OT: coffee grinder reccomendations?

[farmersam]

Is anyone grinding for espresso on these? I'm using a POS burr grinder, then putting it in a standard Braum grinder to make it espresso like. I need to upgrade.

I have an older La Pavoni that my Mom stole at an auction for $5. I told her she never had to buy me anything for Christmas ever again (but she didn't listen).

[William]

Originally Posted by farmersam

Is anyone grinding for espresso on these? I'm using a POS burr grinder, then putting it in a standard Braum grinder to make it espresso like. I need to upgrade.

I have an older La Pavoni that my Mom stole at an auction for $5. I told her she never had to buy me anything for Christmas ever again (but she didn't listen).

We picked up the Breville Smart Grinder about two weeks ago and espresso is all I do...so far it's working great. If you watch the review link I posted on the last page you'll see them test it to see if it will grind fine enough for one of their high end machines. We got a great price on it so it was worth checking out. So far, I'm liking it.







William

[jemoryl]

Originally Posted by William

We picked up the Breville Smart Grinder about two weeks ago and espresso is all I do...so far it's working great. If you watch the review link I posted on the last page you'll see them test it to see if it will grind fine enough for one of their high end machines. We got a great price on it so it was worth checking out. So far, I'm liking it.







William

Have Breville upped the ante on their machines? A few years ago when I bought my stuff they mainly made consumer grade machines with pressurized portafilters, which can create 'crema' on an espresso even with a mediocre grinder.

[Idris Icabod]

Originally Posted by farmersam

Is anyone grinding for espresso on these? I'm using a POS burr grinder, then putting it in a standard Braum grinder to make it espresso like. I need to upgrade.

I have an older La Pavoni that my Mom stole at an auction for $5. I told her she never had to buy me anything for Christmas ever again (but she didn't listen).

We have a Mazzer mini that is used only for espresso. Once set it has been great, very adjustable so took a bit of faffing to set grind initially. Looks nice in the kitchen.

[andrew+]

Ex-barista of 5 years here.

+1 on Baratza. Whatever they're calling the model below the Vario (Encore?) is what you want. They're fantastic machines for the price. They'll work fine for espresso too, but if you make a lot of it and know what you're doing, the Vario might be worth it.

If you're totally serious/crazy about espresso at home, go with a Mazzer Super Jolly or Major.

[andrew+]

Originally Posted by jemoryl

Have Breville upped the ante on their machines? A few years ago when I bought my stuff they mainly made consumer grade machines with pressurized portafilters, which can create 'crema' on an espresso even with a mediocre grinder.

Some people on espresso forums have been pretty jazzed about the Breville dual boiler machine that came out a few years back. It's a "real" machine for fairly cheap. No pressurized portafilter nonsense. Durability/longevity seemed like they may be an issue.

home-barista and coffeegeek are great resources for this stuff.

[maxdog]

Originally Posted by farmersam

Is anyone grinding for espresso on these? I'm using a POS burr grinder, then putting it in a standard Braum grinder to make it espresso like. I need to upgrade.

I have an older La Pavoni that my Mom stole at an auction for $5. I told her she never had to buy me anything for Christmas ever again (but she didn't listen).

This post is specifically in response to you, since I realize I have a different take than many here. Since I am also using an old school La Pavoni hand lever machine, I thought you might be open to/interested in my choice. It is a hand grinder made by Zassenhaus. It is probably about 100 yrs old and was restored and sold to me by Orphan Espresso. In case your unaware a good hand grinder is as good as it gets. Electric grinders actually have to be engineered to overcome the inherent problems of being fully mechanized. I have a friend who has a Mazzer, long considered one of the best homeowner makes. I believe mine to be at least as good and consistent. It takes me less than a minute to grind a shot and it is much quieter and smaller. This is all actually true with many fine hand tools. Unfortunately I believe Orphan Espresso no longer sell restored old hand grinders, but design and sell their own. I would bet they are pretty good. I would also stress that not any old hand grinder is good or especially not suitable for espresso making. Orphan espresso tested and rated each one they sold. Good luck.

[AJosiahK]

Baratza Virtuoso +1

for hand grinders go with the Porlex. very portable, ceramic conical burrs. easy to clean and main point easy to set, or reset.

Ive also flown with it and TSA has yet to take it from me. Not great for espresso type brew methods however

Combined it with an aeropress and you can have good coffee anywhere there is hotwater.

---- edit

as for espresso grinders, its really hard to get even particle distribution with even some of the commercial grinders (such as a Mazzer luigi)

But if your dedicated to a good setup and willing to pay a little more, there are small home grinders that work great. Nuovo simonelli and Malkonig make some of the best in the industry.

I always say start with a great, not good, GREAT grinder. And go from there. They have the single most influence over quality of extraction.

d

[William]

Originally Posted by jemoryl

Have Breville upped the ante on their machines? A few years ago when I bought my stuff they mainly made consumer grade machines with pressurized portafilters, which can create 'crema' on an espresso even with a mediocre grinder.

I can't speak to their espresso machines, but they have upped the ante on their grinders. No more shims, and tightened tolerances on their stainless burrs. The Smart Grinder does espresso very well, and the SG Pro will grind fine enough for Turkish coffee.








William

[fiamme red]

So popular, it sold out and is on back order till December: https://www.momastore.org/museum/mom...-1_26669_26671.

Your micro-roasted, small batch coffee beans are artisanal masterpieces, so why would you grind them in anything less? This exquisite machine has cranked out precision-ground beans since the early 1900s, and it's still made in the same factory in Northern Italy. It features a unique conical tempered steel grinding mechanism that's considered one of the best on the market. Its beautiful crank-driven wheel maintains a smooth, even momentum that makes grinding virtually effortless. The grounds are collected in a wooden drawer. 19oz. beans yield 12oz. ground coffee.

[osu cycling]

Using a Krups GVX here... leaves a bit of fine dust regardless of settings, but it seems to get the job done and is consistent.

[SlowPokePete]

Haven't read through what everyone said, so maybe mine was mentioned already, but I have been using a KitchenAid for maybe three years now and it has performed very well...

SPP

[rwsaunders]

For either one cup at a time or perhaps for six cups...try a Hario.

[audi666]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

So popular, it sold out and is on back order till December: https://www.momastore.org/museum/mom...-1_26669_26671.

haha thats amazing

[grawk]

The hario mini broke the VERY first time I tried to use it. I ended up getting a porlex mini that is awesome, but only grinds up to 18g at a time.

http://smile.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-...porlex+grinder