u/CasualHello

I know this is an unhelpful comparison because the Lido 2 and KINGrinder K7 were released in completely different eras. I bought the Lido 2 on release day, and at the time it was considered top-tier, especially for a “portable” grinder.

That was originally why I bought it. I wanted a grinder capable of great coffee while traveling. It was not ideal for travel because of its size, but it was manageable, worked well, and at the time was considered compact. I normally paired it with an AeroPress while traveling, and it produced good coffee. Over time, it mainly became my grinder at work, paired with a Nel drip.

I finally bought a V60. I have almost every other brewer imaginable, but for some reason I had never owned a V60. I have had plenty of cups from a V60 tho since that is what is almost always used by coffee ships for pour overs. In any case, the V60 exposed weaknesses in the Lido 2 that were not as obvious with the Nel drip or AeroPress.

The coffee was not great which I think was mainly caused by bad drawdowns. I had a very difficult time finding a grind setting that produced a good cup and brewing time was hard to get. I kept having to grind finer and finer to keep the water from passing through too quickly. The drawdown was never consistent. It would initially flow far too fast, then suddenly stall or choke near the end.

I could deal with the Lido’s bulk, and its finicky adjustment system (my main complaint), but with the issue it caused for the V60 I decided it was time to replace it. I chose the Kingrinder K7.

Changing settings on the K7 is such a better experience compared with the Lido 2. The smaller size is a nice change. The adjustment system is easy to use, and the overall grinding experience feels much more enjoyable.

All of the K7 pictures are from its very first use. It may improve somewhat after more use and additional dialing in, but the first result was already clearly better than anything I managed from 15 V60 brews with the Lido 2.

I used a setting of 80 on the K7. The grind appeared much more consistent, with fewer of the large boulders I was seeing from the Lido. The brew time and drawdown landed closer to where they supposed and with a more consistent flow.

The cup was better. The fruit appeared first, followed by sweetness. It was juicier and had better overall balance. It was not as heavy-bodied as the best Lido cup, but that was not necessarily a negative. As the coffee cooled, the texture became silkier and the flavor clarity improved but I still did not get clearly separated individual flavor notes, but the cup was more enjoyable than the best cup I managed from the well-broken-in Lido 2 after repeated attempts at dialing it in.

The best Lido 2 cup was sweet, with good body and a mild melon-like character, but the flavors remained completely blended together. It was an okay cup. The K7 cup had more fruit, more juiciness, better clarity, and a more balanced structure.

For the next brew, I plan to try a setting of 85 while keeping everything else the same.

Lido 1

Lido 1

K7

K7

K7