Help Please: Bean coffee grinder: which one ?

[mr.espresso]

Hello colleagues, I am in search of a coffee grinder to go one step further and grind my own coffee beans just before preparing my espressos.


I recently purchased a manual espresso machine (the Delonghi Dedica EC685) and I am using it with already ground coffee (I am delighted with it ).


We are two people at home and we always drink coffee in the morning and some afternoons.


I've been taking a look at Amazon, but there are a multitude of types, with more and less configurations, more or less capacity, and I don't know which one would suit me better.


In your experience, what do you recommend with a budget of up to € 60? Are there any good coffee grinders for that price?

Thanks !!! :-D

 

[PinkRose]

Hello Mr. Espresso,

I see that you are looking to buy a coffee grinder, and your budget is up to 60 EUR, which is around 72 US Dollars.

If you can spend a little more than that, here is one that may work for you. Several people on this coffee forum have this grinder, and they seem to be happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560...248231&sprefix=infinity+coffee,aps,150&sr=8-2

~ Rose

 

[Musicphan]

Rose has suggested the best one in that price range. I always recommend starting with the Baratza Encore - great amazing little grinder but almost 2x your budget.

 

[mr.espresso]

Thank you both for your recommendations. Unfortunately the Infinity Capresso is not available on Amazon Spain.


Musicphan, the Baratza Encore costs € 149 and is quite out of my budget.


From what I see, the two options that you have recommended are electric grinders. A manual grinder is not very practical, is it?


As for electric grinders, I have seen on this website (https://micafeteraexpress.com/molinillos-de-cafe/) that they recommend some models that better fit my budget. For example, the Melitta 1019-02 (https://www.amazon.es/dp/B013EGDMM4). It has very good opinions in general, but I cannot find if it integrates ceramic or steel wheels. what do you think?

Thanks

 

[BenA]

Just take any burr grinder, Cuisineart DBM-8? Why not? :wink: Or wait and buy Baratza Encore

 

[Musicphan]

Thank you both for your recommendations. Unfortunately the Infinity Capresso is not available on Amazon Spain.


Musicphan, the Baratza Encore costs € 149 and is quite out of my budget.


From what I see, the two options that you have recommended are electric grinders. A manual grinder is not very practical, is it?


As for electric grinders, I have seen on this website (https://micafeteraexpress.com/molinillos-de-cafe/) that they recommend some models that better fit my budget. For example, the Melitta 1019-02 (https://www.amazon.es/dp/B013EGDMM4). It has very good opinions in general, but I cannot find if it integrates ceramic or steel wheels. what do you think?

Thanks

Since you can't afford the Encore I probably would recommend going with a hand grinder. Espresso can be sensitive to grind size and consistency (each machine is somewhat diff obviously) so a good grinder is key. Shadow is our resident hand grinder expert... hopefully he will pop in this thread.

 

[PinkRose]

Thank you both for your recommendations. Unfortunately the Infinity Capresso is not available on Amazon Spain.


Musicphan, the Baratza Encore costs € 149 and is quite out of my budget.


From what I see, the two options that you have recommended are electric grinders. A manual grinder is not very practical, is it?


As for electric grinders, I have seen on this website (https://micafeteraexpress.com/molinillos-de-cafe/) that they recommend some models that better fit my budget. For example, the Melitta 1019-02 (https://www.amazon.es/dp/B013EGDMM4). It has very good opinions in general, but I cannot find if it integrates ceramic or steel wheels. what do you think?

Thanks

I found a place in Spain that sells the Capresso Infinity. Maybe you can find other places that sell them and compare prices

https://www.desertcart.es/products/1044639-capresso-560-01-infinity-conical-burr-black

 

[shadow745]

Since you can't afford the Encore I probably would recommend going with a hand grinder. Espresso can be sensitive to grind size and consistency (each machine is somewhat diff obviously) so a good grinder is key. Shadow is our resident hand grinder expert... hopefully he will pop in this thread.

Wassup? Dunno about the 'expert' part as I think that description is highly abused these days. I have definitely done my share of hand grinding over the years and still look forward to it every day. I will periodically use an electric, but nothing beats being in tune with the coffee through hand grinding.

I know hand grinding gets a bad rep from those that have primarily used lower tier units, which usually have lousy build quality, barely usable burr design and are terribly slow. A quality hand grinder, say costing $150-200, will easily be on par with an electric costing $500+ in terms of grind quality, consistency, build quality and of course much better on longevity. Yes there is some labor involved, but IMBHO it's far from a chore and worth every bit of time/effort doing it. Most better quality hand grinders will churn through 18 grams of finer grind (espresso range) in 45-60 seconds. Spinning faster isn't always better as my current hand grinder definitely benefits from slower cranking, as in 1.5 turns per second is spot on. Actually is designed to feed the burrs at a slightly slower rate to be less stressful on wrists/shoulders as well as getting fantastic grind quality. I recently pulled the trigger on a hand grinder I've wanted a few years, but they were fairly hard to track down for some time. I plan on it being my end game grinder no doubt and a rather beastly one at that. Just waiting on its arrival to put it to work.

 

[mr.espresso]

Wassup? Dunno about the 'expert' part as I think that description is highly abused these days. I have definitely done my share of hand grinding over the years and still look forward to it every day. I will periodically use an electric, but nothing beats being in tune with the coffee through hand grinding.

I know hand grinding gets a bad rep from those that have primarily used lower tier units, which usually have lousy build quality, barely usable burr design and are terribly slow. A quality hand grinder, say costing $150-200, will easily be on par with an electric costing $500+ in terms of grind quality, consistency, build quality and of course much better on longevity. Yes there is some labor involved, but IMBHO it's far from a chore and worth every bit of time/effort doing it. Most better quality hand grinders will churn through 18 grams of finer grind (espresso range) in 45-60 seconds. Spinning faster isn't always better as my current hand grinder definitely benefits from slower cranking, as in 1.5 turns per second is spot on. Actually is designed to feed the burrs at a slightly slower rate to be less stressful on wrists/shoulders as well as getting fantastic grind quality. I recently pulled the trigger on a hand grinder I've wanted a few years, but they were fairly hard to track down for some time. I plan on it being my end game grinder no doubt and a rather beastly one at that. Just waiting on its arrival to put it to work.

Wow !!! Thank you very much for delighting us with that dose of wise words.

I had definitely not considered the option of a manual grinder. From my inexperience, I thought that they were older machines or with worse results than electric ones, but I see that I was wrong.


This makes me rethink whether a manual grinder is more suitable for me. I don't mind doing the work myself or taking longer time, so it may be the best option.


As for the price, unfortunately right now I do not have the budget to buy one of those high quality machines that you mention. Could you recommend a manual grinder for tighter budgets?

Thank you soooo much

 

[mr.espresso]

I found a place in Spain that sells the Capresso Infinity. Maybe you can find other places that sell them and compare prices

https://www.desertcart.es/products/1044639-capresso-560-01-infinity-conical-burr-black

Thanks a lot !! I keep it in my favorites just in case it ends up being my pick.

 

[mr.espresso]

Since you can't afford the Encore I probably would recommend going with a hand grinder. Espresso can be sensitive to grind size and consistency (each machine is somewhat diff obviously) so a good grinder is key. Shadow is our resident hand grinder expert... hopefully he will pop in this thread.

Good recommendation. As I have already said, I had not considered a manual grinder due to ignorance, but after Shadow's words and yours, now I do consider it. Thanks !!!

now I just have to find a good option that fits my budget. :decaf:

doing a quick search on Amazon I found this: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B01LXZACFB. do you have references?

 

[shadow745]

Wow !!! Thank you very much for delighting us with that dose of wise words.

I had definitely not considered the option of a manual grinder. From my inexperience, I thought that they were older machines or with worse results than electric ones, but I see that I was wrong.


This makes me rethink whether a manual grinder is more suitable for me. I don't mind doing the work myself or taking longer time, so it may be the best option.


As for the price, unfortunately right now I do not have the budget to buy one of those high quality machines that you mention. Could you recommend a manual grinder for tighter budgets?

Thank you soooo much

Depending on your area there could be used hand grinders at good prices. A quality hand grinder will last indefinitely and going that route is usually a safer bet than something like an electric grinder. I know the Timemore brand is mentioned often as being decent and a bit cheaper. Generally speaking it's difficult to find a really good grinder on the cheaper end of the spectrum unless it's used, somebody really wants to part with it, etc.

Regarding older hand grinders, my first one was a KyM and based on what I was told by the rather popular seller that once refurbished lots of hand grinders it's from the 1950s and still grinds quite well. Yes it's seen a TON of use and has some slop in the bearings as well as the burrs being a bit less than great, but it was a quality made piece and has held up and still performs. Now it is common to see constant listing for 'antique' coffee grinders that are like a dime a dozen with lousy construction, sloppy tolerances and just aren't suited for precise grinding.

 

[mr.espresso]

Depending on your area there could be used hand grinders at good prices. A quality hand grinder will last indefinitely and going that route is usually a safer bet than something like an electric grinder. I know the Timemore brand is mentioned often as being decent and a bit cheaper. Generally speaking it's difficult to find a really good grinder on the cheaper end of the spectrum unless it's used, somebody really wants to part with it, etc.

Regarding older hand grinders, my first one was a KyM and based on what I was told by the rather popular seller that once refurbished lots of hand grinders it's from the 1950s and still grinds quite well. Yes it's seen a TON of use and has some slop in the bearings as well as the burrs being a bit less than great, but it was a quality made piece and has held up and still performs. Now it is common to see constant listing for 'antique' coffee grinders that are like a dime a dozen with lousy construction, sloppy tolerances and just aren't suited for precise grinding.

I didn't know anything about the Timemore brand. I've been reading a bit online and I've seen that the best-selling model is the Timemore C2 with very good reviews. However, experts point out that the finest grind is not valid for espresso, so I'll keep looking.

 

[Musicphan]

This may be helpful to you - I think Prima does a pretty decent job at reviews:

https://prima-coffee.com/blog/a-comparison-of-premium-hand-grinders-for-coffee-and-espresso

 

[mr.espresso]

This may be helpful to you - I think Prima does a pretty decent job at reviews:

https://prima-coffee.com/blog/a-comparison-of-premium-hand-grinders-for-coffee-and-espresso

Thank you very much for the recommendation. I have been reading the article and it is very good.


Unfortunately the cheaper options (timemore) are not recommended for espresso, and the higher priced ones are on my budget ... what a shame