FIORENZATO F4 EVO GRINDER REVIEW: BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER

The Fiorenzato F4 Evo is a premium grinder designed to work in tandem with a top-class espresso machine.

Featuring a newly upgraded burr set, a powerful motor, and a stepless grind adjustment, the F4 Evo is an excellent option for a serious home barista or low-volume cafe.

All those features come at a price, however, so you’ll want to understand the ins and outs of this grinder before you buy. It’s not for everyone. In fact, it’s probably overkill for most. In this in-depth review, I’ll cover its design and usage, grind quality, and whether I think it’s good value for money.

The Fiorenzato F4 Evo Espresso Grinder Review

I strive to showcase the good and the bad in all of my reviews so that you can make an informed decision. But in the case of a prosumer coffee grinder like this, there is little to criticize. It’s a fantastic grinder, and I’m not here to debate that.

Instead, I’m going to help you decide if it’s worth its (quite substantial) cost or if you’re better off with a more traditional home burr grinder. Let’s get into the details.

How We Rated It

• Design
• Durability
• Ease Of Use
• Grinding Capability
• Value For Money

4.3

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A New Burr Set For Impeccable Grind Quality

The biggest update to the latest edition of the Fiorenzato F4 Evo is the new Red Speed-coated 58-mm flat burr set. Red Speed is marketer speak for a titanium aluminum carbon nitride coating (TiAlCN), which has more wear resistance and lower friction compared to standard stainless steel burrs. 

Some say that they improve the flavor profile in the cup, but I can’t say I’ve tasted an obvious difference. However, the faster throughput limits heat generation, so even if you’re grinding a lot of coffee in a commercial setting, you won’t experience worsening flavor during busy rushes.

The F4 is powered by a 250-watt motor that spins the burrs at 1600 rpm. This is faster than previous models, a change I’m certain was facilitated by the better burr set. Despite that, this is a surprisingly quiet grinder, which I measured under 80 dB. 

I clocked the grind output around 1.8 g/s, which is plenty fast for the home barista but slower than many commercial grinders due to the relatively small burrs. It takes less than 10 seconds to grind coffee for a double shot. 

A Dedicated Espresso Grinder

The Fiorenzato F4 Evo is designed for espresso. Its stepless adjustment ring allows for an infinitesimal degree of control over the grind, and the grind quality is fantastic throughout the fine grind range (1). It delivers a uniform and fluffy grind with minimal clumping. 

I wouldn’t recommend it for coarser grind methods like French press or drip coffee, but it works well for a Moka pot or Aeropress. That said, once you have the grind size dialed in for one method, it’s a hassle to find it again, so you don’t want to constantly make large size adjustments. I’d keep this grinder dedicated to one brew method.

Grind Retention

Grind retention is always my main concern with flat burrs, but Fiorenzato has largely mitigated the issue with good engineering and impressive static control (2). I retained less than 1 gram when grinding 20 grams of coffee for a double shot.

What is an on-demand espresso grinder?

An on-demand espresso grinder grinds one dose at a time when commanded and usually has a portafilter holding fork to grind directly into a portafilter. The alternative is a doser grinder, which grinds multiple doses at once to be dispensed one at a time. Doser grinders are useful in very busy cafes, but at home or in low-volume commercial settings, they generally lead to more waste and stale coffee.

How To Use The Fiorenzato F4 Evo

The Fiorenzato F4 is straightforward on its surface. Fill the hopper with beans, turn it on, and select the dose you want to grind. But once you get more familiar with it, you’ll find plenty of additional settings to explore.

The new, larger touchscreen display is attractive and intuitive. Use it to program grind time for single, double, and triple shot doses – precise to 0.1 seconds. It offers a manual grind option and displays the date and time. You also get dosing stats by day, week, and total lifetime, a useful feature in a coffee shop setting.

Grind size adjustment is done manually using the adjustment collar at the base of the hopper. I found the ring a bit stiff at first, but it seemed to get more fluid over time. It was easy to make the minute adjustments necessary to perfect my espresso shots.

Cleaning

On a daily basis, all this grinder really needs is a quick wipe down with a microfiber cloth and a brush of the exit chute to remove stray grounds. 

The internals are not meant to be cleaned as regularly as cheap home grinders, which is clear from the fact that it doesn’t come with removable burrs. You’ll need tools and expert knowledge to get into the inner workings of the machine. Unless you have prior experience and are confident handling its parts, I’d recommend calling an authorized technician.

Design, Style, and Customization

The Fiorenzato F4 Evo is beautiful from every angle. Its Italian heritage is evident in its contoured hopper, polished adjustment ring, and sleek body panels. Available in black or white, this elegant machine is guaranteed to spruce up your kitchen or cafe. You can even connect to it via USB and upload your logo to display in the middle of the screen (3).

The front has an adjustable portafilter holding fork, now with rubber grips to keep the portafilter securely in place. The large grounds tray at the base might not be especially aesthetic, but it’s wonderfully convenient for keeping the counter tidy.

What size is the Fiorenzato F4 EVO?

This is a mid-sized grinder with a footprint of 6.65″ x 9.45″ and a height of 18.65″, including a hopper with a 500 g capacity. It also comes with a shorter 250 g hopper that’s more practical for home use, which lowers the overall height to 17.13”. It weighs 20 pounds – heavy enough to indicate its quality but light enough to maneuver easily.

Is The Fiorenzato F4 Worth It?

The Fiorenzato F4 Evo costs around $1250, with some variation between distributors and sale pricing. In my experience, that’s quite pricey for a grinder with a relatively small 58-mm burr set.

Certainly, there is no question about its build quality and longevity. The steel chassis, encased by cast aluminum body panels, ensures that it can handle the workload of a small cafe. And the new Red Speed burrs dramatically extend its lifespan and your value for money. They’ll easily churn through 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of beans before dulling.

The expense of this grinder, in my opinion, comes down to two things: the efficient user experience afforded by the touch screen and the improved burr coating.

For home users, I would only recommend it to someone who treats their home espresso bar like a cafe. If you pull many shots a day to serve friends and family, you may get your money’s worth out of the smooth workflow and durable burrs.

What is the difference between the E, Evo, and Pro Fiorenzato Grinders?

I work in this industry and still find myself confused by each manufacturer’s unique codes. Here’s the scoop on Fiorenzato:

• E refers to an on-demand grinder.
• Evo means it is on demand and has a cooling fan.
• Pro means the grinding chamber can be easily accessed for cleaning and maintenance.

Don’t Buy The Fiorenzato F4 Evo if…

• You want to grind for all brew methods: Realistically if you’re equally serious about drip coffee and espresso, it’s worth having two separate grinders. For example, consider pairing the Eureka Mignon Brew Pro for drip coffee with a premium manual grinder for espresso, like the 1Zpresso K-Ultra. This combination is around the same cost as the Fiorenzato F4. But if you want one grinder to do it all, the Baratza Vario is worth a look. It’s well made, easy to use, and offers consistent grounds from espresso to French press.
• You run a busy cafe: Need more output than the F4 Evo? Check out the Mazzer Major or Mazzer Robur, two highly regarded commercial workhorses from one of the best brands in the business.
• You prefer conical burrs in an espresso grinder: Conical burrs produce more fines, which many experts prefer for the extra body they give espresso (4). For home users, the Niche Zero is a great conical burr grinder with a friendly design and low retention. At the cafe, the commercial Mahlkonig E65S has the capacity to keep up with high demand.
• You want something more affordable: If you can skip the fancy touchscreen and programmable features, you can find cheaper alternatives with quality burrs. I love the Eureka Mignon Specialita espresso grinder, which still includes programmable timed dosing, incredible build quality, and a basic touch screen. Or check out the Turin DF64, a budget grinder that does away with all the fancy extras but has a premium set of 64 mm flat burrs.

Final Thoughts

Buying a high-end grinder, whether for your home or coffee shop, can be daunting. It’s an expensive purchase that can make or break your espresso quality. 

The Fiorenzato F4 Evo is an incredibly well-made grinder with excellent grind quality and an efficient workflow. You can trust it to deliver exceptional espresso shots for at least a decade. However, its relatively small burr set limits grind output, making it a better choice for a small cafe, a home, or as a secondary grinder in a busy shop.