VARIO Coffee Grinder Instruction Manual

June 9, 2024
VARIO

Coffee Grinder
nstruction Manual

Coffee Grinder

THANK YOU VERY MUCH
for purchasing the VARIO coffee grinder. With the VARIO, it is now easier than ever to prepare professional quality coffee, whether at home, in the offi ce or in your café. Below you will fi nd detailed descriptions of the features which make the VARIO stand out from all the other coffee grinders in its class.
PRECISION CERAMIC BURRS OF PROFESSIONAL QUALITY:
The ceramic burrs of the VARIO produced in Germany by MAHLKÖNIG are made of the same material and benefi t from the same durability as the high-quality professional coffee grinders used in the trade. Ceramic burrs remain sharp for twice as long as steel burrs.
PORTION GRINDING WITH ELECTRONIC DOSING:
With portion grinding with electronically controlled dosing, only the coffee you need for every cup is ground direct in your Espresso portafi lter or your container for fi lter and French press. This prevents the ground coffee from losing any of its aroma.
INNOVATIVE GRIND ADJUSTMENT:
Macro- and micro-settings can be made quickly and reproducibly with the easily understandable VARIO grind adjustment. The range and the precision of the settings is thoroughly impressive. The VARIO has 230 different settings from espresso to French press.
LOW-NOISE DRIVE:
The VARIO has a high-torque DC motor with belt drive. The drive belt ensures smooth, quiet operation, and also provides thermal separation of the motor from the grinder housing. The motor can handle long working cycles without any problem. The VARIO is also protected by a thermal overload protection switch.
Before using your grinder, please fi rst read the safety and operating instructions carefully. Only then you will be able to use all the functions safely and reliably.
Keep the safety and operating instructions safe for future reference. Give all safety and operating instructions to any subsequent user of the product.

FOR YOUR SAFETY

Proper use
This appliance is intended only for the grinding of roasted coffee beans for private use only and is not designed for professional use.
Any other form of use constitutes improper use and can result in material damage and even personal injury. The manufacturer accepts no liability for damage caused due to improper use.
The following warning symbols are used in these operating instructions.
DANGER
HIGH RISK! Failure to observe the warning can result in danger to life and limb.
WARNING
MEDIUM RISK! Failure to observe the warning can result in material damage.
CAUTION
LOW RISK! Matters which should be taken into account when using the appliance.
The following symbol is shown on the type designation plate on the bottom of the grinder:
Do not dispose this product as domestic waste (see Chapter 13). Observe the following safety instructions at all times:
DANGER
DANGERS TO CHILDREN AND OTHER PERSONS! Children frequently fail to recognise dangers or underestimate them.

  • This appliance is not intended to be used by persons (including children) with restricted physical, sensory or mental abilities, or who lack experience and/or the necessary
    knowledge, unless they are supervised by a person responsible for their safety or have received instructions from them on how the appliance is to be used.

  • Children should be supervised in order to ensure that they do not play with the appliance.

DANGER
DANGER DUE TO FAULTY OPERATION! Improper use of the appliance can result in damage or injury.

  • The appliance must be used only by persons who are familiar with the possible dangers and special features of the appliance.
  • Never reach into the hopper or the spout when the appliance is in operation! Danger of injury!
  • If you have long hair ensure that it does not fall into the hopper.

DANGER
DANGEROUS MAINS VOLTAGE!  Faulty electrical installation or toohigh mains voltage can cause electric shocks.

  • Your new VARIO is designed either for a mains voltage of 100-120V (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan) or 200-240V (e.g. Europe). Please check that your mains voltage matches the voltage shown on the type designation plate of your VARIO.
  • Never immerse the appliance itself, the power supply cable or plug in water.
  • Never touch the plug with wet hands.
  • Never pull the plug out of the socket by the cable, always grasp the plug.
  • Do not use the connection cable as a carrying handle.
  • Keep the appliance, the plug and the power supply cable away from naked fl ames and hot surfaces.
  • Use the appliance only in dry indoor areas. Never use the appliance in damp areas or in the rain.
  • Never store the appliance where it may be able to fall into a bath or wash basin.
  • Never attempt to touch or pick up an electrical appliance if it has fallen into water. In this case, disconnect the plug from the socket immediately.
  • When you are not using the appliance, cleaning it or if a fault occurs always disconnect the plug from the socket.
  • Regularly check the appliance and cable regularly for damage.
  • Make the old appliance unusable: Disconnect the power supply cable from the socket and cut off the cable.

CAUTION
DANGER DUE TO UNAUTHORISED REPAIR: Faulty repairs can result in damage to the appliance.

  • Repairs should be carried out only by authorised customer service centres.
  • If you cannot correct a fault with the aid of the steps described in these operating instructions, please refer to your authorised dealer.

CONTENTS

1x VARIO Home domestic coffee grinder
1x Hopper with lid
1x Portafilter holder
1x Ground coffee container
1x Sachet of GRINDZ™ grinder cleaner
1x Operating instructions

APPLIANCE OVERVIEW

Overview of the coffee grinder with ground coffee container

  1. Hopper lid

  2. Hopper

  3. Coffee grinder

  4. Ground coffee container handle

  5. Ground coffee container Parts overviews of the coffee grinder with portafilter holder

  6. Portafilter holder
    6a Catch
    6b Support
    6c Setting screw
    6d Portafilter handle

  7. Power supply cabl
    Display features

  8. Grind adjustment lever (macro-/coarse setting)

  9. Grind adjustment lever (micro-/fine setting)

  10. Start/Stop button

  11.  Selector button for manual dosing

  12.  + button for dosing setting

  13.  – button for dosing setting

  14.  Dosing memory button 1 (e.g. Espresso)

  15.  Dosing memory button 2 (e.g. Filter coffee)

  16. Dosing memory button 3 (e.g. French Press)

  17. Display

INITIAL USE

Before using your coffee grinder
CAUTION
Before using your VARIO coffee grinder for the first time, you should wash the hopper and the ground coffee container in warm, soapy water.
4.1 Place of use
Place the VARIO coffee grinder on a level, stable, non-slip surface.
4.2 Fitting the hopper
To fit the hopper (2), align the two small tabs on the hopper base with the slots on top of the housing and insert the hopper into the coffee grinder. Ensure correct alignment (narrow and wide slot). Turn the hopper clockwise until it clicks into place.
4.3 Electrical connection
Connect the grinder to a properly installed safety socket.
4.4 Filling the hopper
Remove the lid (Pos. 1) by lifting it off the hopper (Pos. 2). Pour the required quantity of roasted whole coffee beans into the hopper (max. 250 grams). Replace the lid.

GROUND COFFEE CONTAINER AND PORTAFILTER HOLDER
With the VARIO, you can grind the beans either into a ground coffee container or direct into a portafi lter of an espresso machine.
5.1 Inserting the ground coffee container (Pos. 5)
Hold the ground coffee container by the handle at the top (Pos. 4) and insert it into the grinder below the display. When correctly inserted, the container engages noticeably on the baseplate below.
5.2 Setting and insertion of the portafi lter holder (Pos. 6)
The portafilter holder can be set so that the portafilter of your espresso machine is held in it automatically, and does not need to be held in position during grinding. Since the
portafilter of different manufacturers have sometimes very different dimensions, the portafilter holder may need to be reset.
a) Setting
Remove the portafi lter holder. Place the portafi lter of your espresso machine in the portafi lter holder. To do this, place the portafi lter on the support (Pos. 6b), raise the handle and push it under the retaining catch (Pos. 6a). The portafi lter should now sit fi rmly and horizontally in the holder.
If your portafi lter does not sit horizontally in the holder, you can reset the portafi lter support. Loosen the screw (Pos. 6c) at the lower front of the support using a crosshead
or fl at-head screwdriver, and move the support to the required height, so that the portafi lter is held horizontally between the support and the catch. Then tighten the screw again
b) Insertion
Grasp the portafi lter holder by the handle at the front (Pos. 6d) and insert it into the grinder below the display. On correct seating, the portafi lter holder engages
noticeably on the baseplate below.

GRIND ADJUSTMENT

Two setting levers are provided to set the fi neness of the grind (Pos. 8+9).
The full extent of the micro-scale corresponds to one graduation on the macro- scale. For both switches, moving the switch UPWARDS produces a fi ner grind and moving it DOWNWARDS produces coarser grinding.
6.1 Preliminary setting
Push the macro lever (Pos. 8) upwards or downwards to the required grind adjustment (coarse setting). Push the left lever (micro-setting, Pos. 9) to the middle of the scale (fine setting).
Grind a small amount of coffee by pressing  the START button (Pos. 10), and then pressthe button again to stop the grinder. Check the fineness of the ground coffee. If the fineness is approximately to your liking, use the micro- lever for the fine fine adjustment of the grinding level. If the fineness needs to be changed significantly, prior to the next operation move the macro- lever to a new position and then make the fine setting using the micro-lever.
6.2 Guidelines for the grind adjustment
The actual fineness achieved with any particular setting depends on several factors: the degree of roasting (light or dark), the roasting date, the moisture content, type of bean, oil content etc. You will soon find the setting most suitable for your taste, brewing method and your favourite coffee beans.
CAUTION
When the coffee grinder is switched off, partially ground coffee beans may remain between the grinding discs. The grind adjustment in the FINE direction (upwards) should
always be made with the grinder in operation, since this may otherwise result in damage to the adjustment mechanism.

NORMAL GRINDING OPERATION

7.1 Dosing via set grind time
Press the required dosing memory button – Espresso (Pos. 14), Filter (Pos. 15) or Press (Pos. 16). The blue LED next to the button lights up, and the display (Pos. 17) shows the corresponding programmed grind time in seconds. Now press the START button (Pos. 10) to start the grinding process.
During grinding, the seconds count backwards to 0. When the display reaches 0 seconds, the motor stops and the display resets itself to the programmed time.
7.2 Manual dosing
To produce larger amounts of ground coffee, press the MANUAL button (Pos. 11) and then START. The coffee grinder counts up to the maximum time of 90 seconds and then switches off automatically. You can stop the grinding process at any time by pressing the START button again. The motor stops and the display is reset to 000. The maximum time of 90 seconds cannot be reset by the user.
PROGRAMMING THE GRINDER DOSING TIMES
The VARIO is set at the factory with three programmed grinder dosing times. The dosing memory buttons are practically labelled for Espresso, Filter and Press. These programmable buttons only set the TIME of the grinding process, but not the FINENESS of the ground coffee.
Button programming (factory setting):

  • Espresso (Pos. 14): 10 seconds,
  • Filter (Pos. 15): 20 seconds and
  • Press (Pos. 16): 30 seconds.

After you have set the grind adjustment to the required level, press the corresponding dosing memory button, and then START. The coffee grinder starts, and the display (Pos. 17) counts downwards from the preset time. The coffee grinder stops automatically on reaching 0. To stop the coffee grinder at any time during the grinding process, simply press the START button again. Depending on the required amount of coffee, you can easily programme a longer or shorter grinding time as follows:

  1. To set the time, press the +/- buttons (Pos. 12/13) below the display. Press and hold the respective button for three seconds in order to advance or reduce the time more
    quickly.

  2. As soon as you have reached the required time setting, press and hold the corresponding dosing memory button (Espresso, Filter  or Press) for 3 seconds. The time shown in the display fl ashes in confi rmation that the setting has been saved.

  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 above for the other two dosing memory buttons. The amount of coffee you have to grind depends on the type of bean, the fi neness, the preparation method and your personal taste. You will soon fi nd the settings most suitable for your taste.

SLEEP / AUTOSLEEP

The coffee grinder has no power switch, although it can be set to a sleep mode in order to minimise the power consumption.
9.1 Sleep function:
The grinder is set to the sleep mode by pressing and holding the START button for 3 seconds. The sleep mode can be deactivated by pressing any other button, without activating the function of this button.
9.2 Automatic sleep function (Autosleep):
If no button is pressed for 3 minutes, the grinder switches automatically into the Autosleep mode. Pressing any button restores the grinder to the operating mode.
9.3 Setting the Autosleep mode:
The factory setting (3 minutes) can be changed: To do this, press and hold the MANUAL button for 5 seconds. The display shows “S03”. The time at which the grinder goes into the Autosleep mode can now be set with the aid of the +/- buttons. The available settings are 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 minutes and 0 (= no Autosleep). The setting is saved by pressing the MANUAL button. The programmed times for dosing also remain saved in the Sleep mode or if the plug is removed from the socket.

CARE AND CLEANING

DANGER
Danger due to improper cleaning: Improper cleaning can result in damage to the appliance or personal injury.

  • Only dismantle the coffee grinder in accordance with the information given in the Section “Care and cleaning”.
  • Watch out for sharp edges when cleaning the coffee grinder, particularly on the grinding discs. Danger of injury!
  • Never immerse the appliance itself, the power supply cable or plug in water.
  •  Never touch the plug with wet hands.
  • Never pull the plug out of the socket by the cable, always grasp the plug.
  • Never attempt to touch or pick up and electrical appliance if it has fallen into water. In this case, disconnect the plug from the socket immediately.
  • Check the appliance and cable regularly for damage.

WARNING
Danger due to unauthorised repair: Repairs should be carried out only by authorised customer service centres.

  • If you cannot correct a fault with the aid of the steps described in these operating instructions, please refer to your authorised dealer.

10.1 Cleaning the housing and hopper
Remove all beans from the hopper. Press the START button to grind any beans remaining in the grinder housing.
DANGER
Disconnect the plug from the socket.
Remove the hopper by turning it anticlockwise as far as possible, and then lift it out of the housing. Wash the funnel, the funnel cover and the ground coffee container in warm, soapy water.
CAUTION
Do not wash the hopper, the lid and the ground coffee container in a dishwasher. They must be washed only by hand.
DANGER
Do not allow the housing of the coffee grinder to come into contact with water.
10.2 Cleaning the grinder
Consistent grinding quality can only be ensured by regular cleaning. When cleaning the grinder housing, old coffee oils and residues should be removed, since these adversely affect the taste of the coffee.
10.2.1 Automatic cleaning with GRINDZ™:
The coffee grinder cleaner GRINDZ™ ensures thorough, fast and easy cleaning. GRINDZ™ is a product specially designed to remove coffee particles and odours and residues of coffee oil.
a) Remove all beans from the hopper. Press the START button to grind any beans remaining in the grinder housing.
b) Place the recommended quantity of GRINDZ™ (35 g = 1 sachet) in the empty hopper.
c) Set the grinder setting to Press (Pos. 8), then press MANUAL and then START, until all the GRINDZ™ has been ground. Then press START again to stop the coffee grinder.
d) We then recommend grinding some coffee, in order to remove all remains of GRINDZ™.
Safety instructions on GRINDZ™:
GRINDZ™ is completely safe in contact with foodstuffs, and is made from natural products. The main components consist of a combination of granules, cereals and pharmaceutical bonding agents. For this  reason, there is no danger if slight remains of the cleaner are consumed, nor do they change the taste of the coffee.
Further information on GRINDZ™ can be found at www.mahlkoenig.de.
10.2.2 Manual cleaning of the grinder:
For manual cleaning of the grinder, proceed as follows: a) Remove all beans from the hopper. Press the START button to grind any beans remaining in the grinder housing.
DANGER
Disconnect the plug from the socket.
b) Remove the hopper by turning it anticlockwise as far as possible, and then lift it out of the housing. Wash the hopper, the lid and the ground coffee container in warm, soapy water.
c) Turn the upper grinding disc carrier (see illustration above) clockwise as far as it will go and lift it out of the housing.
d) Clean the grinder with a small brush. Remove all coffee residues from the two grinding discs. Ensure that no coffee residues remain in the closure mechanism.
e) Replace the upper grinding disc carrier on the grinder housing and turn it clockwise as far as it will go.
f) To insert the hopper, follow the instructions on 4.2.

FAULT RECTIFICATION

DANGER
Observe the safety instructions given in Chapter 1 at all times!

PROBLEM
| TIP
---|---
The coffee grinder fails to start when it is switched on, although the time continues to run.| Ensure that the hopper is correctly inserted and turned clockwise as far as it will go. The safety switch must close correctly
The coffee – grinder functions normally, but stops abruptly.| Switch off the coffee grinder immediately. A foreign body such as a small stone, a green, unroasted coffee bean or a twig may have
| blocked the grinder. See 10.2.2 Manual cleaning of
the grinder.
---|---
The coffee grinder fails to start after pressing the Start button. The motor hums.| There is a foreign body in the grinder which is blocking the grinding discs. Switch off the coffee grinder immediately, and follow the instructions given under 10.2.2 Manual cleaning of the grinder.
The motor has overheated after being over-stressed. Leave the grinder to cool down (approx. 30 min.) before starting it again. If the motor still fails to start, follow the instructions given under 10.2.2 Manual cleaning of the grinder.
The ground coffee is not fi ne or coarse enough.| Check the grind adjustment.
Incorrect function of display. Grinder can still be started.| Unplug the grinder. After 5 seconds reconnect it to the power supply.

If you cannot correct the fault, contact your authorised dealer. Note the instruction in Chapter 1 “Danger due to unauthorised repair”.

TECHNICAL DATA

Description VARIO Home domestic coffee grinder
Grinding disc diameter 54 mm ceramic
Voltage 200-240V or 100-120V
Power consumption max. 2A
Grinding approx. 1.6 es at
performance espresso setting
Emission noise level 70-75 dB when grinding
Hopper capacity approx. 250 g
Net weight 3.7 kg

RECYCLING AND DISPOSAL
Instructions for the disposal of old products. The WEEE Directive (Waste from electrical and electronic equipment; 2002/96/EG) was passed for the protection of human health and the environment, in order to ensure that old products are disposed of so as to make use of the best possible recovery and technical recycling possibilities.
Your product has been developed and manufactured from high-quality materials and components, which can be largely recovered and recycled. Do not dispose of the  product as normal domestic waste. Please fi nd your local collection points for electrical and electronic waste products, which are marked with this symbol:
Please make use of one of the following disposal possibilities:

  1. Dispose of the complete product (including the cable, plug and accessories) at the relevant WEEE collection point.
  2. If you are buying a replacement product, you can return the old appliance to the dealer. Under the WEEE Directive, retailers are obliged to take back such old appliances.

MAHLKÖNIG has marked the packaging with standard symbols, in order to promote proper disposal.
A financial contribution has been made to the National Institutions for Recovery and Recycling.
**** The designated packaging material is suitable for recycling.

MAHLKÖNIG GmbH & Co. KG
Tilsiter Strasse 142
D- 22047 Hamburg, Germany
www.mahlkoenig.de
April 2010
Änderungen vorbehalten!!
Subject to amendment!!

References

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)  >>

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>

Related Manuals