A design rendering of the Macap MI40 Touch espresso grinder. All images courtesy of Macap.
Italian coffee equipment maker Macap is adding a new generation of hands-on espresso grinders to its commercial line, the MI20 Touch and the MI40 Touch.
Designed in collaboration with the Milan-based studio V12 Design, the MI20 and MI40 Touch models are made to be compact and attractive, with each featuring 3.5-inch touchscreen displays.
The forthcoming MI20 Touch will have a 500-gram (17.6-ounce) capacity hopper and 58-millimeter flat burrs. The MI40 Touch hopper will have a capacity of 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) and 65-millimeter flat burrs.
MI40 Touch
Both the grinders will feature an intuitive, icon-based touchscreen interface. Users can program four different time-based doses to be ground at the tap of a particular icon, in one of three operating modes.
In Standard mode, a dose is dispensed by hitting the start button. In “Push & Grind” mode, the barista can tell the grinder to double or triple the programmed dose by rapidly tapping the start button. In Barista mode, the machines grind continuously as the user holds down the button.
Air is drawn in through the base of the MI40 model then works in conjunction with an adjustable cooling fan keep the motor, burrs and coffee cool during high-volume uses.
MI20 Touch
An LED light illuminates the portafilter as it receives coffee atop a metal fork that’s coated in an anti-vibration material. Software updates and customizations are possible through a USB-C port beneath the touch display.
“Macap is constantly evolving,” Macap Brand Specialist Anna Fiabane told Daily Coffee News. “We are developing new grinders with the target to renew completely our professional product line.”
Both grinders will be available with either a stepped or stepless adjustment system, and will come in black, grey, white or chrome finish.
MI40 Touch
Pricing on the new grinders has yet to be announced. Venice, Italy-based Macap told Daily Coffee News the MI20 Touch and MI40 Touch are expected to be available in the United States market in the second half of this year.
At the upcoming 2023 SCA Expo in Portland, Oregon, the company plans to feature a separate espresso grinder called the Labo. The Labo is the official grinder of the 2023 World Latte Art and World Coffee In Good Spirits championships, which are taking place in Taiwan in November.
MI20 Touch
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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