Recommend me a grinder

Kannon

Hi.
I am looking at getting myself a decent grinder. I use a moka pot so espresso is my what i normally drink. My budget for this is around $150/$200.
I'd appreciate any recommendations. Thanks.

Mr Magnolia

I have the iberital mc2. It's available for £99.99 on happydonkey.co.uk here. It takes a bit of tuning in but it's worth the money imo.

rockbeer

Not sure why you mention your budget in US$ and no idea what the current exchange rate is, but if you can stretch to €240 you could have a Rancilio Rocky doserless from http://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/
By most accounts it's the best grinder you'll find for that kind of money.

I personally use and am completely happy with the Innova/Ascaso I2, which should be in your price bracket if you can find one online somewhere.

Kannon

oh the $ sign was a mistake actually. i meant €. thanks for your help lads. i'll look into these recommendations. Do you think it makes a big diffference to have a good grinder when just using a moka pot?

Mr Magnolia

I do. A consistent grind is important. Maybe not as important as if you were using a machine but important none the less.

You'll also have the good grinder if you ever do decide to splash out on an espresso machine in the future.

fourmations

buy the best and it s the only one you will ever buy

get a mazzer mini if you have the dosh

rocky next best, mc2 good as well

make sure you get a doserless model
dosers are a pain in the ass and leave
tons of grind in the grinder to go stale

rgds

4

the beer revolu

I bought a Kitchen Aid grinder from Brown Thomas - about €200.
Have it a year now and am extremely happy with it.
It looks really great too!

http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=Coffee+Mills+&+Grinders&cat=227∏=415

kenco

Do you good folks have any thoughts on the Krups GVX2?

I've seen it recently and it looks reasonable for my modest needs (e.g. gaggia and french pressing)?

Reason I ask is that I have seen good recommendations here but they are for a bit more than I would plan to spend (at this time)

Thanks

hshortt

On adverts today there is this - http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=55816

Kannon

Hi all.

anyone know how long it takes to order from Happydonkey? i'm looking at getting the Iberital Mc2, seems like good value for money.
Also, i got some green coffee beans from Hasbean and tried grinding them with my cheapo grinder i have atm. its not doing a great job, but the bits that haven't been ground are like stones. is this always the case? does a grinder like the MC2 grind these with ease?

Thanks.

Mr Magnolia

Kannon wrote: »

Hi all.

anyone know how long it takes to order from Happydonkey? i'm looking at getting the Iberital Mc2, seems like good value for money.

I'd say 5 working days max. Email them and ask, the gent's name is Scott.

Also, i got some green coffee beans from Hasbean and tried grinding them with my cheapo grinder i have atm. its not doing a great job, but the bits that haven't been ground are like stones. is this always the case? does a grinder like the MC2 grind these with ease?

Thanks.

How did you roast them? I've never had a problem with the iberital MC2 once I tuned it in.

Kannon

thanks Magnolia, not sure how they were roasted my sister did it. i'll check it out and get back. thanks.

RE*AC*TOR

Kannon wrote: »

Hi all.

anyone know how long it takes to order from Happydonkey? i'm looking at getting the Iberital Mc2, seems like good value for money.

I ordered from happydonkey on tuesday and arrived today (friday). So 3 days.

Kannon

Hi all.

I just got myself the Iberital MC2 from happydonkey. next thing is the espresso machine itself. my budget is around €350. i had my eye on the Gaggia Classic. For my budget would it be seen as the vest value for money? They didn't have any left in House of Fraser today, anywhere else around they saell them for a simlilar price or would i be better to look online. the espressocoffeeshop.com seems resonably priced, has anyone bought anything from there?

also, in HOF today, they had a Gaggia Baby Twin that said it was reduced from €480 to €350. would this be true? it doesnt semm to be that expenseive anywhere ive noticed it online. If so, in what way is this a better model that the Classic?

Thanks.

Gran Hermano

Kannon wrote: »

Hi all.

I just got myself the Iberital MC2 from happydonkey. next thing is the espresso machine itself. my budget is around €350. i had my eye on the Gaggia Classic. For my budget would it be seen as the vest value for money? They didn't have any left in House of Fraser today, anywhere else around they saell them for a simlilar price or would i be better to look online. the espressocoffeeshop.com seems resonably priced, has anyone bought anything from there?

also, in HOF today, they had a Gaggia Baby Twin that said it was reduced from €480 to €350. would this be true? it doesnt semm to be that expenseive anywhere ive noticed it online. If so, in what way is this a better model that the Classic?

Thanks.

Try Home Store + More, list of stores and their contact details here
Been a while since I visited any of their stores but they stocked a
good selection of the Gaggia range in the past.

BT and Arnotts stocked Gaggia machines in the past but again this may
have changed as of late. Give BT and Arnotts a call.

Kannon

thanks Gran, i will indeed call them.

I am not specifically looking to get a Gaggia, just something which represents good value for money for my price-range. what other makes and models should i consider?

RE*AC*TOR

Isomac Giada just about falls into that price range. But I think its a bit quirky, and lacks a solenoid.

The lower end La Pavoni lever machines start at about €380, but you might get one cheaper if you shop around.

The Gaggia Twin is a dual boiler (or one boiler one thermoblock to be more accurate), so if you plan on steaming a lot of milk it might be a good bet.

Going over the €400 mark you'll get a Rancilio Silvia, a very good home machine. Although if you want consistency be prepared to familiarise yourself with temperature surfing etc.


You'll get an Ascaso Arc for around €400 as well, but for €100 less you'll get the Ascaso Basic. I'm not sure if there's much between the two apart from more plastic on the Basic. Not sure if they have solenoids either.

You'll also get the extremely pretty FrancisFrancis X3 for about €300. Again, no solenoid.

Kannon

those manual leaver ones such as in the La Pavoni range, have you happened to use one of them? how does there espresso compare to the machines?

being honest, i am usually swayed towards brands that i know, with Gaggia and Rancilio and La Pavonibeing the ones i am more familiar with. Its mainly espresso that i drink, in fact its purely espresso, so steaming milk won't be a big issue.

With this in mind, from reading reviews of the Gaggia Classic and the Rancilio Silva it's hard for a novice like myself to make out where they differ.

If there was quite a noticeable difference i could probably stretch my budget a little further. A once-off investment like this, i am prepared to go a little extra for extra quality. Is the higher price tag of the Rancilio worth the extra few quid?

RE*AC*TOR

Never used a La Pavoni. I've used a spring lever La Peppina - and the espresso was excellent. The Pavoni's though are manual pressure (ie your arm), so I think they take a lot of practice. Also they tend to overheat, so generally I think you get one good shot, then let it cool down etc. Still I believe to quality obtainable is probably superb.

If its espresso primarily, and you don't have to worry too much about milk steaming, then I wouldn't bother at all with the Gaggia Baby Twin.

The main difference between the Silvia and the Classic is boiler size. The Silvia's boiler is relatively big, while the Classic's is relatively small. The Silvia's is brass, and the Classic's is aluminium. If you live in a soft water area, the aluminum boiler of the Classic can suffer from galvanic corrosion (but that's a different discussion).

The main theory if you want to nail that drop dead gorgeous espresso is right beans, right grind, right temperature, right pressure etc. Both machines have adjustable OPVs, so you can regulate the pressure. You have an MC2 so you can do the grind well. Its up to you to get good, freshly roasted beans.

With regards to the temperature, as soon as you hit the pump button the hot water is pushed through the boiler towards the group. This also means that cold water is refilling the boiler from the resevoir, and the temperature starts dropping. If you have a bigger boiler, the proportion of hot water entering the boiler is smaller and you get more stable brew temperature (this is good).

However, this is not as simple as first thought. The Silvia's thermostat dead band is quite wide. So the starting temperature can be any temperature in a range. To alleviate this and gain consistency, you either need to temperature surf (watch the lights on the machine, flush the group, timing etc) or install a PID which will allow you to directly control the temperature (this can cost between €30 - €150 and involved a little bit of diy work).

On the other hand, while the brew temp of the Classic is susceptible to a bigger drop, from my experience the dead band is relatively narrow. I've had no trouble getting consitency from it.

So, in short, I think the Silvia can do better than the Classic, but its probably a lot easier to do very good on the Classic.

Kannon

thanks Reactor good helpful post. you've left me with a tough decision,

no hassle/good coffee or some hassle/great coffee

appreciated.

RE*AC*TOR

No probs.

If you decide for an easy life and go the Classic route, I'm selling mine.

Otherwise the internet has a wealth of info about the Silvia.

Also it worth noting that bargains can sometimes be had on ebay (and other places). You could probably get a second hand Silvia for under the price of a new Classic.

Pighead

RE*AC*TOR

Silvia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhxvDusY3jk

Pavoni

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDV9KwdYldI

Kannon

well i went for the Silvia in the end after much contemplation. Arrived yesterday. Absolutely delighted with it. Made a couple of shots which weren't great but i know with a bit of time and dedication i'll get the hang of it.

Thanks for that link above Reactor, gave me a better idea of how to get started than the manual did. I tried to follow exactly the way he did it but it didn't work out nearly as well as his. the temperature surfing is difficult. i may look into one of those PID yokes. Having not tamped before my technique probably isn't very good, i.e. i may not have applied enough pressure. i may invest in a better tamper than the plastic one that came with it too.

anyway just an update. thanks again.