Grinders etc

[dklaiman]

I drink cheap coffee at work and at home, primarily because the local chains of "gourmet coffee" (think Starbucks and Caribou) don't taste any better to me than the pre-ground whatever is on sale stuff I can get at Target or the grocery store. I'd like to improve the coffee drinking experience without going overboard.

I suppose the first thing I need is a grinder. Apparently, a hand or burr grinder is the way to go. Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive one for a guy starting out?

Also, I use a cheap drip coffee maker with a metal filter. Would you recommend I change that up, too, and if so, to what?

Thanks.

-Dave

 

[tsmba]

The taste differences between pre-ground coffee and grinding your own OLD beans probably won't be striking. No matter how they are packed, stale beans are....stale beans. If, on the other hand, you choose to buy freshly-roasted beans (or better yet, to roast your own) you will need a good grinder. You want something that grinds consistently and with minimal fuss.

Hand grinders (like a Zassenhaus) can do a good job, but it does take some work. Blade grinders should be avoided as their grind is pretty inconsistent. A good burr grinder will likely be the best choice. Check out the review section on Coffeegeek.com for tips. A good vendor (like Sweet Maria's, Chris' Coffee, etc) may costy a few dollars more than a discount house, but these places stand behind their products and may even offer service or replacement burrs.

These comments assume you are NOT looking to grind for espresso. That requires even more precision and (of course) expense.

 

[Jim]

Just as a follow up to Toms fine post-another factor in "it all tastes the same" can be your coffee pot. Most drip pots do not get hot enough to extract the soluble compounds that make up a good cup. Most perks over extract and destroy the same compounds.

 

[Jasonian]

You might try getting some coffee from Paradise Coffee Roasters.

They are located in your area. They are (were) excellent roasters not long ago. R. Meza went on to do field research for Hula Daddy in Hawaii, and I haven't tried them since. (not intentionally) I would be hard pressed to believe that he didn't make sure that his brother really knew what he was doing before jetting for HI.

http://www.paradiseroasters.com/

Check their "About" page to prepare. Paradise rocks.

 

[Gruder]

I have a Capresso Infinity burr grinder. It's certainly not the most expensive/best burr grinder out there, but I've been quite pleased with it for well over a year now. +1 on freshly roasted coffee. Perhaps a coffee shop near you roasts and sells their own? If not, there are plenty of mail order options. I've had great experience with Counter Culture, but that's just one of dozens.

And to see the difference between drip and fuller-flavored, perhaps your next (and relatively inexpensive) step could be an aeropress. I've enjoyed mine.

 

[DFrancis]

I have a Breville burr grinder and it works a dream. I would say stay away from the Kruups as myself and my brother each had one that crapped out after only 2 years.
I would also say get a french press, you can appreciate the coffee you get much more.
As for coffee, forget about starbucks and see if you can find a local roaster and pick up some coffee from them.

 

[mouscacha]

I have a Capresso Infinity burr grinder. It's certainly not the most expensive/best burr grinder out there, but I've been quite pleased with it for well over a year now. +1 on freshly roasted coffee. Perhaps a coffee shop near you roasts and sells their own? If not, there are plenty of mail order options. I've had great experience with Counter Culture, but that's just one of dozens.

And to see the difference between drip and fuller-flavored, perhaps your next (and relatively inexpensive) step could be an aeropress. I've enjoyed mine.

I got one of these for my wedding, and it has done it's job for the past 4 years... The only issue I had was how much is still left within the grinder even after tappin the side a few times and making sure the machine ran for a few more seconds.

 

[SiBurning]

Good options for a simple coffee maker are a press pot, the plastic topped melitta manual drip (the ceramic topped one is poorly designed), the clever coffee dripper, or a ceramic filter holder that fits on top of a cup. With the latter ones, you can use cone (aka. Euro) paper filters or a gold filter or even an inexpensive nylon cone filter. I'd go with either the press pot or the ceramic filter holder, if only because I abhor what plastic does to coffee. The gold filters also have some plastic, but not much. Heck, a $1 coffee sock works fine, too.

If you use a paper filter or sock, or don't mind mud in your coffee, you can get away with a cheap grinder for a while, but a good one will make more consistent coffee. What happens is the finer particles over-extract and the larger ones under-extract. If you like milder coffee, you can balance poor particle sizes against brewing time, especially if your filters stand up to stirring--if you try to extract completely, you'll end up over-extracting the fines, but I usually prefer a 3 minute extraction, which is a short enough time to prevent over-extracting, but others might think this coffee weak. But I wouldn't spend much money on a cheap grinder. A good grinder will cost at least $100 (roughly) new, unless you get a smaller manual grinder.

More important than anything is fresh beans that you grind immediately before use. Problem is, you also have to like how they're roasted. That's where I've fallen down and ended up getting a small electric roaster. I'm very happy with it. At least when I remember to use it a day or two before.

Keep us informed.

 

[dklaiman]

I'd go with either the press pot or the ceramic filter holder

Is a press pot just a french press?

 

[SiBurning]

Is a press pot just a french press?

yup

 

[dklaiman]

Thanks. I'll plan to pick up a relatively inexpensive one and a grinder over the weekend. If it doesn't work out, I can always go back to the old standby--Eight O'Clock Coffee. Yum.

 

[thanks]

I do just fine and get nice consistent results with my Zassenhaus hand mill. It's a manual grinder priced a little over $70 at Sweet Maria's. It's really not as much extra trouble as everyone makes it out to be, unless you're making coffee for three or more people, that is. For personal and one guest use I find it to be fantastic.

 

[StillShaving]

Good advice on this thread. Whether a grinder is most important might depend on what type of coffee you like to drink. As the drip brew method is more tolerant of bad grinders, meaning a whirly blade.

In addition to good advice about brew methods from Steve, I would also recommend that you consider the Aeropress. I have made some very good cups from this device, but there is a lot of parts to cleanup so it is not the end all method. As for drip makers the Technivorm-Moccamaster is considered as one of the best, if not the best machine. I have a Capresso and like the coffee it makes.

 

[huntmol]

For most people a reasonably priced blade grinder will suit their purposes just fine.
I've had this one for a while, and I love it:
http://www.amazon.com/Krups-203-42-...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1280558445&sr=8-1

I personally believe that the biggest improvement people can make is buying fresh roasted whole beans from a local store in small amounts,and only grind them right before you brew.
No need for a fancy $100-$200 burr grinder unless you're making espresso.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Thanks. I'll plan to pick up a relatively inexpensive one and a grinder over the weekend. If it doesn't work out, I can always go back to the old standby--Eight O'Clock Coffee. Yum.

I love the 8:00 Columbian. Consumer Report does, too, giving it the highest ranking of all whole bean coffees.

The French Press is good, and due to their growing popularity and market base, they are getting inexpensive. A Moka is good, too... there should be a wiki on it. Bialetti is the originator and they still make them... they are probably the most common coffeepot in Italy. Then there is the Creole style enameled drip pot... you boil your water and manually drip it into the ground coffee. http://www.thecajunconnection.com/ has one though they call it a Cajun style coffeepot... this is really originally a Creole type coffeepot. Cajuns adopted it only well after WWI and before that time it was made cowboy-style. The Creole coffeepot gives you a lot more control... you can control all the variables. There is also an aluminum version that I grew up using on shrimp boats but obviously the enamel is superior for not introducing wierd tastes. All in all, I give the French Press a slight advantage over the other types.

 

[Jasonian]

I feel like the basic hierarchy of good coffee is missing in this thread.

What's more important than the knife for a chef? The quality of his raw ingredients. Then the knife. Then the pan(s).

Coffee is no different.

More important than the grinder is the quality of the roast (as well as freshness). Similarly, better roasted coffee always starts with higher quality un-roasted coffee. Your resulting cup is only as good as the ingredients that you start with.

Next on the list is the grinder. (like the knife) Then the brewer. (like the pan(s))

This is why the first thing I did is mention a source for high quality roasted coffee close-by. (or what I would assume is close by)

 

[Bullwinkle]

doesn't get any fresher than Stauf's in Grandview (columbus, oh).. bags of raw beans and the roasters are on the premises. try the local favorite Baba Budan blend. (can't go wroung with any of them)

http://www.staufs.com/

 

[Will P.C.]

Many online roasters will get the coffee to you within 2-3 days of roasting it. Sometimes faster if you decide to pick one in your state or region.

I use a cheap Krups grinder. It sucks, but gets the job done since I use the Clever Coffee Dripper. The CCD is foolproof and such a great idea.

I own a few other things like the aero, french, moka, but really like the CCD.

 

[dklaiman]

Thanks for the responses. I've placed an order for some beans with Paradise Roasters. They did warn me that my coffee consumption may be too low to result in optimum bean life, but we'll see what happens. They also suggested I start out with a cheaper grinder and use my old coffee pot until I decide whether the taste difference is worth a bigger investment.

Thanks, again.

-Dave

 

[Jim]

Pick up a plastic pour over filter cone and give it a comparison to your current pot.

Good luck and keep us posted!