Not just a good coffee grinder, but really cute too.
The Isomac Professional Grinder, finally available in Malaysia.
You can see it is quite small grinder compare to my La Scala M5 flat burr grinder.
Specifications:
Height: 290mm
Width: 110mm
Depth: 200mm
Weight: 3kg
Hopper capacity: 250g
Burr: Conical
Type: Doserless, Stepped.
It definitely can grind fine enough to produce a 25 seconds double shots of espresso. Makes it an excellent home grinder or used as a second general grinder for other type of brewing purposes.
Coffee where passion is tempered with reality 
Hi Chan,
How bout ascaso I1.. will it be a good investment..
Ascaso grinder is good except the price is damn high.
Total value becomes bad.
Hi Chan,
Great blog!
How much is the Isomac by the way? And where is it selling?
hi Chan
how much is the normal retail price for ascaso then? and what would u suggest other than isomac or ascaso i.e as in my case?
regards
I saw a whole row of of the Isomac grinder in Highlander Coffee when I was there in June. Good value according to Phil Ho.
I need to come over your place to try out this baby & your Oscar!
Hi Chan, is the Isomac grinder suitable for small cafe?
What is the size of burr, the RPM and power of the grinder?
Any stepless model availabe?
I am interested if the price is good!
Dear Michael,
Height: 290 mm
Width: 110 mm
Depth: 200 mm
Weight: 3 kg
Capacity: 250 g
Power: 100 W
Voltage: 230 V – 50Hz
Don’t remember the burr size but somewhere around 54mm. But I do not recommend it for any cafe.
It is a home grinder. You will regret using it for a cafe. It is not suitable even for low traffic cafe.
If you are having a cafe, invest in a proper grinder for about RM2.5K. The commercial grinder (next to the isomac is my M5) got very good resell value.
I can even recommend 2nd hand commercial grinder to you. BUT NOT the Isomac home grinder.
Ascaso I1 vs Isomac?
I am not a professional, but the most obvious difference between the 2 machines is stepped (Isomac) vs stepless (Ascaso) adjustment.
Stepped vs Stepless adjustment
If you are using the machine for both french press and espresso machine, using the Ascaso for these 2 extreme range of grind size would be a nightmare. It will take ages!!! One full turn on the adjustment knob only changes the grind size very little. So to change from fine grind size for espresso machine to coarse one for french press, it will probably take half and hour or so or 50 over full turns on the adjustment knob. I might have exaggerated a little, but you understand what I mean.
However, if you only use the grinder for expresso machine Ascaso would be a better choice… For a barista to find the God shot or the perfect cup of coffee the stepless adjustment gives more control over the grind size.
Connical vs Flat burr
Ascaso I1 is a flat burr, whereas Isomac is a conical burr. Conical burr tends to be a bit noisy. Some believe that conical burr grinders are able to produce a more even ground and assure that your espresso is not heated during grinding, which would reduce the aroma of the coffee. I am not sure if this is true.
Timer?
The Ascaso doesn’t come with a timer. Not sure about the Isomac. Timer would be handy if you are particular about keeping a constant 14g of coffee for every espresso shot.
Price
The Isomac is cheaper than the Ascaso by RM200-300 only.
My suggestion is… go for the choice based on usage, burr type preference & looks. After all, you are going to keep the grinder for a few years… don’t worry about the extra few hundred. I always believe, you get what you pay for.
Dear Hilsy,
Well said. I agree with you on all the points except the price.
Isomac is only RM1200. The Ascaso is RM1790. That’s RM590 difference.
KF
Rm1790 is the RRP (Recommended Retail Price). You can get it at a discount depending on your bargaining skills.
I recently bought the Ascaso. Love it!
How much did you get for it? They used to be really stingy on discount last time. Did you get a Gaggia from them also? Wondered if anyone got good experience with the Gaggia Baby TWIN?
Yes I got the Gaggia baby twin and my beans from them.
The baby Twin is a very good machine.
– Fast start up
– Semi-auto machine
– Produces coffee with lots of crema
– Looks great! I am a sucker for aesthetically built machines
Best of the baby range… more powerful with the double heating system (dual boiler)
You have a friend looking for this machine?
How’s the steam power? Are you able to get microfoam? I have seen 3 of them and heard from another one,… all pissing tonnes of water when the steam is turned on.. even after purging some water in the begining.
Can send some pic or video?
I would have thought that this is their worst model. I have seen and use their other older model. They are give very good dry stream.
The steam power is good enough to produce microfoam.
Yes you are right the Twin probably spews more water than some machines but if you know how to work around it, its a good machine. The trick is to clear-out all the water in the system before you start frothing the milk.
You should get your friends to get barrista training from you for proper handling of difficult machine as such 😉
I have not tried other Gaggia range so can’t comment. However, if compare to the Ascaso espresso machine, i think Gaggia produces better coffee – with more crema. But this is always very subjective and a matter of personal preference.
Sorry didn’t have time to post photos. Will do so when I have the time
hi ktchan,
can you recommend me any source or shop to get 2nd hand home coffee grinder?
preferably hand grinder
my budget is around 300rm ( is it possible)
Hi Chan,
Can explain a bit more details “It is a home grinder. You will regret using it for a cafe. It is not suitable even for low traffic cafe “.
Is it the speed it grinds or the build that sums up to this conclusion.
It is the speed and size of the burr and hopper.
The built quality is good. But my commercial M5 is 3 times to size compare to the isomac.
Furthermore, the Isomac is a doserless grinder. You must grind on demand. The commercial ones with a doser, you can grind in advance.
Hi kfchan,
I’m a beginner and have an espresso machine at home. I’m planning to get Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill, Skerton MSCS-2. Any comment on this hand grinder?
Hi Amy,
What espresso machine you have?
Hand grinder is not good enough to make espresso. If you use it to grind coffee for french press, drip or syphon, that may work.
Hi kfchan,
I’m using Ariete Caffè Chic, got it 2 months ago. I’m unable to make smooth foam milk, not sure whether is it because of my skills not good enough, the milk or machine.
Thanks for your comment, any machine grinder to recommend? Where can I buy it? My budget is less than RM1k.
Dear Amy,
If you are using the Ariete, then it is an issue with the machine. You need skill, of course. But with that machine, even with skills also difficult to froth microfoamed milk.
The cheapest grinder that can grind for quality espresso is the Isomac Professional Grinder and it cost RM1200.
Yes, at the moment, those 2 are the most value for money. But your other obstacle is the espresso machine itself. To learn more about grinders, read the article at coffeeritual.blogspot.com
Hi KF Chan,
No wonder I can’t forth micro foamed milk, I tried a lot of different kind of brands and can’t get good result 😦 Oh no… I have to get another espresso machine. Thanks for your recommendation on the coffee grinder. Is it available at Robinson, Mid Valley?
Hi Wee Chuan,
Yes, now my other obstacle is the espresso machine… Thanks for the link, it’s very helpful.
may i knw where can get a manual coffee grinder? thanks for that.
Hi.. Stumbled upon your page.. Very interesting I must say..
I’m currently looking for a coffee grinder for my husband.. Am not too familiar with coffee n etc so would like to seek your advise on where to purchase such items in KL..
He basically needs to grind coffee beans for French press.. Smtg can be adjusted wld be good for future use too .. Budget probably around rm800-rm1300..
Hope u can help me out..
Hi kfchan,
I am undecided between the isomac grinder and the mazzer mini. The isomac is small enough as well as being half the priced of mazzer mini however the mazzer mini has got such glowing reports all over the internet that i wonder if it’s really worth the money & space for it.
I use my gaggia evo approx 4-5 times a week mostly during the weekends.
Appreciate your advice on the following:
1) if the isomac is sufficientfor now & in the event i upgrade my machine?
2) how will I know much dose is required since it’s a doserless version?
3) is it messy after dispensing of each dose?
cheers!
I’m in Sarawak and it took me ages to eventually find a little hand-grinder. So small and cute, though actually a bit too small, meaning it’s hard work to hold the thing still while grinding.
Has to be said though that now I cannot stand standard Nescafe (though for some reason the decafe version is still quite tasty?). Once you’re used to real, freshly ground coffee, well instant coffee is no good anymore.
However do you know where one can buy the raw beans? I’d like to try roasting my own…
Alternatively, any good online suppliers of well-wrapped/fresh roasted beans? There only seems to be one local variety, virtually black as roasted to the point of almost burnt. Would love to try some other flavors..?
Any ideas?
I’m using a French press, which works well.
Adam
Hi Adam,
The Isomac Professionalle grinder is an excellent grinder if you want to improve your coffee experience.
As you are using french press, good grinder makes a big difference.
With poorer quality grinder, they tend to create more dust which contribute to bitterness in the coffee.
And with a french press, uneven grinding and dust will cause more fines through the filter, hence.. more sludge in the cup.
Also, I sell fresh roasted beans, always less than a month from roasting. Sometimes as fresh as 1 week.
250g pack = RM26.
Courier service to Kuching = RM11.
Order a pack or two if you are interested to try.
Where in KL can you buy the coffee grinders you mention above, such as the Isomac? Thanks
KFChan : What beans do you have for sale ? I’d like to try some.
looking for coffee grinder for my restaurant…call me 0122065117
Hi KFChan,
I’m looking for a coffee grinder below RM700, is there any suggestion and where to get it?
Hi KF,
I am a fresh entry, I hope to own my first expresso machine and grinder, can you give me the comment about gaggia classic and gaggia Mdf, because I have sourced it from Takashimaya in Singapore cost about SD619(classic) and SD313(Mdf). will it enough for a fresh entry in coffee geek, and is it have resell value.
Thank for your reply.
LT
Hi KF,
Any comment between Gaggia Mdf grinder VS Isomac Prof Grinder
Whenever I use my mixer, plugged into the same outlet or anywhere along the run as the coffe grinder, the grinder comes on. How can turning on the blender possible bypass the on/off switch on the coffee grinder and turn it on? Both units work fine on their own. Proctor Silex and Krups. Weird, huh?
Can u guys post some link for espresso machine and grinder . New and 2nd hand for us to refer? I manage to get mudah.my only