I am currently waiting to for my Vario in the mail and want to avoid having to change the settings for pour over and press pot. I have read many times that bouncing back and forth could be slightly frustrating on the Vario, so I am looking for a cheap grinder that is suitable for pour over and press pot. After looking around at reviews the Hario Mini Mill might be what I am looking for.

I probably go for the pour over and press pot 10% of the time. So, I am having a hard time justifying paying more than $50 for a dedicated grinder I will use not so often.

I have looked around a bit on this site for user experiences, but of coarse majority of the discussions are focused on grinding for espresso. Does any have experience with the Mini Mill for pour over/press pot?

The Hario Mini isn't very good for press pot, even modded.

Sadly, $50 is synonomous for SOL. Even more sadly, good grinding for press and brew -- whether hand or motor driven -- starts in the $200 price range, with the Baratza Virtuoso, Breville Smart and OE Lido.

All three grinders use a conical burr set. The Virtuoso's is 40mm conical burr set, the Smart's is as well (could be 38mm), while the Lido's is 38mm. FWIW, the Smart's burrs are stainless. I don't know about the other two.

The old Lido is extinct, but the new model 2 -- same burrs but better ergonomics -- should be out in the next few weeks. If you want an exact date, so do lots of other people. If you want something which grinds extremely well for non-espresso, the Lido 2 is a no brainer. Check the OE site daily, as no doubt the first couple of lots will sell out within hours of being offered.

Our Smart no longer suits our purposes -- which have grown to include fairly frequent cupping and more frequent non-espresso brewing -- forcing us to replace it with something with much bigger burrs (80mm) and hugely more expensive (don't ask). Even so, my recommendation of the Smart is enthusiastic. It is a particularly convenient and user-friendly grinder, looks nice on the counter, has way more than enough adjustability for any kind of brewing other than espresso, returns to grind settings with consistency, better than a Vario consistency, has the world's greatest hopper, and is worth every nickle despite being kind of plasticky.

The Virtuoso is on a par with the Breville. In exchange for Baratza's better build quality, you give up some of the Breville's feature set and convenience. You could say that the Baratza is more prosumer and the Breville more consumer -- but in this case, the distinction is much more an evaluation of looks than performance.

I have no clue regarding comparative burr longevity, nor -- for that matter -- a guess as to individual burr longevity. Comparative "in the cup" grind quality, is indistinguishable and "good." "Very good," starting with a Vario with steel burrs, is costs more; while "Excellent," beginning with Bunnzilla (at least it damn well better begin with Bunnzilla) costs considerably more.

BDL

BDL is much more knowledgable, but just a thought. Demands for pour over grinding are far less than espresso. Many have relegated a used Rocky doserless to pour over. Consistent fluffy grounds, very user repairable and compact. And are not disposable toys. I have seen several used ones for 150 or less in like new condition. And the stepped burrs on the rocky are not a factor for pour over, actually a plus in my book. Just a thought.

I'd say go for it!

I have a Mini and it was my first burr grinder that opened up a can of worms. At 40 bucks new, it is hard to beat and will do a very good tight drip grind (read just about espresso). I used it for a year at my office in school with a V60 and Aeropress. Not as good as a Virtuoso but, hell, 40 bucks gets you fresh coffee with the convenience of leaving your espresso grinder in that range. This grinder served me well for almost two years until I got more serious (Pharos for espresso and Virtuoso for everything else)

For 10% of your coffee needs, buy the Hario Mini Mill and you'll be happy. If you find your needs changing then, at a later day and time, you can follow BDB's excellent advise as the next step up. I now own a Virtuoso (used on CL for 120 but basically new) for drip and couldn't be happier. Of course, this is until the Lido2 comes out...as I'll immediately buy one (Pharos wants a baby brother) and sell the Virtuoso.

You can also play vintage grinder roulette and potentially get a better deal and grinder but you probably have to do a ton of research. I bought two vintage grinders on Ebay for cheap (I think under 15 each) and neither was better than my Mini and both were rusty and crusty. I don't want to deter you from this route, just giving my very limited experience with them. I'd like in the future to get some cool vintage hand grinders but I haven't braved reading the mega Hand Grinder Jive thread yet.

Good luck!

Another option:

How can I forget the PFP by our friends OE???

http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-Lower- ... _4066.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Hario-MSCS- ... 4176af0ed4

The links above are for a Hario Skerton (big brother to the Mini Mill) which is still affordable at under $40 shipped and new. And the OE kit to make it stable for larger grind sizes, hence the name Perform for Press (PFP). You can go to the OE site for videos and more details as I have no personal experience with it.

WWBeagle wrote:BDL is much more knowledgable, but just a thought. Demands for pour over grinding are far less than espresso. Many have relegated a used Rocky doserless to pour over. Consistent fluffy grounds, very user repairable and compact. And are not disposable toys. I have seen several used ones for 150 or less in like new condition. And the stepped burrs on the rocky are not a factor for pour over, actually a plus in my book. Just a thought.

I only briefly owned a flat burr grinder (NS Grinta ~ Rocky) and was not impressed with the grind quality in the drip range and higher. My conical Encore was much much better in this range. So, if the Rocky is anything like the Grinta, I wouldn't recommend a Rocky for only drip range. You can do better (or, not worse) for much less money.

boar_d_laze wrote:....The Hario Mini isn't very good for press pot, even modded.
Sadly, $50 is synonomous for SOL. Even more sadly, good grinding for press and brew -- whether hand or motor driven -- starts in the $200 price range, with the Baratza Virtuoso, Breville Smart and OE Lido.....

Thank you for the very informative response. I know that if I want a good grind I need to spend some money. I just recently shelled out extra money for the Vario. I upgraded from the Preciso because I received two sub par Precisos in a row (subpar for espresso grind, another topic entirely though). I would love to be able to afford to buy another fairly good grinder for my pourover/presspot needs but I just do not have the funds for it right now. Maybe in the future.

Do you happen to know the price on the Lido 2? Would it happen to be in this $200+ price range, since it is your list?

I am really just looking for something that will get me a decent cup here and there, without feeling as I pay for it. Should mention, I just graduated college... Paying back loans and such, really puts a damper on getting those fun toys.... for now

beer&mathematics wrote:I'd say go for it!

I have a Mini and it was my first burr grinder that opened up a can of worms. At 40 bucks new, it is hard to beat and will do a very good tight drip grind (read just about espresso). I used it for a year at my office in school with a V60 and Aeropress. Not as good as a Virtuoso but, hell, 40 bucks gets you fresh coffee with the convenience of leaving your espresso grinder in that range. This grinder served me well for almost two years until I got more serious (Pharos for espresso and Virtuoso for everything else)

This is good to hear. I am not expecting a top notch grind from the Mini Mill. Just a grind that is better than my last resort blade grinder . I got it many years ago, before I was introduced to better means and tastes.

I suppose when I get down to it, that should have been the first question, and it might be a laughable question but...

Will the Mini Mill perform better than my Cuisinart blade grinder?

IntrepidQ3 wrote:Will the Mini Mill perform better than my Cuisinart blade grinder?

I've never used a blade grinder. I can say that if you buy the Mini, don't bother with french press as it will probably not be much better than the blade (my guess). It does a really good job on drip range. If the 10% is all french press, then either stay with blade grinder until you get sick of the sludge or buy the Hario Skerton with PFP kit. At under 60$, you can't go wrong and it also have the benefit of being portable for when you go on vacation or camping or whatever.

Btw, the price of the Lido 2 has not been announced yet. The Lido1 was (IIRC) $165. I am guessing that the Lido2 will be much more...like $200-250...it is feature loaded.

Thank you, it seems I have a little bit more research and thinking to do. I will look more into the Skerton and the mod. I do like the idea of the grinder being portable.

I am going to do some looking around and see if I find anything that compares the Mini Mill, Skerton, and the blade grinder. If I find anything interesting, I will come back and post the link(s).

As for the Lido 2, I would rather purchase an electric grinder at that price. For hand grinder enthusiasts, I am sure that it would be well worth it, as it seems to be designed very well.

IntrepidQ3 wrote:...
I am going to do some looking around and see if I find anything that compares the Mini Mill, Skerton, and the blade grinder. If I find anything interesting, I will come back and post the link(s)...

After some looking around I did not find anything that directly compared the Hario Mini Mill, Hario Skerton to the blade grinder. Meaning side by side grind comparisons. But from what I understand is that the Mini Mill and Skerton is a step over the blade. These Mini Mill and Skerton grind instead of 'chop', this is the best term I have for the action of a blade 'grinder'. Also the Mini Mill and Skerton do not introduce heat during the grind, as a blade grinder does (altering the taste of the final product). The Mini Mill and Skerton do not provide consistent coarse grinds (as mention previously in this thread) but seem to be surprising capable of producing a grind fine enough for espresso (no comment on taste quality, just capable of pulling a shot). With that said, I suppose you could say it also provides more control over grind size compared to a blade grinder.

These are the most helpful links I found. If there is something more helpful, I must have over looked it.
http://www.sweetmarias.com/library/tiny ... dum-c-mill

http://prima-coffee.com/blog/hario-skerton-vs-mini-mill

http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/hario-mini-mill-slim (video)

https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffe ... 988&Page=1

The last link provides a cheap mod for the Mini Mill to provide better burr stability for a more even coarser grind. The mod is very cheap, uses scotch tape or a post-it. Needless to say it could come undone during heavy use or a period of time. Even with the mod it does not compare to grinders in the $200.

beer&mathematics wrote:I'd say go for it!

That is what I am going to do. It is a cheap solution that will provide a better grind than my not so great back-up blade grinder till I can afford to upgrade. Maybe I shouldn't say 'not so great'. I came across a thread (not here, but another popular coffee forum), an individual swore by their blade grinder for espresso and other brew methods, claims it works much better than a burr grinder (wish I could make the eyes MUCH larger!). I guess this just further proves that the only thing that matters is that you like whats in your cup .