COMMON QUESTION: What are the major differences between the Mahlkonig PEAK and EK43? Which one should I choose?
KEY DIFFERENCES
The Mahlkonig PEAK is designed for espresso grinding while the EK43 is more universal and can grind anything including filter coffee, espresso, and Turkish coffee. The PEAK has a broad range of espresso settings and features that make espresso grinding faster and more efficient without sacrificing quality.
If you need a grinder to grind retail bags of coffee, drip coffee, pour-overs, and Chemex coffees, a retail grinder like the EK43 is ideal. The EK43 has the flexibility to do everything you need it to do (plus an espresso grind setting) without sacrificing quality.
BURR SIZE
The PEAK's 80 mm horizontally mounted burrs are large enough to make a noticeable impact on the espresso as they require fewer rotations than smaller burrs to process the coffee. This will help to keep heat generation on the lower side and protect the flavor of the espresso (excessive heat dampens the flavor and can make espresso taste bitter and burned).
The EK43 features 98 mm vertically mounted burrs that are larger than the PEAK's, therefore helping the grinder process extremely large amounts of coffee fast. Horizontally mounted burrs are common in flat burr grinders. However, vertically mounted burrs have very low retention of coffee grounds due to the vertical path of the coffee inside the grinder. This is a great thing for your customers as they won't see any of the coffee they're buying from your shop go to waste when you grind it for them.
GRINDING CAPACITY
The PEAK has a particularly low grinding speed for a flat burr grinder, which is a good thing when grinding for espresso! The PEAK will grind at a rate of about 900 to 1,100 RPM, further limiting the amount of heat produced. In terms of output, it's fast, delivering 3 grams per second. As a versatile grinder, the EK43 is faster. It has a speed of between 1,450 to 1,760 RPM and grinds about 25 grams per second. With the EK43 you can easily have a one-pound bag of coffee ground in about 20 seconds. Both grinders will grind efficiently and produce less heat to preserve the quality of the coffee.