I stumbled across this Stoha ceramic burr manual grinder at T.J. Maxx yesterday...

Hey physiognomy, I found the beechwood version at Marshall's in the Bay Area. I haven't even tried it so I'm glad to hear your experience.

OO

rolleiman wrote:Eric:
That is a Pede 88.

yuwen

Hi yuwen, That is what I think it looks like too but unlike yours it has no markings.

A number of us have a small collection of hand grinders. Was wondering what your batting average is for grinders that yield a decent grind for espresso? For me 10 grinders. 5 grind for espresso, but only 3 yield a cup equal or superior to the big conical electric. Good news is the poor espresso grinders work well for Hario style pour over coffee.

The dark brown one that looks like a Dienes 88 will make this shot:



But something seems unusual about it - I find myself wondering if it really is a Dienes 88.

The grounds are fluffy but do not look consistent even though the shot above is decent, but it took a lot more turns than usual for a Dienes - over 100 revolutions for a 16g shot so very slow compared to other similar grinders, hmmm...

Eric:
The gap between each piece of wood is so big, really cannot believe it is a Pede, does it have a six star burr?

rolleiman wrote:Eric:
The gap between each piece of wood is so big, really cannot believe it is a Pede, does it have a six star burr?

Interesting observation about the wood. As far as the burr is concerned, yes - it is a six star burr with a ball bearing adjustment. I will tell the rest of the story now is a fashion appropriate for this photo essay thread.

Here is the mill broken down:



And here is a close up of the adjustment - note the unusual shape of the adjustment lever...



This looks like aluminum to me...



And last as well as least - the burr set:



Notice the casting flashing circle in the middle of the burr:



It was not listed as a Dienes (obviously with good reason). I have a decent Dienes 88 for comparison too. This is a crude copy of the 88, but made by who, made where, and made when are questions I may never find answers for but I still would like to know. Salesman's sample? Display model? Modern forgery?

Here is a final and mysterious clue: "53".

Eric:

I agree with you, it is a low quality copy,look at the low-tech burr and mechanism, maybe China people do the job. But it is interested that they knew this vintage classic grinder - Pede 88, I thought the first copied object should be new Zassenhaus.

It does indeed not look like a Dienes. For one thing the 88's I've seen have a laminated wood bottom plate (kind of a drawback in my opinion). Yours looks like solid wood. It is surprising to find someone actually copied the 88, which is fairly rare, and one of the last models of Dienes grinder I think. It involved a lot of detailed work to make such a copy - they might as well have made a real burr set to go with it.

Someone asked about espresso-quality grind - I'd say 50% or more of the Dienes grinders I've had produced espresso-quality grind - I don't have a big conical burr grinder to compare them to, but my espresso is generally as good as what I had on a recent week-long trip in Seattle, visiting some well-known cafes. The only other brands I've tried much are Kyms, which seem less than 50% success.

PC

This is a home-made coffee grinder by Mr. Ye from Coffee Leaf cafe in Feng Yuan, Taiwan (very nice Esmeralda Geisha if you're ever up this way). Leicaism and I went there today. This isn't a great photo, but Mr. Ye was kind enough to lend the grinder to me. I think he said it's made using the Robur burrs. The holes cut in the bottom plate are identical to the top plate, so you have an idea of what's inside. And, yes, that is a piece of gray PVC tube.

I'm going to start playing with it tomorrow.

SlowRain, any opportunity to compare the espresso yielded against a Robur? Be interesting to see/taste the results. If the hand-grinder can duplicate a Mazzer Robur in terms of taste, this grinder may have significant market potential.