# Gaggia MM or a manual grinder for my Classic?? Wife an issue!!



## parxuk (Dec 8, 2011)

All

Hello, first post here so please be gentle. Didnt realise there was so much to coffee until i purchased a Gaggia Classic a couple of weeks ago, thought i would browse the internet for hints and tips on making good Espresso, and stumbled into a whole new world.

Anyways, within limits i would now like to get the most out of my new classic, and realise i am not going to get that from shop purchased pre-ground supermarket stuff, so would like to get a grinder. But after a number of days reading am only now more confused about my options. Firstly i should state i have gotten rid of the pressurised stuff that came with the classic and gotten a normal double basket, so have at least gotten that far. I also have a motta 58mm tamper, and am using bathroom scales to try and get the pressure correct.

My scenario is that i will only drink a cup or two a day, dont have more than £100 to spend, kitchen woktop space is limited, and have a wife who doesnt like coffee and so isnt very sympathetic to all this coffee stuff - infact she was none to pleased to come home and find the classic taking pride of place in the kitchen, so if i go putting some big grinder next to it i think that will be the end!

Initially looked at the Gaggia MM, which i can get for £60, but a numer of reviews dont seem great. I also see people mention Porlex, Hario, and Kyocera hand grinders. For how many coffees i will be making i dont see a hand grinder being a problem if its going to give me better results than the MM - which would be best for Espresso?? I have also heard of people modifiying their MMs to give a finer grind, which i dont mind doing.

Would really appreciate people experiences on this. I realise i am down at the bottom end of the scale, but i suppose we all have to start somewhere, and i would love to get the classic producing some better coffee than what it is at the moment (using Lavazza espresso it draws a double in about 10 seconds with not much Crema)

Thanks in advance

Craig


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## stavros (May 4, 2011)

I think your options are more or less manual, I got some perfectly good espressos from my hario slim mill. Otherwise if you can stretch an extra forty or fifty quid an iberital or ascaso grinder could work. Neither are huge, so the missus should be okay!


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## parxuk (Dec 8, 2011)

Thx Stavros

I would love the MC2 but have trouble justifying it financially (having just purchased the Classic and the wife nearly killing me for that), and size wise although not huge, she isnt going to appreciate even more of her worktop space being taken by Coffee related paraphernalia. If i could find a 2nd hand one maybe i could just about swing it. The cheapest new i have seen is approx £135 inc the vat at happy donkey.

Would you recommend the Hario over Porlex, and Kyocera?? (i have seen one with a brown base that looked good on a youtube demonstration).


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't want to play devil's advocate but I was in a similar position but took the approach that I was making an investment and if I bought a cheap grinder I would only out grow it and need to buy another one. If you are only going to be using this grinder for just espresso then I reccommend the ascaso I-mini ABS, based on the reviews I read, which you an pick up for around £150.

I however needed to switch between french press, aero press and espresso very rapidly. I also wanted an extremely good grind for my espresso. I choose the baratza virtuoso preciso and I have never looked back.

Read the reviews for this grinder on coffee geek and you'll see why I chose this.

As a more affordable option, the baratza virtuoso is much cheaper but has far few 'steps' when fine tuning for espresso, which essential for me.

Both these grinders have a small footprint in the kitchen as well.

Hope this helps with your choice.


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## Ian_G (Nov 10, 2011)

One of the things you'll come across is that many rate the grinder as being more important than the coffee machine. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it is crucial to getting the best from your machine.

Given that you don't have the budget for an electric grinder, then a manual is your only option. Those that you mentioned are much of a muchness from what I've read. But I'd say go for one of those and then save up for a good electric grinder.

Here's a review which might be of interest http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/compactgrinder1closerlookv3.pdf


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

See how small the Virtuoso is compared to the Classic



















I've got to admit, I'm so glad I spent a bit more than I meant to and opted for a good grinder. The Virtuoso cost me about £175. Only thing is, now I've had this for 6 months I REALLY want the Preciso. Haha!


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## parxuk (Dec 8, 2011)

Thanks all for the replies. Consensus seems certain a manual grinder is going to beat the gaggia mm, so now to decide which one to go for. The porlex may have some issues with the handle from a few things i have read. The hario looks good, and a demo on youtube of the kyocera also make it look excellent. Decissions, decissions!!

Out of interest, and i dont think i can waiver (though you all tempt me), could the mc2 bu used hopperless?? It would be less dominant in the kitchen without it, though cost remains an issue.

This is the kyocera review, which makes it look suitable for espresso, which is all i will need it to do.

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?v=3-DxLqJZThw


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Either the Porlex or Hario Ceramic Slim hand grinders will be perfectly adequate to get you started.

The Baratza grinders are smaller than the Iberital/Ascaso entry level grinders. Your new machine is capable of steaming milk for hot chocolates too, and even for heating up milk for porridge etc. Get the wife involved by using the machine for these purposes and she will see the value. Whatever you do though - don't scramble eggs with the steam wand!


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## ChiarasDad (Mar 21, 2010)

Hello, Craig, and welcome!

The hand grinder I use is the Zassenhaus wooden model that is designed to be stabilised between the knees (photos here). It produces a grind good enough to give me very good shots from a Classic, though there's a learning curve as you have to keep the adjustment from slipping while you grind. I gave my sister-in-law a Porlex not long ago, and while she doesn't seem to mind it, when I tried it I found it much less comfortable to use than the Zass.

On the electric side, I used to have one of the entry-level Ascaso espresso grinders, and while it is small and attractive, I found it awfully loud. If your wife's skeptical of the whole enterprise already, I might suggest skipping that one. The Baratza/Mahlkonig grinders are a good deal quieter. I can't speak to the Iberital.


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## ChiarasDad (Mar 21, 2010)

Oh, one more thing to consider. You're possibly not at this point yet, but soon you will be wondering how to dose a controlled amount of coffee into your portafilter so that you can get consistent results from shot to shot. One approach - which has improved my results greatly - is to dose by weight. With a manual grinder this is easy, since grams in = grams out. With an electric grinder fed from a hopper it's less easy, though there are ways.

If you go manual, you can be dosing by weight from the start. If you go electric you'll probably put that step off a bit. FWIW some of the Baratza grinders have an option for automatic dosing by weight which can be added later. Nothing so convenient seems to exist for the other brands just yet, though a couple of us over in the Mignon thread are discussing how a scale could be physically fit into its configuration (still wouldn't be fully automatic though).


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

It sounds like any argument for further spending on a grinder isn't going to sway mrs parxuk if she doesn't see a benefit to herself or her home, so try focusing on that. Psychological warefare is your friend!

Possible benefits to her:

1. Even though she doesn't like coffee, does she have any friends/family who visit and who do? The smell and taste of freshly ground and brewed coffee in the home has a similar effect to freshly baked bread, and there's a reason both are used by people trying to sell their house. Visitors think "what a great home". Your wife's home will suddenly be the talk of the neighbourhood and when you serve a fantastic latte with a heart on top, and your wife's friends go "oh, wow! And it tastes amazing!!" then your wife will be able to claim the glory.

2. You drink two coffees per day, which would be £5 if you bought from a coffee shop. With your own machine, grinder and fresh beans the average cost per day (for your 2 cups) is £1.14, so every week you are saving £26.99, every month you're saving £117.27, and every year you're saving a whopping £1407.21... which she can put towards important things like strappy shoes, nappies and "OK!" magazine.

The following calculations are based on your 2 cups per day (assuming a latte), and a very conservative estimate of 5 year lifespan of equipment... it tends to last much longer than that though.










3. The health benefits. The consumption off coffee, on a regular basis is found to reduce the risk of onset of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and gallstone disease. It contains the compound methylpyridinum, a known anti-cancer compound. One 10 year study found it reduces risk of stroke by 25%. So your wife's husband gets to live a longer and healthier life. If you can get her to start drinking it too, another recently published 10 year study found that women are 15% less likely to develop depression if they drink coffee, rising to 20% when drinking four cups per day. So when your overspending on coffee equipment sends her spiralling into depression, just reach for the portafilter and make her a cappuccino!

I'm being slightly facetious of course, but despite that, these are still legitimate points and might help you persuade your missus. Good luck!


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## parxuk (Dec 8, 2011)

Lol mike, you could sell fridges to eskimos i think, thank you for the breakdown - though the wife is still picking herself up off the floor after the purchase of the classic. No amount of dressing is likely to change her mind, though the more reading i do, the more i see i am only going to be hand grinding whilst wishing i had some nice iberital, or ascaso etc. Sat on the worktop next to the gaggia.

Thanks again for everyones comments, now i just need to pick a hand grinder


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## surfingjoyner (Dec 12, 2011)

Same situation here - getting a classic but my Krups grinder just broke - do I replace like for like or go for something different


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## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

surfingjoyner said:


> Same situation here - getting a classic but my Krups grinder just broke - do I replace like for like or go for something different


If you can afford the extra then move to something different. Iberital MC2, Gaggia MDF or similar should see you right. You'll find that the Krups won't grind fine enough for the classic


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## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

parxuk said:


> Thanks again for everyones comments, now i just need to pick a hand grinder


Porlex hand grinder? Read many good comments about them on here.

Once you got the manual grinder, get the wife do a coffee for you with the manual grinder and then she'll probably let you have the automatic







lol


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## ~ Sea Chief ~ (Sep 20, 2011)

Im new to the espresso malarchy too, and picked up a Gaggia Classic w'out any knowledge of grinders. Now Im going to put a spanner in the works here, but this is based on extensive useage now:

I went for as cheap as chips a burr grinder as I could find, thinking 'hey a grinder's a grinder innit?' (well yes, and no). It doesnt grind fine enough for espresso. Dammit. But hang on.. 'so why not put thru again then?' and so I tried, and this is how Ive been using it ever since. I do have to give it a bit of elbow grease mixing between grinding a 2nd time (or 3rd occasionally depending on beans) so is a bit time-consuming.. but.. Ive compared directly to a very expensive, professionally ground bag-for-espresso machines (from a specialist coffee supplier/ pro grinder) and there is no difference whatsoever. Absolutely none. Both produce the same ammount of crema, both taste exactly the same (very very good/ as one would expect a 'pro' cup to taste). Obviously the espresso-ground bag's taste diminishes even keeping best I could compared to beans/ that's to be expected.

The grinder cost me £20, a Morphy-Richards basic burr grinder. Ok its not made of alu/steel.. but it well-designed, compact/ small, and has put up with some welly so far. Prior to trying the pro-ground stuff (literally roasted, ground and packed the day before I opened) I thought I was missing out: nope. Tbh I considered a hand grinder too, but the faff/ hassle I knew It'd be such a huge PITA Id throw it in the river before long.


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## parxuk (Dec 8, 2011)

Well, after discarding all of your replies i went and got a gaggia mm. Had it about 3 weeks and took it back tonight. I didnt get on with it, which is probably due to my lack of knowledge/experience, but i tried to be as consistant as possible with does and grind, and yet had some wildly different shot times. There also seemed to be a lot of clumping, i dont know if this is an issue or not?. What really did it though was the noise of the thing, it was so loud the wife just hated it, and my 2 yeqr old was not impressed at breakfast times either, so i have used that as leverage to get something else. Mc2 doserless is probably top of my list at the moment, but i also like the look of the black acaso mini which is just a couple of quid more. Noise is an issue, anyone have any experience between the two sound wise?

Thanks again


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