In this guide, we're going to be comparing the Mahlkonig Tanzania vs EK43. You'll find all of the important information right here to help you decide which grinder you need.
We're going to discuss...
- Which features the Mahlkonig Tanzania and EK43 share.
- The features that make these grinders different and how they translate to everyday use.
- How to pick the grinder that will fit your business.
Quick Summary
Mahlkonig Tanzania
Precise and compact, this filter coffee grinder is great for medium to higher volume coffee shops and locations selling retail coffee. It's perfect if you want to offer your customers the standard retail coffee grinding options with high-quality results.
Mahlkonig EK43
The EK43 is incredibly fast and flexible, able to grind from coarse to espresso-fine and Turkish coffee settings. Get this grinder for a wide range of grinding options in a medium to high volume cafe or location with retail coffee bags and diverse grinding needs.
Similarities
Retail Coffee Grinders
The most significant similarity between the Mahlkonig Tanzania and EK43 is their functionality as retail grinders.
If you're planning to add a retail coffee section to your business, a retail grinder is a must. It will allow you to offer on-site grinding of any bag of coffee for your customers.
You can also use a retail grinder for different brew methods like drip coffee and French press if you offer these options on a cafe menu. Depending on your grinder's fineness settings, you'll be able to grind for anything from pour-overs to espresso.
If you're wondering what makes a retail coffee grinder different from an espresso grinder, it's mainly specialization—an espresso grinder is built for espresso service, which means that it has the specific features and grind adjustability required.
Essentially, a retail coffee grinder is a master of flexibility with a wide range of coarse-to-fine settings that you can provide to your customers and utilize for coffee service.
Flat Burrs
You'll notice a difference in your cup if you use a flat burr grinder. These grinders produce an amazing particle consistency that will impact the coffee flavor.
The uniformity of the coffee particles encourages even extraction during the brew process and a balancing of the coffee's various flavor qualities.
Many fans of flat burr grinders also notice an enhancement of chocolaty, earthy, and nutty notes.
Especially if you serve coffee roasts with these characteristics, a flat burr grinder can make your product stand out.
Bag Clamp and Knock-Off Device
While you're grinding retail coffee bags, the bag clamps and knock-off devices on the Tanzania and EK43 are going to save you time and energy.
Because the clamps hold the bags in place while the grinders are running, you don't have to stand around and wait. You can clamp the bag in, turn the grinder on, and attend to other tasks as needed until the grinder has processed all the beans.
The attached knock-off devices are there to ensure that all of the ground coffee makes it into the bag (or coffee filter if you're grinding a batch).
Stepless Grind Adjustment
The benefit of stepless grind adjustment will be obvious when you're adjusting the fineness to the perfect setting for various types of coffee and brew methods.
The EK43 and Tanzania allow you to select any fineness setting with their adjustment dials rather than having to stick to a specific set of adjustment options provided by the manufacturer.
Both of these grinders come with numbered dials to easily find your preferred settings for any coffee.
If you're interested in learning more about this topic, our top commercial espresso grinder picks can be found on this page.
Key Differences
Burr Size
The EK43's 98 mm grinding discs are powerful. Large enough to make a big impact on the coolness of the grinding environment, they add to this model's overall efficiency.
Larger burrs have greater surface area for grinding the coffee beans and need to make fewer rotations, which ultimately means less heat production.
Though the Tanzania's 80 mm burrs are smaller, their size is still considerable, especially in comparison to burrs in the 40 to 50 mm diameter range.
You'll find that the Tanzania's 80 mm burrs will generate less friction and facilitate quick and cool grinding.
The cooler the coffee is, the better the flavor will be as an excess of heat can destroy delicate flavor compounds or create bitterness.
Grinding Capacity
Along with a difference in burr size, there is a difference in grinding capacity between the EK43 and Tanzania.
In terms of sheer speed, the EK43 comes out on top with a grinding capacity of 2.8 pounds to 3.4 pounds per minute (based on fine to medium grind settings).
The grinding capacity of the Tanzania for fine to medium grinding is 1.2 to 2 pounds per minute, which is by no means slow.
On average, you probably won't be spending two minutes grinding retail bags as people will typically buy for their drip coffee machines.
But if speed is of the essence, you'll be impressed with the EK43.
Fineness Settings
Both of these grinders offer a wide range of settings from coarse French press coffee to fine grinds.
However, businesses that need to grind for both drip coffee and espresso will be offered greater functionality in the EK43. This machine can even grind fine Turkish coffee.
While the Tanzania can be set for an espresso fineness, it isn't designed for it and probably won't give you the same accuracy.
The Tanzania can produce a Turkish-like fineness, though it won't do true Turkish coffee grinding, which is finer than what most grinder ranges are capable of.
In general, both of these grinders offer an excellent number of settings for standard brew methods.
Hopper Capacity
The EK43 comes with a larger hopper that can hold up to 2.2 pounds of beans while the Tanzania's hopper has a 1.6-pound capacity.
If you're grinding for standard batch brewing or processing retail coffee bags for customers, the hoppers on both of these grinders should be sufficient.
But just in case you need to a little more room in the hopper, the EK43 will be more accommodating.
Grinder Dimensions
One feature that makes the Tanzania a good fit for many businesses is its compact size. It's 8.1 inches wide, 11.6 inches deep, and 24.9 inches high.
For comparison, the EK43 is 9 inches wide, 16.1 inches deep, and 30 inches high. However, it can come with a shorter hopper, which will reduce the height to 26.8 inches.
But even the shorter hopper won't make the EK43 as compact as the Tanzania, which is small enough on all sides to squeeze in with other coffee equipment on a crowded counter.
Mahlkonig EK43 Vertically Mounted Burrs
In typically designed flat burr grinders, the burrs are placed in a horizontal position. Consequently, flat burr grinders have a tendency to retain coffee grounds between the burrs.
Mahlkonig vertically mounted the burrs in the EK43 to eliminate this issue. Instead of losing grams of coffee when you grind, you'll end up with essentially all of the coffee in the container.
When you're grinding for customers, this will provide the highest value as they won't be losing precious coffee in the process.
Mahlkonig Tanzania Motor Ventilation
With motor ventilation, the Tanzania ensures cool grinding to preserve the quality of the coffee.
This means that running the grinder pretty continuously during peak hours isn't going to compromise the coffee in any way as the grinder will maintain a steady temperature.
Because the EK43 has such large, efficient burrs, it doesn't require the same ventilation as the Tanzania—both grinders are designed to keep a cool environment with different feature combinations.
Mahlkonig EK43 Overload Protection
The EK43 comes with overload protection for issues related to electrical circuitry overload.
Where standard power surges are concerned, the overload protection will guard the grinder against burning out or getting damaged.
It's an excellent safety feature that ultimately has the power to increase the grinder's longevity.
Mahlkonig Tanzania Magnetic Disc Carrier
Many grinders have their grinding discs held in place with screws. Instead of screws, the Tanzania uses a magnetic system to hold the grinding discs.
This will reduce maintenance time as the discs are easy to remove in a flash, but it will also reduce coffee residues.
Less coffee residue makes for easier cleaning, less product wastage, and guaranteed freshness when you grind.
Mahlkonig EK43 Grinding Flexibility
Beyond coffee, the EK43 can grind a wide variety of goods.
You'll gain the ability to grind spices, grains, poppy seeds, and similar products with individual grinding discs.
Because it offers such versatility, the EK43 can be a great choice for cafes and restaurants that need diverse grinding features.
Mahlkonig Tanzania Bag Shaker
The Tanzania's bag shaker option will automatically settle the coffee for you when you're grinding into bags.
This mechanism will give the coffee a gentle shake to make it more compact and fit into the bag after it's ground into fluffy particles.
It's another time-saving device as it will perform a necessary task for you.
Price Considerations
At Majesty Coffee, we focus on bringing you the best that the coffee equipment world has to offer at the most affordable prices.
Our Mahlkonig EK43 Filter Coffee Grinders are available in Black, White, and Red for $2,700. We offer the Mahlkonig Tanzania Filter Coffee Grinder in classic Steel Gray for $1,850.
So Which Should You Buy?
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Much of your decision between these grinders is going to come down to your business needs.
Definitely consider either of these grinders if you have a retail space in your shop (or plan to have one) for coffee.
Coffee shops and businesses that need some espresso grinding capacity will find the EK43 advantageous. They'll be able to grind for a variety of brew methods and offer their customers the wider range of fineness settings.
And because it's so fast, the EK43 is great for higher volume establishments with a steady line of customers to serve.
The EK43 is also perfect for restaurants and locations with varied menus that need to grind more than just coffee.
The Tanzania is an excellent model for more middle-of-the-road volume locations that don't necessarily need the espresso setting (or already have an independent espresso grinder).
As the Tanzania is so compact, it's also perfect for businesses that don't have much space to add a new piece of equipment.
Here's the bottom line for these grinders.
Higher-volume businesses that need a little more functionality from the grind settings in a retail grinder will likely prefer the EK43.
If you have a more moderately paced business and you don't necessarily need the espresso setting, the Tanzania is a robust option.
For the best prices online, check out the Mahlkonig EK43 and Tanzania here on Majesty Coffee...
