I'm shopping for a coffee grinder/spice mill.

S

shaun-in-to

Well-known member
I used to have a fairly small Braun burr grinder, but all the ones on the market now are huge in comparison.

Is a burr grinder really that much better than a blade mechanism?

For grinding spices, is any one model better than another (that is, does it handle small quantities easily -- unlike many blenders)?

Any comments on ease of use, ease of cleaning, etc., would also be much appreciated. Thanks!

 
At Meryvn's I purchased a Mr. Coffe Grinder which I really like and I have the Magic Bullet and it's

Great (as seen on tv) the Magic Bullet lives up to it's name and it has 2 sets of blades for chopping and mixing. Couldn't live with out it ~ retails about $69.00 it's worth the investment because there is so much you can do with it AND it comes with a handy cook book.

I even use it for a spice mill (cinnamon and such) it's great and it really works on raw nutmeg at grinding it down to powder and vanilla beans too!!

 
In my opinion, yes, a burr grinder is

better than a blade grinder for grinding coffee because the blades flake the beans, allowing for better, more uniform, coffee extraction than you would get with a blade grinder that sort of chops the beans into less uniform pieces. We started using a burr grinder about 8 years ago when we got an espresso machine to start off our day with homemade lattes. After 6 years the first burr grinder died and while waiting for the new burr grinder to arrive I reverted back to using the old Krups blade grinder. Let me tell you, that was some very weak coffee. That's when I knew how big of a difference the burr grinders make.

We have a Solis brand burr grinder but there are many fine burrs on the market should you decide to go that direction.

I continue to use the Krups coffee grinder for spices...it does a great job of that.

 
Sorry Shaun, just re-read your request a day later

and see you want the grinder more for spices?? My brain must've been in a fog from this head cold I'm battling (that's my story and I'm sticking to it...lol). Oh well, for whomever else might want to know about grinders for coffee, I hope this info is helpful. ;o)

 
No, I was asking about coffee grinder as well. The cheap one I used to have would work for both but

now I see I probably need two appliances (darn!), one for coffee, one for spices.

 
Thanks for all responses. I thought I could just go out and buy something, but looks like

quite a bit of research is involved.

 
Years ago I used a Krups for both coffee and spices and had a pretty good method

of cleaning out the spice grinder immediately after use (dry baking soda worked wonders, brushed out well with a dry pastry or basting brush) so the next batch of coffee wouldn't taste like whatever spice was previously ground (learned fast that curry-flavored coffee wasn't all that great...lol). I sincerely think it's worth having a separate grinder dedicated to spices. Good luck with your options, Shaun.

 
I keep my grinders separate, one for coffee, one for spices. I have a small Cuisinart for spices

and am very pleased with it. It comes apart easily for cleaning and I run it through the DW. It's a Mini-Mate Chopper/Grinder.

The coffee grinders are so cheap, why don't you just buy one for spices and give it a try?

I used to have a wonderful Krups for coffee. Not made any longer. But one thing I think is critical for a coffee grinder is that you can store the beans inside it and set the dial for the volume you want each time. It's worth the extra.

http://cuisinart.com/manuals/?item_id=72

 
I have a Krups for spices and find that processing dry white rice in it is helpful to remove

some of the smell from strong spices when you don't want the next batch to have that odor. I've also used white bread, both tips came from something I read, no idea what.

 
We use the Solis too, it's still going stong after 2 years, like it MUCH better than the Krups.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top