Coffee grinders... advice please

[Jack83]

Hi guys, I'm looking at getting into grinding my own coffee beans rather than relying on the pre-ground packs of Lavazza and the like.

I've had a google but would prefer some personal recommendations. I generally use the La Pavoni Europiccola to make espresso, so would assume I need to grind the beans really quite fine, which seems to be a bit of a challenge for a lot of grinders based on my initial research.

I'm open to considering any budget - I like to know my options, but in practice I will probably buy toward the lower end of the spectrum (... whatever that means).

Thanks in advance (and if there's an obvious thread that I've missed on this topic, apologies).

Jack

[Barton Red]

I use a Turkish coffee grinder I got off ebay. It's a good solid brass cylinder and you manually grind the beans. Dead easy to use for under £20

[china]

I've had a Compak K3 for seven years now, and I've been really happy with it. It's not exactly cheap, but cheaper than a Mazzer and just as good.

[Alistair72]

Hi there,
Google whole latte love or the daily grind and see what they say for the must have...
You do need a burr grinder. I have the Kitchen Aid. A wedding present before I got into coffee. It's ok. I don't think it is as bad claimed, but I wish I could get a finer grind. Looks good though :)
I bought a Hario Slim to take traveling and that is superb - £15 on amazon, normally £30ish. That is fab but a hand mill. It takes me a about a minute to grind, possibly longer if you are wanting super fine but it won't be more than 2 mins.
Good luck on the search, report back ;)

[martynw]

I bought mine a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with it for the odd occasions when I grind my own (mostly use Lavazza ready ground)

It's a very compact size - I know quite a few people use one for travelling, since it fits nicely inside an Aeropress, meaning you're all set bar the beans.

Regards,
Martyn.

[PickleB]

I bought mine a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with it for the odd occasions when I grind my own (mostly use Lavazza ready ground)

It's a very compact size - I know quite a few people use one for travelling, since it fits nicely inside an Aeropress, meaning you're all set bar the beans.

Regards,
Martyn.

It does look good:

...but why do all that work...& carry the weight...when you can take Lavazza ground coffee with you?

[j0hnbarker]

I've had a Gaggia MDF for a couple of years now, after upgrading from a Gaggia MM.

It does the job well and is solidly built. You could try for a second-hand one off eBay as these go for a decent knock down over new?

[Tinker]

Whatever you buy, don't let your wife do what mine did with my Braun - use it to grind the spices for a curry.

[Stevoc]

I bought mine a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with it for the odd occasions when I grind my own (mostly use Lavazza ready ground)

It's a very compact size - I know quite a few people use one for travelling, since it fits nicely inside an Aeropress, meaning you're all set bar the beans.

Regards,
Martyn.

I've had a Porlex for a few years and it's been great, though I normally only grind enough beans for just one drink, anything more can become annoying. I don't drink enough coffee to justify a motorised burr grinder, but have been considering some of the mechanical ones - it seems they can do enough for a single shot in around 30seconds.

This is something else (but very pricey)

http://hg-one.com/the-hg-one-grinder/

and I quire like the look of these

http://www.oehandgrinders.com/

[brucey]

I have a rancilio rocky. Absolutely superb. :)

[PickleB]

Go for a decent burr grinder...or stick with Lavazza, IMO.

Edit: See Don't Skimp on the Grinder...esp "What to look for".

[Daveya.]

Mazzers don't fit under light pelmets.

Minor details than can send wife's mental.

If you going that way get a subscription to Square Mile, coffee delivered monthly the day after they roast it. Your life will change forever. Like listening to Marvin Gaye sing Heard it on the Grapevine acoustic version for the first time, music isn't the same again. Neither will coffee.

[bitfield]

Like all TZ-UK threads, this one is making me feel like my own perfectly good bit of kit (in this case, a Krups burr grinder) isn't quite what it could be. Only the thought of my wife saying "You spent how much on a coffee grinder?" is restraining my shopping reflex.

[dice]

Like all TZ-UK threads, this one is making me feel like my own perfectly good bit of kit (in this case, a Krups burr grinder) isn't quite what it could be. Only the thought of my wife saying "You spent how much on a coffee grinder?" is restraining my shopping reflex.

If I had to sum up, in one post, what this place has done to me, this would be my reference material.

[MrSmith]

"It is sold as a burr grinder, but the burrs are actually plates. "

They are flat burrs, coffee grinders are either flat or conical burrs. Both have their advocates but the more expensive grinders are usually flat rather than conical. And often bigger is better. They can be steel, titanium or ceramic.

[Belligero]

^

Look out for those fake burr grinders, though. The Cuisinart machine on the left has a cheap blade system posing as a burr plate:



source: thesweethome.com — The Best Grinder

There's an excellent discussion of entry-level grinders with some well-reasoned recommendations (including an acceptable sub-$100 machine) in the link above; well worth the read for anyone who's considering one.

Not only does the article do a great job of explaining why a consistent grind makes a difference, but it also includes some particle-size-distribution graphs that show just how crappy herb choppers are. :D

[PickleB]

^

Look out for those fake burr grinders, though. The Cuisinart machine on the left has a cheap blade system posing as a burr plate:

...image...

source: thesweethome.com — The Best Grinder

There's an excellent discussion of entry-level grinders with some well-reasoned recommendations (including an acceptable sub-$100 machine) in the link above; well worth the read for anyone who's considering one.

The article even includes some particle-size-distribution graphs that confirm how crappy herb choppers are. :D

That's a good review, except that the 'acceptable sub-$100 machine' costs £431.21 from the Amazon link provided!

[bofff]

I m happy user of Eureka Mignon
compact size, fluent regulation of grinding power

[jkb89]

Another vote for the MC2, said to be around the lowest budget for a 'decent' electric.

Otherwise I'd stick to a hand grinder, i.e. rhino or hausgrind. I have a porlex for brewed, but you couldnt do 'spro with it.

[MrSmith]

Only having one dwelling I gave my ascaso grinder to my folks and replaced it with a mahlkonig which has a belt drive and is a lot quieter. The ascaso makes a right racket and would wake the other half but now when I have my Saturday bike ride a pre ride espresso means not waking her up as she sleeps in the east wing

[bomberman]

I'm currently using a Porlex grinder from Amazon and it's great. It's not as simple as pressing a button and it's done in 30 seconds it take a couple of minutes to grinder enough for one using the Porlex, however the reward is worth the extra cost and wait.

B