Grinder recommendations

[Ciaron]

Can anyone recommend me a stand alone grinder?

Is a burr grinder essential?

Been looking at this one:
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Krups+GVX2+Expert+Grinder/630552342,default,pd.html

What do you guys think?

 

[letterk]

What kind of coffee do you drink? What is your budget? How serious about coffe are you or expect to be?

 

[Ciaron]

At the moment I drink ground coffee from the supermarket shelf (albeit the "premium" varieties) made in a bodum french press. My budget is <&#163;100 preferrably about the &#163;40/50 mark.

I'm not *that* into coffee (definitely not going to be going the self roasting route - well probably not). I just want to try something different.

 

[theperfectstorm]

A good grinder?

My college girlfriend. She should be about 40 now. Can't imagine she's gotten nicer.

 

[Jasonian]

In your budget, I'd suggest this one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dualit-Burr...r_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1231890511&sr=8-1

From what I understand, Dualit = Solis = Baratza.

Nice little home grinder, though it's not adequate for espresso. If you're just using it for everything but, you should be golden.

 

[JBHoren]

A good grinder?

My college girlfriend. She should be about 40 now. Can't imagine she's gotten nicer.

+1

 

[Thebigspendur]

In your price range the closest quality machine I would recommend would be a Solis Maestro.

 

[letterk]

Solis Maestro would be my recommendation as well. I have the Plus model, and it's been running strong for about two years now.

 

[Velomane]

Another vote for the Solis Maestro. Mine's been around for about ten years and has ground many, many pounds (or simply, many kilos) of coffee.

 

[Jasonian]

And if that's too much, try a Capresso Infinity.

 

[redbike]

And if that's too much, try a Capresso Infinity.

How about the other Capresso's - like the 551?

Thanks,

jim

 

[Jasonian]

I wouldn't glance at the other Capresso's, really.

The burrs on those aren't sharp, and it wouldn't be much different than the B&D grinder mentioned in another thread. You wouldn't be getting your money's worth.

 

[glassmtn99]

The Starbuck Barista is a re-branded Solis Maestro (at least the model I bought 5 years ago is) BUT it does not grind as fine. I have a La Pavoni espresso machine with a handle and it does not do well with very fine grinds so the Starbucks Barista is perfect for it.

eric

 

[LagerLover]

I'm still using my Braun 3045 for coffee, I don't care for espresso. I hate plastic grinders because you constantly have to deal with the statically charged grounds jumping out of the reservoir. I have been looking at the Kitchenaid pro series grinder because it is cast metal and glass, but so pricey!

http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=Coffee+Mills+&+Grinders&cat=227&prod=1838

Anybody have experience with this monster?

 

[freqz]

Anybody have experience with this monster?

Yup. I've been using one for a couple of years now (4? several, anyway). Awesome for everything up to espresso. The resolution in the selection is not quite good enough to call it an espresso grinder. You have two, maybe three adjustments in espresso territory...not enough if you're going to get picky.

Negatives: Price...a bit spendy. Not well suited for espresso (there may be some mods or a workaround, but I haven't looked into it)

Pros: Quiet-- This thing won't wake the kids or the wife in the morning. No static-- Glass hopper + Glass catcher = no static. Tidy-- Nearly no mess from this dude. Build quality-- it's a tank. Looks-- looks great on the counter. Did I mention it's quiet? The noise and the mess are what caused me to dump the Capresso I had before my KA.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with the Proline for everything but espresso. Press and drip are well served by this grinder.

 

[Commander Quan]

LagerLover I just got the Kitchenaid pro after xmas and have been using it the last couple weeks. It it my first burr grinder so I don't have anything else to compare it to but it works very well for me. I normaly make coffee in the press every morning and it's coarsest setting it excellent for this it give me a very clean cup even better than preground beans I was buying. For drip I grind on setting 3.5 and it works well with my gold filter. If your looking for a machine to do espresso it's the bare minimum I would get, but I don't so it's good enough for me.
As far as the machine its self it's a hunk. 10 lbs. of grinder and low RPMs compared to a lot of other machines so it's quite and it won't heat up the beans. Taking it apart to clean is easy as long as there are no beans in the hopper. The glass collecting bin feels a little light so I try not to bang it around to much. You also could easily grind into a measuring cup if you wanted to so you knew exactly how much you were grinding.

 

[Jasonian]

Let's clear something up really quickly.

If you're looking for a capable espresso grinder, and the grinder you are looking at costs less than $200, it's not the grinder for you.

For espresso, expect to pay at least $200 for a grinder.

 

[greenbackcut]

For some good reviews of all things coffee, especially grinders and brewers, try the Coffee Geek Site:
http://www.coffeegeek.com/

Lots of reviews from consumers and articles on new products and all things coffee. I think it is a good resource.

 

[LagerLover]

Yup. I've been using one for a couple of years now (4? several, anyway). Awesome for everything up to espresso. The resolution in the selection is not quite good enough to call it an espresso grinder. You have two, maybe three adjustments in espresso territory...not enough if you're going to get picky.

Negatives: Price...a bit spendy. Not well suited for espresso (there may be some mods or a workaround, but I haven't looked into it)

Pros: Quiet-- This thing won't wake the kids or the wife in the morning. No static-- Glass hopper + Glass catcher = no static. Tidy-- Nearly no mess from this dude. Build quality-- it's a tank. Looks-- looks great on the counter. Did I mention it's quiet? The noise and the mess are what caused me to dump the Capresso I had before my KA.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with the Proline for everything but espresso. Press and drip are well served by this grinder.

I'm SOLD! Now I just have search out the best price. Espresso tastes like gunpowder to me anyway.

 

[mankini]

I love my Baratza Virtuoso, it has a wide range of grind from french press to expresso, very even grind no matter the setting, $199