For road coffee, this unit can't be beat - clean, compact, high-quality.
Positive Product Points
The portability of this unit is unrivaled. It's compact form factor makes it easy to pack, it's easily adjustable, and has a reasonably large capacity. The quality of materials and construction is obvious. It's also easier to use (IMO) than the box-style hand grinder.
Negative Product Points
One obvious drawback is price... while everyone here knows what a good grinder is worth, $75 for a hand crank may be a bit steep. The grinder could use somewhere to stash the handle while not engaged.
Detailed Commentary
If you're a coffee drinker and have lived through a North Carolina ice storm or hurricane season, odds are you've wished for a grinder that doesn't require electricity. Or if you're a coffee nut and travel a lot, you've probably longed for a decent cuppa while on the road. This little beauty can help in both situations, and if your biceps are strong and your coffee habit modest, it could conceivably double as an everyday grinder.
I bought the Zass mill primarily as a travel grinder. I was very pleased with it's compact form factor (it's about two inches in diameter and maybe eight inches tall) and correctly thought it would be easy to tote. There were other nice surprises, as well however.
First surprise was something I hadn't really thought about... how clean the grinder is. Bean are placed in the top and a lid fits snuggly, allowing it to be loaded during travel. The ground beans are dispensed into the bottom half of the grinder, which disassembles like two similar sized tin cans mated at their open ends (the bottom cup slides over the body of the grinder). The cup fits snuggly on the grinder. I was pleasantly surprised that the unit could be tossed into a carry-on without cleaning and impart no odor and no grinds to the rest of your travel gear.
In use the grinder performs well. Grind adjustment is accomplished mush the same way as a pepper mill via an easily accessed and adjusted thumbscrew on the burr set. It's an intuitive adjustment. The beans are placed in the grinder then the handle is mounted. It takes a minute or so to grind a full barrel's worth of coffee, which yields about 25 grams or so. So a one-liter press pot takes a couple minutes and two full charges. Grinding is easier than I thought, mostly because the grinder can be held in any position that's comfortable while grinding, versus flat on a table like the box-style hand grinders.
The quality of materials and construction are obviously high, and appear that they will outlast their ten-year warranty.
On the minus side, there's the price - would be better if it was cheaper as with most things in life. Beyond that, not many complaints. Slightly larger capacity might be nice. Some ergo treatment for easier handling may be good, too. A place to store the handle while not in use rounds out the wish list.
All things considered, I have not run across another unit in the same class offering the same convenience.
Buying Experience
Sweet Maria's usual flawless transaction.
Three Month Followup
Still like this grinder after a year. Have begun to realize at this point just how much work it is to grind coffee by hand - wouldn't want to do it every day, but for travel coffee and power outages, it's hard to beat!
One Year Followup
Still like this grinder after a year. Have begun to realize at this point just how much work it is to grind coffee by hand - wouldn't want to do it every day, but for travel coffee and power outages, it's hard to beat!
