# Hand Grinder for Espresso



## Karlm (Dec 17, 2010)

Hiya all,

I have revisited my love for coffee at home and bought a Gaggia classic.

I don't have much budget left. Are there any hand grinders up for the job for espresso?

Thanks

Karl


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## Thecatlinux (Mar 10, 2014)

Yes there are a few but it really depends on your budget, it might helpful to others if you could post up how much you are prepared to spend , the madebyknock grinders are really good but check availability before ordering because if you time it wrong you may be in for a long wait .


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## Karlm (Dec 17, 2010)

No set budget as such the cheaper the better if it does the job well,

I think if i am getting into the £100+ range i might as well get a used electric one?

Thanks

Karl


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## Okigen (Aug 22, 2015)

I used to have a Hario. It can grind fine enough for espresso, can't adjust the steps much and have certain drawbacks of manual grinders, but at £15 that's very good value. Not to mention also pretty (this depends on your taste...) Overall I loved it.

Also in the deal section there is currently a deal for refurbished MC2 (electric grinder) at £85. You can pick that one on ebay at similar price as well, but Happy Donkey is popular shop so perhaps will be more reliable.

Then you have the new Baratza Encore at 125 on Amazon. Heard that one is not really ideal for espresso though but more quiet than the MC2. Never used both of them so I can't comment.

Then the Mignon often trade at 160 - 200 on ebay depending on the age. (Saw a couple of them sold on ebay at £199 which the owners describe as 'like new'). Then Mazzer SJ and Mazzer Mini often fly around this forum and ebay at 200-ish.

That's all of my research before buying my grinder. Good luck !


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## Karlm (Dec 17, 2010)

Thanks for the post, some nice info in there !

Cheers

Karl



Okigen said:


> I used to have a Hario. It can grind fine enough for espresso, can't adjust the step much and have certain drawbacks of manual grinders,,but at £15 that's very good value. Overall I loved it.
> 
> Also in the deal section there is currently a deal for refurbished MC2 (electric grinder) at £85. You can pick that one on ebay at similar price as well, but Happy Donkey is popular shop so perhaps will be more reliable.
> 
> ...


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## YerbaMate170 (Jun 15, 2015)

Do you really want to be grinding for 5 minutes every time you make an espresso? I'd personally go second hand if budget forces, and get an electric... That's my view!


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## Karlm (Dec 17, 2010)

YerbaMate170 said:


> Do you really want to be grinding for 5 minutes every time you make an espresso? I'd personally go second hand if budget forces, and get an electric... That's my view!


Yea makes sense! Did not realise it would take 5 mins by hand lol


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Karlm said:


> Yea makes sense! Did not realise it would take 5 mins by hand lol


It doesn't take 5 minutes

Under a minute


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## YerbaMate170 (Jun 15, 2015)

Karlm said:


> Yea makes sense! Did not realise it would take 5 mins by hand lol





Mrboots2u said:


> It doesn't take 5 minutes
> 
> Under a minute


I wasn't being literal! I just mean, I use a porlex to grind coarse for filter and that can get annoying in the mornings... I wouldn't want to grind for espresso by hand each time, but that's purely my opinion


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

The knock grinders make it a much easier job and some of the others have similar burrs. They're just a complete pain to actually get hold of, unless you're very lucky


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## Okigen (Aug 22, 2015)

Hi,njust out of curiosity, why are the knock grinders difficult to find?


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

Okigen said:


> Hi,njust out of curiosity, why are the knock grinders difficult to find?


That would be hard to summarise but essentially you can only order from them when they show in stock, however regardless of that fact you'll have to wait a variable amount of time on order to receive those goods. Communication tends to be sporadic and their is no number to call etc. Read this for more info: http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6181

I've been fairly lucky compared to some but they're good things when they do show up.


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## bclarke (Jul 12, 2015)

A shameless bit of self-advertisement but if you're looking for an electric grinder on a budget and have the space on the worktop I reckon this might suit: http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?26515-Bezerra-BB105-Grinder-OD-modified-%A3100


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Lido E for £150 or Pharos 2 for £250 at coffee hit. Wouldn't hesitate at either for a good espresso grinder. Don't bother with the Iberital MC2. Though I should say I've never tried either of the grinders from Orphan Espresso, in just going off reputation. If you're looking at knock grinder as an option I'd imagine the Lido will be on par at least.


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## Karlm (Dec 17, 2010)

Is the mc2 really not good enough? have been offered one cheap!


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Some people say it's good for the money. I think they're comparing it to other electric grinders. It's horribly loud, the exit chute holds a lot of grounds that need to be cleared out (happens to an extent on almost all electric grinders), and it doesn't produce a very fluffy grind which doesn't compact very well when tamped.

For drip/syphon/brewed methods, it isn't consistent enough. It takes a long time to adjust the grind size, though on the plus side you can make truly minute adjustments. For espresso I found it unsatisfactory as all of the beans of different origins tasted more or less the same even when taken to different roast levels (though it didn't need much adjustment between dark and light roasts to get the flow right). There was always a bitterness to the shot or the flavours were just plain muddy.

I remember getting a Mignon and thinking about how much clearer the shots were, and being very happy that I could taste distinct differences from bean to bean.

You've got a gaggia classic so it's best to be realistic about the quality of espresso you can expect. It's a capable machine for sure, but are you going to be using fresh roasted coffee or crap from the supermarket? Are the baskets/portafilters pressurised? I'm not too familiar with the Classic but does it have a means of adjusting brew pressure, can you monitor temperature reliably?

If you get an MC2 you aren't going to get the best out of the beans. The same is true if you've got pressurised baskets, unreliable brew temp, and unadjustable brew pressure. But the one thing that makes me tell you not to get an Mc2 is that it's barely passable for espresso and useless for anything else. If you get rid of the Classic you're going to need to shift the grinder too (though you may not make a loss on it if it's cheap enough). If you get a better machine you're going to want a better grinder. If you get a Lido E or something similar you're at least going to be able to move to brewed if you don't want to continue with espresso.

If you aren't satisfied with the quality of espresso, are you going to buy a better grinder or are you just going to give it up?


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## Karlm (Dec 17, 2010)

Rob1 said:


> Some people say it's good for the money. I think they're comparing it to other electric grinders. It's horribly loud, the exit chute holds a lot of grounds that need to be cleared out (happens to an extent on almost all electric grinders), and it doesn't produce a very fluffy grind which doesn't compact very well when tamped.
> 
> For drip/syphon/brewed methods, it isn't consistent enough. It takes a long time to adjust the grind size, though on the plus side you can make truly minute adjustments. For espresso I found it unsatisfactory as all of the beans of different origins tasted more or less the same even when taken to different roast levels (though it didn't need much adjustment between dark and light roasts to get the flow right). There was always a bitterness to the shot or the flavours were just plain muddy.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply, I see your point, I have ditched the pressurised baskets and I am using preground from a local coffee shop however without a grinder yet it's hard to get it right. Maybe I should spend more and save in the long run.

Cheers


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