First WHY I'm asking:
I have a Bonavita BV1800 and honestly I could not be happier. It makes a durned fine cuppa for my wife and I. I had been noticing however that the "level" on the filter was inconsistent day after day. In other words the water and grounds reached different levels in the filter while brewing. I thought maybe the grind was too fine but I had not changed that so I had a sneaking suspicion that the grinder was going wonky and I was getting inconsistency.
Well this morning I was browsing B&B and waiting for my coffee to brew and I heard "that sizzle." You know that sound. I jumped up and there was coffee all over the counter and maybe an inch in the pot. So being the mental midget I am I reached for the switch and turned it off (mistake #1), grabbed the pot and pulled it out (mistake #2) while receiving a nice properly heated shower on my hand (mistake #3). I did not drop the carafe, I moved it slowly to the sink but the basket was full of grounds and water so I of course poured THAT all over my hand (mistake #4). The good news is I am awake now.
Some cold water on my hand and a prolonged cleanup and things are back to normal. Seems like 1st degree burns only, but my hand is sore.
Pretty sure this grinder, after a couple years of faithful service, has bit the dust. I noticed a lot more fines in it lately and that little hint I got was the icing on the cake. This is the one I have now:
The wife and I enjoy our coffee, a pot a day in the morning (because what woman would not like her man bringing her freshly ground/brewed coffee while she gets ready?) and I certainly don't want to go backwards in quality. I did a quick search on the Googles and I had minor heart failure when I saw what a guy could spend on a grinder.
What I liked about this:
What I did not like:
So that brings me to what I would like to have in a new grinder.
Needs:
Nice to haves:
Any suggestions? Please be gentle on my wallet.
I have a Bonavita BV1800 and honestly I could not be happier. It makes a durned fine cuppa for my wife and I. I had been noticing however that the "level" on the filter was inconsistent day after day. In other words the water and grounds reached different levels in the filter while brewing. I thought maybe the grind was too fine but I had not changed that so I had a sneaking suspicion that the grinder was going wonky and I was getting inconsistency.
Well this morning I was browsing B&B and waiting for my coffee to brew and I heard "that sizzle." You know that sound. I jumped up and there was coffee all over the counter and maybe an inch in the pot. So being the mental midget I am I reached for the switch and turned it off (mistake #1), grabbed the pot and pulled it out (mistake #2) while receiving a nice properly heated shower on my hand (mistake #3). I did not drop the carafe, I moved it slowly to the sink but the basket was full of grounds and water so I of course poured THAT all over my hand (mistake #4). The good news is I am awake now.
Some cold water on my hand and a prolonged cleanup and things are back to normal. Seems like 1st degree burns only, but my hand is sore.
Pretty sure this grinder, after a couple years of faithful service, has bit the dust. I noticed a lot more fines in it lately and that little hint I got was the icing on the cake. This is the one I have now:
Mr. Coffee BVMC-BMH23 Automatic Burr Mill Grinder
The wife and I enjoy our coffee, a pot a day in the morning (because what woman would not like her man bringing her freshly ground/brewed coffee while she gets ready?) and I certainly don't want to go backwards in quality. I did a quick search on the Googles and I had minor heart failure when I saw what a guy could spend on a grinder.
What I liked about this:
- It made a decent grind once upon a time
- It was ~$40 new
What I did not like:
- Dosing was inconsistent - Lately I have been weighing my beans and grinding the batch
- Grind was never perfect (but was a lot closer than it is now)
- The plastic bin had some static and the grounds would stick to the sides necessitating a lot of banging and scraping
- I don't think the bin was the best for storing the beans. We go through a 12 oz bag of beans a week and that should be fast enough to keep fresh but I think it was way too "open"
So that brings me to what I would like to have in a new grinder.
Needs:
- Consistent grind
- "Walk away" while it is grinding
- Price that will not cause my wife to think Starbucks is not so expensive anymore
Nice to haves:
- Consistent dosing
- Bean storage
- Something that doesn't need cleaning after each use
Any suggestions? Please be gentle on my wallet.