DF54 Single Dose Coffee Grinder (Black)

I bought this grinder to use instead of the built-in grinder of my Breville Barista Pro espresso maker (Breville grinder, not Baratza). The built-in grinder was very inconsistent, and despite a lot of time, techniques, practice, tools, and guides, I struggled to pull even consistent shots - good or bad - that I could refine into something better. After exhausting my options, I decided to pony up for a separate grinder.Wow, this grinder has made a huge difference! The I'm now able pull consistent shots and refine them without having to worry about inconsistency from the grinder.The DF54 is also relatively quiet, compact, and I appreciate the built-in bellows and ionizer that help with retention. Overall this grinder has taken a lot of variabilit out of espresso-making, while also producing high quality grinds.

March 3, 2025Good grinder so far but with minor annoyance- The quality is good but it came without configuration. I rotate until it the burr touch and it is -7. Instead heating up the dial and remove it and line up with 0 at the touch I just extend the dial with negative mark. So I grind at 4 (means 4+7=11).- The grinder produce consistence grind but some of the finer grind will stick to the side and eventually fully block the chute even with the ionizer. I need to clean the chute every week or use the bristle to clean it every time I use it.- I have no problem with only 150W as I always turn it on before pour in the beans.- Grinding your own bean is a messy business. No matter how careful you are you will still get ground everywhere.I am keeping this grinder and will update after a few more months. 4.7 star with points mention above.

1 Month Update:I still really love this grinder. Best value purchase for the grind quality you get. After about 1-2 weeks of use, I noticed more static in the grinds, but a simple clean with the included chute brush resolved this and it's back to clean static free output. I've also started to spray my light roast beans, but not necessary for dark to medium roasts. I still love the look and how sturdy yet quiet it is. I also recommend hot starting for grinding to help maintain grind consistency. No clogging issues whatsoever. You can't go wrong with this grinder if you're looking for something for home that provides a quality grind to elevate your espresso journey.Original review:I wasn't one of the early adopters of the DF54, so I had to wait for the next batch shipment to be available so I could get my hands on one. My previous grinder was a Baratza Encore that barely met standards in terms of a good espresso grind (very inconsistent, muddy flavors), which it wasn't really designed for.I've read some of the complaints of the DF54 in terms of the zero point and static issues and I have to say so far I have none of those issues. Maybe they tweaked the manufacturing to address some of the prior issues to improve Quality Control on these latest arrivals.1. My DF54 right out of the box hasn't had any static issues yet, even when grinding light roasts (which tend to have more static than darker roasts).2. The Zero Point was spot on. Just turning the dial a hair past "0" was where the gear "chirping" happened, so I'm happy with this calibration.3. First few grinds had a little bit of retention, but after that and using the bellows, the final grind comes to +/- 0.1g from the initial beans dosed.4. Some video reviews talked about how the bellows come off too easily from the grinder, but with mine, the bellows are fairly snug that if I try to remove them, the "anti-popcorning" cap slips out with it, so seems everything fits well together.I haven't check the burr alignment on this unit, but so far I don't feel like I need to. For Espresso grinds, I have it set in the vicinity of 20, and my shots so far have produced wonderful clarity for fruity notes, but enough smoothness for flavors like vanilla.Very satisfied with my purchase. I really love the compact design, the quiet operation and pairs well with my Bambino Plus.I'll provide an update in 1 month.

At this price point, this kind of redefines the home coffee game. If you want to try dosing your beans and grinding immediately before brewing, but aren’t ready to commit two-to-ten times the cash to do it, this might be your destination grinder. I’ve watched the online reviews and they seem very picky about very fine variations in espresso shots, or a few seconds of grind time, or very slight differences in the percentage of fines. Ignore that stuff. I was planning to be mildly disappointed. If that’s important to you, this probably isn’t your end of the market. I think for most people, that’s an insane upsell for people moving up from canned coffee. Let’s be realistic: this is a flat burr grinder, with a small footprint, that can grind consistently from fine powder, through espresso, aeropress, filter, and drip, all very consistent and repeatable. You can switch settings easily between batches, going from morning drip to evening espresso without having to clean out the machine. It’s stepless with clear markings so you can switch settings and return to them later easily. It has an anti static feature like a much more expensive grinder so you don’t have to spray your beans every time. The workflow is really quite convenient. The clear dosing cup is a positive feature because you can see the grounds in the portafilter. It makes minimal mess. It’s competitive with grinders like the Niche Zero, and it’s potentially better, especially if you do espresso, for less than half the price. This is an excellent grinder.I have some minor annoyances. The forks for holding the dosing cup or portafilter are like a stiff silicone so are slightly floppy and less positive than I would like. It’s better than something like ABS plastic that you’d find on something from the big box. I got used to it quickly. People complain about the bellows being loose, but this hasn’t been a problem. The lid on mine is looser than the bellows so the lid comes off first unless I specifically pull off the bellows. Tapping the bellows a few times at the end of the batch to expel grounds just becomes habit, so I don’t think about it. There’s a small cutout for the cord on the bottom, so when I pick it up to clean the counter, it never wants to sit flat until I run the cord through the cutout. No big deal. It’s not super fast, but we’re talking something like 20 seconds, versus 10 seconds to grind a typical 18 gram dose? This isn’t meant to be a commercial grinder and I’m usually waiting for my machine to heat up anyway. I just think the complaints are minor for what you get.