Femobook A4Z & A5 - 2025 Canada Brewers Cup Champion - Ply
Ply, the current Canada Brewer's Cup champion, ran a side-by-side comparison of the Femobook A4Z and A5, brewing two different coffees through both grinders using a fixed recipe. The exercise was designed to isolate the one variable that mattered: the grinder itself.
2 Grinders, 1 Key Difference
The A4Z and A5 share the same external form factor and are both battery-operated with no power outlet required, making them a practical choice for travel. That physical resemblance ends at the burr. The two models use different burr designs, which produces a different grind geometry even at comparable particle sizes. By eye, the grounds look identical. In the cup, they are not.
Ply's summary of each grinder's character:
- A4Z: Optimized for filter brewing. High clarity, vibrant acidity.
- A5: Suitable for both espresso and filter. Skews sweeter, with greater complexity and body.
The Brewing Protocol
Both coffees were brewed using the same recipe throughout:
- Dose: 20 g coffee
- Water: 320 g total, 92°C
- Bloom: 60 g, 45 seconds
- Second pour: to 200 g
- Third pour: to 320 g
Because the burr geometries differ, Ply dialed each grinder independently to reach a visually similar particle size. The grind settings are not interchangeable between models.
Ply brewed both cups simultaneously, staggered by 25 seconds so that drawdowns could be compared side by side.
Coffee 1: Kenya Black Honey
| Feature | A4Z | A5 |
|---|---|---|
| Grind setting | 190 clicks | 158 clicks |
| Brew time | ~2:35 | ~2:40 |
| Cup character | Clarity, acidity | Sweetness, complexity, body |
With the Kenya black honey, the A5 produced a more complex cup with more flavors present overall. The A4Z yielded a cleaner result with higher clarity and more prominent acidity. Both brew times landed within five seconds of each other, a consequence of the similar particle sizes despite different click settings.
Ply's stated preference on this coffee: A4Z for clarity and acidity, A5 for sweetness, complexity, and body.
Coffee 2: Panama Geisha Washed, Janson Lot 969
| Feature | A4Z | A5 |
|---|---|---|
| Grind setting | 165 clicks | 195 clicks |
| Brew time | ~3:00 | ~3:10 |
| Cup character | Floral, higher acidity, refreshing | Sweeter |
The second coffee, a washed Panama Geisha from Janson Lot 969, is a high-density bean. Both grinders were dialed coarser to compensate, while keeping the recipe unchanged. Actual particle size remained close across both; geometry, again, differed.
For washed coffees, Ply defaults to the A4Z. The reasoning is direct: washed processing already emphasizes clarity, and the A4Z reinforces that quality. With the Janson Geisha, the A4Z produced a more floral, higher-acidity cup that Ply described as refreshing. The A5 leaned sweeter, a characteristic some tasters may prefer.
A Note on Grind Settings
The click numbers above are specific to the coffees and conditions in this demonstration and are not universal starting points. The A4Z and A5 use different burr designs, so their click scales are not comparable to each other. 190 on the A4Z does not correspond to 190 on the A5.
Portability and Maintenance
Both the A4Z and A5 are battery-powered and require no external power source. Ply noted that he previously traveled with a hand grinder but has since switched to these models. The physical demand of hand-grinding for extended periods across multiple events and farm visits was the deciding factor.
Disassembly on both models requires no tools and can be done nearly single-handed, which simplifies cleaning on the road.
Summary
The A4Z and A5 occupy different positions on the flavor spectrum despite sharing hardware architecture and form factor. Which one suits a given coffee depends on what the brewer is looking for in the cup.
As Ply put it: for different coffees, sometimes one grinder is better than the other, and what "better" means comes down to preference and brewing intent.