Coffee Grinders

Been trying to reply to this for 15 minutes...

Mick good choice of topic, well mainly because I want one as well! We had one of these below and it broke. To be honest the coffee nerds say that they are no good as they cut through the beans and chop rather than grind. So for the moment all I can say is that don’t get one. I’ll post again if I find a good one.

Mick,
for a gentleman such as yourself who likes quality equipment, there's only one option - Mazzer Mini - just remember that they're a LOT cheaper if you buy them in Europe rather than the UK.

John is it this
£345

yes, but I got mine here - Eis Fassbender - where they're sold for less in euros than the asking price in pounds.

How and where do you take it?

Harry

Chaps

Thank you for the replies. It appears that coffee grinders are divided into two types.

a) those with blade cutters
b) those who burr the beans between two plates or rollers.

Evidently the best results come from the burr type but I do not need an industrial one, just a good domestic one.

If Adam Merideth is reading this thread, for goodness sake, give infopop a right bollocking.

The Naim forum has always been reliable in terms of service and speed but now it seems like it is powered by an elastic band. Most unsatisfactory.

Regards

Mick

well if the Mazzer

quote:

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And we had an inkling early on in this test that the Mazzer Mini could very well be the ultimate grinder for the home

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is too industrial for you tastes, then take a look at the Gaggia MDF.

There is the Dualit Burr Grinder - it is about £50 to £60 - it is also (or was ) sold at StarBuck's shops under ther own label.

We have one and it works well

Dualit Coffee Grinder

Derek

<< >>

Mick,

This question has been asked by myself a while back and covered before. I also have a Gaggia Classic, and to get the best from that machine you need to spend a similar outlay on a burr grinder. As I'm sure you know you are looking for 2 oz. of espresso in about 25 secs. Longer or shorter than that and the espresso will be bitter or too weak (over/under-extracted). The biggest factor in this is the fineness of the grind, other factors include freshness and how hard you tamp. So you must have a grinder that can produce a repeatable consistent grind. Blade grinders just will not do.

I have yet to buy a burr grinder because of the cost, and instead use Illy pre-ground espresso (about 1 can/week). Not cheap, but always produces good results. However, if I take the plunge, the Rocky Rancilio grinder is considered a top notch machine at around $300. It is also in stainless, and I would imagine makes a nice match for the Gaggia. You, can of course go for a more professional machine like the Mazzer. Whatever you do, don't skimp on this. Do it right or not at all -- hence why I still get the Illy.

I hope that helps,

Dan

Hi Mick

I also have a Gaggia Classic and get vey good results with a Gaggia MDF grinder, it's very adjustable.

Steve

If you're going to spend a fortune on a grinder why not buy a new Gaggia 'bean to coffee' machine. Was at a friends last night and she gave me a demo of hers! Amazing machine. It just does the lot ie grinds the beans and makes the coffee at the touch of one button. They are available on eBay at good discount.

Simon F

quote:

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Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Chaps

If Adam Meredith is reading this thread, for goodness sake, give infopop a right bollocking.

The Naim forum has always been reliable in terms of service and speed but now it seems like it is powered by an elastic band. Most unsatisfactory.

Regards

Mick

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We are due to migrate to the new software and server around Tuesday. Prior to that I imagine there was a need to do a serious maintenance on the database and this treacly speed is the result.
As I understand things - the present (original) package does not allow on-the-fly database management. This can be the reason that the search fails.
More on Monday when I get back to work.

Also - does anyone know where I can buy Kimbo pre-ground espresso. Waitrose sold it but dropped it several years ago. A lovely blend of strength without bitterness.

From InfoPoop - in Hi-Fi Corner.

quote:

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Originally posted by Paul Hutchings:
I use a few forums hosted at Infopop and they've all been slow the last day or so.

A quick scout on Infopops site turned up that a power cable inside their data center got cut yesterday, meaning that pretty much all the power/UPS failsafes got bypassed and everything died very suddenly, had to be switched back on bit by bit, and then they found there were speed issues which they've been working on.

Paul

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I have been away from my desk since Thursday - back on Monday.

Yes, burr grinders are better...not just because of the way they mash the bean, but also because the blade cutters create subtle amounts of heat that can have adverse effect on release of flavors and oils from chopped up bean.
Capressa makes nice burr grinders..but I'm sure others do as well.
But they are only worth it if you have something worth staying awake for. Remind the Mrs.

I second Derek's recommendation, I have the Starbucks branded version. It works like a champ.
Burr grinding is a must for decent coffee.
Really oily beans such as French Roast sometimes temporarily clog the mouth but they can be encouraged with a wooden pusher. I will not be putting my fingers down there!
Happy Coffee Drinking,
David

Mick

I have the same Gagia as you and it is a great machine that gets used every day.

I used to have a blade grinder which was rubbish, do not bother with one. I then had a cheap (£65, I forget what make it was) burr grinder which was adjustable and had a dispenser like they have in coffee shops, ie flick a lever and it dispences the correct amount into the fliter holder, but his was also rubbish. I think maybe as it was plastic it was not rigid enough

I had never been able to beat the quality of Ille ground coffe in the red and silver tin.

For my wedding in November, my best man bought me one of these
a Kitchen Aid Grinder.

It is built like a tank and I am now a 100% beans man. I can strongly recomend it. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer and also their blender, all of which are excelent.

Go and have a look a the Kitchen Aid machine, I think it is what you are looking for,


Simon

Simon is quite correct. The Kitchen Aid is the best grinder without spending £300+.

The only problems it has are that the grinder adjustment should be infinitely variable and not click stops, and at the moment it's only available in red or satin black. Apart from that it beats the oposition by far and sure to look good in Mick's kitchen.

Always glad to help you Mick.

Count'd

You have given good advice in the past so I shall look into it and let you know how I got on.

Regards

Mick

Chaps

I have just placed an order for the Kitchen Aid grinder priced at £138.50 which seem very reasonable for the quality.

Many thanks to you all for your help, especially Simon and Count'd.

Regards

Mick

quote:

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Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Chaps

I have just placed an order for the Kitchen Aid grinder priced at £138.50 which seem very reasonable for the quality.

Many thanks to you all for your help, especially Simon and Count'd.



Regards

Mick

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Micky old bean. Is it correct that you turned down a 3,5 million quid advertising deal with Nescafe' beacuse of your principals ?


Fritz Von Wot a load of old bollocks really

Fritz

Yes it is true.

Mick

Mick

Has it arrived yet. I am eager to have confirmation that it meets the Parry standard for quality and design.

I am also tempted to start a "blend your own coffee?" thread. I would be interested to hear if anyone buys individual types of beans, mixing them to create a bespoke blends. This is surely the next step for us grind-it-yourself types.

Simon

Simon

It is due to arrive next week.

Regards

Mick

Mick;

Having "discovered" the Kitchen Aid grinder in a shop on Saturday, I would agree that this could well be the best burr grinder available in the UK at less than 300 quid. They're 139 quid in Kitchens -- you may have done better. Overall fit & finish appears to be superb, and there is nothing about it (that it was possible to spot on an unpowered display model) which was likely to irritate long term -- for example, it's hard to imagine it spilling bits of ground coffee when you transfer from the grinder.

All the transparent bits are glass (make sure you can get replacements if you drop them) and the whole thinkg is seriously heavy, so it probably won't walk arround the worktop. The top bowl unscrews, giving unrivalled access to the mechanism for cleaning.

Do report back when you've tried it!