About five years after the release of the MK3, Comandante have recently added to their specialty coffee range with the C40 MK4 hand grinder. Although the MK3 is still a brilliant choice if you’re in the market for a quality, sturdy and high-performance handheld coffee grinder, there are a couple of welcome design upgrades on the MK4. Let’s take a closer look.
WHAT’S NEW?
With the previous C40 hand grinders, two glass bean jars were included in the packaging; one clear and one brown. With the release of the MK4, Comandante have begun to move away from the glass jar design (or grind catch) towards an ‘indestructible’ polymer jar. This clear jar is made out of high-performance polymer and is strong and durable with a 5.7mm thickness. However, if you’re not a fan of this new, lighter jar, there is also an original style brown glass jar included in the box.
It’s important to note, that not only is this new polymer grind catch design a practical move for those who want to travel with their brewing gear, but it’s also a move towards greater sustainability, with the polymer jar creating less waste in the production process compared to the glass jar. As always, the timber used in their hand grinders is grown and harvested sustainably in Southern Germany.
The biggest change, however, in the MK4 is an updated axle frame, which has been redesigned to reduce bean waste and increase efficiency. On the MK3, there was a tendency for beans and bean fragments to get stuck in the indent which held the handle mount. Although this wasn’t a deal-breaker for Comandante users, it was perhaps an annoying design flaw which has been eliminated in the MK4. The MK4 has instead adopted flatter arms to support the engine frame, which remove any spaces for beans to get trapped when users add their coffee into the grinder. This ensures that users can fill the chamber without any need to rearrange the beans – as soon as you attach the crank handle, the beans will slide out of the way.
WHAT’S THE SAME?
The MK4 boasts the exact same set of high-performance nitro blade conical burrs which have been tried, tested and loved within the specialty coffee community since they were first released. These burrs cut through coffee beans easily to deliver an exact and uniform grind, while limiting grind retention. Both the ring and core burrs are cut out of a solid block of high-alloyed, high-nitrogen stainless steel, which makes these burrs strong, sharp, and durable.
Users will also find that the MK4 is fully compatible with all accessories and parts of the MK3 predecessor, including the crank handle, grind catch, and the RedClix burr upgrade. So, if you’ve decked out your existing Comandante grinder, with your favourite colour crank handle wooden knob or felt sleeve, these will also suit your new MK4.
Together with its clever design upgrades and durable nitro-blade burrs, the Comandante MK4 will no doubt be a favourite choice for those in the market for a new hand grinder. The MK4 is available now from Bombora Supplies in a range of colours to suit everybody’s needs: Black, Liquid Amber, Virginia Walnut, Alpine Lagoon, and Sunset.
