tldr; The Kafatek Monolith Conical is a highly regarded, fast grinder, often seen as an upgrade from the Niche, offering body and complexity in espresso, though its flat burr counterpart might offer more flavor definition.
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Best praise vs top criticism for Kafatek Monolith Conical
“Conical burrs produce a wider particle distribution size vs flat burrs. This results in thicker, more syrupy shots that play nice with milk. Flat burrs tend to be preferred by espresso purists who drink straight espresso. The flat burrs are known to produce better clarity at the expense of some mouth feel. Flat burrs also require higher powered motors so that is why they are generally found in more expensive grinders.”
“grinder grinder grinder grinder grinder matters much more than the espresso machine in most cases, it generally influences extraction, taste, fines, etc far more than your espresso machine the honest truth is that you _do not need_ to spend above ~$1000 to get top end grinders these days, especially if you are mostly grinding the same beans for several days in a row (or more), and in fact there may be literally no benefit to you for spending above that lagom p80, eureka mid-ranges, niche zero, ceado, varia: just make sure to get stepless and potentially pick conical burrs if you prefer dark vs flat if you prefer light, higher cost after that is mostly for burr customization / swapouts / quieter motors & fanciness options. Avoid the grinders geared towards pour overs (fellow, etc), you may struggle to grind fine enough for espresso. there's a refurbished eureka mignon zero for ~$300 on wholelattelove right now, this is the grinder I use and I doubt I'll bother to do a direct upgrade ever. sure, the burrs could be 65mm rather than 55mm for a better light roast flavor profile but I probably can't even taste the difference!”
1,204 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026