TonyVan Senior Member Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 269 Location: Pacific Northwest Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: GS/3, La Pavoni Grinder: Macap M7K, Rocky Drip: Kone
Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012, 11:31pm Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
I dunno - maybe the answer is (c)?
Unburdened by context - including information such as if you make espresso, pour-over or both, with what machine or brewing method you're going to match it, counter dimensions or space constraints you might have, preferences for hoppers versus doserless operation, how often and how much you grind, sensitivity to noise, preference for weight versus time grinding and single dosing, any authorizations required from significant others, that budget thing and so forth - I would recommend you purchase a Robur-E (but mostly just because everybody seems to want one).
With a few more cues, readers of this thread will jump at the chance to help hone the currently global options list down into a more manageable set of recommendations. Let us know, then stand back!
Mike250 Senior Member Joined: 24 Jan 2012 Posts: 36 Location: NZ Expertise: Just starting
Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012, 12:15am Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
yeah I thought I was missing a ton of information
Ok, with regards to noise, I do prefer a quite machine but realize that they all are going to be noisy to some extent or the other because after all you're grinding your own beans (but the quieter the better)
regarding the quantity and frequency of grind, I'm testing out several coffee beans at different grind levels and then tasting the brewed cup with several other people (3 in fact), so I would say I'd be using the grinder quite frequently and would need a fair amount of grind to be made.
Budget-wise, I'd say my maximum budget is between NZ$600-700
Space: I have a small kitchen so I have a limited space area to begin with although I could put the grinder in my room which is much larger and just grind there.
brewing method: cold brew/pressurized cold brew (I'd imagine that coarse or slightly fine grind would do for this method but could be totally wrong on this point)
drink type: I don't drink espresso, usually just drip coffee and recently cold brewed coffee (however I am thinking of spiking my cold brews with some espresso shots in the future)
TonyVan Senior Member Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 269 Location: Pacific Northwest Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: GS/3, La Pavoni Grinder: Macap M7K, Rocky Drip: Kone
Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012, 11:09pm Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
Given those parameters, I've got to believe the membership would vote for one of the Baratzas.
I'm not sure which is the ideal model - Baratza produces a handful of types - but they all fit into your budget, all fit into your kitchen (very compact) and aren't offensive decibel-wise. But critically for your application, I recall that one or more Baratza models famously produce a minimum of fines, so it should suit your drip and especially cold brews particularly well. As for espresso, they're usually acknowledged among the best performers in this price range and adjust reliably back and forth between espresso and coarser adjustments. I don't believe that they're designed for 10 kilos-per-day cafe use, but in any reasonable or heavy home application they stand up well.
I hasten to point out that I have never owned a Baratza, so these comments are all second-hand. But, these comments appear to be nearly universal and from many, many people. I'd comb this and other sites for confirmation, but the word seems to be that for your needs you can't go wrong with that choice.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,684 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Thu Jan 26, 2012, 7:28am Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
Advice? None of the first 3 as they are espresso grinders and you are not making espresso and have no intention of making espresso. Espresso requires a grinder that is designed to grind specifically for espresso. General use grinders for the most part do not make good espresso grinders and espresso grinders generally do not make good general use grinders.
As I am in the U.S. I have no use of the Sunbeam, so I can offer no information on it but the guys "down under" seem to like them.
Baratza seems to have been able to cross that line and their grinders are the ones we tend to advise buying when you want to do espresso and drip/presspot/aeropress/vacpot brewing. They make less expensive grinders than the Vario and Precicso for multi use only and they do a very good job for all BUT espresso. http://www.baratzallc.com/ The virtuoso is a very good multi use grinder http://www.baratzallc.com/products-page/products/virtuoso/ as is the Maestro Plus. Click Here (www.baratzallc.com)
These are home sized grinders.
All the major grinder manufacturers make multi use grinders also so I could advise commercial grinders such as the N. S. MCD 65 which I own, Click Here (www.foodservicewarehouse.com) It is listed as an espresso grinder and I have used it as such and it does a pretty good job of it though the adjustment mech is not fine enough for easy adjustment in the espresso range but it does an excellent job for multi use grinding but it is larger than you are asking for.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Posted Thu Jan 26, 2012, 9:01am Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
Mike, As I type this I am drinking a wonderful cup of Rwanda that I ground in my Baratza Maestro Plus. I am very pleased with this grinder, but I will tell you that I have never owned a really expensive grinder, so I don't know if they do a better job than the Maestro Plus for drip coffee or not. Since this grinder really does a good job on my drip coffee (which is all that I drink) I don't see the need to spend more on a grinder. My cousin has a Baratza Virtuoso and he is very pleased with his grinder also. He, too, only drinks drip coffee and loves his grinder also. If you do a search on this website you will find that Baratza has fantastic customer service and support. Good luck with your shopping and enjoy your coffee.
mikedashg Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2012 Posts: 1 Location: Escondido, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Jan 26, 2012, 4:09pm Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
I have a confession to make, I've been having my stuff pre-ground. *GASP!* I even use a Northwest Glass Yama TCA-5D vac pot with it. The dark roast I get tastes pretty darn good to me in it.
But, I'm sure it could be better, I want to get a burr grinder, but I can't bring myself to spend more then 200. I'm in a similar boat as original poster, just smaller budget. I know, you get what you pay for. But still. You think there'd be a machine that doesn't have a ton of bad reviews on Amazon. Even the Baratza Meastro Plus at 129$ has a bunch terrible reviews on Amazon compared to the good reviews. It scares me I'm just throwing a hundred bucks away.
The Bodum of course also has some really bad reviews, everything on Amazon does, but it seems comparatively speaking the good reviews really seem to out way the bad ones by a lot.
Posted Thu Jan 26, 2012, 6:13pm Subject: Re: Coffee Grinder for home use
mikedashg Said:
Even the Baratza Meastro Plus at 129$ has a bunch terrible reviews on Amazon compared to the good reviews. It scares me I'm just throwing a hundred bucks away.
Mike, if you look closely at the reviews on the Maestro Plus on Amazon, you will notice that almost all of the questionable reviews are for the older model w/o the Pulse Button. The reviews for the current model are really good. If you still have doubts, feel confident that the Virtuoso is a fine grinder and you can not beat the Customer Support that Baratza offers.
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