What grinder to get

mr_eleven said:

I use a cone dripper made by Hario - model V60 size 02 - about 8 bucks on Amazon. I use paper filters, about 6 bucks for 100. I hand grind the beans and place the dripper over my cup and use a slow and steady pour over technique. You can see the whole process if you search "pour over coffee" on YouTube, etc.

I also use a small digital scale to weigh my beans and water - about 17 bucks on Amazon - but that's a different rabbit hole all together ;-) and not really necessary. Let me know if you have any more questions.

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Much appreciated!!

A Melitta style pour over is also hard to beat. The biggest plus is that many supermarkets and big box stores carry those filters.

Brewing with a metal mesh will taste different; it will be a personal choice as to which you like best. If you are currently using paper filters in you drip machine I would start out using them in any new brewer you might purchase.

danek said:

Most stores that sell whole beans have a very good burr grinder available for patrons to grind their beans prior to purchase.

Personally, I think you'd produce a much better cup using the store grinder and purchase a week's worth at a time, rather than blowing $20 on a whirlybird. Save your $20 and put it in your grinder fund until you can splurge on a $120 Baratza (my choice for entry-ish level grinder)

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+1

You can find antique German or Dutch handgrinders at flea markets and antique stores; viz. Armin Trosser, Zasenhaus and others for very reasonable prices. New Zasenhaus are still cheaper than a good electric burr grinder and will probably grind finer if you're into espresso. The only advantage of an electric grinder is if you need to grind a lot. For most people, daily drinkers, IMO a manual grinder is your best bang for the buck. especially an older one. They probably last a couple of lifetimes with reasonable care.

I've had this burr grinder for 2 years and it's performed great. $43.00 as I post this

http://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Grinder...d+Stainless+Steel+Conical+Burr+Grinder,+Black

Bonavita is the best known manufacturer of pourover equipment. You can go here to see their pourover equipment:

http://bonavitaworld.ca/

My blender came with an attachment that does a fine job. If you have a blender see if you can get an attachment. Might save pennies for important coffee purchases

marlap said:

Bonavita is the best known manufacturer of pourover equipment. You can go here to see their pourover equipment:

http://bonavitaworld.ca/

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I have the Bonavita Immersion one. It has a stopper lever and holds the coffee brewing as long as you want. And it's ceramic so it keeps the coffee hot while it brews...I also found it for $35 USD whihc might be about $60 CAD....?.

danek said:

Most stores that sell whole beans have a very good burr grinder available for patrons to grind their beans prior to purchase.

Personally, I think you'd produce a much better cup using the store grinder and purchase a week's worth at a time, rather than blowing $20 on a whirlybird. Save your $20 and put it in your grinder fund until you can splurge on a $120 Baratza (my choice for entry-ish level grinder)

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The Baratza is what our son gifted us several months back and after having daily fresh ground coffee we can't go back, there is a difference in taste.

Now if you want to splurge you could go with my son's setup, yes he is a true coffee snob:

YKMV said:

I have the Bonavita Immersion one. It has a stopper lever and holds the coffee brewing as long as you want. And it's ceramic so it keeps the coffee hot while it brews...I also found it for $35 USD whihc might be about $60 CAD....?.

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You will want to warm/pre-heat your ceramic brewer. this is very important as starting with a cold piece of ceramic will suck the heat out of your brew water until the ceramic gets hot. Start with it hot for better tasting coffee. After all that is why they are ceramic, other wise you would be better off using plastic as plastic does not pull a lot of heat out of your brew water

Jnatcat said:

The Baratza is what our son gifted us several months back and after having daily fresh ground coffee we can't go back, there is a difference in taste.

Now if you want to splurge you could go with my son's setup, yes he is a true coffee snob:

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What model of Baratza did you get as a gift?

Nice starter set up your son has

turtle said:

You will want to warm/pre-heat your ceramic brewer. this is very important as starting with a cold piece of ceramic will suck the heat out of your brew water until the ceramic gets hot. Start with it hot for better tasting coffee. After all that is why they are ceramic, other wise you would be better off using plastic as plastic does not pull a lot of heat out of your brew water.

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Yep, every time.

I pour the heat-up water over the empty filter and let it sit while I hand grind the beans and the fresh kettle of water boils.
Shortly before the kettle clicks off, I start the drain of the filter into the cup so the cup heats up.
Then, while the water is coming down from 100 Grad aka 212 F, I toss the ground beans in the Bonavita, empty the cup, close the Bonavita and pour in the water.
I like to brew for 6 minutes.
MMMMM Tasty...

turtle said:

You will want to warm/pre-heat your ceramic brewer. this is very important as starting with a cold piece of ceramic will suck the heat out of your brew water until the ceramic gets hot. Start with it hot for better tasting coffee. After all that is why they are ceramic, other wise you would be better off using plastic as plastic does not pull a lot of heat out of your brew water



What model of Baratza did you get as a gift?

Nice starter set up your son has

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He gifted up the Encore, from my understanding it their entry level grinder but it's still very, very nice and it does a nice job for grinding coffee to use in our Mocamaster drip coffee maker.

Jnatcat said:

He gifted up the Encore, from my understanding it their entry level grinder but it's still very, very nice and it does a nice job for grinding coffee to use in our Mocamaster drip coffee maker.

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Yes, it is their entry level machine and yes, it is a nice grinder for a manual pour over or auto drip machine.he

I've had a couple of the earlier models which were called Maestro and Maestro plus. I still have a Maestro plus in my cabin in the great white north

My $20 WalMart Mr. Coffee grinder has lasted for over 10 yrs. Two to three grinds per day. Drip, percolator, Aeropress grinds. Spend the extra $$ on good beans.

Don't skimp on the grinder, it has a massive effect on the quality of the coffee. Consistent grind size is extremely important especially when brewing espresso.

Per several above posters a burr grinder will give you a better, more uniform, grind than a whirly blade type but that adds costs. The Capresso 560 is, IMO, the cheapest decent burr grinder and it usually goes for around $95.00. It is true that a good shop is likely to have a much better grinder but then it comes down to how easy it is for you to get there frequently (at least once a week) and how well the shop maintains their equipment. A good coffee vendor will not run flavored and unflavored coffee coffee through the same grinder and they will thoroughly clean out their grinder(s) at least weekly if not daily.
I prefer manual pour over systems like Melitta or Chemex to automatic drip machines if that works for you. If you only want a cup or two at a time I can recommend the Clever Coffee Dripper or maybe the Aeropress (the Aeropress requires more manual dexterity if that is an issue).

I had a cuisinart Cuisinart grinder that was OK but not great. It finally bit the dust so being cheap I fell back to a cheap Mr coffee blade grinder. Then I ran across a Bodum conical burr grinder on clearance and got that and have been happy with it. Have also read good things about the Infinity Conical Burr Grinder which is available at Costco although I'm not a Costco member.

An Haro grind is going to run around 50. There's a garmen grinder (starts with a z) that's very good but it runs you around 100...

Save up and get a Baratza Vario burr. Worth the extra money IMHO.

Swayz said:

Save up and get a Baratza Vario burr. Worth the extra money IMHO.

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For what I'm doing (no espresso), my $50 Bodum Bistro grinder will be just fine. Unless I win the lottery, and maybe not even then, will I spend $500 on a coffee grinder. I'm sure it's the right choice for somebody but not me.