Ditting · Flat burr804 Lab Sweet
A Swiss single-dose lab/shop grinder built around 80mm cast-steel burrs tuned for roundness over sharpness — the burr set that put the word sweet into grinder marketing. Discontinued and replaced by the 807 Lab Sweet, but still floating around used and in cupping labs.
The short version
This is a workhorse cast-steel burr grinder that trades ultimate clarity for body and sweetness, and owners who came from EK43-style grinders consistently say it is the better all-rounder for both filter and espresso.
Buy it used and expect to hunt for parts, because Ditting has stopped selling it new and pushed everyone to the 807 Lab Sweet.
Why people buy it
- 80mm cast-steel burrs with a distinctive geometry that owners describe as sweeter and rounder than typical flat-burr grinders
- Genuinely dual-purpose: praised for both pour-over and espresso from the same burr set, unusual for a lab-style grinder
Why they don’t
- Discontinued by Ditting — no longer sold new, and spare parts must go through a distributor
The full tally
- 80mm cast-steel burrs with a distinctive geometry that owners describe as sweeter and rounder than typical flat-burr grinders
- Genuinely dual-purpose: praised for both pour-over and espresso from the same burr set, unusual for a lab-style grinder
- Near-zero retention design with a manual knocker built into the spout
- Stepless grind adjustment with a wide, precise range from fine espresso to cold brew coarseness
- Discontinued by Ditting — no longer sold new, and spare parts must go through a distributor
- Espresso dial-in window is narrow and retention still shows up as +/- 0.5g swings even with RDT, per owner reports
- Large, heavy commercial unit (about 22kg) that is overkill footprint and cost for casual home use
What the community knows
Years of owner threads, distilled — a niche favourite.
Swiss flat-burr workhorse that earns respect from filter-and-espresso owners who've compared it directly to EK43; exceptional particle uniformity and longevity justify the premium, but languishes commercially niche with sparse English-speaking community record—owners praise…
Reliability
shows up every morning, year after year
Built to last
years before you outgrow or replace it
Value
price-to-performance the community respects
All 9 community measures
price-to-performance the community respects
shows up every morning, year after year
parts and repairs — you are never stranded
mods, guides, and community know-how around it
kind to first-timers
years before you outgrow or replace it
how far the cup can go, per dollar
speed and simplicity, day to day
Worth knowing before you buy — Most owners wish they'd found it sooner instead of starting with EK43—solves alignment and flavor consistency problems that dog its more famous rival, but costs you the prestige name and the counter presence.
The measurements
Scored 0–5 on the same rubric as everything on file — the words matter more than the numbers.
The measurements
0–5, one rubric- Espresso
- dialed4
- Versatility
- do-anything4.5
- Built to last
- heirloom4.5
Position in the market
Every dot is a rival, measured the same way. The gold one is this.
- Lower half for espresso suitability
- a higher ceiling than 58 of the 154 grinders we’ve measured
- You pay for this one
- 6% of grinders this capable cost more
- Upper half for build
- sturdier than 69% of the field, by the community’s own record
Every dot is a grinder measured on the same rubric. See the whole market
Living with it
The part spec sheets skip: counter space, upkeep, and what owners learn later.
The honest note — Owners typically arrive here from an EK43 or EK43S looking for less retention and better all-round flavor, and many report never looking back. The natural next step for anyone chasing this exact burr set today is the current 807 Lab Sweet (or the compact 807 Lab Sweet ESP), since Ditting no longer sells the 804 Lab Sweet new.
The full spec sheet
- Class
- Single dose
- Burrs
- 80mm flat
- Drive
- Electric
- Adjustment
- Stepless
- Clarity lean
- Syrup & body
- Espresso suitability
- 4/5
- Brew versatility
- 4.5/5
- Single dosing
- Yes
- Hopper
- 500 g
- Burr-swap scene
- Documented
- Maintenance
- 2.5/5
- Noise
- 3/5
- Build longevity
- 4.5/5
- Dimensions
- 20 × 26 × 48 cm
Before it arrives
What completes this grinder — the faded pieces can wait.
Coffee scale with timer — Espresso is a ratio. A 0.1g scale with a built-in timer is the single biggest consistency upgrade for any manual machine.
- Coffee scale with timer — Espresso is a ratio. A 0.1g scale with a built-in timer is the single biggest consistency upgrade for any manual machine.
- Dosing cup — Pairs with single-dose grinding — grind into the cup, swirl, and transfer to the portafilter cleanly.
- Grinder cleaning kit — Brushes and grinder tablets keep retention and stale grounds in check.
Feed it right
Week one is dial-in — and stale beans will lose it.
Coffee more than a few weeks past roast won’t extract predictably, and a new grinder gets blamed for it. These burrs pull syrup — naturals and classic medium roasts play straight into their character.
Pick your coffee — any of these dials in beautifully here:
Highland Elixir - Papua New Guinean Sigri PlantationSCA 86Medium-dark · Wahgi Valley, Western Highlands · WashedBright Citrus · Caramel SweetnessSyrup and body, matched to these burrs.CA$22.43 · roasted to order
Lavabloom - Indonesian Sumatra MandhelingMedium-dark · Mount Leuser, Sumatra · Wet Hulled (Giling Basah)Dark Earth · Bittersweet ChocolateSyrup and body, matched to these burrs.CA$19.02 · roasted to order
Wild Ember - Ethiopian Buno Dambi UddoSCA 92Medium roast · Odo Shakiso, Guji Zone, Oromia · NaturalBlueberry · MarmaladeSyrup and body, matched to these burrs.CA$26.83 · roasted to orderWhole bean, dated, ready for your burrs the week it lands.
Roasted to order, daily, in Ajax, Ontario · ships Canada-wide. We’re the roastery behind this database — measuring the machines is how we make sure the coffee gets a fair shot.
On film
How it runs on camera, from around the community.
Common questions
Is the Ditting 804 Lab Sweet still available new?
No. Ditting's own product page states the model is no longer available and directs owners to a distributor for service or spare parts; the line has effectively been superseded by the 807 Lab Sweet.
What makes the Lab Sweet burrs different from standard Ditting 804 burrs?
The Lab Sweet uses a special 80mm premium cast-steel burr geometry designed to shift particle size distribution toward more roundness and sweetness in the cup rather than pure clarity, and Voltage Restaurant Supply notes the K804 Lab and K804 Lab Sweet use different burr sets.
Can the 804 Lab Sweet handle both espresso and filter well?
Yes, that is its main selling point among owners. Multiple Home Barista users who switched from EK43/EK43S grinders reported that both espresso and filter results were better than their prior grinder.
Worth comparing
Mahlkönig
EK43S
The shop-counter version of coffee's most influential bulk grinder: same 98mm flat burrs and 1300W motor as the full EK43, just shorter so it fits under a cabinet. Built for cafes grinding retail bags and pour-over by the pound, and adopted by plenty of home fanatics who don't mind the footprint.
CA$3,390–5,350 · US$3,899–5,350
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