Espresso grinder for a student

[vimes]

Hello! I've decided to buy an old school espresso can (a Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker), because ...I love coffee, so much. I am also a student, so cash is tight. I've heard you need a powerful bean grinder in order to make "espresso powder", or the beans won't get ground fine enough. So...my question, I need a good, cheap coffee grinder that does the job. I don't care about fancy, and I don't care if I have to manually grind it, so long as it's cheap and does the job properly. Any suggestions? In advance, thank you for all answers :heart:

 

[shadow745]

It's not really about having a powerful grinder... as it's more about the burrs. Turkish is the only brew method that requires "powder" as espresso range is more like table sugar or slightly finer in texture. Stovetop espresso shouldn't be as picky with grind quality and should be coarser than a typical espresso grind.

You can pick up something like the Capresso Infinity, Baratza Maestro or maybe even the Bodum Bistro for under $100. That should cover your needs on a budget.

If you want to go the hand mill route you can find espresso capable mills for $50~ and many of them can be on par with electric grinders costing hundreds.

Just be sure you source good FRESH coffee. Otherwise you'll be chasing your tail to produce something drinkable.

 

[Startup]

Espresso 101
How to make your espresso the cream of the crop]Last reviewed: December 2009
Making superior espresso requires following a time-honored formula and accounting for such things as room temperature and humidity, says John Fischer, an associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., who has been a manager of popular Italian restaurants in Manhattan. "There are a lot of variables the talented barista knows about," he says. The following tips will help you brew like a pro:

• Buy dark-roasted beans—you'll often see an "espresso" roast in stores. You can also use beans with a French roast. Stay away from beans that are shiny. A glossy coating indicates that the beans have begun to lose the essential oils that add to the flavor and color of the espresso.
• Store coffee beans at room temperature in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. For optimal taste, coffee aficionados recommend purchasing only the amount of beans you will use in a 10- to 14-day period. This will ensure freshness and create a drink with the vital crema.
• Set your grinder to the extra-fine setting to grind the beans to the texture of beach sand or table salt, not to a powder. (You might need to experiment with different grinds before you find the right one for your machine and your taste.) Fischer recommends grinding the beans immediately before using them each time you brew espresso.
• Don't overpack the filter with coffee.
• If you're going to make a drink with milk, use skim or low-fat. Not only will you save some calories but your froth will also be better. According to Fischer, your drink will taste better if you use whole milk.
• Use a metal pitcher when frothing or steaming. It will allow you to sense the temperature, which should be 140° to 150° F.
• Always warm your cups beforehand—the coffee will stay warmer.

The restaurants at the Culinary Institute use premeasured, filtered pods, according to Fischer, because of the precision required to make consistently high-quality espresso. Fischer admits that a machine using a premeasured filtered dose is like a baseball player who hit doubles all the time but never smacks a home run—the results are very good but not spectacular. "With pods, the variables are taken out," he says. "You have a more consistent product but not the best ever."

This little piece describes true espresso made with an espresso machine of some sort. I believe that those little stove top pots produce only extra strong coffee. With that in mind, you'd probably only need an inexpensive "blade grinder" from Walmart etc. to enjoy the type of espresso you want to make. If you decide to invest in a machine, the codffee, the grind and grinder become more important. For what it's worth..... Good luck and enjoy.