Hello, I've seen the Sozen mills mentioned a number of times. Does anyone have a recommendation for an online vendor that they trust?
Thanks,
Cyrus

I bought mine from Barista Sepeti, based in Turkey. However, shortly after getting it I received an email from the owner saying he'd set up a new website specifically for international orders. If I'm not mistaken, it is:

http://turkishmills.com

I also see they are selling the one specifically modified for coarse grinding (French press) as well. That one should be similar to the other one kahvedelisi has. They should be able to send you a cezve as well.

The service from them was good, but I can't remember the owner's name.

(P.S. I'm originally from Saskatchewan, too)

Thanks SR,

I had come across that site... But thought I'd put it to my betters in the coffee calling to see what site they recommended.

Great to meet a fellow stubble jumper! Would you believe that it was +4 today?

Cheers.

You're most welcome. And, I guess I should also say welcome to Home Barista. Feel free to post about your coffee experiences in Regina (that helps me a lot whenever I make a trip back to SK ). If you have any questions about Turkish coffee, better ask kahvedelisi. She's a fountain of knowledge.

Would you believe it is only 13°C here?

It arrived today. 10 days from order. I ground some rice to clean it out, and on the finest setting it was powdery. Can't wait to use it on coffee. I just roasted some Ethiopian Yigracheffe fair trade organic from Roca Jack's.

Thanks to SlowRain and kahvedelisi. The journey begins...

SlowRain wrote:
. . .it is:

http://turkishmills.com

The service from them was good, but I can't remember the owner's name.

I lived in Ankara for a number of years and developed something of an ability to scratch when I struck a school friendship with ties to the history department;- we often set off together in afternoons to traverse an outlay of hills surrounding and older parts of the city, in suburbs near and comprising a spread of Ankara, among them Ulus, for Roman coinage dug up by farmers and sold in tiny but colorful local shops. It was where tea, not coffee, seemed a culturally preferred cordial offered at least to roaming guests in search of a bargain. Although we did at one point as travel to Istanbul, it was only for a day or two for visiting its historical highpoints and astounding covered bazaar.

Perhaps, this item would be the very same which effendim Kahvedelisi prefers to use.

http://www.amazon.com/Sozen-Coffee-Grin...B002MQU5SM

At the Turkishmills dotcom site, the best I'm able to figure a currency exchange at US dollars, is at something closer to an additional $65US, at a total shipped for $100US. The Amazon item may very well not be the same as you've purchased. I was only looking at these grinders, just some weeks ago, however it wasn't clear to me at the time which brand would be best known for a serviceable working unit. Believe I'll jolly well add the name Sozen alongside some notes I keep in a coffee folder.

SlowRain wrote:I bought mine from Barista Sepeti, based in Turkey. However, shortly after getting it I received an email from the owner saying he'd set up a new website specifically for international orders. If I'm not mistaken, it is:

http://turkishmills.com

I also see they are selling the one specifically modified for coarse grinding (French press) as well. That one should be similar to the other one kahvedelisi has. They should be able to send you a cezve as well.

The service from them was good, but I can't remember the owner's name.

(P.S. I'm originally from Saskatchewan, too)

How does the grind quality for these Sözen mills compare to other hand grinders?

I have a Hario Minimill and an old PeDe...the PeDe is so nice is makes me not want to use the Hario anymore, but the PeDe is dedicated to espresso and I'm still using the Hario for french press and drip. It seems like the modern hand grinders are not very good and the old ones can be excellent. Is the Sözen inconstitant like the modern grinders or can it make a very even grind and hold it's settings well like the old grinders?

My limited opinion is that grind quality looks very good; consistent would be the word.

As to cost, mine was USD 51.71, shipping included, from the above mentioned site.

The Sozen is designed for Turkish grind and, apparently, does it very well. When I was doing my research on what Turkish grinder to get, Sozen seemed to be the one most recommended--and that was from a couple of people right in Turkey. Next up was one called Acar, and then one called Hon. The Zassenhaus 175 Havana was in there somewhere, too, but Sozen came up as number one from those that I asked.

It's made quite well by the Sozen family in their little shop in a market somewhere in Istanbul. Everything is either brass or steel. It'll last a long, long time provided you don't get water anywhere in it. Grind some beans in it every so often if you aren't using it regularly, just so it doesn't seize up. I don't think rice is recommended in any grinder, but that's something you'd better ask the vendor. I put through about half a pound of the cheapest beans I could buy from the supermarket just to get rid of the manufacturing smell.

I used my Sozen for espresso for a while, but I think my Polex does a better job for things coarser than Turkish. However, that website also sells one that's specially manufactured for French press. I'm curious to know how well that works.

From the sheet that came rolled around the grinder...

...The best way to clean internal parts is to use your grinder! Just add some coffee beans or rice into your mill and grind them. By doing so, you can remove production residue within the grinding mechanism.

I chose rice, and ground small amounts until the output was white rather than grey.