Hi all-

Its been probably a decade since I posted in the grinder forum. I have a Ceado e37s--one of the older models that can't take the worm gear (edit - purchased in 2016 new). I also have a Baratza preciso and virtuoso. I also have the Baratza attachment that allows you to weigh the coffee.

Since my 10 year offline hibernation there are all sorts of new grinders--niche, timemore, and what feels like a dozen others. Back when I was researching grinders the feeling was there were no all-purpose (espresso and filter) grinders worth it. I imagine that may still be the case, though perhaps less so?

Here's the deal: I am a bitter supertaster (self-diagnosed). Honestly, I can't taste 90% of what you all and YouTube reviewers mention. If you see 1,000,000 colors, I see red, green, and blue and that's it. I put my espresso in milk and I don't really give a crap if it channeled or sprays or whatever. It mostly tastes the same to me. I drink my filter coffee with milk and it tastes either super bitter or kind of bitter. I'm pretty sure I'm all dialed in. It's just my stupid taste buds. I can't eat grapefruit either and IPAs lay waste to my palate (I drink them though).

But I like caffeine and I love the morning/daily ritual. With a little agave, my lattes taste great. I also add some chai spices--please don't flame me lol.

So I'm wondering if I should sell all my grinders and get one of the more home oriented grinders that can do it all decently. Something in the $500 range or equal to whatever you think I could get for the three grinders on today's market. Thanks for your thoughts!

Matt

The Niche Zero is a pleasure to work with. It does a very good job with classic espresso. Opinions are very mixed on how well it works for people for filter.

At a moderate price, I'd short-list the Option-O Lagom Mini. For me, it's the best espresso or dual-purpose grinder in the under-$500 range. It is a grinder that stands up well with "titan" grinders on the same counter. One downside of the Mini is that it isn't designed to be run for more than a few cups at a time.

A Vario that has been upgraded with steel burrs and probably the stiffer grind chamber is a good option once aligned well. A used one may be within your budget.

I have used a Timemore Sculptor, but not long enough to comment on its in-cup performance.

I'm not a fan of the design, execution, or workflow of the DF64, even at its price. The newer generation of flat-burr, Asian imports may be different, for better or worse.

mawst95 wrote:I have a Ceado e37s--one of the older models that can't take the worm gear...

Hi Matt. I haven't used the Ceado E37S, but the 83mm flat burrs should have the potential to grind well for both brewed coffee and espresso (including lighter roasts). The lack of a worm gear may be an advantage if you're regularly switching between coarser brew and finer espresso grind settings. Seems unlikely that you will find a $500 grinder to outperform the Ceado.

If you've got upgraditis, and can double the price range, perhaps consider the new Niche Duo. For slightly over $1K (shipped) you get a kitchen-friendly grinder with two sets of 83mm burrs, one designed for brew and the other for espresso.

I don't know what you should do. I can only tell you what I'm doing, and you might think on it for awhile.

I have two grinders. One dedicated to espresso, and one for the morning pourover. I do not have to change grind settings, except to micro-adjust the espresso as the beans change or age. It's a fantastic convenience, a daily headache bypassed.

If I had three grinders and wanted to change things up, I'd retain the one that works best for the non-espresso system. Then I'd sell the other two, and get a new one dedicated to espresso, one that improves workflow etc.

There's no point having both a Preciso and Virtuoso at least? Especially if they have the same burrs.

You can dial bitterness down a lot with certain burrs. For filter SSP MP can turn even dark roasts into something mild. For espresso SSP LS kind of does something similar in my experience, as long as you don't go too fine. Both options are available in 83mm and should fit the Ceado. If it has enough adjustment range you could perhaps add bellows and use it as the sole grinder (I think I've heard that the adjustment range is limited though..)

You should sell simply because I believe the flat slider on the ceados is a horrible mechanism. Maybe it loosens with time, or maybe there is a technique to loosen it. the way my ceado was shipped with the slider, I found it impossible to adjust accurately, and hence impossible to dial in.

If you are sure you can't get a worm gear, then yes to sell all. If you can get a worm gear then that's a legit discussion point imo.

On the other hand I do agree with John that it'll be hard to find something for $500 that stacks up, especially for your use case.

Is a hand grinder off the table?

RapidCoffee wrote:Hi Matt. I haven't used the Ceado E37S, but the 83mm flat burrs should have the potential to grind well for both brewed coffee and espresso (including lighter roasts). The lack of a worm gear may be an advantage if you're regularly switching between coarser brew and finer espresso grind settings. Seems unlikely that you will find a $500 grinder to outperform the Ceado.

If you've got upgraditis, and can double the price range, perhaps consider the new Niche Duo. For slightly over $1K (shipped) you get a kitchen-friendly grinder with two sets of 83mm burrs, one designed for brew and the other for espresso.

The problem is with the adjustment slider. It can only adjust a small amount (maybe 30 degrees) before you have to take off a few screws and adjust the whole mechanism. Itd make more sense if I posted a pic. It looks like you could cut or grind the flanges on each side which would allow the adjustment slider 360 degrees of free rotation, but it would not be a trivial modification.

Jonk wrote:There's no point having both a Preciso and Virtuoso at least? Especially if they have the same burrs.

You can dial bitterness down a lot with certain burrs. For filter SSP MP can turn even dark roasts into something mild. For espresso SSP LS kind of does something similar in my experience, as long as you don't go too fine. Both options are available in 83mm and should fit the Ceado. If it has enough adjustment range you could perhaps add bellows and use it as the sole grinder (I think I've heard that the adjustment range is limited though..)

Yes. Makes sense. I keep the virtuoso at work for my colleagues to use. I do have a nice hand grider. I forget the model. Let me find it.

I think my hand grinder is an older model timemore that I had shipped from china before there was much US distribution.