In this guide, we're going to be comparing the Mahlkonig Peak vs Mythos 2 by Victoria Arduino. You'll learn all of the details that will help you decide which espresso grinder is right for you.
We're going to cover...
- The similarities between the Mahlkonig Peak and the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two.
- What the key differences between these grinders are and how they work.
- Which grinder is the best one to pick based on your business.
Quick Summary
Mahlkonig Peak
With excellent temperature control and consistency, the Peak is a precision espresso grinder for high-volume coffee shops and restaurants. Get this grinder if you're looking to keep up with long customer lines and offer nothing but premium quality espresso drinks.
Victoria Arduino Mythos Two
The choice of barista champions, the Mythos 2 is the next generation of espresso grinders with cutting-edge technology for top-tier precision and user-controlled adaptability. It's the grinder you want for unparalleled performance in espresso service in a high-volume location.
Want to see our top picks for all commercial espresso grinders? They can be found on this buyer's guide.
Similarities
Large, Flat Burrs
The rise in popularity of flat burr grinders with larger grinding discs seen in high-end coffee shops is no surprise when you consider the wide range of possibilities they offer.
In flat burr grinders, the flat grinding discs sit one on top of the other. The coffee beans are crushed between them into uniform particles.
This consistent particle distribution will help baristas obtain even extraction and balance the flavors of the espresso while accentuating the deeper notes.
Baristas also love that flat burr grinders expand the potential for experimentation with espresso recipes, sparking creativity and allowing for greater exploration of what the coffee has to offer.
The burrs in the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two are 85 mm in diameter while the Mahlkonig Peak's burrs are almost identical in diameter at 80 mm.
The large size of these burrs will facilitate fewer rotations when grinding and less heat generation. This is critical for preserving the nuances of the espresso as too much heat can make the final product taste bitter and burned.
Altogether, the combination of the burr size and shape in these grinders will create a powerful effect for the flavor of your espresso.
Stepless Grind Adjustment
If you're new to espresso grinders, you'll come across stepped and stepless versions as you shop around.
What's the difference? The grind flexibility.
Whereas stepped grinders provide preset notches correlating to the fineness of the grind, stepless grinders give you the freedom to adjust the grind in the tiniest of increments by removing these stepped settings.
Ultimately, this gives baristas the opportunity to dial in the grind with greater accuracy for the best results for every coffee profile.
The newly designed Victoria Arduino Mythos Two has incredibly fine-tuned micrometric grind adjustment made simple with a turning knob.
With the Mahlkonig Peak, you'll set your grind with a traditional adjustment collar that slides left or right toward the coarser and finer ends.
Precision Dosing
Both the Mahlkonig Peak and the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two (Pure and Premium configurations) will grind with a level of timed dosing accuracy most models don't reach.
These grinders can be programmed within a .01-second accuracy range. In other words, they're incredibly precise.
Combined with the stepless grind adjustment, these machines give baristas unparalleled control.
LED Illuminated Work Area
It can be hard for baristas to see what they're doing in detail even in a typical, well-lit room.
The LED illumination that comes with the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two and the Mahlkonig Peak will fix that problem forever.
You'll gain perfect visibility with a lighted spout area to monitor your process. You'll even get adjustable lighting in the Mythos Two.
Grind on Demand
These are grind-on-demand machines, which means that they'll skip a container that holds onto the coffee grounds and instead grind directly into the portafilter.
What you'll notice with on-demand grinding is that it preserves the freshness of the coffee.
Flavor compounds in the coffee rapidly oxidize once the beans are ground. The direct pathway to the portafilter minimizes oxidation, thereby limiting flavor loss.
Fresher coffee has better flavor.
Hands Free Grinding
When you place the portafilter into position, the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two and Mahlkonig Peak are able to hold the portafilter in place and start automatically.
Since baristas won't need to hold the portafilter and wait for the grinding to complete, they can up their multitasking game.
Whether this means getting more interaction time with customers or getting through the drink line faster, it's a valuable asset to your business.
Often, increasing customer satisfaction is about smart designs in your technology.
Quieter Motor
The Victoria Arduino Mythos Two and Mahlkonig Peak are known to be low-noise grinders. As you might imagine, this is preferable for the quiet times in your cafe.
It seems like a finer detail, but baristas and customers working on their laptops will appreciate the non-interruptive grinding.
Key Differences
Programmability
The Victoria Arduino Mythos Two has a diverse range of programmable settings that a busy coffee shop will love.
Using the easy touchscreen display, you can set programming for six different coffee profiles into the Mythos Two. You'll be able to program three different doses for each, from time to temperature variables.
The Mahlkonig Peak is a little more basic in this respect as you'll program single and double doses into the OLED display via the push buttons. Basic, but highly functional for a wide variety of shops.
Thermal Regulation System
The Mythos Two adds to its configurations the advanced Clima Pro 2.0 technology.
This thermal management system utilizes both heating and cooling elements to create the ultimate environment for the coffee.
What this provides is total consistency. As the grinder is used throughout the day, the unique temperature control system will counteract the effects of burr expansion that can change the espresso results.
For greater precision, the user can also adjust these settings to find the perfect temperature for the coffee.
The Mahlkonig Peak also has an excellent thermal management system with a double ventilation design.
An additional fan can be run continuously to keep the coffee cool during the rushes when the grinder is running without many breaks in between.
You'll also see the internal temperature on the OLED display so that you can monitor the grinding environment closely.
Hopper Capacity
Though both of these grinders have ample hopper capacity, there are subtle differences between them.
The Victoria Arduino Mythos Two can hold approximately 4.4 pounds of beans, which is ideal for high-volume businesses. Baristas won't need to constantly refill the hopper while the coffee line grows.
The Mythos Two hopper lid is also easy to operate. You can lift it as well as slide it back and forth while refilling the hopper, which can be quite helpful in different espresso setups.
With a 3.3-pound hopper capacity, the Mahlkonig Peak is also suitable for high-volume cafes. Depending on your customer traffic, the difference of one pound may be small or significant.
Portafilter Adjustability
Switching between portafilters of different sizes can change the distribution of the coffee in the basket, unless you have some adjustability in your grinder.
Fortunately, the Mythos Two has adjustable portafilter forks. These can move to accommodate a larger portafilter so that you won't be missing the basket when you grind.
The Mahlkonig Peak solves the problem with an adjustable spout that can be repositioned with various portafilters.
Either way, you'll be able to keep the coffee in the basket and the distribution steady for any size portafilter.
Size
There is a bit of a size difference between these grinders, which may affect your decision if you have a smaller or larger work space.
At approximately 21 inches high, 8 inches wide, and 17 inches deep, the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two is quite a compact option.
The Mahlkonig Peak is about 22 inches high, 10 inches wide, and 13 inches deep, which will require a little more wiggle room around it on the counter.
However, the Mahlkonig Peak does come with the option of a shorter hopper, which will lower the height to just under 18 inches. If height is an issue, this could make a big impact.
Victoria Arduino Mythos Two Gravimetric System
Only the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two offers gravimetric technology (in the Gravimetric configuration).
In addition to a timed dosing option (which is how the Mahlkonig Peak as well as the Mythos Two Pure and Premium models work), the Mythos Two Gravimetric offers dosing by weight.
The built-in scale eliminates the need for an external scale and provides the ultimate accuracy no matter which type of coffee you're grinding.
Variables like density will be automatically accounted for, giving you better results and helping you reduce waste as you dial in the grind.
Victoria Arduino Mythos Two Titanium Burrs
There are many different materials that burrs can be made of. Steel is popular for flat burr grinders as it's sturdy and long-lasting.
The Mahlkonig Peak comes with special cast steel burrs that are more resilient, which means that you won't need to replace them too quickly for the same consistency in grinding quality.
Titanium burrs like those in the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two are even hardier. They'll stay sharp for twice as long as standard burrs and grind up to 3,500 pounds of coffee before needing to be replaced.
Victoria Arduino Mythos Two Variable Speed Motor
In busy coffee shops, the coffee line can appear out of nowhere and grow quickly if production isn't efficient. Some things can't be helped, like grinder speed—until now.
The Gravimetric and Premium configurations of the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two come with an exciting new feature that lets baristas determine the motor speed.
You can change the grinding speed from 700 to 1,200 RPM, which means that if you want to grind faster to get through the line quicker, you can. Just turn up the RPM.
Victoria Arduino Mythos Two Clump Crusher Technology
The Clump Crusher technology in the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two will get rid of any clumping issues that can disturb the extraction process.
When you turn on the grinder, you'll see fluffy coffee grounds evenly distributed into the portafilter basket.
This guards against varying densities in the coffee puck and reduces channeling effects that would limit your espresso machine's ability to evenly saturate the coffee.
Price Considerations
At Majesty Coffee, we work hard to bring you the best and latest technology in espresso equipment for the lowest prices.
We offer the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two configurations in the $4,000 to $5,000 range to suit varying budgets.
The Mythos Two Pure (base model) is available for $4,500, the Premium is priced at $4,950, and the advanced Gravimetric model comes in Black or White for $5,600.
Our top-quality Mahlkonig Peak models are available in Black or White for $2,375.
So Which Should You Buy?
It's safe to say that both of these grinders are perfect for high-volume businesses like coffee shops and restaurants.
Because the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two comes with advanced features from the gravimetric option to user-controlled temperature management, it's perfect for high-end coffee shops, hotels, and locations offering the best espresso products.
But as the Mahlkonig Peak is also a high-precision grinder with an excellent cooling system, it's also well suited to specialty coffee shops and businesses.
If you don't think you'll get much out of the additional performance features in the Mythos Two, the Peak is a reliable option.
The Peak will also be highly functional in office settings in case you're looking for an advanced grinder for the office kitchen.
The key thing to keep in mind about the Mythos Two is that it's especially geared toward barista championship quality and precision. Certainly, many professionals broadening their horizons and looking for the latest technology will benefit from this design.
Here's what we would suggest.
The more high-end your coffee shop is, the more likely you are to benefit from the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two technology.
If you don't anticipate that these performance features will have much impact for you, the Mahlkonig Peak is ideal.
For expert service and the best prices online, check out the Victoria Arduino Mythos Two and Mahlkonig Peak on Majesty Coffee...
