Yet another what grinder question.

[ruckin]

This grinder is for my son. He is in dorm room and currently uses a Crossland cc1 and a porlex grinder to make coffee. He mostly drinks americanos with the occasional straight shot. He does not make drip or press coffee in his room.

The problem is that it takes quite a bit of time (1:15 - 1:30 minutes) to grind the beans. He has taken to chucking it in a cordless drill to speed things up and if he does it by hand it takes even longer.

I know nothing about the less expensive end of the grinder spectrum. A zillion years ago when I was looking at grinders it seemed that the Rocky grinder was well respected for its price point. I see that they run about 350 now but there are quite a few other options out there. What is the best espresso grinder out there in the under 400 category?

I am not sure about the dosser vs dosser-less trade off. My assumption is a dosser-less makes more mess but has less retained grounds (at least in theory)?

Ruckin.

.ps I use a Mini Mazzer but those are more than my son can afford at the moment.

 

[Shave_Rat]

My vote would be one of the Baratza brand grinders, probably the Virtuoso for that use. If you watch for a factory refurb, they are well under 400.

 

[takeshi]

Baratza in general will have the best bang for the buck at that end of the pricing spectrum. I'd suggest a Vario but it looks like they're over $400. Not sure what the refurbs go for and currently they're out of stock at Baratza. The Sette 270 appears to fall under $400.

 

[Merle]

HG-1 as a graduation present in the future perhaps?
Its funny, in my life, the benefit of using time as I would like has become a study in conscious here now activities. I suppose it happened somewhere after my 50th birthday so maybe it's hormones, or lack of them!
All that said, grinding by hand really becomes an issue of ergonomics and tolerance of discomfort. It wasn't until I had the HG that I discovered how compromised so many other grinders are.

Baratza are very good quality for the money. Parts which wear are inexpensive, easy to replace. The mill itself is consistent and can help walk in a tough new bean grind. Just remind him, don't move the adjusting ring if it's not running!

 

[StillShaving]

I would highly recommend an Orphan Espresso lido 3 for his situation. I have a Lido 2 which I frequently use for espresso and it takes about 30-45 seconds to grind for a double shot.
It is easy to turn the handle for most brewing methods and beans, only putting up moderate-to-serious resistance when grinding a very light roast.

 

[takeshi]

I am not sure about the dosser vs dosser-less trade off. My assumption is a dosser-less makes more mess but has less retained grounds (at least in theory)?

A doser can have low retention and/or low mess. A on-demand/doserless can have high retention and/or high mess. Many dosers can be modified to sweep more cleanly and to create less mess if they don't come that way from the factory.

It's really more a matter of personal preference and the specifics of a given grinder's design. Retention isn't just a matter of whether or not a grinder has a doser but depends on the grind chamber, exit chute and other characteristics. Mess isn't just a matter of doser either. Some doser designs are messy, others are not. Some on-demand/doserless grinders cleanly deposit grounds, others do not. You really just have to carefully research the options you're considering if low retention and low mess are priorities. Don't overlook the usual espresso sites as resources.

A zillion years ago when I was looking at grinders it seemed that the Rocky grinder was well respected for its price point.

I use a Mini Mazzer but those are more than my son can afford at the moment.

Things have changed a LOT since then. I had a Silvia and Rocky back when they were the go to options. The Rocky hasn't been recommended for a long time for espresso. Its steps are just spaced too far apart to have the required adjustability for espresso. The Mini has not been recommended for quite some time either. Both have excellent build quality but given how the options have changed over more than a decade they're both overpriced and underperforming.

 

[randy35]

I’ve never had problems w my cuisinart conical burr.

 

[Mick]

This grinder is for my son. He is in dorm room and currently uses a Crossland cc1 and a porlex grinder to make coffee. He does not make drip or press coffee in his room.

The problem is that it takes quite a bit of time (1:15 - 1:30 minutes) to grind the beans.

Time is money.

Not much (if anything even in the used market, after repairs) at the $400 level for consistent espresso grinding

I know nothing about the less expensive end of the grinder spectrum. A zillion years ago when I was looking at grinders it seemed that the Rocky grinder was well respected for its price point. I see that they run about 350 now but there are quite a few other options out there. What is the best espresso grinder out there in the under 400 category?

I am not sure about the dosser vs dosser-less trade off. My assumption is a dosser-less makes more mess but has less retained grounds (at least in theory)?

Ruckin.

.ps I use a Mini Mazzer but those are more than my son can afford at the moment.

Minimum recommendation...... Give your son your Mini and get a better espresso grinder for yourself

Problem solved

Next....

.

 

[ruckin]

Thanks turtle... now I am moving from my son spending a few hundred to dad blowing more than a kilobuck upgrading my coffee. I must admit to lusting after a Compak F10 for quite some time.

While an HG-1 would be pretty cool, I kind of like electric grinders. I currently do not single dose and don't think I will change with the new grinder. Other grinders I have heard about: macap m7d, ceado E37... But I am trying to not get a new (taller) grinder until my house is built and my coffee area will not look like the kludge I use today.

Ruckin

 

[state]

I've only had one grinder but I like it enough to have purchased a second one for the office. I find the Hario slim mini mill to be super versatile and the grind time is really reasonable. It is also great for a small dorm space.

 

[Mick]

Thanks turtle... now I am moving from my son spending a few hundred to dad blowing more than a kilobuck upgrading my coffee.

Ruckin

Looks like my work here is done

.

 

[ruckin]

Thanks turtle... Unfortunately, events are stacking up against me for getting that Compak F10 I have been lusting after. My current temp housing doesn't have room for such a grinder (the mini mazzer barely fits). The house I am building will have a dedicated place for my GS3 and a large grinder (woot). But I also recently emptied the checkbook with the roaster I just acquired so the new grinder will need to wait for awhile.

So I guess I need to tell my son that he is lucky to have coffee and that back in my day I had to trudge up hill both ways [1] to college and coffee was something we dreamed about being able to afford someday...

Ruckin (I had no idea shaving sabbaticals could be so expensive

[1] It actually was uphill both ways from where I was living to get to/from school. Or I could be an optimist and say it was also down hill both directions. Since home and school were both located at the top of different hills my physics tells me that no actual work was done.

 

[Mick]

Thanks turtle...

So I guess I need to tell my son that he is lucky to have coffee and that back in my day I had to trudge up hill both ways [1] to college and coffee was something we dreamed about being able to afford someday...

When I was in college, I lived on boiled water, Taster's Choice, and powdered creamer.

Sometimes, if I had a "guest" over, I'd splurge and break out the Nescafe instant crystals

.

 

[ruckin]

I remember walking a startbucks store (I think there was only 3-4 at that time) in the 80's to smell the coffee or to go in there and BS about coffee. In the mid to late 80s they were selling Cremenas (I picked one up for 350) - I kick myself for selling it to buy a Caferex (which I later sold...)

 

[MntnMan62]

What about a Baratza? Either a Vario which is just a little over your budget by about $50 or a refurbished one. Or you could just get him a new Virtuoso. I heard it isn’t the best at espresso but I’m sure it will do a good enough job for a college kid in his dorm room. That one is well under your max budget. I have the Virtuoso but only use it for French press. Check them out. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[migralda]

At the price point there is no better grinder than this..
Eureka Mignon Mk 2 Instantaneo Grinder Auto/Manual - Gloss Black
I realise this is a UK website but they are international.

 

[ruckin]

zombie thread alert... but I wanted to add closure.

tldr - I have solved the grinder problem...

Craigslist is my brother's hobby. He is constantly telling me about some cool item that he thinks I should buy. Well he was going on (and on) about a rocky grinder with new burrs for $100. The fact that this grinder was about 75miles from my house and the fact that I was just too busy to take the time to look at it caused me to put it out of my mind. A day or two later my brother bought a goose neck trailer but doesn't have a pickup. He talks me into picking it up and taking to a place where he can park a 30ft trailer. He brings up the grinder again. I say it sounds cool but I have not had any time for followup. While he was off the the hardware store to get some trailer bits he got a text from grinder guy and by this time they are both in the same neighborhood. When he returns he hands me the grinder and says thanks for picking up and delivering the trailer.

I believe he was being nice because the next thing he will want is to borrow my truck. Sure enough he calls to borrow it while I am using it to get hay. Ok how about next week? No, I am getting rolls of fencing... He is now combing craigslist for inexpensive pickups

Oh and the "rocky" is actually a Rancillo MD40. I am pretty sure it will be fine for dorm room espresso

 

[StillShaving]

Nice that your brother is thinking about your coffee needs, even if he may have additional motivations. I hope it will grind as well as advertised.

 

[ruckin]

I am a happy camper. The thing powers up and I suspect that it will work fine. I managed to find a replacement part for the cracked bean hopper so while it isn't a fancy new grinder I think it will work quite well for the intended purpose.

When my son comes home from school in May we will run some beans through it and dial it in under the guise of father son bonding.

Ruckin.

 

[GC77]

I would advise him to try to make quality brewed coffee. Good espresso can not be done on that budget and without an equally good espresso machine. The Crossland is at the lower end of reproducible straight espresso production. Drown it with milk and its another story but the Crossland isn't a good steamer. NONE of the Baratza grinders I have seen are acceptable for consistent espresso. They are uniformly great for brewed coffee. The best suggestion I have seen above is the Lido but I am going from reading and not experience.