Review: Mazzer Philos Coffee Grinder

Commercial café quality at home. Oh God, the syrupy and sweet espresso. Very low coffee bean retention. Best-in-class precision on espresso grinds. Easy maintenance and cleaning. Durable, replaceable, mostly metal build.

Viewed from the side, the Mazzer Philos coffee grinder looks a little bit like a laser blaster made for the hands of a giant. Its 400-watt motor purrs like a clothes dryer when I flip the switch. It is elegant in its way, maybe even handsome. But it's also daunting, lightly industrial, and the size of a small dog. It announces seriousness. Its $1,500 price tag announces similar seriousness.

But this is fitting. The Mazzer Philos is, in fact, quite serious.

If ever you needed proof that a grinder is just as important as your espresso machine, what you do is this: Use the Philos to grind coffee for pretty much any espresso machine ...