September 21, 2020 Best Coffee

Wilfa Uniform + Coffee Grinder Review

We've invited Callum Parsons, an award-winning coffee enthusiast and founder of Fire & Flow Coffee Roasters, to test and review some of our top grinders, and give his honest and unbiased take on it.

See the full introduction article here, where he explains his method and recipes, and read below his review on the Wilfa Uniform+

Wilfa Uniform +

Quick Facts

58mm flat burrs
Huge grind range from cafetiere down to espresso
Matte black finish
Solid build quality made from steel and aluminum
Scales built into hopper lid
Bluetooth capabilities so you can use with app

What I love

The massive grind range means I have no limits on my home brewing choices for the future. If you’re a home barista and know you’ll get sucked down a rabbit hole into investigating more home brew methods (namely espresso), then you won't find a more adaptable grinder that is both future proof and good value for money
Comparable filter brew quality to commercial filter grinders
As I mentioned, I’ve actually owned this grinder for almost a year. It sits proudly in the corner of my kitchen but also it's been slung into my bag a number of times for tastings on the road. Its ability to grind fine enough for espresso on a commercial machine is a handy sales tool!
It grinds fine enough to pull decent shots of decaf espresso as well; so if you’re a cafe looking to step up your decaf game then this is a great step forward (you’ll need the scales to weigh doses though)
It's pretty quiet so won’t wake the house up - always a bonus!

What I don’t love

Made for someone who wants to weigh for accuracy - there’s no built in grind timer, so if you’re happy to weigh each dose then there’s no problem.
It is stepped, so if you’re brewing for espresso at home you may need to manage the other variables to nail the extraction if you can’t get the grind spot on. I found between 1-3 was the range for espresso grind so you don’t have a huge window for grind size.
The scales are not rechargeable and don’t have a timer built into them, so you can’t time your brewing (unless you turn on the app).
Over time my grind adjustment seizes up so I had to lubricate the threads (easy to do if you’re confident). But I would say either it needs to come with a spare pack of lubricant or you could invest in some (for the love of god please don’t use WD40 or 3 in 1 oil).
It's a slow grinder which is great if you want to reduce heat build up but if you’re looking for a speed the Svart is twice as quick.
Auto switch off is slow to respond.
Grind collector could do with an engage switch (I’ve turned it on a few times without thinking in my morning daze).
Removing the grind collector can get a little chaffy from some static build up.
The matte black coating chips off around the coffee container over time.

Wrap Up

I’ll conclude that this is a fantastic grinder (I’m just being picky) and honestly for the price, I think you’ll struggle to find something with as much range, build quality and ability to give you a decent extraction.

Mine has been a gem and helped my business grow with the ability to take it on the road with me. The small problems are not enough to put me off especially if you’re more than happy to open an app on your phone to time your brews, or wait that little bit longer for your coffee to grind so it's not overly loud. If you brew espresso and filter at home then this is a solid investment.

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Wilfa Uniform

Extremely similar to the + minus the scales and this has a stainless steel finish. My views on this grinder are pretty much as above minus anything to do with scales. If you already own a set of 0.1g accurate scales with timers then save yourself a few ££ and invest in this if home espresso and other brew methods is your game. I honestly think you’ll be over the moon!

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Callum Parsons