Coffee grinder mechanism quality

[Rob Young]

After purchasing a can (go ahead, make fun) of pre-ground coffee a while back and finding that it was already bad I've decided to make purchasing fresh, whole bean coffee a bit more of a priority. The canned stuff gets used during the work-week when I'm in a hurry.

I have a small electric grinder (Braun) and it works great but I'm thinking it might be fun to use one of the manual grinder mechanisms.

Rockler and others sell mechanisms. My question is to the quality of the mechanisms. Which one seems to be the best quality and will last for a while?

Thanks.

[Jeff Nolan]

those mills are labeled "decorative" which makes me believe they are not intended for actual use.

Fresh ground beans are the way to go, in this case I think I'd stick with the Braun

[Rob Young]

those mills are labeled "decorative" which makes me believe they are not intended for actual use.

Fresh ground beans are the way to go, in this case I think I'd stick with the Braun

I saw the admonition in the instruction sheets. The "decorative" label seems to be some lawyer weasle-wording to make sure the suppliers don't get in trouble. Reading all the instructions, they also state there may be some metal shavings present at first as the burr settles in.

Just so long as they aren't made from melted down children's jewelry...

The Braun is so freakin' loud!

[Jeff Nolan]

The Braun is a mass market consumer grade appliance, which is why it is noisy. The grinding mechanism is also not as precise as a good burr grinder and the entire unit generates a lot of heat which can char to beans. The key to a good cup of joe is only partly the quality of the beans, the precision of the grind has as much or more to do with the whole process.

If you want a high quality, quiet grinder check out the Capresso or the more expensive Baratza, which for $150 is expensive but will rival anything in your local espresso cafe.

[Cameron Reddy]

If you are serious about good coffee, you need to invest in a serious grinder. The least expensive way to do that is to rebuild a commercial grinder. I've paid about $150 for used grinders (Mazzer Super Jolly @ about $750 new) with great success. I replace the burrs, the power cord, and parts from the dispensing mechanism. And don't forget that you need a separate grinder for decaf!

Here is an excellent grinder for home use:



Check out this supplier for new stuff: http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/grinders

Cameron Reddy

[Thomas Bank]

Reading all the instructions, they also state there may be some metal shavings present at first as the burr settles in.

Just so long as they aren't made from melted down children's jewelry...

Made in China? I would be concerned about the cadmium and lead content...

[hugh lonner]

If you are going to go with a hand grinder the key question is do you want to grind for espresso or just brewed coffee. If just brewed coffee, it is easy to pick up a machine on ebay to restore. if not it is a bit trickier.

Cameron is right that the Super Jolly is an amazing home grinder although it is designed for espresso and not as much for brewed coffee. The Baratza Vario is also amazing and cheaper new, but harder to find used.

If you don't want to break the bank there are some more affordable hand grinders. You can buy one on ebay and it may or may not grind well enough for espresso. You can buy a vintage, but restored grinder from orphan espresso for about $75.

http://www.orphanespresso.com/

If you want to restore it yourself (thus the post on SMC) I still wouldn't hesitate to contact Doug at Orphan as he is full of good advice. Perhaps he'd be willing to sell you a "certified grinder" cheaper if he doesn't have to restore the wood since you are going to do that part, or perhaps not I don't know.

The consensus among coffee snobs seems to be that hand grinders aren't as good today as they used to be (even from the same companies), but that the only way to know if an old machine is up for making espresso is to try it this is why Orphan is such a good resource.

By the way, an incredible resource for espresso info is Home-barista.com

http://www.home-barista.com/

[Jeff Nolan]

Made in China? I would be concerned about the cadmium and lead content...

It's always a concern but with the advent (and chaos) of CPSIA everything that comes in through U.S. customs has to include a test certification for lead and other regulated materials.

BTW, before we go and start a panic about cadmium we should determine if there are in fact any adverse health effects related to this heavy metal.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/che...?wprss=checkup

[Kent A Bathurst]

FWIW - guy I got to know on a diff forum made a few for family Christmas presents answered the query I sent after I read your post by saying this:

Kent - The coffe grinder. My sisters don't use it for grinding, but it does grind, and the burr assembly is adjustable for any consistency desired. It works suprisingly well. I wouldn't be afraid to use it on a daily basis.

Here's the Rockler link. I'm looking forward to building the one with the cool handwheel.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10756

[Darius Ferlas]

I used to use a manual coffee grinder for years. Always great results, but if I needed it finer (like flour) I would grind it twice.

Later I used to use an electric grinder from Braun. It worked well and no real complaints about it. The issue has always been the actual grinding - takes time. Eventually I decided then to switch to ground coffee. Many European ones are ground very fine. My favorite is a UK based Gala. German brands are equally good.

I also don't use a coffee maker which (when you factor in the bleached filters) almost defeats the purpose when it comes to quality coffee beans.

Most probably know it, but coffee is best stored in a freezer.

[Jason Roehl]

Coffee is best stored in a refrigerator. Freezing the grounds/beans causes them to sweat out the oils too much when you take them in/out each day.

I've been using one of the cheap, consumer-grade, blade-style "grinders" for quite a few years. I wore the first couple out, which included a free factory replacement of one my mother gave me when she didn't want it any more. My latest one has been going strong for probably at least 5 years now. 20 seconds for regular drip coffee and 30 seconds for espresso, Eight O'Clock Columbian whole bean.

[Thomas Bank]

...everything that comes in through U.S. customs has to include a test certification for lead and other regulated materials.

Seems like lately, every time I turn around there is another article about something made in China having dangerous contents in it. Something that is labeled as being for "decorative" use isn't going to have to pass the requirements needed if it was labeled for food use.

[Neil Zenuk]

I've made two coffee grinders with the grinder from Lee Valley, they're about $17 CAD. Seems to work fine, you can even adjust the grind size and made from cast iron so it can feel at home with your old planes. Tho like most everything from Lee Valley unless it's made in Canada they rarely say.

And on a side note I must say I'd agree with Thomas with the quality of Chinese made goods. But it's more about how much people want to pay for goods then anything else in my option. If you want to pay $1 for a crappy kids toy better expect it to have some low cost (a.k.a. toxic) way to produce it. Plus the thing most people never think about is all the waste material that goes into making the salable item. All the left over reagents from the chemical processes and whatnot. Seeing how the EPA can't protect the environment, the FDA can't seem to regulate the drug industry from releasing drugs with questionable testing, the CIA can't protect against terrorists, and the media can't seem to dispense info without a clean bias, I wouldn't trust that the CPSIA is testing everything that comes into the USA. The illusion of safety is much cheaper then actually providing it.

But back to the grinders, I'd say try the one from Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,250,43298) I haven't had a problem yet. Plus you can see the grinder I just finished in the project section (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=133511)

[Greg Portland]

Peugeot makes a good manual grinder. I think you can buy Peugeot salt and pepper mechanisms so perhaps the coffee mech. is also available for purchase, try calling them:

Toll Free: 1-877-777-5914.
Email: info@psp-peugeot-usa.com

(Canadian Customers Click Here)

Customer Service hours are:
Summer (mid-May to Labor Day)
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday
8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays

Remainder of the year:
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.