is great for small cafes that do not want to compromise on cup quality, but have budget constraints, as you can now fulfil the demands of both espresso and filter with one single grinder.  Photo credit: @bentwoodcoffee @gizmoty_official Flavour: Significant Sweetness Without Sacrificing Body and Clarity
The most obvious difference in flavour we've observed is that the Bentwood brings a marked increase in sweetness in the coffee. This is consistent with countless other reviews we've seen on the Internet. In terms of clarity and body, we would say the Bentwood gives more body but less clarity than the EK43. Beautiful, Sleek and Modern Design With its sleek matt black body and elegant oak or walnut panels, the Bentwood Vertical 63 is a beautiful addition to any cafe countertop. Other colours and wood finishes are available for customisation upon request as well. You can check out the Bentwood Vertical 63 on our webstore. Do contact us if you'll like to give it a try. We'll be happy to host you at our office cum academy at Seletar! Technical Specifications Idle Speed: 1400 rpm Burr Diameter: 63mm Burr Material: Steel Max. Nominal Power: 660 W Dimensions (W x D x H): 198 x 415 x 550 mm Net Weight: 21kg Hopper Capacity: ca. 600g Portafilter Support: Included Standard Color: Black, other colors upon request Standard Wood: Light Oak, Dark Oak, Walnut, other woods upon request |