Need inexpensive burr grinder recommendations for drip/french press/etc...

[Atredeis]

Hello All,

My wife and I have a small roastery in Clearwater, Florida and often are recommending folks use burr grinders instead of the ubiquitous blade or spice grinders. Unfortunately, when the see the price or Baratza's lineup, they usually decide to stick with the blade grinder for cost.

What is out there which is worth recommending in the sub $100 and sub $50 range?

For reference, we use a Baratza Virtuoso for everything but espresso and a Mazzer Superjolly for espresso ourselves.

Thanks a ton!
-Paul

 

[thCapn]

Hand crank.

 

[PinkRose]

Here is one that's been recommended on this Forum previously, and it is less than $100.

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY

If you do a search for them, you can find burr grinders that are hand crank models. They are less expensive, and if you decide to stock and sell them, they'll look nice on a display shelf.

 

[JumpinJakJava]

The Capresso is a great choice. Especially for French press and coarse grind brewing. Use it everyday and take it with me when I am away from home.
I use a Chemex everyday, works perfect. I Would not recommend for espresso grinding, but for coffee brewing, drip grind, to coarse.
You will not beat the price for the quality. IMHO.

 

[Bacchus]

Hi. I don't have time right now to figure out how to post a photo but if you'll go to eBay and search for item number 291057746532 you'll see the burr grinder I bought. It works great and I love it. Hope this helps..... ��

 

[PinkRose]

Hi. I don't have time right now to figure out how to post a photo but if you'll go to eBay and search for item number 291057746532 you'll see the burr grinder I bought. It works great and I love it. Hope this helps..... ��

Here's the link to it.
New Lello Ariete Burr Coffee Grinder | eBay

 

[Bacchus]

Thanks for the assist, Rose....

 

[Atredeis]

Thanks for the ideas!

Has anyone ever used the Mr. Coffee BVMC-BMH23 Automatic Burr Mill Grinder?

As far as hand grinders go, I saw one that looked like it was made from cast iron wagon wheels at a roastery in Acton, MA this week.

-Paul

 

[JumpinJakJava]

I saw one that looked like it was made from cast iron wagon wheels at a roastery in Acton, MA this week.

-Paul

Most likely an antique grinder popular storefront grinders in 1800's to around 1950's.

 

[Atredeis]

Yup, that's the beast. I don't think the Pinellas County demographic will flock to something like this.

Still it was a cool conversation piece.

-Paul

 

[peterjschmidt]

A couple thoughts...

If a brew method (non-espresso) that allows a fine grind is being used, for example a paper filter, then blade grinders can be perfectly adequate - the grinder just has to be run long enough to get everything to a good fine consistency. Blade grinders (I call 'em weed-whackers) are poor choices for coarser brew methods such as press pot because the beans that get ground at the beginning of the grind cycle get chopped up more and are too fine, while the beans that get chopped up last are too coarse; the uneveness of the particle extraction will be less than ideal; the too-fine particles will lead to over-extraction which produces bitterness, while the too-coarse particles will be under-extracted. But, use a paper filter and run the grinder long enough that all the particles are fine/teeny, and you're good to go.

In the arena of burr grinders, the sub-$90 options, aren't much better than blade grinders. I've seen plenty of people plunk down $50 on a Cuisinart, but the burrs are small, flat, and still produce a random-size of particles; while they're a step up from a blade grinder, they are still poorly suited to give one the uniformly sized particles, which in turn gives poor extraction.

The answer is the lower end grinders utilizing a conical burr. As much as there is a noticeable difference between a blade grinder and a low-end burr grinder, there is an even more discernible difference between a low-end burr and a conical burr.

I usually try to convey the idea to my customers along these lines; you're spending good money and trying to source the best beans you can, so why not spend the extra money on something like an Encore? Take the price of a lb. of my coffee, and you're only spending about 4lbs. worth to step up to a grinder that will enhance every cup of coffee. The grinder is not the place to get cheap and cut corners. I'll also emphasize the idea of amortizing the price over time; if the Encore costs $120 and it lasts 10 years (which it will) then it cost you $12/year or $1/month. Why spend $24/month on coffee, but not one more dollar to make that coffee the best it can be.

 

[Atredeis]

Thanks for the well reasoned response Peter.

I suppose if the sub $90 ones did the job (controlled particle size distribution), there'd be more recommendations out there for them.

So, given the paper filter discussion above, it seems there's some lower size limit (perhaps asymptotic) from a whirly blade grinder? This would explain why I got decent results form them (years ago before getting into good coffee). I would just grind the bejesus out of the beans and then brew a decent cup. In other words, a blade can only make a given particle so fine, so use it long enough that most particles are in that range.... drop in a paper filter something and presto!

Too bad I don't have a ls-230 or multisizer to play with.

-Paul

 

[Bacchus]

Years ago, before I retired, I might have made an argument similar to Peter's only slanted to the product I was selling at the time. It's natural for a person who has a vested interest in a given product to put the best spin possible on whatever they're selling.

Having said that, I'm convinced that the grinder I own and use daily (but don't sell) is every bit as good as the one he's touting. I'm not putting his product down, I'm just not convinced that it's all that much better than one costing a lot less.

Sorry, Peter. No offense intended....

 

[peterjschmidt]

No offense taken, since I'm not selling grinders, only roasted coffee. I simply want my customers to get the most enjoyment out of their beans. Since you're not convinced that a conical burr grinder will have a significant impact on the cup, let me ask you what you're basing that on. Have you used both, on a long enough term to have a preference either way?

 

[Bacchus]

Nope. In answer to your question, I haven't used a conical burr grinder. I'm simply basing my opinion on a couple factors. First, the item of random sized particles has been brought up. In response to that let me say that the output of my $50+ grinder is very consistent. I have inspected mine quite closely and random sized particles don't seem to exist unless one were to examine them under a microscope. And if there is randomness in the sizing of the microscopic particles I don't believe the average person would ever be able to taste the difference.


Which brings us to the second factor. The taste of coffee is quite subjective as is the taste of a good many things. Yes, I agree that there are folks out there who are quite knowledgeable regarding coffee but what they can taste is limited to themselves. It's impossible for them or anyone to know how something tastes to someone else.


And, just as there are 'wine snobs' or 'cigar snobs' there are 'coffee snobs' who purport to be the authority on what coffee should taste like in order to be considered good and what steps must be taken in order to achieve said coffee.


But the vast majority, I dare say, of coffee drinkers are not 'coffee snobs' but simply people who know if something tastes good to them. I seriously doubt, however, that the members of this majority can tell the difference in taste between coffee that was brewed with grounds from a $300 grinder or with grounds from a $50+ grinder, all other things being equal.