Coffee Grinders ...

[JPDyson]

This might be public knowledge, and I may be boring you by sharing it, but - the Baratza Maestro, Maestro Plus, and Barista (Sbux refurb model) are all essentially the same machine with varying bells/whistles. The Maestro is the base, the Barista adds pulse, and then the Maestro Plus adds a timer on top of that. The Barista is a painted silver housing, and Baratza warns that it's not as durable as the plastic's unpainted surface (may chip/flake/peel etc).

So, note that anything you read related to the grinding performance of one relates across the board (assuming they're referring to the newest revision - the motor was somewhat recently upgraded). The distinction is in bells/whistles for these three. FWIW, I gather that for everything this side of Espresso, these are excellent grinders.

 

[Mer]

Just ordered the Capresso 560.01 Infinity from Amazon too. I finally wore out my Zassenhaus grinder. Lots of play in the burrs now causing uneven grinds. Probably been happening for a while and just now noticed it.

Can't wait to try it. My last electric was a Braun blade that was relegated to pulverizing the cat's vitamins when I got the Zassenhaus.

I use the Capresso Infinity burr grinder. $85 on amazon.

 

[JPDyson]

Just ordered the Capresso 560.01 Infinity

I've heard good things. Congrats!

 

[cybrok]

Since we're on the subject.

At the moment I use a Saeco Via Veneto. It needs a finer grind than some other espresso machines. I was considering a Breville conical burr grinder, available locally. Is there something better for under 200$?

 

[JPDyson]

Since we're on the subject.

At the moment I use a Saeco Via Veneto. It needs a finer grind than some other espresso machines. I was considering a Breville conical burr grinder, available locally. Is there something better for under 200$?

Baratza Virtuoso (I used to have the Breville; the Baratza is a far better grinder and has better long-term support and parts availability).

 

[Quintar]

I use the Capresso Infinity burr grinder. $85 on amazon. I've had the Baratza Maestro and I can'tm tell any difference.

Thats the one I got after looking around. it's a gear reduced conical burr grinder. so far it works great. very even grind size and a wide range of possible sizes. only thing i don't like is that it doesn't have an on/off switch, it uses a timer knob so you have to know how many second you want to grind for...or twist the hopper all the way to stop it from grinding. which is annoying because it messes up what grind setting you had it on. so i end up pulsing 2 second grinds several times...

 

[Koken]

Depends on what purpose you want this to serve, I own a $100 + Saeco burr grinder and a $15 Mr. Coffee. To grind my gourmet coffee I use the Saeco but if you want a great general purpose grinder the Mr. Coffee works well...

 

[JPDyson]

only thing i don't like is that it doesn't have an on/off switch, it uses a timer knob so you have to know how many second you want to grind for...or twist the hopper all the way to stop it from grinding.

Couldn't you just turn the timer knob to zero when you're done? Admittedly, I pre-weigh the beans before they go in the hopper, but I end up putting too much time on, and then the grinder runs empty, I turn the timer to zero (on my Baratza - bet it works fine on the Capresso).

Depends on what purpose you want this to serve, I own a $100 + Saeco burr grinder and a $15 Mr. Coffee. To grind my gourmet coffee I use the Saeco but if you want a great general purpose grinder the Mr. Coffee works well...

I would disagree with any blade grinder being a good "general purpose" grinder. They're passable at best for french press, decent for auto-drip if you use them well, and useless for Moka/Espresso. They're essentially a "one or two purpose" grinder.

 

[cybrok]

For my french press I also use a cheap blade grinder. Works well with some practice.

 

[Quintar]

Couldn't you just turn the timer knob to zero when you're done? Admittedly, I pre-weigh the beans before they go in the hopper, but I end up putting too much time on, and then the grinder runs empty, I turn the timer to zero (on my Baratza - bet it works fine on the Capresso).

no it specifically states to never do that as it will damage the timer. Several people on forums stated they did it without reading the directions and they broke the timer...just annoying, not a deal killer. everything else is great about it.

 

[JPDyson]

no it specifically states to never do that as it will damage the timer. Several people on forums stated they did it without reading the directions and they broke the timer...just annoying, not a deal killer. everything else is great about it.

Design fail. Every toaster oven made since 1974 has a timer you can manually advance. No excuse for that, Capresso.

I say the best fix is to only put in the hopper what you're going to grind right now, grind until it's empty, and it it runs a couple seconds long, no worries.