Eureka Mignon Specialità Review
Our resident coffee expert Louise Woffindin takes a look at one of the more premium burr grinders on the market in her Eureka Mignon Specialità review. Find out if it’s worth the investment below…
Nothing quite beats freshly ground coffee, and being able to grind it yourself at home means you’re guaranteed to always have the freshest around. Not all coffee grinders deliver the same results and if you’re a true coffee aficionado, you’ll want something that delivers a professional grind every time. With this in mind, we’ve chosen to review the Eureka Mignon Specialità coffee grinder.
When people look for a prosumer espresso grinder, this machine is one that crops up time and again.
It’s a sought-after burr grinder with a small footprint, designed to give you professional-grade coffee without leaving your home. Read on to find out what we thought in our full Eureka Mignon Specialità review.
First Impressions Of The Eureka Mignon Specialità
When the Eureka Mignon came, it was delivered in a standard cardboard box. It had the Eureka tape sealing it and said, “Made in Italy,” which we liked given Italy’s coffee culture and reputation – the Eureka brand has been making and designing coffee grinders for over 100 years. The company was founded by Aurelio Conti. The grinders are still manufactured in Florence today.
On opening the box, we were pleased to see the machine required very little in the way of assembly at all. There were only four parts to it: the hopper, the portafilter fork, the grinder, and the machine itself. These were all neatly packed and carefully protected inside the box.
Unlike most hoppers, the Eureka Mignon is square rather than round. We liked this change as it looked nice on the counter next to our square coffee machine. Both the hopper and the machine’s dimensions are the same, which looks great. We also liked how the hopper lid was clear too. This fits onto the hopper really well.
If you’re accustomed to Eureka grinders, the dial will be familiar. The display has a dark background with white icons and numbers, which makes it look very professional.
Our first impression of the portafilter fork wasn’t great but we decided to reserve judgment until we’d used it. We also noticed that there wasn’t a tray for loose grounds.
In terms of our overall first impressions, we thought it looked great and assembled well but did seem a little small. This might be suitable for people with smaller kitchens or reduced countertop space. Essentially, it looked compact with a well-executed contemporary design. But did it make great coffee? Read on to find out.
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Eureka Mignon Specialità Specs And Features
For a smallish grinder, you get a ton of features. There is a nice LED touchscreen, step-less grind adjustment, and programmable dosing. It’s also designed to be quiet, which we really noticed.
We found that this machine had a great design. The step-less grind system adjusts under the motor, which made for easier disassembly and cleaning. It’s also designed to grind beans for a variety of brews, including filter coffee, espresso, Turkish pots, and French press brews.
Let’s take a look at some of the key features in detail:
55mm flat burrs in hardened steel
Eureka engineers have really thought about the design of these burrs. They produce barista-style coffee with a fantastic grinding speed.
Programmable touchscreen display
The Eureka machine can be programmed with two different doses. You can also control the total grinding time and have a continuous grinding mode.
Extremely quiet
We loved how quiet this grinder was compared to others. It’s clear that Eureka has spent a lot of time working on the sound insulation of this coffee grinder. It uses a thick metal sound-insulating case that really works at dampening the grinding and motor sounds.
Hands-free technology
The hands-free portafilter fork is designed to be suitable for any portafilter and is adjustable.
Step-less grind adjustment
Eureka’s micrometric regulation system is patented. With this machine, you can adjust your grind to preserve beans and save time. You’re also able to clean the system and maintain it without losing your settings, which we liked. There’s nothing worse than getting the perfect grind and then losing all of the adjustments you made!
ACE (anti-clump and electrostaticity) System
This system is designed to prevent any clumps and to prevent and get rid of electrostatic charge. This system is common to all Eureka grinders, so if you’ve used one before, you’ll be familiar with it. Essentially, the ACE system regulates the coffee outflow to ensure consistency in dosing as well as cleanliness.
Simple maintenance
Unlike some grinders, the Eureka Mignon is very easy to maintain. The burr holder set can be dismantled easily and quickly as there are only nine screws to remove. This means it’s really easy to clean and replace the burrs.
Productivity
The Eureka Mignon grinder produces between 1.2g and 1.8g of coffee per second for an espresso and between 1.9g and 2.5g per second for a brew.
Eureka Mignon Specialità full spec
- 55-mm steel flat burrs
- 310 W power
- 1350 rpm
- Suitable for espresso, pour over/filter
- 35 x 12 x 18 cm
- 300g coffee bean tank
- 6kg
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Main Components
- The hopper – The hopper inserts easily into the top of the machine. If you plan to leave it in place, there is a screw at the back of the machine that you can adjust. However, it does fit quite snugly
- The portafilter fork – This slots into the front of the grinder quite easily. It’s meant to be universal and hands-free, but we found it wasn’t that easy. We also thought that it wasn’t as well-designed and built as the rest of the machine but not so much that we don’t recommend it
- The grind adjustment dial – This is located on the top of the machine. It can adjust the grind infinitely – the numbers are just for reference. For a finer grind, you need to turn the dial clockwise and for a coarser grind, anti-clockwise. It is quite sensitive so you only need to make small adjustments
- Timed dosing – The machine has two timed dosing buttons that can be programmed. These are on the touchscreen and are shown with a single cup or a double cup icon. The button settings can be adjusted by selecting them and using the + or – button to change the time
- Manual grinding – As well as the timed dosing, there is a manual grind mode. Holding this down will activate the grinder. To stop the grind, you just need to take your finger off the button
- Warranty – The Eureka Mignon Specialità comes with a 24-month warranty
Using The Eureka Mignon Specialità
As previously mentioned, there is not a lot to put together. What’s great is that you also don’t need any tools. When you’ve set everything up 
and plugged the grinder in, you can prepare to make your first brew.
Preparing for the first cup
The first thing you need to do is feel the coffee. This means letting it grind into your hand so that you can feel the texture and adjust it accordingly.
Simply put a few beans into the hopper and feel the grounds produced. If you’re making espresso, these should have a similar consistency to table salt. You don’t want the grounds to be as fine as icing sugar nor as coarse as sand. You can turn the dial slightly to adjust. Keep doing this until you have perfected it.
Making a dose
Once you’ve perfected the grind, take your portafilter and weigh it on your coffee scales and press “tare.” This is so that you can weigh the exact number of beans you need for the perfect single-dose brew. Single dosing keeps the coffee as fresh as possible. It takes around 10 seconds to grind about 20g of beans. You can weigh the portafilter again to ensure you have no retention. We found it to be spot on.
The display
Some coffee grinders have buttons on the screen to trigger the dosing. However, the Eureka Mignon trigger is activated by a button above the cradle where the portafilter goes. Inserting the portafilter will hit the button and start the grind. Tapping the button again pauses the grind. Tapping again would re-start it.
You can also adjust the contrast and brightness of the display, which is great.
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Maintenance
Like all grinders, the Eureka Mignon needs specific maintenance to keep it at its best. This includes cleaning the hopper and burrs.
To clean the hopper, you need to remove it and clean all of the internal parts with neutral soap and water. This will remove any oil that the 
beans have left inside the hopper. It then needs to be rinsed and dried carefully. It can’t go into a dishwasher.
To clean the grinding system, you need to remove the lid and open the upper burr holder. The internal parts and the blades need to be cleaned with a dry cloth or a brush. An air-compressed jet or a vacuum cleaner can also be used.
For correct operation, you shouldn’t grind over 160g of beans at a time. What’s more, the blades should be replaced when they’ve been used to grind 250kg of coffee. The UK consumes 2.8kg of coffee per capita each year so if you consider that some people don’t drink coffee at all, that’s a lot of coffee. To know when to change your blades, work out how many grams of coffee beans you go through in a week or a month.
The Result
We found the Mignon made just as much mess as other grinders so this wasn’t an issue. The electronically timed dosing worked perfectly and we liked how precise you can be with your grind.
Once you’ve got your grind perfected with a single dose, you can play around more with the time of the grind. That way, there’s less frustration as you’re only focusing on one variable.
We found the grind to be very fluffy. There were no clumps and no static. The more we used the machine and the burrs got broken in, the quality of the grind improved.
When you get pretty close to your ideal grind, you can use the +/- buttons to alter the grinding time of the shot, which makes it very precise indeed.
As previously mentioned, we were somewhat unimpressed with the portafilter fork. Rather than being a holder, it’s more like a guide. You can prop it up to make the grind hands-free but it doesn’t seem very secure. This would be a simple thing for Eureka to sort and a nicer cradle would make a definite difference in functionality and ease.
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Espresso Grind Vs French Press Grind
Though we were thoroughly impressed with the espresso grind of the Eureka Mignon Specialità, the coarser grind settings didn’t work as well. Technically, it can grind beans for a French press or a pour-over, but we didn’t rate it as highly as the quality produced for the espresso grind.
We put this down to the grind adjustment system. The little adjustment knob doesn’t move the steel burrs themselves, rather it moves an interior shaft in the motor that lowers or raises the lower burr. While this does mean you can be very precise in your grind adjustment, this micro-adjustment means that switching from an espresso grind to a coarser grind will require rotating the knob several times. As a result, it’s then difficult to get back to your sweet spot for your espresso once again.
We understand why many people just use this grinder for espressos.
What Makes The Eureka Different?
The Eureka Mignon Specialità looks good. Eureka has clearly thought about the aesthetics of this grinder as well as its functionality. The square look is nice while also being original. We also liked the location of the grind button and how it can be activated by the portafilter too.
Above all, though, the main difference compared to its competitors was just how quiet it was. You don’t get that bone-shaking din that other grinders give you – and when you’ve only just opened your eyes first thing in the morning, you really appreciate a quiet grinder!
The interface also makes this stand out from the crowd. There is no garish backlit display and it’s simple yet effective.
In terms of size, this grinder does seem a little smaller than many other coffee grinders. However, we liked its compact size as it doesn’t take up too much space on the counter and can easily fit under a wall cupboard too. And, if you choose to store it away when not in use, it will fit neatly into a kitchen cupboard as well.
The quality of the grind is also exceptional value for money. What’s more, the consistency of the grind is excellent too. You get a really light, fluffy, and non-clumpy grind. The ACE system really does its job well! When the grounds come out of the chute, they fall evenly in a waterfall-like manner straight into your portafilter. We now understand why there is no grind catcher underneath.
Verdict
For anyone considering a high-end beginner coffee grinder, the Eureka Mignon Specialità is a good fit if your budget allows. If you primarily drink espressos, it’s an easy decision. It looks good and produces excellent quality espresso coffee grounds. We were impressed with each cup we made with these grounds.
For anyone who drinks pour-over or French press brews as well as espressos, getting the grind right time and time again can be fiddly. We wouldn’t say not to get this grinder, but you do need a lot of patience to perfect your grind again when going back and forth between espressos and other brews.
Overall, the Eureka Mignon Specialità is a fantastic little grinder that produces fluffy grounds. For its price, it offers exceptional value for money. It’s a true mix of domestic functionality and commercial-grade, barista-style coffee. The grind size is consistent, the dosing is accurate, and there is very little in the way of grind retention. It’s a stunning machine that offers unparalleled quality and construction in its price range.