Hi,
I’ve been using a blade grinder for years and just recently realized how badly it affected the brew (took me a while, please don’t hate haha).
So I started looking for a better alternative, with burrs, and from what I gathered, a good manual grinder will beat any fancy electric one, so I guess I’ll be grinding my beans myself now.
I still need your help picking the right grinder for me, so here is my situation :
- I mostly use a moka pot and a dripper, and more rarely a French press, for lack of a proper espresso set up
- I’m also an espresso guy but I will probably end up investing in a decent espresso set up sonif the grinder could manage all of these that’d be neat! (I haven’t started benchmarking for a proper setup yet because enjoying a good ristretto from time to time is fine by me for bow, but any advice on a a machine that is not too pricey is welcome too!)
- most of the time I grind approx 20g of beans
- I buy my beans from a local roaster, in small quantities (by 250g), dunno if this is any relevant
So far here is a list of grinders I’ve seen recommended on this sub :
- 1ZPresso JX pro
- Commandante c40 (but there are different burrs and I don’t know which one I’d pick)
- Capresso Infinity
- Hario mini mill
Haven’t bern really checking the the last two though. There seem to be quite we difference in prices range, so I need your help picking the right model (and size?). I don’t want to spend too much, but I’m okay for a little pricey one if it makes a great deal of difference and it’ll last! Also I’m open to look for second hand grinders unless you thinks it’s a bad idea ?
Cheers and thank you for your help,
Edit : kingrinder’s P & K series are also seemingly a solid choice, if any of you guys have an opinion, I’m interested!
Mind me asking why it has to be a manual grinder?
No hate, I use it when backpacking, but I fear you would get tired of having to do that first thing in the morning every day.
Especially if you’re going to make espresso for 2+ people.
I can’t even imagine having to grind for a full dinner party by hand.If you could consider electric, I’m super happy with the DF64 G2. It’s loud, but gives me consistantly good results when dialed in and is a breeze to maintain. Loads of upgrades too, if you’re like to wander down that path.
Best of luck finding something regardless!
Coffee is more of an after lunch delight for me, I enjoy taking my time, and 90% of the time, we’re just two, so manual sounds like a good option to me since I’ll get more out of it for my buck (seemingly). But you totally make sense and I’m pretty sure I’ll get an electric one later!
I’ve been using the capresso infinity for years, I just do pour over but it’s worked fabulously for me. I haven’t tried the others listed though, so I can’t say for certain if they’d be better or worse.
I just use a mortar and pestle lol. It takes forever and it hurts but you cant make finer grinds.
I HIGHLY the Orphan Espresso Lido manual grinders. I bought a Lido 2 long before they upgraded the burrs and I honestly don’t have any need for the upgrade.
Orphan Espresso has moved on from the Lido 2 but mine will probably survive an atom bomb.
Cons: super high resistance compared to many competing grinders. You’ll get a workout unless you have Rayno Nel forearms.
Thank you for the recommandation, a bit pricey but if it last a lifetime, it’s worth it! I’ll keep it in mind!
I was gifted a JavaPresse Manual Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder for Christmas a couple years ago, and I’ve been quite happy with it.
Thank you for your reply! Very affordable I’ll look into it!
My understanding is that you can’t really get an espresso grinder that’s good for French press and vice versa. It may be a cost thing though - why pay $800 for a grinder and use a $20 coffeemaker. Manual grinders do narrow the gap though if you’re willing to put in the work. Usually, I’m not.
Heard good things about Commandante.
why pay $800 for a grinder and use a $20 coffeemaker.
Nothing wrong with that. People use a grinder that costs thousands and then use a €5 V60 to make pour overs.
The grinder is what makes the difference. The machine isn’t that important for the quality. Even for espresso you can get a decent cup with a cheap-ish machine. A fancy machine mainly gives you workflow improvements. Being able to pull shots back to back, being able to quickly steam milk, etc.
It’s great but it’s $$$.
Fair enough that’s what if heard too, I asked just in case people would consider their grinders good enough for both.
This is less gay than I thought it would be at first
😢
i was expecting a discussion about weed grinders and was looking forward to it 😳
Highly recommend my brilliant cut grinder! We had our chambers made to be green/purple/green so it could be a minimalistic Donatello lol
Sorry about that :/
I read “grinder” as “gender” before I realized where I was.
I really liked my Rancilio Rocky. I love my Niche Zero.
Go to the top of your budget, then try again in five years. Enjoy the ride.
The Hario Mini Mill is solid. Though, personally, I stopped using my Mini Mill when I got a Porlex.
I avoid steel burr grinders. I researched steel burrs - several manufacturers say to NEVER let them get wet. That means they can’t be occasionally scrubbed down, like ceramic burr grinders.
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks!
… I’m really curious why someone downvoted me. It doesn’t bother me, it just seems weird.
I saw a couple comments of ppl specifically saying they don’t like the Hario - probably one of those ppl?
Lol I use an electric blade grinder, which, from the coloring of its plastic case I can only assume comes from the 70s 😂 But I lost the ability to taste and smell things in a deep or nuanced way after long covid in early 2020 tho, so I get to drink crap coffee and eat crap food without a gag reflex now. I’m just reading all these comments with a like “Ah, yes, enjoy your taste buds while you have them” kind of nostalgia
Oh wow. I feel for you. Yes, life is simpler, but you also miss the pleasures.
Check out the Baratza Encore ESP. It’s one of the few grinders around that can handle espresso and French press pretty well. It also has internal shims (and includes extra/spare) for adjusting how close or far the burrs are to make minute adjustments to the grind, separately from the grind dial.
It’s got a 40 click adjustment dial where the first 20 are for fine adjustment for espresso grinds, and then from 21 to 40 is for regular coffee grinds. I do 25 for my pour over, and around 32-33 for French press.
My previous grinder was a Capresso Infinity, and though I liked it, the Baratza is better quality and much easier to clean and maintenance.
The baratza encore is also on my list, but it’s the only electric grinder on it. I’m not set yet, but I think a manual is nice, and easier to carry on a trip. Thank you very much for this detailed review, it’s much appreciated and I’ll take it into consideration!
If you need espresso, be sure you’re looking at the Encore ESP, not the original Encore.
For something easy to carry on trips if you want a manual, Timemore makes good stuff. I have a Timemore C3S. Supposedly it can adjust down to espresso sizes but I haven’t tried it.
I keep the Timemore as a back up in case power is out and my house battery is low, but I haven’t had much opportunity to use it other than my initial testing.
I only do pour over and French press, but I’ll just say I don’t think I’d want to hand grind for espresso, would be a pain to do that with any regularity.
Thank you for the tip, I’ll make sure to check the ESP!
I haven’t seen anything about Timemore in here yet, but I’ll throw my recommendation for those in the mix. I’ve got a C3ESP Pro and it’s great for pourover, moka pot and espresso grinds. It’s not quite up to snuff for French Press, but I don’t know if any hand grinder is gonna be capable of doing both ends very well without breaking your budget.
My sister just got the C5S Pro and it’s also great, the burrs are slightly more precise than on mine but it takes a little while longer to grind 20 grams than on my C3ESP. Both of these are well within your budget, if you wait until January 1st they’ll be slightly more affordable on AliExpress. Good luck and happy grinding!
a good manual grinder will beat any fancy electric one
You mean the price/quality ratio? Sure. I used to use Hario Skerton at work, and it’s been doing its job fine, although adjusting the grind was quite annoying. Also i think it has a very narrow adjustment range, which might be a problem if you use different brewing techniques.
Manual grinders are a great budget option, they punch well above their weight, comparable to electric grinders that are 2-3x the price. I’ve been happy with my 1Zpresso X-Ultra for pour overs. While it can do espresso, it’s quite a bit more work when you get that fine in grind size.
For espresso, I was able to get a Timemore 078s at a discount that I’ve been happy with it though there are a lot of options these days for electric grinders in the $300-$800 price range.
As a quick hack, you can also pair a manual grinder with a cordless screwdriver/drill. Just go easy on the power as it shouldn’t take all that much to match or exceed hand power.
Fun tip, and thank you for your reply!
I’ve used my Comandante C40 almost daily for several years, so I can just comment on that. Was mostly doing pour overs but lately exclusively espresso. No complaints so far, it’s done everything I’ve asked it to and held up well. It’s built solid, the only fragile parts are the top cover is made of plastic and obviously the bottom jar is made of glass. Can grind fine enough for espresso so I haven’t felt the need to get an electric grinder just yet.
Price is usually the big hurdle for people, I don’t disagree but since I’ve used mine a lot, I think I got my money’s worth. It also matches my espresso machine (Odyssey Argos) so another personal reason I chose it. YMMV.
Other tedious parts are if you switch between grind sizes a lot just have to remember your preferred settings (# of clicks) to dial back in. It’s pretty consistent but still don’t like switching once I’m dialed in.
Oh forgot to add, I’ve taken it camping/backpacking along with my Aeropress so that’s another benefit of a manual grinder.
Yeah, going on trips with my grinder sounds like a nice upgrade!
This will satisfy your drip and moka pot needs. It might do fine for espresso but as others have recommended you may need something different for that route. It’s a relatively affordable burr grinder. I’ve used mine daily for 8 years to do pour over - https://www.baratza.com/en-us/product/encore-zcg485
I see recommendations for the Hario Mini Mill and a comment that it is slow. I haven’t used that specific one but I use the Skerton Pro because it’s got a higher capacity and is compatible with standard jars if I break the factory jar.
The mechanism looks to be identical, so I can’t imagine your 20 g requirement would be a problem in terms of time; I’m usually grinding 50 g in 2-3 min.
