Grinder recommendations

adrian522

just-joe wrote: »

Ok I don't want to get hooked on gateway drugs or any kind but I am becoming more and more tempted to move to home espresso.

Would I be right in thinking the Sage grinder would be the minimum level for decent home espresso?

Similarly for espresso machine, what would be the minimum level you'd go for, for quality?

I would prefer to buy once and buy well, rather than go cut a corner and quickly I should have paid more. On the other hand I don't want home espresso to take over my life.

Cheers guys!

Don't know about the sage but if you let me know your budget I can give some advice. Gaggia classic or rancillio Silvia would be entry level machines that come recommended.

donnacha

just-joe wrote: »

Ok I don't want to get hooked on gateway drugs or any kind but I am becoming more and more tempted to move to home espresso.

Would I be right in thinking the Sage grinder would be the minimum level for decent home espresso?

Similarly for espresso machine, what would be the minimum level you'd go for, for quality?

I would prefer to buy once and buy well, rather than go cut a corner and quickly I should have paid more. On the other hand I don't want home espresso to take over my life.

Cheers guys!

Grinders are constantly evolving - though there still seems to be little to no consensus on what is the best for home use. I've gone through quite a few home grinders in the last few years but I can pretty much confirm all will do espresso grinding well:
- Rancilio Rocky. Used it for around 18 mths - served its purpose til I got upgraditis - if you are obsessed about ground retention avoid
- mahlkonig vario. Using now for 4.5 yrs - Still in use as a filter grinder with replacement ditting burrs. Parts will need replacing but in general its a reliable and good all-rounder plus its easy to clean and repair
- compak k3 touch - great if all you care about is espresso. Takes up counterspace so make sure you buy the small hopper. Really easy to adjust grind size. used for 7/8 mths in 2014.
- Eureka Zenith 65E - bought from bellabarista in August. Seriously impressed. Again it takes up quite a bit of counter space http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/eureka-zenith-65e-grinder.html Special pricing available to coffeeforums.co.uk members if you are interested (thread available in their deals forum)

Depending on your budget its also be worth considering a good hand grinder. Hausgrind from madebyknock are seriously impressive and offers as consistent/even a grind as any grinder I've used. I use it mostly for travel /holidays: http://www.madebyknock.com/handgrind-grinders.html
Have also been reading good reviews of the latest hand grinder shipping this month - the Lido 2 from Orphan Espresso.

On the espresso machine front its worth first considering how often you will be making a milk drink as no matter how good the classic or silvia are (and both are amazing machines) there is a lot to said for moving up a level and buying a dual boiler...

just-joe

Cheers guys.

For budget, it would be nice to spend as little as possible, less than 500 maybe... of course if I save longer I could spend more but don't want to spend a fortune!

Is that possible for both? Then, it goes back to spending once but spending well..

The gaggia classic seems like a solid enough entry point, and priced ok. Is there a big jump between it and the rancillo silvia?

I don't have much interest in milk drinks, but I feel like if friends are coming over there will be lots of orders for cappucinos! Can the gaggia cut it at all for milk drinks?

just-joe

Also, I have the hario skerton as a hand grinder, and it does the job, but grinds come out all different sizes, and it isn't really travelable at all... another investment needed?!

donnacha

You should also consider the second hand market.

There is a super jolly grinder for sale on adverts. Search for "Mazzer Coffee Grinder". Could be worth a bid if you are willing to travel and inspect to check conditions of burrs - if they are in good condition it could be worth an offer of €250 ...

just-joe

I saw the one you are referring to, Dublin would be ok but can't really get to Limerick, and would probably prefer first hand anyways. Thanks for the tip though, will keep an eye on adverts.

Planet X

vermilions wrote: »

How is the Encore holding up? I want to get a proper grinder now that I've been using the Hario Mini Mill for some time now and feeling a bit fed up with it sometimes...

It's superb. Add beans and grind. Only use AeroPress so just got my particle size correct and end of story.
Blew up my Hario manual grinder eventually by rigging it up to an electric screwdriver.
Worked for ages then was grinding a load one day and fittings overheated, melted and blew.
Sisters fault.........;)
I was gagging to get an Encore anyway. Maybe I thrashed it on purpose.......who knows

M.J.M.C

Seeing a lot of familiar names here from the Dublin Marathon thread here lol

Wife surprised me with the Encore the other week, absolutely love it. It's a great machine (previously used the mini mill)
PlanetX what setting are you using for Aeropress?

Jezek

M.J.M.C wrote: »

Seeing a lot of familiar names here from the Dublin Marathon thread here lol

Wife surprised me with the Encore the other week, absolutely love it. It's a great machine (previously used the mini mill)
PlanetX what setting are you using for Aeropress?

you can't translate from one encore to the next, they're all calibrated differently!

M.J.M.C

Jezek wrote: »

you can't translate from one encore to the next, they're all calibrated differently!

Cheers TIL!

Muahahaha

Does anyone here have any experience of Graef grinders? They're a German company who seem to get decent reviews on Coffee Forums over there. I'm on a budget and was finally going to pull the trigger on an Iberital MC2 for around €160 delivered but then came across the Graef CM800 for €118 delivered from Amazon.de . http://www.amazon.de/Graef-CM800-Kaffeem%C3%BChle-CM-800/dp/B00CS2DAEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415288347&sr=8-1&keywords=graef+800

There is also this one for €99 but the build quality doesnt look as sturdy as the one above
http://www.amazon.de/Graef-CM702EU-Kaffeem%C3%BChle-CM-702/dp/B00EO26GGC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

From what I gather online the Graef CM800 pairs well with a Gaggia Classic and reviews say it can grind fine enough to produce good espresso. I think I'll buy it over the weekend as it looks like a great entry level grinder which seems as good as the Iberital MC2 and for about €50 cheaper. Before I do I'm just wondering if anyone has used one or heard what they're like ?

Also slightly off topic but does anyone know of a service where you send your portafilter away to be made bottomless? I had thought espressoservices.co.uk offered it but now I look at their site I cant see it anywhere, I must be mistaken and it was a different UK coffee site

Planet X

M.J.M.C wrote: »

Seeing a lot of familiar names here from the Dublin Marathon thread here lol

Wife surprised me with the Encore the other week, absolutely love it. It's a great machine (previously used the mini mill)
PlanetX what setting are you using for Aeropress?

12 seems to suit me.

Krusty_Clown

M.J.M.C wrote: »

Seeing a lot of familiar names here from the Dublin Marathon thread here lol

Caffeine.... Best legal running stimulant there is!

ArcticFox

Muahahaha wrote: »

Does anyone here have any experience of Graef grinders? They're a German company who seem to get decent reviews on Coffee Forums over there. I'm on a budget and was finally going to pull the trigger on an Iberital MC2 for around €160 delivered

Where did you find the Iberital MC2 for €160 delivered?

Muahahaha

ArcticFox wrote: »

Where did you find the Iberital MC2 for €160 delivered?

I could have sworn I got the link for it on this thread but now I've looked through it I can't find it. It was a UK based Coffee equipment company, not Happy Donkey obviously but I just can't remember the name of them now. If I get a chance I search through my browing history over the weekend and dig it out. It was £126 delivered to UK addresses but that was a special offer with limited stock. In any case I've decided to go with a Graef grinder linked a few posts back from amazon.de From reviews I've read online they are good enough to grind espresso and they also come in about 30% cheaper than the Iberital




edit: here it is
http://www.espressounderground.co.uk/iberital2.html

Brian

Anybody here use a Porlex with a drill?

Jezek

Brian wrote: »

Anybody here use a Porlex with a drill?

nope but looked into it. You can do it but you'll ruin the grinder if you run it at a higher than normal speed. So you'll save effort but not time. And you'll be noisy, etc etc. I don't think it's worth it , really.

wonderfulname

Brian wrote: »

Anybody here use a Porlex with a drill?

No but I use a hario without and the porlex is meant to be faster so I'd say there's little point in the drill, I grind three coffees in far less time than it takes the kettle to boil, given the time to attach the drill in the first place you're probably saving seconds every morning at the cost of your grinders longevity, and possibly the quality of your grind.

Planet X

Destroyed my Hario grinder with a cordless drill one morning. Just rushing it. Metal/plastic interface melted. Recycle bin. New Baratza .

RasTa

What's the problem with the €20 spice and coffee grinders?

Jezek

RasTa wrote: »

What's the problem with the €20 spice and coffee grinders?

These are blade grinders, chopping the beans as they whirr round. The grinders you see recommended here are burr grinders, they crush beans between two burrs.

Blade grinders have many faults for coffee grinding:

1. They do not grind consistently, producing very large and very small bits at the same time.

2. You can't choose to what coarseness you want to grind.

(3. They also heat up the coffee a lot)

These facts basically mean that it's very hard to make good coffee using those types of grinders.

RasTa

Cool, still don't see how a grinder could ever be worth €200.

Going to get the Hario mentioned on here.

Digiby

wonderfulname wrote: »

No but I use a hario without and the porlex is meant to be faster so I'd say there's little point in the drill, I grind three coffees in far less time than it takes the kettle to boil, given the time to attach the drill in the first place you're probably saving seconds every morning at the cost of your grinders longevity, and possibly the quality of your grind.

I have the porlex and the hario.
Personally I think the porlex is quicker and much easier to hold when grinding.
It's a much better build quality too. I keep the porlex at work. It's been grinding coffee for almost 4 years now. I really need to get new burrs for it though. I think hasbean supply them.

Jezek

RasTa wrote: »

Cool, still don't see how a grinder could ever be worth €200.

Going to get the Hario mentioned on here.

YOu will see when you get the hario. It's good but not very good.
If you get into coffee you will be able to taste the difference between a grinder that's 50 and 200 euro.

And that's just for filter - you'll need to spend seirous money to have a chance to make decent espresso.

Basically if you understand coffee making you'll see the grind is very important.