Best grinder for a relative newbie?

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
burningb
Posts: 3
Joined: 9 years ago

#1: Post by burningb »

Ok so I love all things coffee but have only just recently been getting into 'gourmet coffee' and was wondering what would be a good starting grinder? I do have a hefty hand grinder already but was looking for a decent but not to expensive electric one. Have read some reviews but not sure if they're worth looking at. Any suggestions?

cmin
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Joined: 12 years ago

#2: Post by cmin »

Will depend on what equipment/or brewing your doing? Espresso will have to be an espresso ($) capable grinder, but drip you have tons of affordable choices etc. What's your budget?

burningb (original poster)
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#3: Post by burningb (original poster) »

I dont want to go mad. Probably around 80 maximum. Have seen a couple of reviews. One from the Independent - http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... on=gallery and one called the top 12 review - http://coffee-grinders.co.uk/best-coffe ... 12-review/

They look ok but i dont really know the true quality of these grinders.

pacificmanitou
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#4: Post by pacificmanitou »

I can't recommend most of those grinders, and the Baratza encore is marginal. $80 gets you very little in specialty coffee, and is considered the realm of hand grinders. There remain few worth using at that price. You still haven't stated, are you drinking espresso or brewed coffee. Espresso grinders cost much, much more.
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jfrescki
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#5: Post by jfrescki »

You probably don't want to go less than a Baratza Preciso or Breville Smart grinder if you're grinding for drip. You're looking at 200GBP.

The grinder is the next most important thing to the coffee, and you want grind particles as uniform as possible which needs a good burr set to be reasonably aligned in a sturdy burr carrier with a motor capable of turning the burrs under load.....which while not prohibitively expensive for drip ... it ain't easy to do cheaply either.
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cmin
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#6: Post by cmin »

burningb wrote:I dont want to go mad. Probably around 80 maximum. Have seen a couple of reviews. One from the Independent - http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... on=gallery and one called the top 12 review - http://coffee-grinders.co.uk/best-coffe ... 12-review/

They look ok but i dont really know the true quality of these grinders.
You still didn't answer what your doing? Are just making drip? Press? Espresso? I barely skimmed those links and closed them, they have a bunch of crap grinders listed, even krups "bean mashers" which barely have what resembles a burr.

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baldheadracing
Team HB
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#7: Post by baldheadracing »

Any review that calls the Gaggia MDF the "king of coffee grinders" was written by ... well, never mind :roll: .

Of the grinders shown, I would get the Baratza Encore at the low end. You've entered this weird alternate universe where one of the more expensive grinders listed in the reviews you cite barely gets you on the page (e.g., have a look at the espresso grinders at bellabarista.co.uk )

The real question is: what "hefty hand grinder" do you have? You may be better off staying with it. For example, most of the grinders shown may give inferior results compared to (Japanese) hand grinders - for the types of coffee preparation that are popular in Japan (e.g., pour-over, nel.).
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada