Coffee Bean Grinders

[Mikado463]

I know we kind of blended the whole 'coffee discussion' into one thread and I was asked to provide some feedback once I received my new OXO Burr Grinder so I though I'd start a new thread for grinders alone.

The OXO finally arrived Thursday and after an initial washing it's up and running to perfection. NO static !!!! That alone makes me 'ecstatic' ! The grinds are uniform and perfect IMO, overall design, quality of materials is superb. The only quibble I have and it's minor, is that when the metal catcher is inserted into place the supposed 'click' one is to hear is barely audible, so you're sometimes wondering if it is aligned properly and the proper orientation of the catcher lid also come into play.

On a 5 star rating I'll give it a solid 4.5

 

[lovinthehd]

Good to know about the Oxo, I like most of their products.

Think I'm pretty happy with my conical burr grinders....a Baratza Virtuoso for an electric, and a 1Zpresso K-Plus for a hand grinder (for espresso). Static goes away fairly quickly but I can get rid of it quicker if needed. On the hand grinder (basically a two shot quantity) I just add a coupla drops of water on the beans and no static....but also goes away fairly quickly if I don't do that. I have a slow work flow so static doesn't particularly get in the way I suppose.

 

[MaxInValrico]

I know we kind of blended the whole 'coffee discussion' into one thread and I was asked to provide some feedback once I received my new OXO Burr Grinder so I though I'd start a new thread for grinders alone.

The OXO finally arrived Thursday and after an initial washing it's up and running to perfection. NO static !!!! That alone makes me 'ecstatic' ! The grinds are uniform and perfect IMO, overall design, quality of materials is superb. The only quibble I have and it's minor, is that when the metal catcher is inserted into place the supposed 'click' one is to hear is barely audible, so you're sometimes wondering if it is aligned properly and the proper orientation of the catcher lid also come into play.

On a 5 star rating I'll give it a solid 4.5

I'm not very particular on the grind size or uniformity. I actually would like to get a grinder that is battery powered rather than powered by an ICE.

 

[Swerd]

The OXO finally arrived Thursday and after an initial washing it's up and running to perfection. NO static !!!! That alone makes me 'ecstatic' ! The grinds are uniform and perfect IMO, overall design, quality of materials is superb. The only quibble I have and it's minor, is that when the metal catcher is inserted into place the supposed 'click' one is to hear is barely audible, so you're sometimes wondering if it is aligned properly and the proper orientation of the catcher lid also come into play.

Glad to know the OXO is good. It's seems like $100 is roughly the lowest price (in the USA) where you can expect to get a decent coffee grinder for general coffee brewing (but not for espresso). And OXO does seem to sell good products in general.

It's now mid-winter, and your new coffee grinder is static-free when brand new. I guess, the next test will be if it begins to develop static after about a month of daily use. I don't know of anything that is 100% resistant to static. It naturally occurs with burrs grinding those beans in a dry atmosphere. But, it's good news that OXO has figured out a way to minimize the static in the grounds catcher. If it develops some static in the winter, and goes away in the other seasons, it's still a good product.

 

[Swerd]

I'm not very particular on the grind size or uniformity.

Neither was I – until I replaced a ~40-year-old twirly blade grinder (made in West Germany) with a new one (made in China) that produced too wide a range of grind sizes. Each day's grind contained enough very fine grounds that it clogged the drip coffee maker's paper filters.

The old grinder, a wedding gift, always worked well until the day I saw the insulation on the power cord had cracked, revealing bare wire. Before I got that replacement blade grinder, I never understood the complaints about ground size uniformity.

That's what drove me to get a burr grinder.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I don't get commissions from 1st-line, but speaking of great value for a coffee grinder, this Quamar, at nearly 1/3 price of MSRP, is well worth the trip if you live somewhere near Freehold, NJ.

*SOLD* SIDEWALK SALE - Quamar Q50E Electronic Stepped Doserless Espresso Coffee Grinder OPEN BOX (E013) | 1st-line Equipment, LLC

This product has been sold.

www.1st-line.com

I genuinely hope that OXO serves OP for many years reliably, but based on personal experience, it's a common mistake to buy too cheap of the grinder.

 

[ryanosaur]

It's seems like $100 is roughly the lowest price (in the USA) where you can expect to get a decent coffee grinder for general coffee brewing (but not for espresso)

This is very true.
I had a Breville for a while that was really neat... but didn't grind anywhere near fine enough for Espresso, even though it was advertised for that. Once I started getting for educated about Grinders, I quickly found the "Step-Up" point for a good quality Espresso Grinder at about $300.
Of which, I am on my second Lelit "Fred" mini grinder in 14 years, with my current one being 4 years old.

An interesting conversation I had, not too long ago, with a guy at 1st Line Equipment indicates that even those machines are of mediocre quality and don't necessarily equate to what he considers a "great" Grinder until you are spending >$800.

I will say, the Lelit Fred has served me well. There are aspects of it I wish they would change, but for simplicity of use and size... it has been a wonderful change in my own household experience. Doserless and Stepless MicroMetric adjustments are the key thing for me. I also Single Dose rather than fill the Hopper and store beans in there.
Arguably the worst aspects for me are the Chute which is just a poor design, but not a deal breaker. I wish it came out a little further from the machine and wasn't so squared off. I am also not a fan of the Fork for resting the PortaFilter and really dislike their Button for activating the machine.
To this last point, I prefer to manually press the Button and I rotate the Portafilter under the Chute for proper Grind Distribution. The "engineered concept" they seem to have is for the user to just mash the portafilter against that Button and hold it there while a gopher-mound of grinds just piles up.

But for $300 vs >$800, I have a very good Conical Burr Grinder that performs well and gives me a high quality grind for my Espresso habit.

 

[lovinthehd]

I get pretty nice grinds, and a wide variety of settings, from my 1Zpresso K-Plus, wonder how it ranks.... as long as you don't mind a little work https://1zpresso.coffee/product/kplus/ Plus in a power outage I'm still getting a cuppa....

 

[cpp]

Glad to know the OXO is good. It's seems like $100 is roughly the lowest price (in the USA) where you can expect to get a decent coffee grinder for general coffee brewing (but not for espresso). And OXO does seem to sell good products in general.

It's now mid-winter, and your new coffee grinder is static-free when brand new. I guess, the next test will be if it begins to develop static after about a month of daily use. I don't know of anything that is 100% resistant to static. It naturally occurs with burrs grinding those beans in a dry atmosphere. But, it's good news that OXO has figured out a way to minimize the static in the grounds catcher. If it develops some static in the winter, and goes away in the other seasons, it's still a good product.

I've had my OXO for a few years and even my Baratza Encore has static. Takes a second to tap the side and bingo its gone. A good article on grind static. https://www.lowkeycoffeesnobs.com/coffee-grinder-static/

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

This is very true.
I had a Breville for a while that was really neat... but didn't grind anywhere near fine enough for Espresso, even though it was advertised for that. Once I started getting for educated about Grinders, I quickly found the "Step-Up" point for a good quality Espresso Grinder at about $300.
Of which, I am on my second Lelit "Fred" mini grinder in 14 years, with my current one being 4 years old.

An interesting conversation I had, not too long ago, with a guy at 1st Line Equipment indicates that even those machines are of mediocre quality and don't necessarily equate to what he considers a "great" Grinder until you are spending >$800.

I will say, the Lelit Fred has served me well. There are aspects of it I wish they would change, but for simplicity of use and size... it has been a wonderful change in my own household experience. Doserless and Stepless MicroMetric adjustments are the key thing for me. I also Single Dose rather than fill the Hopper and store beans in there.
Arguably the worst aspects for me are the Chute which is just a poor design, but not a deal breaker. I wish it came out a little further from the machine and wasn't so squared off. I am also not a fan of the Fork for resting the PortaFilter and really dislike their Button for activating the machine.
To this last point, I prefer to manually press the Button and I rotate the Portafilter under the Chute for proper Grind Distribution. The "engineered concept" they seem to have is for the user to just mash the portafilter against that Button and hold it there while a gopher-mound of grinds just piles up.

But for $300 vs >$800, I have a very good Conical Burr Grinder that performs well and gives me a high quality grind for my Espresso habit.

I don't entirely disagree with 1st line guy, After going thru 2 grinders that were subpar for espresso, I settled with a solid entry-level (good) espresso grinder for $500 (as an open box) - its current price starts at $595.

Fiorenzato F4 Nano V2 Espresso Coffee Grinder | 1st-line Equipment, LLC

www.1st-line.com

Honestly, if you ask me, this is the cheapest entry-level espresso grinder one should buy.


For me, GREAT espresso grinders start around $1000 with models like this one:

Ceado E37 J Espresso Coffee Grinder | 1st-line Equipment, LLC

Ceado E37 J Espresso Coffee GrinderSteady Lock GrinderThis system, unique in the world, ensures in any working stress condition a constant distance between ...

www.1st-line.com

Grinding coffee for drip and pour-over are more forgiving brewing methods and need courser grinds, so I assume there are good and cheaper grinders than these two. I firmly believe in buying pricier but more robust appliances from the start that hopefully will last longer.

 

[cpp]

I don't entirely disagree with 1st line guy, After going thru 2 grinders that were subpar for espresso, I settled with a solid entry-level (good) espresso grinder for $500 (as an open box) - its current price starts at $595.

Fiorenzato F4 Nano V2 Espresso Coffee Grinder | 1st-line Equipment, LLC

www.1st-line.com

Honestly, if you ask me, this is the cheapest entry-level espresso grinder one should buy.


For me, GREAT espresso grinders start around $1000 with models like this one:

Ceado E37 J Espresso Coffee Grinder | 1st-line Equipment, LLC

Ceado E37 J Espresso Coffee GrinderSteady Lock GrinderThis system, unique in the world, ensures in any working stress condition a constant distance between ...

www.1st-line.com

Grinding coffee for drip and pour-over are more forgiving brewing methods and need courser grinds, so I assume there are good and cheaper grinders than these two. I firmly believe in buying pricier but more robust appliances from the start that hopefully will last longer.

Agree, ( I dont drink espresso) but my brother is an espresso guy and he notes, a good accurate grinder is key to good espresso..

 

[Mikado463]

I actually would like to get a grinder that is battery powered rather than powered by an ICE.

do you have yours hooked to the PTO of your tractor ?

I remember as a kid my aunt and uncle having a hand operated grinder. As for a battery one I wonder how effective with respect to run time it would be ?

 

[Swerd]

I've had my OXO for a few years and even my Baratza Encore has static. Takes a second to tap the side and bingo its gone. A good article on grind static. https://www.lowkeycoffeesnobs.com/coffee-grinder-static/

Don't you live in Florida, where the humidity is almost always higher than elsewhere in the USA? Did you ever live someplace where central heating was essential during roughly 6 months out of the year?

I do tap my grind catcher bin sharply on the kitchen counter. In the dry winter, it helps, but only a little. In warmer weather, when the heat is not running, this works much better.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

do you have yours hooked to the PTO of your tractor ?

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832505083400.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

 

[tonyE]

Good to know about the Oxo, I like most of their products.

Think I'm pretty happy with my conical burr grinders....a Baratza Virtuoso for an electric, and a 1Zpresso K-Plus for a hand grinder (for espresso). Static goes away fairly quickly but I can get rid of it quicker if needed. On the hand grinder (basically a two shot quantity) I just add a coupla drops of water on the beans and no static....but also goes away fairly quickly if I don't do that. I have a slow work flow so static doesn't particularly get in the way I suppose.

We also have a Baratza Virtuoso, the current one with the electronic timer.

When I grind for espresso, at the 6 setting, I don't get static. But when I grind at 18 for drip or 26 for french press I do get static and coffee will stick to the cup. A solution is not to use the cup for espresso and to use instead the optional portafilter holder and just set the timer to put 19 grams. ( I don't do singles, only doubles ).

I'm thinking of getting another grinder just for espresso so I won't have to mess around with the grinder so much. I like the ones with a doser attachment but I'm afraid that will leave ground coffee around after grinding it. I'd rather move to a grind/brew a double shot at a time. Baratza makes the Sette 270Wi... but I'm running out of space on the counter. It's bad enough I got so much audio equipment that we're running out of house space ( no stereos in the bathrooms yet...), the kitchen is also bursting at the seams...

BTW, I got the optional hoppers with the ON/OFF valve. Never used as such, but they look cool, so there, I got them. ;-)

 

[Mikado463]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832505083400.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

now that's a grinder !!

 

[Teetertotter?]

I'm strictly a drip coffee person with no muss, no fuss. I buy ground coffee at the grocery store for my Keurig. A grinder for me, is another item to maintain. Just thought I would chime in with my 1 cup Keurig maker.

Our Kitchen cold water tap is filtered to eliminate SCALE, then taste, as primary objective. Coffee never tasted so good. Bad water, bad coffee.

 

[Eppie]

You people and your fancy grinders. This manual grinder is adjustable and works just fine. Counts towards my daily exercise routine at the same time!

 

[cpp]

Don't you live in Florida, where the humidity is almost always higher than elsewhere in the USA? Did you ever live someplace where central heating was essential during roughly 6 months out of the year?

I do tap my grind catcher bin sharply on the kitchen counter. In the dry winter, it helps, but only a little. In warmer weather, when the heat is not running, this works much better.

Yes I do, but I also have AC, impact windows and humidity inside the home is usually around 45-55 %. We were using our AC twice last week. We leave it on 77 and never touch it. The only time we had to use the heat was when we get some weird cold front like we did around the past Christmas, ( 27 degrees for 6 hours). Our coldest months are usually mid Jan to Feb, with some surprises in early March. Of course living on the coast, the sea breeze really keeps temps in check.

 

[ryanosaur]

You people and your fancy grinders. This manual grinder is adjustable and works just fine. Counts towards my daily exercise routine at the same time!

I’ve almost purchased a similar hand grinder for those days I want a pour-over for special occasions… guests, Irish Coffee… both.