How Does It Compare?
It’s kind of like comparing the same motor inside a monster truck and a racecar. The Eureka Zenith 65 E comes in at 23.5 inches tall and towers over the Rocket Fausto’s mere 17.5 inches. Not to mention the Zenith 65 E’s massive three-pound bean hopper. When we talk about power, man, do they sure put on a show! Both are matched with 65mm flat steel burrs and a whopping 1650 RPMs (rotations per minute) to make quick work of beans. We’d love to see an actual showdown between a monster truck and racecar, but we’ll have to settle a match between the Eureka Zenith 65 E Burr Grinder vs. Rocket Espresso Macinatore Fausto Grinder.Grind
Both grinders eat through beans like champs thanks to their 65mm flat steel burrs. Both rotate at 1650 RPM (rotations per minute) to quickly and efficiently grind beans. The real catch here is the Zenith 65 E’s 500 watts juice. This level of performance stands up in a busy setting such as a cafe or office full of coffee-lovers. If you’re thinking about making cup after cup, the Zenith 65 E will hold up. Keep in mind, this sort of power isn’t necessary for the casual, one-cup brewer.
Grinders at this caliber are stepless to allow you to fine-tune your grind with every inch of the burrs. This amount of control creates the perfect consistency for espresso and the Rocket Fausto and Zenith 65 E don’t fail to deliver. Both produce less clumping, which is a great accomplishment for these machines since a fine-grind naturally sticks together and forms clumps.
Lastly, what’s a high-class grinder without some programmable features? The Zenith 65 E offers two programmable doses that you can set for your portafilter. To grind, you press the portafilter against a button behind the adjustable holder. The Rocket Fausto also has two programmable doses and dispenses grinds when you press those buttons—with or without a portafilter, so have the portafilter ready to catch those grounds! Really, though, we think both machines take first place in grinding.
Glamour
So clearly the Eureka Zenith 65 E is a monster. If you haven’t seen a picture of it, it’s standing at staggering 23.5 inches and is 9 inches wide. The Rocket Fausto is 17.5 and 6.5 inches, respectively. We’ve talked about the Rocket Fausto a few times before and we were impressed by the one-pound bean hopper—the Zenith 65 E outdoes it with a three-pound bean hopper. Honestly, at Seattle Coffee Gear, we go through a lot of beans and we adore this three-pound monster, but not everyone needs these guy. The size alone would be a puzzle to fit in most kitchens, but we’ve definitely seen it done and admire home brewers with amazing commercial-grade machines like this.Are such massive machines a glamorous addition to your home kitchen? The industrial-style build showcases raw, utilitarian appeal, especially in the chrome, that brings home kitchens a sophisticated edge. The matte black color also had trend appeal that complements the modern kitchen. Both are doserless with stainless steel adjustable portafilter holders that you’d find in a commercial setting, further completely the cafe-at-home style. You’re probably thinking with all this talk about industrial looks that the noise on these powerful machines is less than glamorous. Surprisingly, these grinders produce the average noise that you’d expect and hear from a smaller grinder of this grade.
Grade
We’re not handing out A’s and F’s for our grinders (but we’d never hand out an F to these guys). What we are dishing out are suggestions for these high-end grinders. When you have a grinder of this grade, you want to pair it with a machine that it will be compatible with. The Zenith 65 E and Fausto both create consistent, fine grounds that are perfect for non-pressurized portafilters. We wouldn’t pair these grinders with a machine that uses pressurized portafilters since the grinders do all the heavy lifting. The Rocket Fausto is an obvious match for any of the Rocket Espresso Machines. We have our hearts set on the new Rocket Espresso R60v and with a grinder like the Fausto at its side, there’s no telling what sort of coffee-magic it will create.The Eureka Zenith 65 E, with a three-pound bean hopper and massive stature, sets it up to be used in a commercial setting like your favorite cafe spot. That being said, we see commercial-grade machines in the average home brewers kitchen. Since these grinders are so similar, we’d also recommend pairing this machine with the Rocket R60v.