A Big Moment For Zerno: James Hoffmann Reviews The Z1
Every once in a while, something happens that makes you pause and reflect on the journey you are on. For us at Zerno, James Hoffmann’s recent review of the Z1 was one of those moments.
For those in the coffee world, James needs no introduction. He’s not just the most respected voice in specialty coffee—he’s someone who approaches gear with curiosity, nuance, and honesty. So when he took a deep dive into the Z1, we knew it wasn’t just going to be about burrs and grind size—it would be about why this grinder exists in the first place.
More Than Just a Grinder: The Z1 Is A Platform
One of the most meaningful parts of the review was James’s recognition that the Z1 isn’t just a grinder—it’s a platform. That word perfectly captures what we’ve tried to build.
From day one, the Z1 was designed to give users flexibility and control. Want to swap out burrs? No recalibration needed. Want to change your grind profile? Use the adjustable prebreaker system. Want to go deep on espresso or explore filter brews? The stepless adjustment is there for that too.
What James saw—and articulated better than we could ourselves—is that the Z1 isn’t trying to be a prescriptive tool. It’s built to support exploration, iteration, and growth.
High Praise for the Z1
James highlighted a lot of things he loved about the Z1:
• Build quality and design – “Absolutely beautiful,” in his words. The materials, machining, and tactile feel all stood out.
• Workflow and usability – He noted the smooth experience, thoughtful magnetics, and well-integrated design choices.
• Low retention and grind consistency – Especially impressive for a grinder that encourages swapping burrs and dialing in different styles.
• User-first philosophy – Features like alignment tools and interchangeable parts aren’t just for looks—they reflect a mindset of giving power to the user.
Feedback That Fuels Progress
As with all of James’s reviews, his praise came with thoughtful critiques. The truth is: we agree with many of the things he mentioned, and for the most part things are already in motion behind the scenes—part of our ongoing development pipeline. Here are a few of the things that he mentioned:
“It feels like this grinder assumes a level of experience or familiarity with coffee equipment that not everyone might have.”
It’s a powerful tool with a lot of flexibility, but it assumes a degree of curiosity—and that’s by design. Still, we understand that for some users, the learning curve might feel steep at first. We’re actively working on ways to better support new users through clearer documentation and onboarding resources.
"It is difficult to talk about how this grinder costs(because of it's pricing model)"
In his review, James mentioned that the Z1’s pricing model made it a bit tricky to calculate the total cost, especially with the different configurations and add-ons. Ahead of our upcoming purchasing event, we have made it possible to build and configure your grinder beforehand—making it easier for people to explore all available options, understand what’s included, and price out their ideal build before making a decision.
Why This Moment Matters
As a small, independent team, we don’t take this moment lightly.
Getting reviewed by someone like James isn’t just great exposure—it’s a kind of validation that’s hard to come by. It means the countless hours of prototyping, testing, refining, and obsessing over details were worth it. But more than that, it pushes us to keep going—to keep building tools that empower people to make better coffee, their way.
Thank You
To James: thank you for your honesty, your insight, and the care you put into your work. You captured the spirit of the Z1 in a way that reminds us why we do this.
To our customers and early supporters: this milestone belongs to you too. Your feedback, passion, and belief in what we’re doing helped shape the Z1 into what it is today.
The Z1 isn’t finished—and that’s the point. It’s a platform. And this is just the beginning.
🎥 Watch the full review: A Zerno Z1 Review & A Grand Universal Theory Of Coffee Grinding