ISO: ISO recommendations for a burr coffee grinder

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lisainla

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We have had disappointing experiences with both the Cuisinart and Krups burr grinders.

In the Cuisinart, the beans stoppped feeding after about 8 months of use, and it could not be fixed. The replacement Krups quit feeding after 4 days of use - I'm returning it tomorrow.

Any success stories with burr grinders?

 
I LOVE my Mazzer Mini!!

Pricey but wonderful! Before I had my Mazzer I had a very nice LaPavoni burr grinder that sells for about $50. Would highly recommend this grinder if you are using it for any coffee besides espresso. I used it daily at home for a number of years and weekly at the coffee bar I did for my church. You can find very good buys online!

Remember if you are using a grinder for an espresso machine that your grinder quality is the most important assurance of a good espresso. (besides fresh roasted beans!)

For more information than you'd ever want to know about anything to do with coffee, go to:

http://www.coffeegeek.com

http://www.coffeegeek.com

 
KA makes an excellent one. Costco or Sam's has a

grinder--not sure the make but the price is good. Starbucks makes a good one.

 
My OLD Krups is still going after 23 years. The hopper gets stuck with

a bean occasionally but a little shake wakes it up. I use very dark oily Italian roast sticky beans.

I am so impressed with my old old old appliances that just keep on working. Some day, I'm going to have to replace them, perhaps. Or maybe I should not be saying that.

But I did notice that finally Krups is making a similar model again. One that measures the volume of by a dial. I find that particularly handy. But then of course, after a couple of decades, the girinder practically starts on its own every morning.

My Osterizer blender is only 35 years old.

Nothing is the same anymore.

 
Pat, I heard this is a great grinder!

I was going to buy it, myself, until I upgraded from my Gaggia Espresso to the Rancilio Silvia espresso machine and needed a more precise grinder.

The Maestro was highly recommended for regular coffee!

 
Thank you Gayle. This is getting in to territory I am not familiar with

since it is my husband who does most of the coffee drinking in the house. The Coffee Geek site is a treasure trove of info, and will be very helpful.

 
I agree, nothing is the same. I thought I had a winner with both Krups and Cuisinart

as I've had good experiences with them in the past.

We use very oily Italian style beans, as you do, and we thought that might be what is jamming up the burrs. We've cleaned both of them out, and no go. Very odd, particularly after only using the Krups for 4 days. smileys/frown.gif

 
This looks good, Pat. I think my local cooking store

carries this one, so I can check it out in person.

 
Well you folks seem to be in the know...best one for a french press?

I'd been toying with the idea of the Solis Maestro Plus, but honestly I don't drink coffee vary often so wasn't sure I wanted to spend the $$$, but when I do drink coffee I like a good cup.

After my drip maker broke I decided to go to a French Press - and found that getting the right grind has proven to be very difficult. Blade grinders are of course of completely no use.

Any experiences?

 
Hi Maria, I don't know very much about the proper ground for the French Press, but in the link

that Gayle gave in her first post in this thread is to a wonderful site called CoffeeGeek.com, and I'm sure you will find very great info there about what to do with your French Press.

I learned more about coffee than I ever thought possible while browsing that site.

 
Pat, sorry to be so long answering....but, YES!

Thick rich crema and I was making wonderful froth with the stock steam wand. I had ordered the 'special' one with little holes on it, but found that the regular Silvia arm was more to my liking.

It's an exceptional home machine! Remember though, that your grind is the most important thing so you really need a good grinder such as the Rancilio Rocky or Mazzer.

The only reason you'd ever need a higher priced machine is if you wanted to make more than 2-3 drinks in a short time. It needs just a minute to recover in between.

1st-line gave me a price match, too, from a great deal I found on the net! (and free shipping!)

Wish FinerKitchens would start carrying better coffee products, makers, etc. It's such a hot and competative market out there!

Have you ever gone to www.coffeegeek.com ? You can do research on makers or anything related to coffee, there.

I read and researched for 3 mos before I bought my set-up. Am VERY happy with!

 
French Press tips from Sweet Maria...

I have the Bodum Press. It makes a great brew! I think, but am not 100% sure that the Maestro would be a good choice. The thing about blade grinders is that they 'shred' the bean, not 'grind' it. Makes a huge difference in your brew. Blade grinders are fine for drip makers or percolater types, though. You will see the quality of your coffee increase any time you upgrade from a blade to burr grinder. I kind of doubted that way of thinking when I first started getting into coffees but soon realize it was well founded. It's all in the amt you want to get 'into' it. ha Gayle

From Sweet Maria (below) and check out the LINK for the Brewing Tip Sheet:

French Press Tips: You want a grind that is as fine as possible without letting sediment past the screen. This usually works out to be a tad coarser than filter-drip grind. They key is really how even the grind is. Whirling-blade type grinders aren't great companions for the French Press: too uneven. The more fine and even your grind, the less brewing time you need: 3 minutes for a coarser grind, or I use 90 seconds for my fine-yet-even grind. Decant the coffee from the press once it has brewed! The coffee will otherwise continue to extract and become more bitter and unpleasant. For this reason, I find the Thermal Stainless Steel French Presses not functional: brew in a glass one, then decant into a Vacuum Bottle/ Thermos if you need to keep it hot for a while... but ideally, just brew enough for one sitting! French Press method compliments ultra-fresh home roasts because it forces the coffee and water mixture to infuse for the required 2-4 minutes. Super-fresh coffee emits CO-2 gas after roasting that can prevent the hot water from fully penetrating the grind ... but the French Press method overcomes the resistence! Check out our French Press Brewing Tip Sheet

http://www.sweetmarias.com/brewinstr.frenchpress.html

 
You're welcome, Lisa! It was very instrumental in helping me get started...

Into the world of coffee! Just like with anything else, you can take it as far as you want to. I bought a bean roaster awhile back and enjoyed that for awhile. Just don't have the time for that now, so I buy from a local roaster.

There's nothing like fresh roasted beans!

Have fun, Lisa!

 
I would return the grinder....

and upgrade to even an inexpensive burr grinder for basic coffee. There are many to choose from. Just make sure you get one with many grind settings and a 'hopper' on top that feeds the beans though the burrs. Delonghi makes a decent one in the $40 range and so does LaPavoni, to name a few. If you watch eBay you can sometimes find good deals, but a net search will probably give you better results. The prices vary SO much on the same models! It's easy to compare and read reviews. Get one with good reviews for the type coffee you plan to make. Sounds confusing, doesn't it? I have two grinders. The Mazzer Mini for espresso and a LaPavoni for regular coffee.

Enjoy, whatever you do! But let me warn you -- it's addicting! smileys/smile.gif

 
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