Coffee Grinders ?

Gents,
Ok my blade grinder finally went down...I want to upgrade to a Burr type grinder.
I make drip coffee in a Technivorm Pot and would like to start to grind my own for French press (have not been doing that with a blade grinder.) I do not make espresso at home. So what do you recommend? do you have it? where did you get it? Cost?
Thanks in advance!

Goosemeplease said:

Gents,
Ok my blade grinder finally went down...I want to upgrade to a Burr type grinder.
I make drip coffee in a Technivorm Pot and would like to start to grind my own for French press (have not been doing that with a blade grinder.) I do not make espresso at home. So what do you recommend? do you have it? where did you get it? Cost?

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Hey, Jim!

I roast-and-grind my own, also for a French press. My grinder is a hand-cranked model, from ebaY. If I remember correctly, I paid about $25 + S/H. You can get a more upscale Zassenhaus hand-cranked model there, too. I prefer hand-operated to electric, but YMMV. It takes about three-minutes to grind the beans for an 8-cup (two large mug) pot.

Note: When Hurricane Season rolls around ('nother month) and we lose electricity, I'm King of the Hill with my hand-crank coffee-grinder, camp stove, and French press

Color me jealous of the Technivorm

I'm currently using a http://www.braun.com/na/products/fooddrink/breakfast/coffeemills/models/kmm30.ImageJPG.294.431.100.jpg
I'm not sure why they say "only available in Canada", I'm pretty sure I bought it here for about $50 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

It does an alright job for a high speed burr mill, but if I had to replace it I believe I'd spend a bit more and go for a conical burr mill like the Bodum Antigua.
They're pricey, as consumer coffee grinders go, but considerably reduce heat, static, and improve grind consistency.
You can find the Antigua for around $80 on the Bay.

I really never thought about superior grinders, I just got an electric one from Wall-Mart or Target (can't remember) a while ago, still works and even survived a few military detachments. Brand is Proctor-Silex

I bought a Krups burr grinder from Frys for about $65 last year. It works well. No complaints.

I've had a "Cuisinart Supreme Grind DBM-8 Electric Burr Grinder" for about two years. Bought it at costco for $45, I think. It's perfect for drip and french press. I've used it at least twice a day, no problems yet. I didn't like my french press until I bought this thing.

I use a Technivorm coffee maker, and a Rancilio Rocky burr grinder. It is built like the proverbial brick s**t house. I've used it twice per day for several years and it still works as well as the day I bought it.

Expensive though.

I've got a Bodum antigua that works fine for the Technivorm (love mine). There are some reviews here along with any other grinder you might be considering:
http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/bodum_antigua_grinder
A nice burr grinder makes a big difference in the taste of your coffee so do some research and get the one that fits you.

Jim, What is your price range and have you been to Coffegeek.com? They have a nice brief that covers recommended models in several price ranges.

If you don't do espresso you can get away with spending a bit less.

I bought the Gaggia MDF as I do do espresso. If I could do it over again I would probably spend a bit more for a quieter machine. Also it dispenses directly into the porta filter so using it for drip & french press (I do that too) is a bit of a hassle.

I have a Solis/Baratza Maestro and have been happy with it for many years. It's a solid conical burr machine that works great for drip and french brewing - even had pretty good results with espresso. They run around $140.

Jim, it all depends on what price range you are looking at but I have a Capresso Infinity burr grinder. It got decent feedback on Coffeegeek and for $90 on Amazon it's a good deal. Especially for a burr grinder. Here are some reviews from Coffeegeek http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/capressoinfinity. By the way I have the black model which is about $30 cheaper than the chrome they show.

Now if you want to eventually do espresso then we're talking a whole different ball game.

Zassenhaus! Nothing else. Best - MM

I have a Rancilio Rocky that works very well. However it's probably more expensive than what you want to buy.

for me there is only one burr grinder and it's a kitchen aid A-9 burr grinder. my parents have one that's over 40 years old and going strong. it's a beautiful thing of glass and metal with no plastic parts. even the power switch is a steel toggle. the glass hopper holds a pound of coffee beans and the grind is adjustable and most of all CONSISTENT.

it completely and totally rocks.

Monkeyboy said:

I have a Solis/Baratza Maestro and have been happy with it for many years. It's a solid conical burr machine that works great for drip and french brewing - even had pretty good results with espresso. They run around $140.

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+1...I've had mine for about 8 years team with a Rancilio Silvia which has been a great team. However, if I could I would get a Macap or a Mazzer but that's a lot of $$$.

Monkeyboy said:

I have a Solis/Baratza Maestro and have been happy with it for many years. It's a solid conical burr machine that works great for drip and french brewing - even had pretty good results with espresso. They run around $140.

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+ 1

Also check sweetmarias.com for advice.

Plus whatever on the Solis Maesto grinder. You can see it here at Sweet Marias. Not sure if you can find it less expensive elsewhere.

I have been using a Zassenhaus hand crank for my french press for about a year now. I absolutely love the thing. Very consistent grind, and easy to use. I think I got it for around $60.

Two things to consider though... First, the catch tray for the grinds and the hopper are a bit small; you may have to empty the tray and refill the hopper for a full size pot. Secondly, after about a month and a half of daily use, the grind setting will begin to change from the cranking. It is pretty much effortless to adjust it, but it is something to think about.

Another plus on the Solis Maestro. Excellent grinder. Not too big (I used to have a Mazzer Major- a 25 kilo behemoth) and has a decent range. Good value I'd say.

As others have stated, check out coffeegeek.com and sweetmarias.com

Adeptus_Minor said:

Color me jealous of the Technivorm

I'm currently using a http://www.braun.com/na/products/fooddrink/breakfast/coffeemills/models/kmm30.ImageJPG.294.431.100.jpg
I'm not sure why they say "only available in Canada", I'm pretty sure I bought it here for about $50 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

It does an alright job for a high speed burr mill, but if I had to replace it I believe I'd spend a bit more and go for a conical burr mill like the Bodum Antigua.
They're pricey, as consumer coffee grinders go, but considerably reduce heat, static, and improve grind consistency.
You can find the Antigua for around $80 on the Bay.

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I have that exact grinder as well. It does a great job as far as grinding the beans, but I feel like I'm always cleaning up dust afterwards.