Coffee Gurus-Grinder Recommendations?

[Matt Meiser]

Time for yet another new grinder. I use it for french press or more lately pour-over coffee, never espresso as our espresso machine has a built-in grinder. Though I guess some day if that died and we decided to replace over a repair we could end up with something different. I've been through countless coffee grinders costing between $20 and probably around $100 over the years. They never seem to last very long. I've only ever bought mass market brands at mass market retailers. The current one is a Mr. Coffee that was about $50--it had decent reviews at the time and I decided to try something less expensive and I think we've gotten about 2 years out of this one which is actually pretty long (reading current reviews, sounds like we are one of the lucky ones.) Its never been great, just OK, creating a decent amount of fines even on a coarse setting. The problem is in the timer which has been shutting off after a second more and more frequently. Its push-to-start, and only starts when you release the button so there's way to hold it on and the situation is getting urgent. :D

I've been considering spending a little more this time but I'd like to stay under $250. It better hold up if I spend in that range though. I'd like a timer because who has the patience to time with a watch while waiting for morning coffee? I know they say you should do it by weight but after a few mornings I've been able to adjust the timer to grind the perfect amount consistently and a scale drives up the cost considerably. Before someone suggests it, I'm not interested in a manual grinder--again the whole work before coffee thing.

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

I am a home roaster and coffee fiend.

I recommend the Capresso Infinity Grinder--not too bad at ~$100 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500812460&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=capresso+coffee+grinder&psc=1

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Zassenhaus. A lot of folks are not interested in turning a crank, but if you want something that will last they are pretty hard to beat. Mine has lasted 10 years, and I would not be surprised if it lasts another 50.

[Mike Cutler]

Matt

I don't use exactly what you're looking for, but the grinder I have is a little beast. I can easily see it outlasting me, and I've had it for probably 15+ years already.
I wouldn't describe myself as a coffee aficionado, but I do like good coffee.

I have the Kitchen aide Burr Master grinder. There is no timer I just put in the same pre-measured amount each time and it's fine. I use a Krups, Moka BrewMaster, to make the coffee. The combination of the two makes a very nice cup of coffee. I think right now my wife is getting a Yemen Italian bean.

Here's a link to the website. ( It's cheaper on Amazon.;))

https://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/-[KCG0702ER]-5541096/KCG0702ER/

[Steve Schoene]

+1 about the Capresso grinder. I do favor the 565 model over the similar 560 model.The difference is that the 565 has a metal housing instead of plastic. If found that if I checked Amazon on different occasions it could be found less than $15 more than the 560 model. Regardless of version I would expect good, consistent grinding.

[Jim Becker]

This is what I use...

https://www.chriscoffee.com/Baratza-Encore-Coffee-Grinder-p/encore.htm

https://cdn3.volusion.com/wysrt.cnwfk/v/vspfiles/photos/ENCORE-2.jpg?1377509093

[Matt Meiser]

Jim, I've looked at that one a few times and have almost bought it but the timer thing held me back. Its $250 for the version with the timer.

The Capresso does look like the way to go. Now my dilemma is whether to roll the dice, order the 565 from Amazon for Tuesday and hope I can grind with the old for for two more days or go today and get the 560 at Bed Bath and Beyond. :D

[Dave Richards]

I'm still using the Krups grinder I bought in about 1985 but I've been thinking of getting a burr grinder. As I'm the only one in the house who drinks coffee, I've been considering a hand crank grinder. The Zassenhaus looks good.

[Shawn Pixley]

This is what I use...

https://www.chriscoffee.com/Baratza-Encore-Coffee-Grinder-p/encore.htm

https://cdn3.volusion.com/wysrt.cnwfk/v/vspfiles/photos/ENCORE-2.jpg?1377509093

I am an admitted coffee snob. This is the grinder we have as well. Good burr grinder and seemingly bulletproof. I recommend it.

[Robert Engel]

The KitchenAid grinder Matt mentioned is definitely a heavy duty machine. Here's the link (http://www.kitchenaid.com/brand_small-appliances_coffee-products_burr-grinder.content.html). The only reason I have it is was a "customer satisfaction" replacement for one that broke.

If I had to do over, I would go with the smaller models mentioned. The KA is quite large.

[Allan Dozier]

I'm a Capresso fan also but I do it a little differently. I use the Capresso coffee machine that grinds the beans and then brews the coffee. I have been through I think 3 of them over the past 20 plus years. Each night I fill the water chamber, top off beans in the hopper if needed and set the timer. I don't like waiting on the machine to make coffee even on my day off. I want a full carafe available right then when I go in the kitchen. Plus there is no measuring of the ground coffee, just keep the hopper full.

[Ryan Mooney]

I am a home roaster and coffee fiend.

I recommend the Capresso Infinity Grinder--not too bad at ~$100 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500812460&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=capresso+coffee+grinder&psc=1

That's what we have, it has held up pretty well for the last 10 years.

There is a "safety" switch under the hopper so it can't turn on when its taken apart for cleaning (why you would do that without unplugging it is beyond me). Anyway that switch broken about 8 years in so I just hot wired around it (yeah its a $1 part, but it wasn't worth sourcing it) and its been chugging happily along for another 2 so far. We mostly do french press and pour over, I suspect there would be more wear at espresso fineness.

[Morey St. Denis]

Third vote for the Baratza brand... I've had mine in regular daily use for more than 16 years with never a problem and reliably consistent results. Mine is also known as the "Solis Maestro" and is identical in appearance to the model pictured by Jim except for finish color. His is black, mine appears two-tone silver and charcoal grey. Whatever you decide upon, the common factor for success is bound to be the high hardness heat-treated steel conical burr mechanism. Doesn't heat or pulverize the beans and delivers a highly uniform particle size to the grounds.

[Morey St. Denis]

"The timer thing held me back"... The Baratza design does have that dial timer round the side, but on the front is a surface mount push button manual switch; aka the "Pulse Button". I invariably use this method of pulse activation when grinding just enough fresh beans for the French Press carafe.

I'm gathering that some of you may use the timer feature to regulate a dose for the press or brew chamber and just keep that bean hopper regularly filled at room temperature. I keep fresh roasted beans hermetically sealed within a wide-mouthed storage container in the refrigerator with a volumetric scoop on top the contents. Each morning sees a single scoop of chilled beans placed in the clear hopper atop my grinder. To each his own...

[James Baker SD]

Third vote for the Baratza brand... I've had mine in regular daily use for more than 16 years with never a problem and reliably consistent results. Mine is also known as the "Solis Maestro" and is identical in appearance to the model pictured by Jim except for finish color. His is black, mine appears two-tone silver and charcoal grey. Whatever you decide upon, the common factor for success is bound to be the high hardness heat-treated steel conical burr mechanism. Doesn't heat or pulverize the beans and delivers a highly uniform particle size to the grounds.

+1 on this model (Solis).l I got mine at Peet's about 15 years ago. Still going strong.

[Rich Riddle]

We looked at coffee grinders as well as coffee makers for a very long time for the wife. The coffee maker she ended up with is the Tenhnivorm Moccamaster and the coffee grinder is the Rancilio Rocky coffee grinder. You can find the grinder at about $250 on a regular basis. Everyone raves about that Moccamaster when the get coffee from it.

[Gail Ludwig]

I also have the Kitchenaid Burr Grinder. As other have said, it is a tank. We have had ours for at least 15 years and it keeps on grinding!! We roast our own beans and fresh grind our coffee several times per day. Absolutely no issues with this one. As you have realized, the cheaper grinders just die after awhile.

Well, holy smokes - I just looked at the price of the KitchenAid. I think I paid $125 for it --and probably used Amazon points and got it for next to nothing. Phew, they have gone up in price!! Still worth it - and I would do it again in a flash.

UPDATE: they are cheaper on Amazon than the KitchenAid site I first checked out.

[Jamie Buxton]

!! $250 for a coffee grinder?! Yikes. I have two Krups grinders -- one for the house, and one for the shop. They do what they need to do: make grounds from beans. One of the two is ten years old, and the other might be twenty or thirty. $15-$20 each.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, I've looked at that one a few times and have almost bought it but the timer thing held me back. Its $250 for the version with the timer.
Matt, I don't use the grinder with any kind of timer and don't leave any beans in the bin...I prefer the coffee to be in an air-tight container. I put just enough in to grind for one dose and use the manual button until it's done with the beans I put in. This is my second one of this type; the first lasted ten years. :) While I know it seems silly to have such a large grinder that sits empty when not in use, I like how it grinds and know exactly how much to put in for each latté I make. :D

[Ken Platt]

Yet another vote for the capresso Infinity. I have no idea how long I've had mine, but it's been at least 10 years. I hadn't seen any mention of ease of cleaning in the other posts, but a nice feature is that the top burr just drops in and lifts out, so you can clean it easily. I wipe out the grinding chamber and bottom burr and then wipe the top burr daily, takes about 1 minute. Grind seems very consistent to me, but I've not compared to other grinders. Compared to the series of whirly-choppers I used before this, it was night and day. I have the plastic version, no problems. Also, when I needed a replacement plastic receiver cannister (or whatever it's called where the ground coffee goes) the cost was very reasonable and easy to get parts right from capresso. I appreciate a manufacturer who doesn't try to make extra money by charging a lot for a simple plastic piece, just because they can.

If something happened to this one, I'd buy another immediately, and probably pay for overnight delivery rather than go back to my old blade style grinder - which I still have somewhere in the shop for grinding shellac flakes.

Good luck Matt, you'll love it.

Ken

[Matt Meiser]

I ordered the Capresso from Amazon so I could get the metal one and will have it Tuesday.

[Kev Williams]

We're hardly 'gurus' but we have 2 of these Cuisinart Grind n Brew's--
364406
It's the only 'mainstream' grind n brew machine I found with a burr grinder, and they work great as far as I'm concerned. We make an average of 4 pots of coffee a day with with it. The first one I put in storage about 2 years ago; at around 10 years old (roughly 14,000 uses!) it started 'hanging' between grinding and dumping the grind. I found the problem, it was a piece of plastic that developed a burr or flat spot (I forget exactly) and after fixing it (took about 20 minutes) it worked perfectly- but I bought another one in the meantime just in case, and it's worked flawlessly. And the plastic piece I fixed is now a metal piece in the new one (IIRC). The old one still grinds like the new one after all this time.

The chute needs brushing out about twice a week, not a big deal but in reading thru reviews, many owners consider that "a flaw". Guess it IS easier to just open a can ;)

The grinder's noisy. And then you get great coffee. That's the nutshell :D

[Matt Meiser]

I don't drink nearly that much coffee. Usually about 2 20oz mugs a day. When its cooler that's usually a brewed coffee at breakfast and a cappuccino/caramel mocha thing (espresso, skim milk, and, sugar-free syrup so its not too bad dietary-wise compared to buying something at Starbucks.) Summer its usually a brewed coffee and cold-brew coffee. The cold brew we buy whole bean at the store and grind it in their grinder as it take too long with our grinder and we get too much fine sludge in the bottom.

I'm interested in trying to roast my own beans but haven't really looked into it. Any recommendations on good sources of info? We also have a local roaster but I never remember to stop in and get some to try. One of the local restaurants uses it and I like their coffee.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Gentlemen, reading the reviews I note that even the people that love them, they still have complaints of static electricity affecting the dusty part of the grounds, and making somewhat a mess. Any way around this, or is this just inherent in the process?

[Jim Becker]

Gentlemen, reading the reviews I note that even the people that love them, they still have complaints of static electricity affecting the dusty part of the grounds, and making somewhat a mess. Any way around this, or is this just inherent in the process?

Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast. I find that "which" beans I'm using affects the static issue, too...some "stick" more than others. I just make a bit of noise banging the bin on the counter a few times while filling the portafilter on my espresso machine to get "most" of the fine stuff to fall out where I want it.



I'm interested in trying to roast my own beans but haven't really looked into it. Any recommendations on good sources of info? We also have a local roaster but I never remember to stop in and get some to try. One of the local restaurants uses it and I like their coffee.

We tried that for awhile with a small, hot air type roaster. It worked but was time consuming and had to be done outside...the aroma of roasting coffee, particularly in the beginning stages isn't all that pleasant, quite frankly. Since there are several local roasters with beans we really like, we stopped trying to do our own long ago.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I'm interested in trying to roast my own beans but haven't really looked into it. Any recommendations on good sources of info? We also have a local roaster but I never remember to stop in and get some to try. One of the local restaurants uses it and I like their coffee.

From the $250 grinder you are looking at, I am guessing we may have different budgets, but here is my experience for what it is worth.

My wife and I have been roasting our own for about ten years. We use a $15-$20 hot air popcorn popper. Look for one with the vents on the side, instead of the bottom, of the place you put the popcorn. They burn out every couple of years, but I don't think I have yet hit the price of a purpose built roaster. Even the cheap ones I have looked at are a couple of hundred dollars, and are only warranted for a year. The fancier ones can be up to about $1000. The popcorn popper works really well for light to medium roasts, which is what I prefer. For darker roasts, I think you would burn it up pretty quickly. I have roasted in a pan as well on occasion, but for every day use I use the popcorn popper.

Sweet Maria's has a pretty good site with an explanation of how to get started.

I buy my beans from Coffee Bean Direct. They will ship a 25 or 50 pound bag. I have not done a direct comparison lately, but when I started roasting, I could get a price per pound that was less than half of what we were paying to buy it already roasted from Starbucks or whatever. Green, the beans last practically forever, and the quality has been excellent.

Unlike someone else (who I will not name in order to leave him a chance to recant his heretical opinions) I like the smell of roasting coffee. You do get some chaff that can be a bit of a mess, but it has been manageable for us and in my opinion the benefits of a freshly roasted, freshly ground cup of coffee every morning are well worth it.

[Mac McQuinn]

I ordered the Capresso from Amazon so I could get the metal one and will have it Tuesday.

Good luck w/ your new grinder. FWIW, I've found by weighing all raw materials when doing espresso based drinks, you gain a more consistent drink. The best coffee shop I've been to in over 40 years of drinking coffee weighs and times everything and the results are impressive, I can literally walk in at anytime and get the exact same tasting drink regardless of the Barista working. Very science and math focused, the results are nothing short of incredible.

Mac

[Mac McQuinn]

Gentlemen, reading the reviews I note that even the people that love them, they still have complaints of static electricity affecting the dusty part of the grounds, and making somewhat a mess. Any way around this, or is this just inherent in the process?

Patrick,
I feel it depends on the grinder, I had a Solis Maestro and the grounds would cling pretty bad and my last purchase, a Vario by Baratza is pretty much dust free. That said the Vario uses ceramic burrs and the Maestro had steel burrs FWIW.
Mac

[Ryan Mooney]

I'm interested in trying to roast my own beans but haven't really looked into it. Any recommendations on good sources of info? We also have a local roaster but I never remember to stop in and get some to try. One of the local restaurants uses it and I like their coffee.

+1 to the information at Sweet Maria's.

We started with the hot air popcorn popper but found the volume a bit small at around 3-4oz per batch (maybe there are bigger poppers) and it was hard to get a real consistent roast. It was a really great way to learn though and the small batches were also really nice for playing with different roast profiles and beans at a small scale. I would still recommend starting out this way if you want to do it.

Eventually we moved up the the Behmore 1600 which is basically a fancy toaster oven with a timer/temperature controller, fan, and a rotating drum. Its been pretty good, its nominally a 1lb roaster but can realistically do about 3/4lb reliably. It did have a problem with the rotating drum coupling coming apart (and when I pulled it open to fix that I found some of the solder joints were .. sub par.. so fixed them while I was there) but other than that its been doing a daily batch for ?3? (at least) years.

There are a bunch of links off of Sweet Maria's site to people who have DIY'd all sorts of roasters as well, if you're feeling ambitious that would be a fun way to go.

I'll second the "recommend outside", "lots of chaff" and "smells strongly" comments although that will vary somewhat based on the bean and the roast and the system. Its not super hard to do though.

[Greg Parrish]

Plenty of good replies.

We use a Rancilio Rocky doserless coffee grinder. We use it for drip coffee, pour over and French press but 95% of time it's drip coffee. We use a Behmor drip coffee maker and a bonavita kettle for pour over. Highly recommend them. I run the grinder at 25 for drip and the Behmor at 204 deg.

[Mac McQuinn]

+1 to the information at Sweet Maria's.


There are a bunch of links off of Sweet Maria's site to people who have DIY'd all sorts of roasters as well, if you're feeling ambitious that would be a fun way to go.

I'll second the "recommend outside", "lots of chaff" and "smells strongly" comments although that will vary somewhat based on the bean and the roast and the system. Its not super hard to do though.

I've also shopped at SM and use the Stainless Pop Corn popper w/ Thermometer. Once I do my crack and pop routine and watch the counter, I dump the beans in a Lee Valley fine mesh Colander and shake the heck out of it and then let it cool. Removes 95%of the chafe.
http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?p=46940&cat=2,40733,44734,46940
Mac

[Jim Becker]

Unlike someone else (who I will not name in order to leave him a chance to recant his heretical opinions) I like the smell of roasting coffee.

https://q3a9qg-sn3301.files.1drv.com/y4m1Kb9ZnCn_ZSCknEN7HlieNB_IOpEgvbqz4rxwsaEJrnRZuJ BWBnElNxSiGv9rdXyuHVsQwW-ZCbTXcvU4rdno78dkPId9Po7YFaZyNxSGBwd7fa33RZZ23bgQg s979c97ALeIGREy4qQVBKGjmDQiVJzYqaE3ItwmPz1h6mTQa9p UjLs4Sk_sQcusZDeNBw38oDd7OudQiUzBi8PIrtp5g?width=4 08&height=479&cropmode=none

[Ryan Mooney]

I've also shopped at SM and use the Stainless Pop Corn popper w/ Thermometer. Once I do my crack and pop routine and watch the counter, I dump the beans in a Lee Valley fine mesh Colander and shake the heck out of it and then let it cool. Removes 95%of the chafe.
http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?p=46940&cat=2,40733,44734,46940
Mac

I was getting some non-trivial airborn post-first crack chaff out of the popper itself... not to mention during the transfer.... I guess I'd just say start outside and decide for yourself before trying it in the kitchen ;)

Good point on the cooling, we used the colander trick as well (different colander but the same idea) - but we also used a small Vornado room fan to blow up through the colander to stop the cooking. The active cooling isn't strictly necessary but it makes controlling the amount of roast somewhat easier because its stops additional post-roaster cooking so you can get pretty close to the final roast in the popper without having to figure in carry over as much. If you were roasting exactly the same product the same way all the time this would be less interesting, but part of the cool factor of the mini roasting setup like that was being able to play with different roasts and this made it a smidge easier.

[Matt Meiser]

Capresso just showed up and I ground some coffee. Does a really nice job and is incredibly quiet! Just in time too. Had to push the button at least 10 times on the old grinder to get enough this morning.

I would definitely want to go simple/cheap for trying roasting.

[Russ Filtz]

Another Baratza user. Virtuoso.

As far as static, ANY grinder with a plastic cup will likely have static. Supposedly ones with borosilicate glass do better with that.

[Mac McQuinn]

Another Baratza user. Virtuoso.

As far as static, ANY grinder with a plastic cup will likely have static. Supposedly ones with borosilicate glass do better with that.
Russ,
FWIW,
My Baratza Vario has ceramic burrs and compared to my old Solis Maestro w/ steel burrs is relatively static free.
Mac

[Russ Filtz]

Unlike someone else (who I will not name in order to leave him a chance to recant his heretical opinions) I like the smell of roasting coffee. You do get some chaff that can be a bit of a mess, but it has been manageable for us and in my opinion the benefits of a freshly roasted, freshly ground cup of coffee every morning are well worth it.

During the actual roasting process, it does smell pretty noxious. And will set off smoke detectors if done indoors. As for chaff, every origin of beans is different, and can be better/worse based on how the beans are processed

The traditional roasted coffee smell takes a little time to develop

[Nicholas Lawrence]

During the actual roasting process, it does smell pretty noxious. And will set off smoke detectors if done indoors. As for chaff, every origin of beans is different, and can be better/worse based on how the beans are processed

The traditional roasted coffee smell takes a little time to develop

More heresy. I hardly know what to say. I usually start the kitchen fan, and have no trouble with the smoke detector. Keep in mind I use a popcorn popper, the other methods may make more smoke or denser smoke or something. I would not know.

In my opinion you want to let it rest for about 24 hours after roasting. You can grind and drink pretty much right after roasting (within reason, it needs to cool), but the flavor is much better a day later. After a couples of days I start to notice the bitter flavors you get with stale coffee, but which are pretty much absent from truly fresh coffee.

[Nancy Strevelowski]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Breville BCG 820 BSSXL. $200 and grinds wonderful coffee. We home roast too with the side vent style air popper ($1 at garage sale.)

[Mike Hollingsworth]

365296
$31.49 Mr Coffee from Amazon. Round Canister makes pouring easy.
They last about 2 years. I'm on my third.

[Matt Meiser]

That's the one I had! And about how long mine lasted. Lots of reviews that they don't last so I didn't want to roll the dice on another. That's a good price though--I think it was about $50 when I looked a while back.

[Matt Meiser]

No regrets after a few months with the Capresso. Consistently good grind and I know right where to set the timer for just the right amount for my pour over. It leaves a slight mess at times but I just wet my hand and wipe the counter and pick it all up.