I'm relatively new to coffee, so please excuse my ignorance

I want to start bottling some cold brew coffee at a small level (selling in local markets and famers markets).

I've been reading that a small particle size distribution is very important (for any good coffee really) and I'm investigating grinders.

I'm looking at the Mahlkönig K30 and EK43 grinders. Are those overkill? They seem to have the best stats (without going industrial), but everything I see is measured for espresso.

Advice is much appreciated!

I would recommend the EK43 for it's particle distribution and its incredibly fast grinding speed. You could also look into the SSP burrs if quality is on the top of your priority list. The K30 is an espresso grinder, which I would not recommend for this purpose. As you mentioned, you would like to do some small scale distribution, so I'm assuming that you're going to go with the "Toddy" style route. You will be grinding 5-7lbs of coffee for each brew. so this is where the EK will shine, it should only take about 1 minute to grind. Good luck!

If I recall correctly, Ditting makes a grinder specifically for cold brew.

Ira

I did a dozen or so immersion cold brews and it seemed the least demanding brew method I've tried so far, but anyone correct me if that is wrong. If you are brewing this way, then I'm thinking a used Bunn and new set of burrs would get the job done for cheap. The other way I don't know.

I do some nitro cold brew that i sell in 5gal keg and i use either my Compak R100 or a Bunn G9 (i have few with original burrs and Ditting burrs). Still in tests phase myself. Money wise, a Bunn G9 with SSP burrs would be my pick and if higher budget the EK43 is easier to adjust your grind.

However i would be much more concerned about the stability of your product since you said you will be bottling it! Take care as it's much more risky business when you start to sell a drink in bottle rather then beans. You need to be sure your product will be stable. Check locally with your food regulation board or such to be on the safe side.

HoldTheOnions wrote:I did a dozen or so immersion cold brews and it seemed the least demanding brew method I've tried so far, but anyone correct me if that is wrong. If you are brewing this way, then I'm thinking a used Bunn and new set of burrs would get the job done for cheap. The other way I don't know.

I've found the grinder as important for cold brew as it is for any the other coffee prep categories. I've been serious about cold brew for over 5 years and have provided concentrate for two beer micro breweries for some special high end limited release barrel aged runs of theirs.

This past summer not wanting to lift & transport my Ditting KF 804 to the Brewery I did some tests comparing the output from my Bunn FPG to the Ditting. The fines from the Bunn were obvious and excessive compared to minimal from the Ditting, I already knew the difference the grind made so I ended up lugging the Ditting along.

My top two choices (actual 3 if you include SSP burrs, these are clearly better) is the EK 43, Ditting/Tanzania/Bunzilla, or SSP equipped 80+mm burr grinder. The Socratic grind studies provide adequate evidence for the best unimodal grinders.

If you expect to be grinding a very large volume of beans in a short period of time you want the EK43, it's output is about 3x my Ditting. The 804 Ditting is right around a lb of coffee a minute. Then not to overheat the coffee the grinder needs to rest about 5 minutes before grinding more.

danetrainer wrote: The 804 Ditting is right around a lb of coffee a minute. Then not to overheat the coffee the grinder needs to rest about 5 minutes before grinding more.

What i do for that is i always grind my coffee for my CB while they are frozen. I always keep 5lbs bags into my deep chest freezer and i split them between my Compak R100 (similar to EK43 quality wise but high retention) and Bunn G9 with Ditting 804 (Bunzilla) so it is quite fast and grinders/coffee stay cool

Séb wrote:What i do for that is i always grind my coffee for my CB while they are frozen. I always keep 5lbs bags into my deep chest freezer and i split them between my Compak R100 (similar to EK43 quality wise but high retention) and Bunn G9 with Ditting 804 (Bunzilla) so it is quite fast and grinders/coffee stay cool

Great idea, and I'll use that next time they want enough for their 20 barrel fermenter! I should also mount the Ditting cast burrs into the FPG and test it. (my 804 got new machined burrs)