If you’re familiar with the most popular coffee and espresso gear brands, you’ve probably heard of Victoria Arduino before. This luxury brand specializes in making high-end espresso machines that are sure to impress anyone who looks at them.
But did you know that they also make some coffee and espresso grinders? The Victoria Arduino MDJ is one such example of an espresso grinder made by this experienced manufacturer.
In this Victoria Arduino MDJ review, we’ll examine this grinder in detail to see if it holds up to Victoria Arduino’s standard. Keep reading to discover answers to the following questions:
- What features does the MDJ offer, and why are they important?
- Which grinders are similar to the MDJ?
- Can you trust Victoria Arduino?
- Which settings would the MDJ be best in?
- How much do the grinders in this review cost?
Let’s get started…
Quick Summary
In short, the Victoria Arduino MDJ is a luxury grinder that was created for spaces that have a high demand for freshly ground espresso. It has large 75mm burrs and a stepless grind system that gives baristas complete control over the texture of the grind. Plus, with its tough die-cast body, you can expect that the grinder is easily capable of withstanding the rigors of a business.
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Important Features and Why They’re Important
Stepless Grind Adjustment
Experts in their craft don’t like being restricted. With their knowledge, they understand whatever they need to do in their craft to create a quality product.
This applies to baristas, too, which is why many veteran baristas prefer stepless grinders like the MDJ. A stepless grinder doesn’t limit them to a small number of fineness settings. Instead, they can turn the adjustment collar or wheel to any point, which allows them to alter the fineness level as accurately as possible.
The downside to stepless grinders is that they can take some time to learn. Once your baristas get the hang of it, though, they’ll love how much freedom they get from grinders like this.
Read Also: Best Commercial Espresso/Coffee Grinders
Flat Steel Burrs
Burrs are without a doubt the most vital part in any grinder. Every single characteristic they possess impacts your grinding, including their shape, size, and material.
The Victoria Arduino MDJ has flat 75mm burrs made from stainless steel. Let’s take a look at how that will affect your grinding.
For one thing, there’s the shape to consider. Flat burrs are incredibly consistent and grind your coffee beans into particles that are all the same size. The result is a full-bodied and sweet flavor.
Then there’s size. At 75mm in diameter, the MDJ’s burrs are quite large, which helps them grind more coffee beans more quickly than many competitors.
Finally, there’s the material. Made from stainless steel, the burrs are durable, resistant to both cracking and chipping. You won’t need to worry about them breaking if you accidentally drop them.
LED Illumination
Operating a grinder takes great precision. Baristas need to be able to clearly see what they’re doing, so they need adequate lighting at all times as they work.
The MDJ can help you provide ample lighting for your employees. It has built-in LED lighting that makes it easy for baristas to see what they’re doing.
Should you ever need to dim the lights, you can be certain your baristas will still be able to grind fresh espresso with the MDJ lighting the way.
Further Reading: Best Espresso Grinders Under $1,500
Large Capacity Bean Hopper
In a medium to large coffee shop, you’ll probably need to grind coffee beans virtually continuously. The more customers there are at your counter, the longer your grinder needs to go.
This is where the size of the grinder’s hopper comes into play. If your grinder has a small hopper, you’ll have to pause the workflow to add more coffee beans to it frequently.
That’s why we generally recommend that businesses with a high volume of espresso orders have grinders with large-capacity hoppers like the MDJ. With a 3.5-pound capacity, you can expect that the MDJ will be able to go for a long time before it needs a refill.
Die-Cast Aluminum Body
Business settings naturally put more strain on appliances. There’s a greater risk for them to get bumped into, knocked over, or otherwise damaged in the course of daily work.
You’ll want a grinder that can withstand the daily wear and tear of your business. Fortunately, the Victoria Arduino MDJ can, thanks to its die-cast aluminum body.
Its extra-hard frame is more than capable of enduring. You won’t need to walk on eggshells around this tough grinder.
LCD Display
A grinder’s display panel can make all the difference when it comes to controlling it. The easier it is for you to navigate settings in the panel, the easier it will be for you to make adjustments to those settings whenever necessary.
The MDJ has a lovely LCD panel for just that purpose. Through the clear display, baristas are able to tweak the dose, try different modes, or even lock settings in place to prevent accidental changes.
Additional Resource: Best Industrial Coffee Grinders
Doserless Grinding
If you want to be 100% sure that each espresso you provide to customers is as fresh as possible, then what you want is a doserless grinder like the MDJ. A doserless grinder is one that doesn’t have a dosing hopper, which means that the grounds are dispensed directly into your portafilter rather than into a holding chamber.
Because of this, you can only grind coffee and espresso to-order. That translates to fresher coffee and espresso every time.
Additionally, this setup reduces your waste. Since you’re not grinding coffee in advance, you won’t have stale grounds to toss out, nor will you have the potential to grind more than you need.
Comparable Alternatives
The Mahlkonig Peak is the stuff of legends. Home and professional baristas all around the world have chosen this grinder and found that it is more than a match for their needs.
There are a few reasons we’d recommend it as an alternative to the MDJ. The first is that, like the MDJ, it has large flat burrs. In fact, at 80mm, its burrs are even slightly larger than the MDJ’s.
Furthermore, the Peak has integrated spout illumination to help baristas clearly see what they are doing. Even if your business has dim lighting, your baristas will have workspace illumination to work with.
Here are some other things we love about the Peak:
- It has a ventilation system that protects it from overheating and burning your beans.
- An adjustable spout tube that allows you to grind directly into large or small portafilters.
- A high-quality OLED display so you can easily read the grinder’s settings.
- Stepless grind adjustment to make the smallest adjustments with.
Lean More: Mahlkonig E80 Supreme vs Peak
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If you want a more budget-friendly alternative to the MDJ, we’d recommend something like the Compak E8. This is one of the later models in the Essential On Demand line, and as such, it’s packed with impressive features.
An example of a high-tech feature it has is its LCD touch screen. Instead of being stuck with only knobs or dials to operate the grinder, baristas can enjoy the ease and sleekness of touchscreen controls.
Like the MDJ, it also has built-in baristas lights. This is so baristas can continue to work even when the lighting in the environment is dim.
These are some other intriguing E8 features:
- Extremely large 83mm flat burrs.
- An alarm that will let you know when you need to replace the burrs.
- Integrated fan to keep the grinder and your coffee beans cool.
- A powerful 750-watt motor.
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About the Brand
If you’ve never heard of Victoria Arduino, you’re probably wondering if they’re a brand worth trusting. We’re here to tell you that yes, Victoria Arduino is a brand you can depend on.
This Italian manufacturer has existed since 1905. With so much experience under their belt, it’s no surprise that they’ve continued to be an industry leader.
Each of their machines, whether it’s an espresso machine or grinder, is designed with the latest technology at the time of release. Beyond technology, Victoria Arduino also often considers the aesthetics of a machine, so their products all tend to look luxurious.
What Customers Say
At this point in time, we don’t have any customer reviews for the Victoria Arduino MDJ. However, our Victoria Arduino machines in general have done amazingly well.
Business in particular love buying these machines. Given that our commercial customers speak so highly of Victoria Arduino, we’re sure that the MDJ is a top-notch grinder.
Ideal Grinder Applications
The Victoria Arduino MDJ is a perfect match for medium to large coffee shops and restaurants. Its large burrs, LED illumination, and precise stepless grind system are all perfect for rapidly producing espresso with consistently delicious flavor profiles. Additionally, its sturdy die-cast body is ideal for situations where you want anything but a fragile piece of equipment.
Pricing Information
We at Majesty Coffee are proud to offer you the greatest espresso grinders for the lowest prices online. When we price any machine in our store, we carefully consider a wide range of budgets to make good coffee and espresso accessible.
With that in mind, we offer the Victoria Arduino MDJ for $2,160. We also have the Compak E8 for $1,657.60 and the Mahlkonig Peak for $2,299.
Learn more about any of the aforementioned grinders by clicking on the links below:
If you’re still uncertain which grinder is best for you, our team is here to help. Give us a call at 888-978-5224 and we’ll help you find the best grinder for your unique circumstances.
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Tony Barlow, with over a decade of experience in the coffee industry, is the go-to technical sales expert at Majesty Coffee. He's passionate about helping businesses find the right espresso equipment for their needs.
