Coffee Bean Grinder

[SundayBeers]

I was thinking of picking up a coffee bean grinder so I can start making coffee in the mornings using fresh beans intead of pre-grounded.
Doing a quick search online, they seem to be coming in quite cheap for a manual grinder. About €20-€30.

Anything I should look for, or any tips on which tyoe of grinder to go for?

Thanks

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I'm the only coffee drinker in my house, and I limit myself to one cup (most mornings). I've been using the Hairo Skerton grinder for 5+ years, and it's great! About 2 minutes of cranking gets you enough for a single cup of coffee. If you're going to be grinding more than a single cup's worth, you might want to look into an electric grinder. I've ground coffee beans in my Hairo for a group before, and it was a workout!

 

[MaxStout]

If you go electric get a burr grinder, not a blade type. A burr will give a more consistent grind. Many have some type of dial mechanism where you can adjust from coarse to fine. The one I have is reasonably priced. Since you mentioned prices in Euros in your post, I'm assuming you're in the EU, so I don't know what prices will be like there.

 

[passedpawn]

I love my OXO grinder. Go ahead and find one that will measure grams while you grind. ... waiting... yea, that's what I thought. Thank me later.

Amazon.com: OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Integrated Scale: Kitchen & Dining

 

[NGD]

Depends on budget and need. As @MaxStout stated a burr grinder will yield better results than the blade style. I didnt think there would be much difference in flavor until I got a decent quality burr grinder. Same coffee had a better flavor. In reality just having whole beans will make the biggest difference. Particularly if they were roasted fairly recently.

@passedpawn Sure it costs a small fortune and takes up a fair amount of room, but it grinds by weight.
https://baratza.com/grinder/vario-w/

 

[Barbarossa]

I'm the only coffee drinker in my house, and I limit myself to one cup (most mornings). I've been using the Hairo Skerton grinder for 5+ years, and it's great! About 2 minutes of cranking gets you enough for a single cup of coffee. If you're going to be grinding more than a single cup's worth, you might want to look into an electric grinder. I've ground coffee beans in my Hairo for a group before, and it was a workout!

+1 for that Japanese marvel. You can even connect it to a drill @500 rpm and skip the manual grinding.

Best purchase I made for coffee along with my bodum French press.

 

[Golddiggie]

12 years ago I purchased the KitchenAid Pro line burr coffee grinder and haven't looked at anything else. It does an excellent job at grinding the beans slow enough that they don't get heated any.

A while ago I started weighting out the beans before grinding them. Since volume measure is too subjective. I've established the optimal amount of beans for my one mug a day. Because I know someone's going to yell about buying an expensive grinder (IIRC, it was north of $200 when I bought it) for one mug a day. Well, back in 09 I was drinking a lot more coffee each day. Hell, I was drinking more until late 2016.

I've also tried the French press method. I didn't see any quality difference with everything else I do.

 

[bkboiler]

I have the Hario mini mill and it's good, but takes a LOONG time to grind...
Have used the skerton at brothers house, it's good!
my home grinder is a baratza encore and it's decent enough to make espresso grind for my Flair unpressurized.
Also can go much coarser for pourover.
It's not great for french press, but that's asking the moon to have an espresso grinder that also does french press well...cost goes up if u want that.

 

[NSMikeD]

I’m not sure you’ll find a burr grinder that’s consistent that will fine grind and course grind If you invest on a grinder chances are at some point you’ll want to try French press or espresso.

At just under USD100, I ended up with the Capresso. Very consistent grind, sufficient settings (16) fir me and easy to clean.

 

[raclark69]

Blade grinders chop the bean and you end up with an inconsistent grind. Burr crush the bean and provide a consistent ground. You want that for better flavor.

I have the Cuisinart burr grinder 12 cups coffee maker for fresh ground coffee in the workday morning. At one point I bought a manual burr grinder for those mornings when I wanted a fresh single cup in my Aeropress, but that took too long so I bought the Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. Happy with my choice.

I use a blade grinder to grind dried peppers from the garden.

 

[eric19312]

I've got the no scale version of @passedpawn 's scale
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSKGLMM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Have been very happy with it and find the timer produces a repeatable gram quantity every day at least using same beans (edited to add at less than half the cost).

 

[eric19312]

@3 Dawg Night and @Golddiggie how are you going about brewing single cups. I've cut back on coffee consumption too and no longer making full pots.

Also I did buy one of those kitchenaid pro grinders a bunch of years ago but was not really happy with it. In consistent grind and would not properly adjust to the grind I was looking for. I've been much happier with the Oxo model I replaced it with.

 

[tracer bullet]

Capresso

In the coffee snob world this is one of the best cheap grinders to get.

For brewing for 1 person it's either a pour-over or an Aeropress that always end up the most used.

 

[NSMikeD]

In the coffee snob world this is one of the best cheap grinders to get.

For brewing for 1 person it's either a pour-over or an Aeropress that always end up the most used.

I got it for French press although 99% of the time I’m using the 5 cup Mr Coffee

My housemates keep bringing home those big cans of on sale ground coffee for me being nice. That bag of Major Dickerson was my preemptive strike this week.

 

[maxr]

I have a Vario for espresso that I like. The lower-priced baratza burr grinders are excellent for drip, pourover, and french press. Baratza customer support is also first rate.

 

[Birrofilo]

If you brew espresso, a burr grinder is necessary. Burr grinders fracture the bean along its natural fracture lines, blades "cut" them, which means breaking more cells, losing the fermentation gases which means losing more aroma.
The espresso machine will then make "explode" the cells in the filter. The fermentation gases, which are very important in the aroma of your cup, end up in your coffee as foam (unlike in cartridges models, where the foam is simply obtained by mixing ambient air into the coffee...).

Another thing you look at is how many positions: if you brew espresso, the grinder must be able to grind very fine. The fineness of the grinding varies with coffee to coffee (and with day to day). Don't assume your grinder is proper for espresso. Also, it must have many positions, so that you can use it for moka, "napoletana", American coffee, or Turkish coffee.

The way the grinder "delivers" the grinded coffee is also important. If you use espresso, you might prefer a grinder which makes the coffee fall into your filter.

You should also see reviews on easiness of dismounting and inner cleaning.

Regarding positions of grinding, the best is to have a double regulation: a gross regulation and a "fine-tuning": coffee reacts to ambient humidity (you realize that only after you brew your coffee, so if you brew a litre at a time, little use).

If the grinder only has fixed positions and no fine-tuning, that's not good. Choose a grinder with continuous variation.

I would also check that the burrs are pretty standard. If the grinder uses specific burrs, that for me is a negative point.

A €20 - €30 grinder is going to disappoint you from day one. A grinder lasts for decades. Spend.

As a famous Lavazza advertisement used to say: Coffee is a pleasure: if it isn't good, what pleasure is it?

PS Avoid manual grinders unless you want to save money for the gym. Personally, I would avoid any electronics. My Gaggia MDF grinder works as new, after 20 years. I modified it to obtain continuous regulation. I also broke the plastic lever but I did not bother replacing it.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Burr grinder upped my simple ways. I got the Bonum for a cheap price as in I'm too lazy to weigh my weights. Set as a simple timer and I'm happy. Then came simple temps with my kettle

 

[MaxStout]

For a 1 cup when I'm in a hurry, I have some refillable inserts for the Keurig. I also have a little pint-size press that gets some use, too.

But for the two of us, we use a 1.5L press that brews enough to get us both through the morning.

 

[MikeCo]

I recently bought a Baratza Encore for my drip coffee and it works well at a reasonable price point. I like the simiplicity of it - just an on-off switch. I don't need any advanced features like timers, or weight-based grinding, since I just weight 30g of coffee for half a pot and grind it. I had been using my Hario Ceramic Slim but got tired of doing it manually.

 

[Golddiggie]

@3 Dawg Night and @Golddiggie how are you going about brewing single cups. I've cut back on coffee consumption too and no longer making full pots.

Also I did buy one of those kitchenaid pro grinders a bunch of years ago but was not really happy with it. In consistent grind and would not properly adjust to the grind I was looking for. I've been much happier with the Oxo model I replaced it with.

No issue with my KA Pro grinder holding the setting. I'm using 1.75oz of whole bean to the 4 cup mark on the maker water level. That gives me enough finished coffee for my 12oz mug in the mornings. I also order my beans from Dean's Beans (out of Orange, MA). They roast them after the order is placed (typically next business day) and then ship them out immediately. So within a few days (UPS ground since USPS SUCKS!) I have the order. I then break it up into pint Ball jars for storage until needed. Those stay on the counter with the coffee making hardware (in the shade) until needed.

The only other thing I have that's a KitchenAid product that gets almost as much use is the Commercial line mixer I picked up in October of 2018. The "Pro" version just couldn't handle the batches of bread I make (about 6-8 batches of whole wheat bread a month). At least the current mixer isn't struggling with the recipe and doesn't even get warm after a 10 minute knead cycle (post complete mixing).

I think I'm on the third glass catch bowl for the coffee grinder. First one I broke. Second one a family member broke on me. They're NOT easy to get. I think KA stopped making the model as well. They offer a grinder, but it's NOT the professional level/version.

 

[julson]

I have the Baratza Virtuoso burr grinder and absolutely love it. Adjustable in a range of 20 different settings that covers espresso, pour overs, french press, drip grinds (probably not turkish coffee, but how many people make that?) to the coursest grind (think cowboy camping coffee). Very consistent in the grind for whatever you select, and zero coffee dust on the countertop. But here's the best feature...Baratza is the only company that sells replacement parts for every part of the grinder. If something breaks, you order a part and fix it yourself. Everything else these days is not made made to be repaired - if it breaks you throw it away. As someone else on this thread said, a good grinder will last you your lifetime. It ain't cheap, but you'll be happier with the product and spend a lot less in the long run.

 

[julson]

BTW, a good grinder is important, but it's just as important for a pour over or french press coffee to be able to heat the water to the right temperature (200-205 degrees). It make all the difference in the world. If you're not using the right water temperature, even the best beans are not going to taste the way they should. I use the Bonavita water kettle and heater. You can preset a temperature you want and the water is heated to the temperature and held there. Takes about 3 minutes to go from hot tap water, to 205 degrees.

 

[JSmetalcraft]

I second Capresso. Not that I knew it was one of the better grinders out there, but I have had one for years and it still chugs along ginding 18 cups worth of beans every day. Matter of fact all the white lettering on the top has worn off and it is covered with oil from coffee beans.

 

[NGD]

18 cups a day?

Impressive! I thought my 4 cups a day was overkill.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

+1 for that Japanese marvel. You can even connect it to a drill @500 rpm and skip the manual grinding.

Best purchase I made for coffee along with my bodum French press.

I went with the "wow" emoji because there's not a "mind blown" option.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

@3 Dawg Night and @Golddiggie how are you going about brewing single cups. I've cut back on coffee consumption too and no longer making full pots.

Also I did buy one of those kitchenaid pro grinders a bunch of years ago but was not really happy with it. In consistent grind and would not properly adjust to the grind I was looking for. I've been much happier with the Oxo model I replaced it with.

I use an AeroPress. I measure out two scoops of beans and grind them while my water is warming. I use an inverted method for the AeroPress (Google or YouTube search), press directly into my cup, and top off with my remaining hot water. Makes a fantastic cup of coffee!

Oxidation is important with coffee beans, as with beer. I store my beans in an Airscape canister. It allows you to press *most* of the air out of the canister. I think it helps the beans last a bit longer.

 

[Birrofilo]

Oxidation is important with coffee beans, as with beer. I store my beans in an Airscape canister. It allows you to press *most* of the air out of the canister. I think it helps the beans last a bit longer.

I use a Fido jar and put the beans in the fridge. I am not convinced about expelling air. This creates a vacuum, which in turn "encourages" beans to vent out aromas. For the same reason, I am not convinced about venting CO2 emitted by the beans, which for what I understand will just encourage new CO2 venting.

My anti-oxydation device is the fridge.

 

[toadie]

I have a Breville burr grinder, not the best but more than up to my needs. Better yet the Aeropress fits under the spout perfectly! Can't say enough about the Aeropress for a one cupper. Also have the Hario manual grinder that works great but was really surprised by the amount of work involved! Great for camping though. The ability to dial in the grind size on the electrics is a big plus in my view.

 

[Yooper]

Does anybody have a smaller burr grinder they like? I make two cups of coffee per day, and don't have a ton of counter or cupboard space.

 

[NGD]

I like how the OP asked for a grinder recommendation and got everything from $50 to $500. Guy probably just wants a cheap grinder to make a decent cup of caife.

I will add a +1 for Baratza. I went from a coffee maker with a built in burr grinder to being gifted a Sette 30. There was a noticeable change in flavor.

While I have not tried one, I’ve read so many positive reviews on the aeropress I think it may become our new camping coffee maker. I’ve seen taste tests rating it highly when compared to drip, french press and pour overs.

 

[Birrofilo]

I like how the OP asked for a grinder recommendation and got everything from $50 to $500.

Why not giving the right answer to the wrong question?

Besides, blade grinders will probably lose quality over time. It's not for everybody to sharpen blades. Burrs take much longer to wear out. They get dirty, but can be easily cleaned with rice.

 

[passedpawn]

Does anybody have a smaller burr grinder they like? I make two cups of coffee per day, and don't have a ton of counter or cupboard space.

See post #2 above. I have zero interest in manual grinders though

 

[NSMikeD]

That’s why I opened my post that it’s unlikely he’ll find a grinder in his price range. I went through that process and ended up with the $100 capresso. IMO if you aren’t going to get a consistent grind, then stick to commercially ground coffee. I have a $40 blade grinder. It’s near impossible to get a consistent grind. It was relegated to spices.

 

[Yooper]

See post #2 above. I have zero interest in manual grinders though

Oh, I meant BESIDES that one- I actually have a hand-cranked ceramic burr grinder.

I need an electric one- and the blade grinder is a great size but I want to replace it with a burr grinder.

 

[NGD]

Why not giving the right answer to the wrong question?

Besides, blade grinders will probably lose quality over time. It's not for everybody to sharpen blades. Burrs take much longer to wear out. They get dirty, but can be easily cleaned with rice.

Lol!

I think the depth of knowledge on these forums is fantastic, if not overwhelming to some newcomers.

To recap: Get a burr grinder. Blade grinders are inconsistent. Steel burrs are better than ceramic but both are better than the blade.

Manual vs Automatic: whatever fits in your budget. A manual grinder under €30 is going to be a bit of work. If your making a single cup or have limited space then a manual grinder is a great option.

 

[tracer bullet]

Oh, I meant BESIDES that one- I actually have a hand-cranked ceramic burr grinder.

I need an electric one- and the blade grinder is a great size but I want to replace it with a burr grinder.

Capresso Infinity for $100

 

[Barbarossa]

Once again, "Skerton Plus" Ceramic Coffee Mill and connect it to a drill. There you have a quality Japanese burr that is motorized, for kind of cheap. Motorized burr grinders are three times as expensive.

 

[maxr]

Once again, "Skerton Plus" Ceramic Coffee Mill and connect it to a drill. There you have a quality Japanese burr that is motorized, for kind of cheap. Motorized burr grinders are three times as expensive.

Sounds low 'partner acceptance factor'. A quality motorized conical burr grinder isn't all that expensive and looks good on the counter. I'd go Baratza Encore for the OP's needs. If you're patient, you can get a refurbished model on the Baratza website for less money and it comes with their full warranty.

 

[Barbarossa]

Sounds low 'partner acceptance factor'. A quality motorized conical burr grinder isn't all that expensive and looks good on the counter. I'd go Baratza Encore for the OP's needs. If you're patient, you can get a refurbished model on the Baratza website for less money and it comes with their full warranty.

I see it as the same as my malt mill. I also have the non-motorized version that I hook up to the same drill I use for the coffee grinder. And I made that decision like a big boy. The mill/burr is really the main focus here. Don't feel I need a dedicated motor for them.

And I did my homeworks. That Japanese burr is top notch.

 

[10_degrees_play-doh]

I have a Porlex brand Japanese hand burr grinder that I bent the shaft on with a cordless drill, so be careful with that method. I then got a Capresso that's been pretty reliable. I got one of the OXO grinders with a built in scale that I LOVED, both for grind quality and the fact that it had the built in scale, then it started acting up with a currently undiagnosed issue where it seems to clog or otherwise not pass the beans through the mill, setting off the empty hopper stop. So it's back to the Capresso for now, which is smaller, quieter, and apparently more reliable than the OXO.