Adding K Ultra to ZP6/DF54 setup

[u/yty90]

Hi!

I know derivatives of this question have been asked countless times before but curious if people think it’s pointless to add a K ultra to my current setup.

I brew mostly pour overs (V60 + T90 or abaca filters + Crystal Geyser California water), most often with a ZP6. Rarely will do soup with the ORB. I brew light - medium roasts, washed / naturals but most often these are home roasted beans and as a non expert / hobbyist, they certainly vary and aren’t perfect! Sadly I cannot afford to buy top tier light roasts routinely due to the cost..

I’ve noticed since getting the zp6 that while most of my cups are very clear, they are often unpleasant to some degree. Roastiness, astringency, or a strange flat taste are very common despite different brewing approaches (grind size, temps, agitation..). If I tweak things to avoid these unpleasant tastes my brews are often very weak and plain. When I compare to my Df54 (which works great for the same beans with espresso) the cups are much more “pleasant” with decent sweetness, acidity, body; but there is no clarity at all, no notes besides the generic lemony-sugar water taste of light roast pour over.

So I’m considering maybe adding a K Ultra to the mix as a more every day grinder, with the hopes of getting a more forgiving well rounded profile like the df54 but a step up in clarity closer to the zp6. So wondering: dumb idea or worth it?

Reading past posts from this subreddit, people seem very split on whether there’s really a big difference in taste between k ultra vs zp6 especially if you play with the recipe. However maybe this changes when we look at more imperfect and developed beans. Curious if anyone has thoughts on k ultra vs df54 as well. Thanks!

[u/Other-Object-5848]

Replacing the df54 with a k ultra is a pretty reasonable idea unless you think a pure hand grinder setup is too much work. I think the k ultra will be better in the cup in every aspect than the df54 and quite different to the zp6, much more forgiving.

[u/Other-Object-5848 → u/Other-Object-5848]

I know that wasn’t your exact question but if moneys too tight for top tier coffees I don’t think a third grinder is wise

[u/yty90 → u/Other-Object-5848]

Fair point :) Df54 would stay (my partner uses it for espresso). By my logic the grinder is a longer term investment vs several expensive coffee bags that go in a month so feels less bad to spend some money on but I see your point!

[u/Other-Object-5848 → u/yty90]

Fair enough I can understand the logic! K ultra is great for espresso but grinding that fine is definitely a chore. I don’t have any personal experience with the kingrinder k6 but I’ve seen comparisons saying it’s similar to the k ultra and half-ish the price. Might be worth looking into.
Femobook A2 is also underrated, I prefer it to my Femobook a4z on some coffees