Rancilio STILE Grinder Review
A new grinder has joined the Rancilio Family!
The STILE grinder from Rancilio Grindertec is a compact all rounder and I had the chance to try it out.
The looks
The STILE grinder is incredibly small, space saving and with the dimensions of W X D X H / 130 x 185 x 308 mm and just 4.5kg it fits even in a small space, like my kitchen.
I have the black model, which is in a matt colour and the design is very sleek and minimalistic, only complemented with a uncluttered ‘STILE’ sticker on the back, also in black.
I love the design of the bean hopper, as it is integrated seamlessly to the rest of the grinder, resulting in no space for dust to settle and the grinder appears cleaner, even if it is used everyday in the kitchen, compared with a grinder where the hopper sits like a funnel on top of the grinder.
The hopper is very easily taken off and put back on and can hold more than 300g of coffee beans. The lid of the hopper can also be used as a tray underneath the grinder shoot at the same time, which makes it the first multi purpose lid I have ever seen.
The grinding degree adjustment ring can be reached by two sides of the grinder, giving the user the option to place it either to the left or the right hand side of the coffee machine and it is again very sleek in its design. No disturbing stickers or big designs muddle up the visual experience.
The most prominent and for Rancilio very new feature is the big touch screen display, placed in the front centre of the grinder. It has big symbols on it that are easy to tap. I will explain the different settings later.
Underneath the Display is the shoot for the ground coffee and a height adjustable, non-slip portafilter rest that can also be taken off. I am an absolute fan of the non-slip coating as it is one of the first grinders I have had that doesn’t scratch the portafilter and it allows hand free grinding which actually gives me professional coffee shop vibes, even at home.
The grinder itself is the perfect design addition to the Rancilio Silvia range or any home espresso machine and a must have for design orientated home baristas, that are looking for professional equipment.
Inside the grinder
The combination of precise 58mm flat burrs and a micrometric adjustment collar make it easy to achieve both espresso and drip coffee grind sizes.
Once I turned the grinder on, with a little switch at the side, and added coffee into the hopper, I was very surprised by the amount of noise this grinder produces. Because there is nearly none! This grinder is so quiet and yet has a very powerful motor.
It is about 1.5 seconds faster to grind a 18g dose with a fine grind size that equals a 27 second shot with 39g out, compared to one of the leading home grinders from a German company on the market.
So it is smaller, faster and quieter!
Programming
The first time I turned the grinder on, it was in a dispensing mode that got activated by the keypad. That means you can insert your portafilter and leave it on the non-slip rest, then push either the single espresso cup icon, the double one or a pause symbol. Use the touchscreen to start grinding by tapping the Single or Double dose presets, or grind continuously by tapping the Continuous Button.
Tapping the Continuous Button in Keypad mode will pause your dose. Tap the same button again to resume.
To set a dispensing time, push the desired dose button longer until it flashes. A plus and minus symbol appears and you can set the dispensing time. I currently need 10 seconds on a double espresso to gain 18g, but this is just with my current coffee.
To set your dose right, please use a scale.
You can also switch the dispensing mode into activation by portafilter. To do so you just have to hold the Continuous button and one of the dose buttons (single or double cup) until both icons blink 3 times.
Now you can insert the portafilter to start grinding. Tap to select Single or Double dose presets or tap the Continuous Button to select continuous grinding. Unfortunately the single and double dose icons don’t appear in this start screen, so you just have to tap where the icons would usually be and they appear once being tapped.
Hold the dose button you want to edit. Use the + and - buttons to adjust the dose time.
Removing the portafilter (so that the button isn’t pressed) will pause the dose. Reinsert the portafilter to resume.
It took me a good 15 minutes to try all the different settings out but once I understood how to enter each mode, everything got quite easy.
For home use my favourite setting is the activation by keypad as you can place the portafilter in the non-slip rest and organise yourself before having to grind.
Cleaning/ Servicing
For cleaning purposes the hopper can be very easily removed and washed with soap and water. The grinder itself can be cleaned with a brush or a vacuum cleaner but please without any liquids touching the burrs. Once a month I use cleaning tablets, specifically made for grinder cleaning from the company Urnex. The product is called Grindz and it are gluten free wheat tablets that are hyper oil absorbent.
The display also shows servicing intervals and so you know when to get the burrs replaced.
Grinding for Filter Coffee
As this grinder promotes to also be suitable for filter coffee, I really wanted to try it!
I turned up the grind adjustment settings to a very coarse setting. I would recommend adjusting the grind size whilst the grinder is grinding. The grind got visibly coarser and is usable for filter coffee preparations and to be honest, that was the last part that absolutely convinced me!
Conclusion
A small, quiet, fast and very sleekly designed grinder, that does everything I want it to do. With this grinder, Rancilio has managed to release a product that is not just very functional and pretty, but also extremely professional and easy to use.
I can only recommend it. I have attached a quick start guide and some stats for more information.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a message!