Burr Grinder Help

[jayulzvern]

Im trying to find a burr grinder for less then 100$, I'm having a hard time deciding between a Kitchen aid proline coffee mill and a Capresso Infinity. Is there anything I am missing? Or anything else I should be looking at?

TIA
-Julian.

 

[shadow745]

Both of those grinders will work well for most applications. What brew method(s) would it be used for?

 

[jayulzvern]

espresso machine, or french press

 

[CCafe]

Pick either one your not going to go wrong there.

 

[JoyceKaa]

The Nesco® Professional Burr Grinder delivers the consistently even grind with lower heat generation that ensure the maximum flavor retention of your coffee. Select from 17 grind settings from Espresso to French press. Hopper holds 8.8 ounces - over a half pound. You can even grind your own flax seeds in our burr mill! At CoffeeMakersShop this grinder is under $50. Need more info? Go to info@coffeemakersshop.com.

 

[shadow745]

Don't waste time with something like the Nesco as it has a lousy burr design and operates at high speed. This simply pulverizes the beans with no uniformity.

 

[shadow745]

I actually own both of these...

The Infinity is a good all-around grinder with decent build quality/features. Nice burr design and spins quite slow, giving pretty good grind quality and no fines to speak of. It is espresso capable, but doesn't offer alot of range for fine tuning and it does retain a fair amount of ground coffee. This is only a problem with finer grind ranges because of the increased density.


The Pro Line is a beast compared to other models in its price range. Construction is pretty much all metal and glass. There are a few factory flaws that are easy fixes and for the masses it's a great all-around grinder. Can be made stepless quite easily and is very much espresso capable. Does have 58mm stainless burrs, but they are cast and not machined, therefore being fairly dull compared to higher quality machined burrs. These burrs combined with the vertical arrangement leads to very fast grinding and minimal retention.

 

[Corvuscoffee]

Hario makes a hand mill for around $55, depending on where you look Bodum also recently released their burr grinder. It works well for the price point, plus you can get it neon green. The hario is kind of a pain in that there is no.moter, but it has good burrs. In order to get really even grounds you do have to grind slowly. You can get one arm really tweaked with your morning coffee prep/workout.Phil

 

[TheDude27]

I have a capresso that I use on occasion. The capresso is a perfectly fine grinder for anything coarser than espresso grinds (drip,french press, etc). You can do espresso grinds with it IF you back the torx screw out slightly on the Burr's (its very easy to do, takes less than a minute) it is capable of fine enough grinds to stop my Isomac Tea HX machine , however it is not going to be able to produce a very consistent grind for this fine of a grind which you really need for espresso(I have a baratza vario which is what I use for espresso). Also if you back the torx out, you will probably have to tighten it again to get coarse enough for press. I have heard ppl modding them so you can turn it past the stop, which would probably give you enough adjustment to do both.

Its not that its a bad grinder, in fact its more than sufficient for anything but espresso but it is one of the cheapest grinders that can be used for espresso (unless you consider hand grinders, some will also produce a good grind for espresso) so you cant really expect much its going to perform like a high end grinder. The pro-line is starting to get into the range of grinders that are considered acceptable for espresso, so of the 2 I would choose that one out of the two (unless you use a machine with a pressurized portafilter then you can probably get away with the capresso)

 

[Salparadise]

The Pro Line is a beast compared to other models in its price range. Construction is pretty much all metal and glass. There are a few factory flaws that are easy fixes and for the masses it's a great all-around grinder. Can be made stepless quite easily and is very much espresso capable. Does have 58mm stainless burrs, but they are cast and not machined, therefore being fairly dull compared to higher quality machined burrs. These burrs combined with the vertical arrangement leads to very fast grinding and minimal retention.

Shadow745,
I would be interested in a detailed how-to post about modding the Kitchenaid Pro Line grinder. I've been through a few cheapos and ready for one that's built like a tank with a straight drop-through design. And I'm prone to tinkering. Seems like this would be a great way to get an exceptional machine for relatively low bucks. I own a Kitchenaid Pro 600 stand mixer and if this grinder is built to similar standards I'm sure it would be a pleasure to use. The experience of grinding coffee has unique import––the one critical task I must perform every single day before I'm even awake, and before I've had my coffee!

Thanks-
Jack

 

[DennyCrane]

Not wanting to start a new thread, I thought I'd post in here. I too am looking for a grinder, but don't really know where to start. Obviously price is an issue, but for the sake of this conversation, lets say that it isn't. These are some of the features I'm looking for:

• Glass bin
• Easy to clean
• A varierty of grind settings from course for my french press, to fine for my drip coffee maker

As a bonus, I would like it to look nice. Stainless steel would be great, but not necessary. Do they make burr grinders that I can specify how many cups of coffee I will be making, and it grinds the perfect amount of beans? What else should I be looking for in a grinder?

 

[DennyCrane]

Well I think I've found the grinder for me:

Amazon.com: Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder: Kitchen & Dining

It's a little pricey at $199, but it definitely sounds like it's worth it. I read a bunch of reviews, and it sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. It doesn't have the glass bin, but apparently static is not an issue with this unit.

Anyone have any experience with this unit?

 

[JoyceKaa]

I offer this grinder at CoffeeMakersShop.com It is a customer favorite. Check it out! Nesco Professional Coffee Grinder BG88PR

An excellent cup of coffee starts with fresh coffee beans. The Nesco® Professional Burr Grinder delivers the consistently even grind with lower heat generation that ensure the maximum flavor retention of your coffee. Select from 17 grind settings from Espresso to French press. Hopper holds 8.8 ounces - over a half pound. You can even grind your own flax seeds in our burr mill!

 

[DennyCrane]

Thanks JoyceKaa, but that site doesn't ship to Canada. I'm also looking for something a little bit higher quality, and with more functionality.

Is anyone familiar with the Breville BCG800XL?