[Help] What Coffee Grinder for Sage Bambino?

[keltharan]

Dear all, I would like to as for your help deciding what would be the best coffee grinder for a Sage Bambino? I'm going to purchase this coffee machine as this is my 1st machine so I'm going for something more on the entry level. My interest is specifically to make some good/decent Espresso.

I've been seeing some options but everytime I see something that should grind fine enough for an Espresso, it's usually expensive to the point that being a Sage Bambino + Coffee Grind would amount more or less to the same of buying a Barista Express (considering the prices I can see online in Portugal).

So, my questions is: What would be the best budget coffee grinder I can get right now in the market? Or must I really pay 150+€ for one?

Edit1: Just to be more precise, if possible I would like to spend less than 100€ in the hope that I can buy something interesting in that price range.

 

[shadow745]

Thing is there really is no 'best' as all grinders work in different ways depending on use, expectations, budget, etc. Yes quality grinders can be costly, but something that you shouldn't be passive on. What is your intended use? Does that machine come with a pressurized basket? Are you OK with manual grinding as you can really stretch the $ on that compared to electrics which really limit your price range?

 

[keltharan]

Hello and thanks for you comment! Well, I'm still rather new to this so I'm not aiming yet for the greatest result possible. From what I've seen, the Bambino model comes with both pressurized and non-pressurized baskets.

My only intended use is to focus on espresso.

Do you think that under 100€ there is not electric grinder that would be satisfactory? If not, what would be your suggestion as a (manual) grinder alternative?

And if later on I choose to go above 100€ for an electric grinder, in your experience, what would be a decent model? (again, knowing that I'm still a beginner)

 

[shadow745]

My first 'real' electric was the Capresso Infinity and it did indeed grind fine/consistent enough for pretty good espresso, even for standard baskets. It doesn't have much fine grinding range and does have some retention issues, but for the crazy low price it's a solid choice. If you'd be fine with hand grinding something like the JX-Pro from 1ZPresso is a very capable grinder that will grind fine/consistent for any machine made in any configuration as well. As in pump, lever, you name it... I had the JE-Plus from that company for some time and the quality is top notch for the price point. Think the JX-Pro averages around $170, but it would take an electric costing 3-4x more to possibly be better and maybe not even at that point. One thought as well is to go the used route as you can usually find good deals on barely used grinders, especially hand grinders as some get tired of using them, but it's far from involved based on my perspective and I use mine every day averaging 7 doubles each morning. I have a quality electric that I'll always keep for standby, but that's all it does and has been for awhile. You can also source used electric grinders, but would have to be mindful of possible motor, bearing, etc. wear when doing so.

 

[keltharan]

My first 'real' electric was the Capresso Infinity and it did indeed grind fine/consistent enough for pretty good espresso, even for standard baskets. It doesn't have much fine grinding range and does have some retention issues, but for the crazy low price it's a solid choice. If you'd be fine with hand grinding something like the JX-Pro from 1ZPresso is a very capable grinder that will grind fine/consistent for any machine made in any configuration as well. As in pump, lever, you name it... I had the JE-Plus from that company for some time and the quality is top notch for the price point. Think the JX-Pro averages around $170, but it would take an electric costing 3-4x more to possibly be better and maybe not even at that point. One thought as well is to go the used route as you can usually find good deals on barely used grinders, especially hand grinders as some get tired of using them, but it's far from involved based on my perspective and I use mine every day averaging 7 doubles each morning. I have a quality electric that I'll always keep for standby, but that's all it does and has been for awhile. You can also source used electric grinders, but would have to be mindful of possible motor, bearing, etc. wear when doing so.

Thank you for the suggestions. For the Capresso Infinity, I'm finding it really difficult to find an european distributor (I did find one but the price is 3 times the US price) and I can't risk buying from an american source since I'll end up having additional costs through customs :|

I'll check the manual suggestions but just today I found an opportunity to buy a Sage/Breville Dose Control Pro for 175$. Maybe this would also be a good option? Although this would be a bit above my budget....

 

[shadow745]

Never used one, but majority of opinion/reviews on them from actual users (not lame Amazon reviews, etc) is that they're a pretty good option for the price point. I've seen complaints regarding an issue with the impeller that forces the coffee out of the grind chamber wearing out to the point of just spinning and doing nothing else, but has apparently been addressed with an updated version. Have no idea how far back that issue goes though.

 

[keltharan]

If you’re a true coffee enthusiast, the thought of making coffee from your home must’ve gone through your head multiple times.

For having a real and raw experience, which you’ll never get from a regular Starbucks coffee, you’ll have to get the right coffee beans and, most importantly, a reliable coffee grinder and a coffee maker.

Indeed, this is something that I've been thinking about for some time and I finally felt that I could finally afford (as a beginner) buying a coffee machine and grinder.

Coffee bean will the next thing to look for in my area or the best options to start honing my skills ahah

 

[AliciaMarie]

Breville Smart Grinder Pro​

price on amazon: 197.99$
This machine is good for you and its price is also reasonable.

Color	Brushed Stainless Steel
Brand	Breville
Material	Stainless Steel
Item Weight	6.4 Pounds
Item Dimensions	LxWxH

 

[keltharan]

Breville Smart Grinder Pro​

price on amazon: 197.99$
This machine is good for you and its price is also reasonable.

Color	Brushed Stainless Steel
Brand	Breville
Material	Stainless Steel
Item Weight	6.4 Pounds
Item Dimensions	LxWxH

Hello Alicia. Thank you for the reply. In the meantime I forgot to give an update on this...I ended up buying in November a Breville Dose Control Pro on amazon for 150$ I think it was a good deal, happy with it so far!