darkmother Senior Member Joined: 4 Mar 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Toronto, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Cheap Delongi pump expresso,... Grinder: Solis 166 Vac Pot: Yama Drip: Whaddya mean drip?? There is... Roaster: none yet
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2004, 2:30pm Subject: Good value burr grinder sought
Hi,
I just stumbled onto this newsgroup, and I thought I'd ask for some opinions. I have a minor coffee addiction, which I enjoy feeding. I recently bought a black and decker burr grinder, and while a big improvement over my generic wirly blade mill, but it has proven to be not particularly robust, or well designed. After a few months of use, it is time for retirement.
I'm thinking there must be something better out there, without spending crazy money. I'd like to use it for French press, expresso, and drip. Any opinions?
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2004, 5:14pm Subject: Re: Good value burr grinder sought
I think that Starbucks has the Barista which is an old Solis 166 on sale for $99 now. You can't go to far wrong at that price. If you find a Solis Maistro (SP?) at about that price I would chose it. Bodium sells a machine with the same burrs for about $60. The gear set is funky so it is hugly noisy.
Phil
darkmother Said:
Hi,
I just stumbled onto this newsgroup, and I thought I'd ask for some opinions. I have a minor coffee addiction, which I enjoy feeding. I recently bought a black and decker burr grinder, and while a big improvement over my generic wirly blade mill, but it has proven to be not particularly robust, or well designed. After a few months of use, it is time for retirement.
I'm thinking there must be something better out there, without spending crazy money. I'd like to use it for French press, expresso, and drip. Any opinions?
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2004, 5:16pm Subject: Re: Good value burr grinder sought
When I got into espresso, the only choices in the consumer space were the Rancilio Rocky (~ $US250) and the Mazzer Mini (~ $400). I went with Rocky and it's an excellent all around grinder. It's also not much trouble to switch between grinds.
Nowadays, however, you can get grinders as good or better for less. I think the current bang for buck champ is the Gaggia MDF for about $150-160. (Somebody correct me if I got this wrong since I've never seen one.) Other contenders are the Cunill Tranquilo and the Anfim home model, I forget its designation. I'm told by a local coffee shop owner that the Anfim commercial model she uses is excellent. It uses some sort of step down gearing so the burrs are slower.
I can really only recommend a Rocky. It's the only decent grinder I've used except for my manual Zassenhaus. I've heard enough good things about the Anfim and Cunill that I would probably take a chance on either. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2004, 5:57pm Subject: Re: Good value burr grinder sought
Sure, we all have opinions. Most aren't too shy with them, either.
The answer may depend on what you call "crazy money" and what you're making espresso with. Can you give us an idea of your budget?
Some have recently bought the Gaggia MDF for about $140 (I think they had to wheel & deal to get that). Great reputation, but comes only with a doser.
Some have bought the Innova conical burr model (I1d, maybe?) for around $160 if I remember correctly. Great reviews. Very precise, infinitely adjustable grind, but very slow to adjust from espresso to French press.
I bought the Cunill Tranquilo for $175. Great grinder, but I think they're now out of stock at Corainc.com. I understand that Sovranastores.com has a boatload of these with bad timer boards. Some have managed to get a great deal on these, and are bypassing the timer with a switch. If you're mechanically and electrically inclined, you could get a GREAT deal on one of these.
From there, you move up to the Innova with the flat burrs ($)???, or the doserless Rocky (about $260, unless you get one of the "buyer's remorse" machines). Probably the most popular grinder among CoffeeGeek members.
Are we at "crazy money" yet? If not, take a look at the Mazzer Mini, I think it's around $399.
Some will no doubt suggest the Maestro or Maestro Plus. It's great for everything BUT espresso.
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2004, 8:06pm Subject: Re: Good value burr grinder sought
I recently bought the Isomac Conical burr grinder for $149. It grinds directly to the portafiler with no static and very little mess. I'm very very happy with this grinder and well worth the money.
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2004, 9:33pm Subject: Re: Good value burr grinder sought
Larry,
You seem to have one that does well, and I'm happy to hear it. I wouldn't think of trying to convince you otherwise.
However, there are quite a few of us for whom it just didn't work. The best I could do was a 10-second shot on my Gaggia Coffee. And that was with about a 100-lb tamp, too!
The next person to buy one may get lucky and get one that will do it well--or they may get one that won't. I'd rather recommend a grinder that I know will do the job.
As noted elsewhere, Neill at Baratza (sp?) recommends replacing the top burr on the Maestro/Maestro Plus rather frequently. I told him I was making a daily double shot, and he said that I would need to replace the burr every 12 months (or more often). That's about 15 lbs. of coffee, if I remember correctly. He said that grinding espresso really shortens the burr lifetime on this machine. On the other hand, grinders with flat burrs grinder burrs are supposed to be good for around 800 lbs. before they need replacement.
So, I'm happy to peacefully disagree with you on this (it would be a dull place if all our preferences were the same), and I hope your M+ continues to serve you well.
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