Grinders

[kytyree]

A buddy bought one similar to this (maybe this one) and looking at it I can’t tell any difference between it and the more expensive Japanese hand grinder I bought. Inside and out they look the same, click adjustment for the grind is the same. I showed him how to set it up for his French press and seemed identical to me.

[VertigoCycles]

Are any of you folks using single dose grinders? I'm thinking about splurging on the Lagom P64

[Too Tall]

Are any of you folks using single dose grinders? I'm thinking about splurging on the Lagom P64

That is a gorgeous design. Hot d@mn.

[guido]

I keep thinking this thread is going to be about bench or angle grinders...

[glepore]

The Niche seems to be getting some love. Big flat burrs. Not nearly as pretty, but the price is roughly the deposit on the lagom.

[VertigoCycles]

Deposit made for June delivery. I already have buyers remorse but I'll get over it eventually

[J_B]

The Niche is beautiful, IMO. Many folks are pairing it with the Cafelat Robot, which is this close to being ordered, since cafés are closed. I have a Baratza Virtuoso, which lacks the minute adjustments for dialing in, though I’ve read of a modification that can be done underneath the case to make the burrs sit closer together across the adjustment range.

[Saab2000]

My Nespresso (Kitchenaid style) has served me very well for about 5 years now. But I'm getting a bit bored with the product and I think I'm ready to graduate to the next level of coffee. I normally make two cups of Nespresso each morning but I know I'm not really doing it right, using the small capsules sometimes for larger cups.

I will be receiving a French press today and I may try some drips or something along those lines but I'm pretty much a novice at this.

Is there any reason not to get the Kitchenaid Burr Grinder for grinding my own beans? What about bean storage? Get a couple bags and use what's needed each day?

I have a couple other Kitchenaid appliances and like their heft and quality. This one gets good reviews.

Any tips for a coffee beginner? I don't think I want to go too deep down this rabbit hole but I think I want to graduate to something other than my Nespresso capsule coffee.

[Too Tall]

If you are going to spend on one thing it would be a grinder. Honestly one of the best coffee investments I've made was the Lido-3 hand grinder. It is robust, able to grind to espresso, or any other, size and holds several days worth of beans.

Making coffee is not hard to do nor are the things needed to make killer coffee out of reach. Pour over and French press are amazing yet both depend on a good grind to take it to the next (Vsalon) level ;)

I'll pitch for the Lido because I use it and have gone thru some junk grinders. Learn from my mistakes.

[dashDustin]

My first step into the world of grinders, coming out of the ol' $20 jobs at Target, was a Porlex Mini. That was in....2013? I still use it for pour-over (V60) because I don't want to mess with the espresso settings on my Eureka Atom.

That all said, while I don't think pour-overs or french press methods are as particular about grind as espresso, I do think a solid hand grinder will make a substantial difference in your coffee experience.

I'm not familiar with the grinder that's pictured. But don't second guess the grinder purchase. Even something like the Baratza Encore is a good buy. Loud, but a good buy.

[J_B]

You will notice an incredible difference in your coffee by grinding fresh. That said, the nuances in flavor between a $200 burr grinder and a burr grinder costing twice as much are negligible if you are mainly doing immersion brew methods. Personally, I use a Baratza Virtuoso for my French press or pour-over brews, because I am used to their equipment from my days as a barista. Often times you can get a good deal for one on Prima Coffee.

One suggestion I will make is to use a scale to weigh your beans and your water. This will allow you to keep track of your methods to know what works and what does not work for you as far as extraction is concerned.

[mwynne]

I'll add a vote for a Baratza grinder. I have a slightly older version Virtuoso which has been absolutely perfect for our use (we grind for french press, pourover, aeropress, several times a week). Their slightly more basic Encore also comes very well reviewed. They also have *much* fancier options, and while I want one, I've not personally found a need for more. They also have a rotating stock of refurbished grinders, usually at a pretty discount. My Virtuoso is a refurb, and has been going strong for many years. I have also found their customer support and technical documentation (eg: repair and rebuilding of your grinder at home) to be excellent.

[J_B]

I'll add a vote for a Baratza grinder. I have a slightly older version Virtuoso which has been absolutely perfect for our use (we grind for french press, pourover, aeropress, several times a week). Their slightly more basic Encore also comes very well reviewed. They also have *much* fancier options, and while I want one, I've not personally found a need for more. They also have a rotating stock of refurbished grinders, usually at a pretty discount. My Virtuoso is a refurb, and has been going strong for many years. I have also found their customer support and technical documentation (eg: repair and rebuilding of your grinder at home) to be excellent.

^ I forgot to mention the support of Baratza being reliable. It’s not often that I’ve had an issue with my equipment, but in a commercial setting, sometimes it happens, and they were always helpful.

[dashDustin]

One suggestion I will make is to use a scale to weigh your beans and your water. This will allow you to keep track of your methods to know what works and what does not work for you as far as extraction is concerned.

and this. weighing your stuff and things is super, super helpful. i cycle through 3 different scales.

[Saab2000]

Thanks for the suggestions. Also, I was wondering about a scale so that’s useful as well.

I’ll look at the suggestions you folks have made. One of the reasons I’m intrigued by the Kitchenaid brand machine, in addition to brand loyalty due to previous satisfaction with their products, is the use of glass dishes. But I’ll definitely look at what you guys say.

I am considering a Hario Skerton Pro Hand grinder as well but will probably go electric for my first one, if for no other reason than that I don’t want to spend too much time hand grinding at 3:30 AM as I’m getting ready for work.

[9tubes]

I've had a Niche Zero for a couple of months. Highly recommended. All good, nothing bad about the grinder. It has gotten raves from the pro reviewers. There was a group of pros from Home-Barista.com who compared it to a Compak K10 WBC grinder (built for the World Barista Championships, $2500) and they couldn't tell a difference. Another group of pros could barely tell a difference but they were split on which one tasted better.

[Mark Kelly]

will probably go electric for my first one, if for no other reason than that I don’t want to spend too much time hand grinding at 3:30 AM as I’m getting ready for work.

If you are grinding at zero dark thirty and there are other people in the house, machine noise might be a consideration. If so avoid the Baratza / Mahlkoenig machines, they are very noisy compared to say a Eureka Atom.

IMO the noise is more than compensated by the better grind quality, YMMV etc etc.