Reply With Quoteim very happy with my electric burr grinder from bodum, its called a 'bistro'.
Hi all,
I have done loads of googling, but keep going around in circles...
I only make espresso, and i only make it for me, maybe one or two cups in a "sitting".
This one keeps coming up - http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hd0866-...-mc2-auto.html - but it's seems large and ugly
So, i looked into hand grinders, but it seems to take 150-200 turns of the handle per cup of espresso - seems a little much for the odd cup of coffee.
Is the MC2 really the be-all-and-end-all?
im very happy with my electric burr grinder from bodum, its called a 'bistro'.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
I have an Ascaso burr grinder, use to to grind beans for espresso in a Gaggia and in a Moka pot.
Very happy with it.
I am only very amateur at this, but a lot of reviews say that the reason the MC2 is good is that it is "doseless" i.e. the ground coffee is delivered via a chute, so you dont get old stale coffee in the pipework and therefore no need to "flush" that out every time...
I dont really want to spend a fortune, and i feel like i'd be "overbuying" with the MC2
You could get a Gaggia MM? It's still a burr grinder but at an entry level.
I've been toying with selling mine on the bay and upgrading to an MDF (the Gaggia equivalent of the Iberital).
I love my coffee and can fully appreciate the "need" for a good quality grinder but I have a bit of an issue with the sheer size of them. In the link in the OP it states that the MC2 grinder is 375mm high but I don't think that includes the bean hopper on the top. I think the total height will be well over 500mm, and unless you've got a real big kitchen that's going to look HUGE! And the MC2 is relatively small when it comes to these sort of grinders.
Sure, you get what you pay for, and yes, the coffee will taste different (a cheap grinder may grind the same when new, but over time you'll start to notice the difference), but you also need to factor in whether your kitchen can carry it off....
Simon
a burr grinder is a good idea if you are grinding beans for espresso, as the coffee needs to be ground fine and uniform. They are a bit more expensive than blade grinders, but worth the cost IMO as blade grinders produce a lot of heat as they work which can burn the coffee if your grinding fine.
I have a Rancilio Rocky that meets all my needs & I highly recommend. It is a large machine - if I put it away in a cupboard after using it the size would be an issue, but it sits on my kitchen counter at all times.
There are some good You Tube grinder reviews from these people - http://www.youtube.com/user/SeattleC...?feature=watch including a review of a few entry level grinders here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXslyrHLIKM
Last edited by Toshi; 9th January 2013 at 10:25.
I've got this one http://www.go-electrical.co.uk/duali...der-75015.html and have been very happy with it, not too big, nicely adjustable, decent size hopper, easy to clean and not too pricey
If there's one thing you don't want to skimp on, it's the grinder. £114 is as cheap as it gets for anything worth putting decent beans through. I wouldn't faff about with hand grinders except for camping.
It's a normal-looking machine to my eye. They don't get much smaller than that, either.
Another vote for the Dualit - good value and reliable.
B
Just thought I'd mention that a quality grinder is essential no matter what type of coffee you're brewing. It's extremely rare that I use mine for espresso, in fact.
Anyway, the grinder is not the place to try and save money. Compared to what good beans cost, it'll hardly make a dent in what you'll end up paying in the long run and it's the single most important piece of equipment for a obtaining a decent cup.
If its espresso you are drinking then its worth spending the maximum you can afford. I bought a Dualit machine from Amazon a few years ago reduced from £120 to £70 and it was incapable of grinding fine enough for espresso. I modified the adjustment to make it grind finer but double shots were still pouring in less than 20 seconds and that was with me tamping the coffee with all my weight on it. For other types of coffee it would be fine but it was £70 wasted for me. I'm now a happy owner of a Eureka Mignon which has a great spec for the price and is almost on a par with machines costing twice the price.
Look for a grinder with flat burrs rather than the conical type and definitely not blades. The more you pay the larger the burrs will be and also the size of the motor and those two factors determine the quality of the grind. The only good grinders with conical burrs are commercial machines with huge burrs and huge price tags.
Very timely thread. Was just talking about this with my wife last night as my birthday is imminent. I was looking at a blade grinder - the Krups F20342 to be precise. Dirt cheap but seems to get good reviews. Have stopped making fresh coffee in the morning but was hoping to restart and was going to start from beans rather than ground. It would be Espressos only and using a Dualit Espressivo. Should I reconsider? I only make one cup a day at most by the way - in the morning to get me moving before I head off to work.
Here's a good review of four different grinders, just to give an idea on the various differences vs price -
http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/downlo...loser_look.pdf
That would be a waste of beans. Honestly, you're far better off buying professionally pre-ground than using a blade "grinder". They hack and flail the beans into wildly inconsistent sizes, so it's impossible to get a decent cup by any brewing method, let alone espresso.Originally Posted by Jestermedia
I agree entirely.
You can buy fresh coffee pre-ground, not just in bean form, so you need to ask why you want one at all. The only real reason is because you want better tasting coffee, so any grinder you buy is going to have to be able to grind the beans almost as well as a professional machine if you want the slight advantage of freshly ground coffee over coffee that was ground a few weeks beforehand. If your grinder isn't up to it your freshly ground will be inferior to two week old pre-ground.
Simon
Have a look at the Ascasso i mini.
I have a similar habit to youand find this machine does a good job for me.
I have good results grindingfor my various machines.
That looks like a quality piece of kit, especially finished in polished aluminium, and not too large either. Could be perfect for the OP
I have the Baratza Preciso .
It will grind Turkish if you wish! Great machine.
Last edited by Auto; 9th January 2013 at 21:13. Reason: spe;lling
Damn this thread... it got me thinking about grinders again, and as a result, there's a Mazzer Mini-e in the house as of last evening. It's "mini" only by commercial standards, as it weighs 10 kg — only slightly less than my main grinder. But having each one dialed in for a specific brew method (vac pot and espresso, for example) is worth the space that they take up.
If you think watches are a slippery slope, don't start getting into coffee...
Another vote for the Mazzer Mini. I've had mine almost 9 years now and love it.
Gets used daily for espresso.
I can see why! One thing I noticed immediately in a residential setting is how quietly it operates compared to the somewhat larger Fiorenzato T-80 that I've been using. It's noticeable enough that I'd be using it as my main grinder on that criterion alone. But it's also much better at grinding measured doses, as the beans feed through smoothly and efficiently without jumping around ("popcorning") with a near-empty feed chute. However, possibly the biggest benefit is that there's no side spillage from the doserless chute, which dramatically reduces waste and mess when loading a portafilter. I was already familiar with its grind quality, but the aforementioned details make a vast difference for home use. A top-quality grinder will last more than a lifetime, so it's nice to have a no-excuses machine.
Thanks both. Asked the wife not to bother.
cheers,
Simon
Unfortunately, with these machines it's a bit of an all-or-nothing proposition. Even so, I've decided that having two professional grinders in a domestic setting is slightly ridiculous, so the old one is on its way out — just imagine how thrilled she'd be if this quiet little fellow showed up in the house!
I thought I would update this thread after my recent positive acquisition of a Gaggia MDF a few months back.
I got tired of waiting for a cheap MDF to appear on eBay, and wasn't up for spending circa 150 sheets on a new one via Amazon. I had an idea that as Italians like coffee, there should be lots of cheap used MDFs on ebay.it. I wasn't wrong, and the bonus was that I picked up one in an awesome flame orange colour, which sits nicely next to my stealth black Rowlett Rutland toaster as they have the same lustrous paint finish.
All in, I paid about £75 including delivery (which admittedly took 3 weeks) from an Italian seller trading in retro interior and home wares. As I collect this stuff anyway, I knew they were a kosher seller looking at the quality of the gear they were knocking out.
Long and short of it is that I sold my Gaggia MM here on eBay UK for about £45, so a minty MDF - which outperforms the MM all day long - owes me about £35 including the eBay fees for selling the old hulking plasticky MM. The old MDF is built like a tank too. So much more sturdy than the new versions and all I had to do was lop off the Italian plug and straight fit a 3-pin UK one on the end.
Good stuff. I gave my old MDF to a mate about five years ago and it's still in fine order. A steady supply of quality beans and you're sorted.
Ouf! I have owned most types of grinder over the past twenty-some years that I have been into espresso. My current and possibly last grinder is the HG one manual crank grinder. It does everything I want the way I want it.
I sold an Astoria-branded Mazzer Super Jolly several years ago because my little hand-crank Tre Spade did as good of a job with less waster. Since then, I got three vintage PeDe hand-crank grinders. It is a bit touch-and-go when buying one of these: It is impossible to know whether or not the burrs are the fine or coarse version without seeing them, and even then it is difficult to tell. I used my PeDe grinders for years. If you only make one or two shots at a time, then they are difficult to top with regard to grind quality. Seriously. PeDe was using conical burrs before they became popular recently. Maintained properly, those little buggers can create a grind that is nearly as good as the very best, though they tend to be less consistent and wear a bit faster.
The nice thing about PeDe grinders is that they can be got for anywhere between €15-40 on eBay. The German eBay is the best for finding them.
For motorized grinders, it is hard to go wrong with any of the Mazzers.
Are the Mazzers a lot quiter than the MC2? The MC2 is an ugly noisy thing but very good value. If the Mazzers are a lot quiter I may chop my MC2 for one.
Just noticed this thread, and being a coffee snob myself it is my first love (watches being my second).
In fact I have never had instant in the house for about 7 or 8 years.
I mainly drink latte, having a large one on the morning and a smaller one on the evening with the wife.
My daily ritual is, get up, go down and switch the coffee machine on to warm up, go and have a shower/shave etc, then go back down, grind enough for a double shot using my Iberital MC2 (the one listed on the first post) which I find VERY good, and certainly not too large. Then I steam the milk and make my coffee using my Fracino Cherub machine and enjoy a nice latte (unsweetened of course).
I also roast my own beans using a Behmor 1600.
Here is my set-up.
While I haven't exactly measured it with a sound level meter, I can tell you that a Mazzer grinder's operating noise is about as pleasant as one can hope for. Compared to one of the domestic-grade ones, or even the Fiorenzato T-80, which is comparable in durability and intended application, the Mazzer is not only seems quieter, but also has a less piercing noise quality. It just sounds more precise, refined and subdued, which is far more noticeable than a few dB of difference in the noise level. But I'm pretty sure it's a fair bit quieter on an absolute scale as well.
Coffee geeks agree:
http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/det...ni/comparisons
Quality set-up. I wish I had a routine that would allow enough time to heat up an E61 group in the morning, but my solution was simply to insulate the housing of my La Valentina, and leave it on all day. I should really get it plumbed in sometime.
But roasting your own beans!? That's hardcore, man.
I gave it a try in Australia a few times at a mate's place, but I lack the discipline to do it on a regular basis:
I think that some of factors that lead to coffee nerdery also apply to watch nerdery — and others, besides. You have to have an appreciation for details and favour quality over convenience to really get into it. Otherwise, it's instant coffee and cell phones.
I have not used the Mazzer (although I would like one), but can tell you that the MC2 is very loud and I would be surprised if the Mazzer was as loud as it to be honest.
Coffee gets stuck in the chute too, requiring it to be tapped out every so often or the machine may not work (safety cut off).
To adjust from course to fine requires the adjuster to be turned a stupid amount of times (over 20 odd), but that can also work in its favour as VERY fine adjustments can be made to it easily.
I also agree that the MCc2 is ugly, but as already been said, for about £120 its hard to be beaten for performance and price.
You have to maker time and after a while you just get used to it.
I get up at 5am and set off for work around 6am. I allow the machine about 30 minutes to warm up.
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