Coffee Grinder?

R

ray_g

Guest
With the popularity of the Camera & Coffee thread, I figure the RFF folks would be a knowledgeable bunch when it comes to coffee... 🙂

A friend has gotten me hooked on press pots, and now I have a Bodum french press. I'm getting rid of my old blade grinder, and am looking for a reliable, (relatively) economical conical burr grinder. Any advice? This will be mainly for even coarse grind; no interest in making espresso, but that would be a bonus if possible in the price range I am considering (but I'm not holding my breath).

I would be particularly interested in any experience in the following models, in order of price:

- Krups GVX
- La Pavoni Alpina
- Capresso Infinity
- Solis Maestro

Thanks.
 
I had a Krups burr grinder for over 20 years until it finally gave out. I thought it was pretty good, but not that great for espresso. Krups had quit making the burr model when mine died and I then bought a Solis Maestro. This is a much higher grade burr model, very good for espresso (or anything with a coffee bean!). For non-espresso, I would definitely go with the Krups. Here is a good link for a vast quantity of reviews: http://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders which I used when I got my new one.
 
This doesn't add anything, but I just wanted to share.

This doesn't add anything, but I just wanted to share.

The other week I tried my first espresso ever.

My god what a hideous, vile, evil syrup of yuckypoo. GAH! That, and I couldn't fall asleep until 3am -- AFTER WORKING OUT THREE TIMES THAT NIGHT (6pm, 9pm, 12:30am).

Experience was almost as bad as my first and only beer years ago. The difference? At least I got a good few workouts out of it 😀

😛
 
Don't have experience with any of those, though I've heard conflicting stories about the Krups. I saw the Krups for < $30 at Tuesday Morning, so even if it weren't up to par, it's the cheapest of the lot.

The thing is, for Bodum you really don't need a top shelf grinder. Good burr grinders are required to grind for espresso, and the press pot certainly doesn't need that fine of grind.

My Bodum developed a crack in the glass recently, so I had to chuck it. I'm not replacing it. I'm going to go drip filter, maybe a Chemex, or maybe a Meliita filter cone that fits onto a vacuum bottle, as I mainly brew coffee on weekday mornings for taking to work.

On weekends I make mocha/espresso in the Bialetti Brikka. To grind for that I use a human-powered Turkish coffee grinder. No, Brikka coffee isn't true espresso, but it's damn good.

From the reading I did at Sweet Maria's, Coffee Geek and other sites, I got the impression the Solis was maybe the best regarded, but the Capresso was quite good, too; the others you listed were not junk, though.

Edit: The thing I don't like about Bodum/press pot is that there is it is always muddy unless you do a second strain/filtration, which seems a bit silly. I'd go vacuum pot but cleaning the vacuum pot seems it would be a real bother.
 
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Jano: With sugar or without? Espresso isn't everyone's cup of tea (ha!), but straight with no sugar for a newbie is definitely living on the edge! Keep trying, you'll be in the best shape ever!
 
I agree, a little bit of sugar helps to knock the edge off an espesso. I learned this lesson in Spain a few years ago. Don't need much, perhaps 1/4 teaspoon or so to transform a somewhat harsh drink into nectar of the gods. I normally do not use any sweeteners in my coffee at home, preferring french roast, black. However with regard to Spanish espresso, a little sugar helps. BTW, I have tried many times to replicate the wonderful taste of Spanish coffee here in the US, and have been unable to do so, even when using imported Spanish whole beans.

I currently have a Mr. Coffee burr grinder, but formerly had a Krups burr grinder for about 15 years. I replaced the Krups when it wore out after many years of faithful service.
 
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Wow, it is well cool to see the OT posts back on the main page.

This Black & Decker blade thingy I have leaves me with half-beans and dust. A little consistency is all I need for my little bodum press. Those hand crank ones (the Zassenhauses, and those Turkish ones) seem nice, and cheap, and quiet (would be nice to not wake the kids on a Sunday morning). Trius, can you fit 4 tbsp into your Turkish grinder?
 
Thanks for the link, that was a good thread, Earl. I must have missed it. Yes, it's nice to have the OT threads in front.
 
hjfischer said:
Check out www.sweetmarias.com for the best selection and info on all coffee related equipment and green coffee beans from all over the world. (You might also consider roasting your own beans from which I guarantee you will never go back to ordinary coffee again).
Click to expand...

i'll second that! my friend roasts his own beans, and gets it all from sweet marias. they actually started out here in columbus, and moved shop in the past year or two (but he still mail orders from them). just amazing! if i drank more coffee, i would most certainly roast it!
 
Assuming everyone knows about it, but anyway, the primary difference (evil!) between a burr grinder and the cheaper blade types is just not about the grind. The blade types heats the grounds quite a bit and will affect the taste/flavor. The new(er) Krups grinder is around $60 and is a burr grinder. The cheaper one is usually the blade type. I will chime in that the Solis is really great, the only issue (with me at least) is that static buildup can be an issue. I notice that the Solis is now being offered with some kind of anti-static feature. (Excuse my coffee orientation, but I live in Seattle!).
 
I upgraded the grinder used by my wife from whirly-blade to the Capresso Infinity. She immediately reported improved flavor from her drip coffee (Peet's). I ordered the cast metal version to reduce winter static - reassuringly hefty, too. 🙂 On performing a full disassembly for cleaning, I did notice the (small) conical burr set: these are quite easy to replace when the inevitable rock chews into them (already happened to mine).

All that said, the Infinity is no Mazzer Mini, the beast of choice for my HX espresso machine!
 
Ray: You're welcome; I'm no coffee expert, but I've been "upgrading" a bit at a time.

Larry: The Krups GVX I saw in Tuesday Morning (a clearance shop) is a burr grinder; at $30 you can't beat it IF it works for your purpose.

My Turkish grinder is a burr grinder, and works perfectly (though not quickly) for making Brikka. I still used a whirly grinder for press pot, but I pulsed the grind to try and minimize heat buildup. Now that I'm going to filter cone or Chemex, I'll need to upgrade my grinder.

The only problem with all this is that GAS money gets diverted!

BTW, I buy my (roasted) beans (no way I'm getting into roasting!) from Java Joe here in Rah-cha-cha. He does mail order, too. Yeah, there really is a Java Joe.
 
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