When Victoria Arduino’s Mythos One grinder first arrived in Australia in 2014, baristas were drawn to the machine’s Clima Pro technology, and its other features to improve dosage and espresso extraction. But Victoria Arduino felt it could do better, and after years of development, launched the Mythos 2 grinder in 2018.
Michele Mastrocola, Senior Sales Area Manager Asia-Pacific at Victoria Arduino, says the company entered the development of the Mythos 2 with the intention to build on what the Mythos One was capable of.
“With Victoria Arduino Mythos 2, we wanted to reach a new level of performance,” he says. “We started from our experience with the Mythos One, and took in inputs and feedback from baristas around the world.”
Baristas told Victoria Arduino that they wanted greater control over their grinders’ speed, and achieve a more accurate dose than had ever been possible. The company took these comments on board while developing the Mythos 2’s three models: fixed speed, variable speed, and Gravimetric.
All three are available in Australia through equipment importer Espresso Mechanics.
“The Gravimetric is the Rolls Royce of these models,” Espresso Mechanics Business Development Manager Matthew Galea says. “It precisely measures the ground coffee, and instead of working by time, it grinds by weight. This guarantees you have a precise grind size.”
Matthew says this eliminates one of the many variables in coffee grinding, and ensures a consistent product.
“If you increase the grind size on a grinder that operates by time, the larger particle size means you will get more coffee in your group handle. If you adjust for a smaller grind size without altering your grind time, you will get less,” Matthew says.
“It doesn’t matter what grind size you adjust your grinder, the scales will always measure the quantity of ground coffee needed. If you ask for 22 grams of coffee, regardless of grind size, you will get 22 grams.”
The gravimetric sensor immediately turns on when the portafilter is placed into the holder. During the grinding phase, the touchscreen shows the amount of coffee in grams, and progress of the grind.
Another signature feature of the Mythos 2 is its variable speed motor. Victoria Arduino says this allows for consistency of speed from the very beginning. The Mythos 2’s grind speed can be adjusted from 600 to 1200 revolutions per minute.
“The Victoria Arduino variable speed motor allows the barista — through rapidly adjustable programming from the touch display — to choose the most suitable setting for the coffee being used,” Victoria Arduino’s Michele Mastrocola says.
“Being able to vary the burr revolution speed allows the barista to perfect the texture of the grounds according to specifications for each variety of coffee, thus enhancing its aroma.”
Also contributing to the Mythos 2’s high hourly production is a larger set of burrs, which, at 82.5 millimetres in diameter, are approximately 10 millimetres larger than on the Mythos One.
“[This provides] a faster service, which does not compromise the quality of coffee,” Michele says. “The special helix, located upstream the grinder, ensures constant coffee pressure inside the grinding chamber, providing the optimum texture.”
An inverter-equipped motor stops the burrs locking, ensuring the grinder maintains a consistent performance, and a redesigned clump crusher is used to regulate the air flow from the burr set. The clump crusher also removes static cling from the ground particles, ensuring an even spread in the portafilter. It is also easily removable to facilitate cleaning.
“The dose is dropped into the centre of the portafilter with less than a gram of grounds retained between doses, reducing the need to purge between doses and waste beans,” Michele says.
Another feature of the Mythos One Victoria Arduino has updated for its new model is its signature Clima Pro technology. This system allows baristas to choose a wide range of temperature with higher stability. Baristas can set the grinder at temperatures ranging from 30 to 60°C, with Victoria Arduino identifying 40 to 50°C as the ideal range.
“If a coffee grinder gets too hot it can affect the flavour and deteriorate the quality of the dose. This can be especially likely in on-demand grinder-dosers that tend to be used in high-volume operations,” Michele says.
“The Victoria Arduino Clima Pro 2.0 technology ensures a consistent temperature in the grinding chamber and can also lower the temperature if needed.”
The Mythos 2 was officially launched in Australia at Veneziano Coffee Richmond on 23 October 2018 at an event Michele and Colin attended. Colin recalled the reaction Australians had to the release of Victoria Arduino’s preceding model in 2014.
“When we launched Mythos One in Australia, everyone was very polite but a little dismissive,” Colin says.
“But people started to take a chance on a grinder that was a little different and Victoria Arduino and the grinder started to make names for themselves. When I came back to Australia in 2016, there was a Mythos One in every café.”
Colin told the audience the Mythos 2 represents the future of coffee grinding, and he struggles to think of something further that will have a dramatic impact on how coffee is grinded.
“I feel it’s what we’ve been working towards for the past 10 years, and it’s something that feels very satisfying,” he says.
“I am terrified and excited to see the Mythos 2 put on coffee bars across Australia.”
This article appears in FULL in the February 2019 edition of BeanScene Magazine. Subscribe here.
For more information, visit www.espressomechanics.com.au