Burr Coffee Grinders

[ruckin]

Hmm, I guess I am a weirdo. I have an older mini Mazzer I purchased new that I am about to replace my third set of burrs. It has ground many hundreds of pounds of beans for espresso. Probably more than 1000 lbs but it is hard to keep track I used to buy my green beans in 50-60kg burlap bags from the importer/wholesaler

I would like to replace it with a large conical burr grinder and will probably pick up a Compak K10 (or E/F10) when I find one for a good price.

 

[ProtoGent]

I see the Baratza Encore is quite famous. I love mine a lot. Very consistent and homogeneous burr. Compared to other electrical grinders the noise spectrum is shifted to lower frequency, hence the noise level feels less intense. Very comfortable.

However, the entry question was about a potential manual grinder due to early morning coffee action.

I bought a Commandante C40 Mk3 nitro blade and... it... Is.... AWESOME!!!! . I can highly recommend it. Almost as fast as the Encore. Very easy to drive due to a fantastic mechanic grinder system. Easy to adjust. Very consistent burr. Very robust.


Give it a try

 

[Mick]

Hmm, I guess I am a weirdo. I have an older mini Mazzer I purchased new that I am about to replace my third set of burrs. It has ground many hundreds of pounds of beans for espresso. Probably more than 1000 lbs but it is hard to keep track I used to buy my green beans in 50-60kg burlap bags from the importer/wholesaler

I would like to replace it with a large conical burr grinder and will probably pick up a Compak K10 (or E/F10) when I find one for a good price.

Robur. BIG 71mm conicl burrs. Slow and cool.

 

[MurderousCrow]

I see the Baratza Encore is quite famous. I love mine a lot. Very consistent and homogeneous burr. Compared to other electrical grinders the noise spectrum is shifted to lower frequency, hence the noise level feels less intense. Very comfortable.

However, the entry question was about a potential manual grinder due to early morning coffee action.

I bought a Commandante C40 Mk3 nitro blade and... it... Is.... AWESOME!!!! . I can highly recommend it. Almost as fast as the Encore. Very easy to drive due to a fantastic mechanic grinder system. Easy to adjust. Very consistent burr. Very robust.


Give it a try

A question if you don't mind - are you using it for espresso?

 

[ProtoGent]

The Encore or the commanante?

The Encore does not acheive the correct grain size for espresso. But the Baratza Sette does. The commanante can achieve espresso grade, but it will take quite some time, since it's manually driven.

I never tried it, since I don't appreciate espresso. I am more into hand filter, french or aero. The latter is amazingly well suited for exploring a new coffee in all its facetts.

 

[MurderousCrow]

The Encore or the commanante?

The Encore does not acheive the correct grain size for espresso. But the Baratza Sette does. The commanante can achieve espresso grade, but it will take quite some time, since it's manually driven.

I never tried it, since I don't appreciate espresso. I am more into hand filter, french or aero. The latter is amazingly well suited for exploring a new coffee in all its facetts.

The hand grinder: you've answered what I was driving at - wanted to ask how long it takes for espresso.

 

[Mick]

A question if you don't mind - are you using it for espresso?

I know your question was not directed at me but that has never stopped me from butting in

It depends on your espresso machine.

Ok for a, tampless, preasure basket machine.

The hand grinder: you've answered what I was driving at - wanted to ask how long it takes for espresso.

I brought my Hario Mini down here but it seems to have found a good hiding place.

Mini is an acceptable hand espresso grinder. I've never timed grinding but I recall it was reasonable. You are only grinding 18 grams, how long could it take?

 

[MurderousCrow]

I know your question was not directed at me but that has never stopped me from butting in

It depends on your espresso machine.

Ok for a, tampless, preasure basket machine.



I brought my Hario Mini down here but it seems to have found a good hiding place.

Mini is an acceptable hand espresso grinder. I've never timed grinding but I recall it was reasonable. You are only grinding 18 grams, how long could it take?

No worries. I touched on this in my thread I made when I was looking for a new grinder.

Well, my experience with small hand held grinders is they take around 2min to grind an 18g dose for a shot.

I cannot be dealing with 4 solid minutes of hand grinding to make the 2 espressos that are deeply necessary to me and my partner's early morning routine.

In this, my Pharos is very good. It grinds exceptionally quickly - generally about 1 turn per gram.

As I said above, it can also make superb coffee.

The two demerits for the Pharos are 1. it takes serious effort to grind the light roasts I like and 2. it has a difficult and IMO makeshift adjustment system.

I remain curious about the comandante and similar high end hand held grinders. But with the exception of the helor flux (now discontinued, used Robur 71mm burr set) they all have fairly small burrs and all will likely take a fair bit of time to grind 36g. The gentleman kindly confirmed what I was getting at.

 

[Mick]

No worries. I touched on this in my thread I made when I was looking for a new grinder.

Well, my experience with small hand held grinders is they take around 2min to grind an 18g dose for a shot.

I cannot be dealing with 4 solid minutes of hand grinding to make the 2 espressos that are deeply necessary to me and my partner's early morning routine.

In this, my Pharos is very good. It grinds exceptionally quickly - generally about 1 turn per gram.

As I said above, it can also make superb coffee.

The two demerits for the Pharos are 1. it takes serious effort to grind the light roasts I like and 2. it has a difficult and IMO makeshift adjustment system.

I remain curious about the comandante and similar high end hand held grinders. But with the exception of the helor flux (now discontinued, used Robur 71mm burr set) they all have fairly small burrs and all will likely take a fair bit of time to grind 36g. The gentleman kindly confirmed what I was getting at.

I can't recall how many seconds it takes for my super jolly to grind an 18 oz double. Even when using it multiple times a day. Once I had my single and double time programmed I would place the portafilter in the cradle, push start and walk away and froth milk or purge the boiler. When the DJ turned off I'd walk back, tap it on the rubber mat on the counter and tamp.

Best thing that I did was customize that SJ.

Mazzer Super Jolly Doserless Conversion

The parts are slowly coming in for my doserless conversion. The funnel was here earlier in the week and the timer came in yesterday. The rest of the parts will be in next Tuesday so I can tear it down and complete the switch over. Right now I have the funnel doser on with a piece of cardboard...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Old Hippie]

I realize it's not the sleek dedicated appliance you mean, but for years I've used a vintage KitchenAid grain grinder attachment to grind coffee. It's got cast iron burrs and they're bigger than the burrs in the cheap ceramic grinder I have.

Why use it for coffee? Well, as a grain grinder it sucks. Slow, warms up the grain, difficult to clean the burrs. But one time when I was waiting for a replacement grinder to arrive by dogsled from the nearest Hudson's Bay depot I used it.

It does a nice fine grind for steep-n-strain which is my usual method. Still slow but WAY faster than the human-powered backup.

I see there is also a company called "Mock Mills" -- run by Wolfgang Mock -- that makes a well-reviewed grinder for KitchenAid stands. The KitchenAid folks also have a much newer version of my grinder. Mine was my mother's, purchased in about 1968. Still have the box. It's that lovely avocado colour we all have reflexive vomiting when we see now.

O.H.

 

[MurderousCrow]

I know your question was not directed at me but that has never stopped me from butting in

It depends on your espresso machine.

Ok for a, tampless, preasure basket machine.

I'm not sure what grinder you're referencing here, but the Comandante is able to grind fine enough for proper espresso. One can also buy an aftermarket axle that decreases stops between clicks to something like 10 microns. This equates to practically stepless.

My machine's an E61. I use a naked PF and will bin a shot if it's channeling. Before I got the Pharos I've used low-end hand grinders with reasonable results, but one has to juggle dose as steps on these are generally too wide for optimally dialling in an espresso. And again, it takes a while to grind.

 

[Whilliam]

My Rancilio has given me 20+ years service. Sorry, but I don't know the model.

Noisy, though.

Now, if I can just get around to fixing my Pavoni, I'll die happy.

 

[Tirvine]

The Encore or the commanante?

The Encore does not acheive the correct grain size for espresso. But the Baratza Sette does. The commanante can achieve espresso grade, but it will take quite some time, since it's manually driven.

I never tried it, since I don't appreciate espresso. I am more into hand filter, french or aero. The latter is amazingly well suited for exploring a new coffee in all its facetts.

For espresso the Baratza Sette 270 truly punches WAY above its weight. If you spend the time and effort to dial it in, with a good machine and great beans it makes exceptional espresso. I love the digital measurements and the way the ground beans fall gently, fluffily, right into the portafilter. We have been drinking many more espressos and many fewer cappuccinos and cafes con latte.

 

[2Vu5_T]

Got a Baratza Encore and it works fine. Didn't wake up the so, which is a bonus. Was wondering - how do I use this brush? Must have missed it in the quick look manual. Somehow found this video.

 

[Tirvine]

Best way to clean grinders that I have found is to run some uncooked instant rice through. I learned this from the local guy who services espresso machines for Austin's coffee houses.

 

[GoodShave]

I have been very happy with the 1Zpresso JX manual burr grinder. It is well made and is a good bargain. It does not wake up the family when I make coffee early in the morning and takes up minimal counter space. I have read that the JX Pro would be better if you are doing espresso, if you wanted to stick to a manual grinder for that purpose. The JX is faster than the JX Pro from the reviews I have seen. There have been upgrades to the JX over time and the current JX has 30 grind settings where the original had 24. I believe the JX Pro has even more adjustments to the grind size (at least 40). 1Zpresso makes more grinders that are further up the food chain (as well as more modest ones than the these).

A manual grinder can be your best friend if you lose power and you have a gas stove (or at least a camping stove).

 

[MurderousCrow]

I have been very happy with the 1Zpresso JX manual burr grinder. It is well made and is a good bargain.

That's piqued my interest. A glowing review from the famous Dave C, plus only taking 30s to grind an espresso dose. Wonder how grind quality for espresso compares to a true big burr. I'm certainly fed up with the Pharos, if quality of grind is comparable I may sell and replace with one of these... Not expensive for a high-end hand mill. Now where to try one?!

 

[GoodShave]

That's piqued my interest. A glowing review from the famous Dave C, plus only taking 30s to grind an espresso dose. Wonder how grind quality for espresso compares to a true big burr. I'm certainly fed up with the Pharos, if quality of grind is comparable I may sell and replace with one of these... Not expensive for a high-end hand mill. Now where to try one?!

Here were a few reviews that I found helpful for the JX (and compared them to the JX Pro which seems aimed more for espresso):

My Review of 1ZPresso Jx & Jx Pro | The Coffee Chronicler - https://coffeechronicler.com/1zpresso-jx-review/

And a review after using the JX and the JX Pro for a year:

Note that the links show an older model of the JX but the author mentions the updated look an settings of the current grey JX model.

 

[Old School TSD]

As others mentioned, Capresso makes a great burr grinder. Mine is going on 20 years old, holy cow I'm getting old.
They're all noisy, but for others that may not know, the big advantage is a true flavorful grind.
A blade grinder creates friction and heat in the process essentially roasting away some of the flavor before you even brew.
A burr grinder crushes the bean, sans friction, resulting in a true grind.
You really can taste the difference. Enjoy whatever you choose, but blade grinders should be outlawed IMO .

 

[MurderousCrow]

Here were a few reviews that I found helpful for the JX (and compared them to the JX Pro which seems aimed more for espresso):

My Review of 1ZPresso Jx & Jx Pro | The Coffee Chronicler - https://coffeechronicler.com/1zpresso-jx-review/

And a review after using the JX and the JX Pro for a year:

Note that the links show an older model of the JX but the author mentions the updated look an settings of the current grey JX model.

That's very helpful, thank you!