Weber Key Mk2 - The Best Conical Grinder??

The Weber Key MkII promises BIG in a tiny footprint and with giant 83mm burrs. Can it deliver on par with it's price? How does it compare to flat burr grinders? What about alignment issues? Can it do both espresso and pour over/filter coffee?

Let's dive into the Key Mark 2 by the iconic Weber Workshops in this review.

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Discounts on other equipment used in this video:
10% Off SSP Burrs, Kruve Glassware, Cafec Products, ROK Products and OHOM Smart Mugs

10% Off Ascaso Espresso Machines, Pietro and Fiorenzato Grinders:

0:00 - Key Mark II
0:25 - Overview
1:24 - About Weber Workshops
1:58 - Let’s go WAY Back
3:27 - Making Espresso with the Key
5:20 - Taste Test
6:08 - Flat Vs Conical Burrs
6:50 - 83mm Mazzer Profile
8:01 - Particle Size Distribution
8:40 - Shake that Thang
10:08 - RPM - Wait.. What??
12:13 - Tests
12:15 - Volume
12:29 - Burr Seasoning
12:47 - Retention
13:29 - Fidelity on Espresso
14:03 - Grind Time
14:12 - Size
14:24 - Performance on Pour Over
14:54 - Performance on Immersion Brewing
15:09 - Overcoming the MkI Legacy
15:50 - Stalling Stress Test
16:02 - Alignment Ace?
17:58 - Good Signs!
18:16 - Quirky Cons
20:24 - Should Consider One?

[mikflores]

Really appreciate you taking months to use this before reviewing to get a full picture of how it can perform. ❤

[bungeoppang]

Owner of an MK1 and later MK2 here. TBH I wasn’t sure what to expect when hearing the grinder was loaned from WW, but this review is just spot on. Really appreciate that honest review. My companion grinder is an EK43 with brew burrs, but occasionally I am using the key to brew. Not a solution to switch between espresso and filter on a daily base due to workflow, but I find the result pleasing showing a different representation of a coffee. Keep it up!

[Tass...]

Very informative review. And can tell you spent a lot of time getting to know this grinder and it's nuances. Way out of my price range but still very enjoyable to watch and learn from. Thanks.

[dabougi]

I was in between the key and the philos with the 200
Footprint and looks of the Key are just wow.
Heard many, many complaints of the abysmal customer support for not so perfect units, and actually hardly any reviews of the mk2. I wrote to them concerning a the shipping costs and got no answer at all.
I finally opted for the philos, and I am impressed so far. But seeing the Key will always be a pleasure.
Thanks for covering it in your smooth and laid back style.
Best wishes

[ZacharyPinder]

Have been eyeing a conical for a while to supplement my P64 and your review did it for me. Thanks for sharing this.

Update:
Received it already (super fast shipping) and already pulling some of the best shots I’ve ever had.

I was getting very inconsistent results with my P64 using HU burrs and just was not able to pull shots to my liking after months of trial and error.

Love this grinder already, looking forward to living with it for a long time.

[AidanSynnott-nv]

Thank you for such a practical review. You are so right about people visiting the Weber Workshop website many times before deciding to buy. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve done that. In your review, you have addressed most of my concerns, so I think I’ll now go ahead and order one. I currently use a Malkönig X54 to feed my Linea Mini Nordic Edition. The Malkönig is nice, but I really want a single dose grinder and a bit of an upgrade. The fact that the Key looks so beautiful and is so compact is a bonus. Thank you again for a great review, I really appreciate it.

[snowman]

I adore your presentation style. Low key energy but high-effort production. Calm and poised. Nothing is dramatic, just informative and conscientious. How consistent is the grinder? If you go from setting to setting, and go through several coffee varieties, can you expect to have consistent grinding when going back and forth on the stepped settings?

[onejohnson]

Great review! I think Key doesn’t get much love since it came out, so well done updating the current state of it. My key MK1 didn’t really have the aforementioned issues past the bean stalling. Once I added the slow feeder and learned to wait and let the torque take control I can now grind even the lightest of lights.

That said my Kafatek MC5 pulls better tasting shots consistently at shorter ratios 1:1-1:2. I found the key shines at 1:3-> 1:9 allongé’s.

[aarjayemm]

Great review thanks. Not sure I have seen any other review of the MK2…. Nice to hear all MK1 issues seem to be resolved especially since I should be receiving mine in 2 weeks! 😁

[bertdong]

Really good and comprehensive review! I was looking at the original Key for quite awhile and worrying about the alignment issues due to the floating burr design, when I saw the ML2 coming with the secondary support I made the purchase and really happy with the results. But recently released the lid which I don’t have with my purchase is kind of annoying. My favorite way to use it is to use the magic wiper, and no RDT with the weber been cellar, that tube is perfect just pour in, and because of the fully enclosed grinding method, there will me no mess. And since no RDT, the been feeder works like magic.

[mskowrunski]

Thank you so much for providing a great review on the MK II. I have a Linea Mini R on order and this seems like a very worthy contender for an espresso only pairing. One of the few reviews out there that have confirmed many of the issues with the original have been resolved.

[lhfaria]

Great video! I've been looking for this review for a long time. I guess folks are either not willing to give the Key 2 a chance, or are a little hesitant to talk about it given all the controversies with the first version. You did a fantastic job. Thank you!

[shloppy]

paired one with my Linea Micra and I wouldn't trade it for the world. rock solid, consistently delicious and zero fuss.

[_Brewn]

To date, there hasn't been a single review of MK2 and I don't understand that, because it has managed to eliminate all the problems of the MK 1 and you have a really good grinder that offers a lot of possibilities and can make a lot of people happy!

[sully]

Thank you for the review and thanks to WW for loaning it to you to get a Mk2 review out there. After the initial rush of Mk1 reviews when those orders were received it's been pretty quiet out there, so it's good to see that this update has addressed several of those original issues.

Edit: It doesn't say the lid is included, but when you add the grinder to the cart it adds the lid for free as a separate item.

I have a P64 and a Sette and am considering replacing the Sette. I was initially set on the Casa but decided to wait for reviews and maybe the larger burrs while also not ruling out other options. As part of the spousal approval process I showed my wife photos of grinders that I would consider buying. Based on appearance the Casa and Key were the two winners. Femobook, Aries and MC6 were deemed unattractive and I kinda agree.

Obviously the Casa and Key are on two completely different levels. While WW have fixed the issues with their original design, my concerns would be with the customer service if there were any problems. Any company can have good service when looking to get a sale, but how they handle things going wrong is what's important. The bad experiences are going to get put out there and shared more, so the perception is probably skewed by that. However, I haven't seen too many stories about them going out of their way to provide a level of service that would match their premium prices.

My P64 just stopped working and Option-O were very quick to respond and review a video to troubleshoot. My grinder is out of warranty, but they have only asked me to pay the shipping fee for the replacement parts. So it's unfortunate that it died, but so far I'm happy that they have lived up to their good reputation (I just paid the invoice, so they haven't had change to ship anything yet)

[momostallion]

I have the MK1 Key but wish I had the MK2 since the it fixes most of the negatives of the original. Wont complain too much since mine works well enough. I did a mild alignment, added the bean feeder to slow down ingest paired with keeping the rpm around 70 to prevent any jamming on hard beans. Removed the wiper and adding a lid for the magic tumbler yields good consistent results.

[robertclarke]

Another great review, thank you. I just received a Zerno and the Key Mk2 came out in between my pre order of the Zerno and taking delivery (a 6 month window!). If I had it to do over again, I think I go for the Key. The rounded, full body flavor is what a tend to prefer. I recently got into roasting my own beans with a Nucleus Link sample roaster and with the small roast batches I am finding it really challenging to dial in the Zerno before I’ve chewed through all the beans!

[davidgalbreath]

Don’t think I have ever heard the phrase: ‘cup of espresso’, until now 😂❤

[kerrycoyle]

Thanks for sharing this video with us today... Your video has really made me want to delve deeper into seriously considering the purchase of this grinder. I do need to make up my mind on color (black vs white) first. I currently own a black Niche Zero, but I'm leaning toward moving to white? I'm also thinking about upgrading my espresso machine as well. I'm currently using a Quick Mill E61 type dual boiler with rotary pump at present. Both of these higher end items will be costly so I'm not rushing my decisions at this point. Plus, I've even considered getting a flat burr grinder as well... yep, I'm deep down that little rabbit hole for sure 🙂 Thanks again

[drevil]

Mazzer burr is really well made. I am sure this grinder and EG-2 can give you very high quality pour over coffee. You should have EG-2 review next time.