# Grinder suitable for espresso on a student budget.



## EwanEdwards (Apr 23, 2013)

Hi,

(forgive me if this a tired topic)

I have recently decided to take the plunge into home espresso and purchased (perhaps somewhat foolishly) a 2nd hand gaggia classic for the very reasonable price of £30. I say foolishly because i worry that my new hobby will lead me on to a slippery slope of purchases . Until now i have been making coffee in my moka pot with my blade grinder however when my gaggia arrives tomorrow (how exciting) i expect to find that i will find that the blade comes short of my espresso expectations. The catch is i'm a student, and as such my budget is fairly limited, i suppose i could pay £50 or so, perhaps more for a good deal. Much more and my girlfriend will think i've gone mad. I realise this is not a lot. Would a hand grinder such as the hario slim or porlex suit my needs? I get the impression the cheaper electrics aren't worth the money. Should i perhaps hold out, stick with my blade grinder and keep an eye out on ebay for a good deal? If so what decent-ish grinders am i likely to find in the sub £100 region? Is my dream of decent home espresso on a student budget not realistic? Please say its not.

Sorry for the barrage of questions. Total espresso newbie.

Many Thanks

Ewan


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## Nimble Motionists (Oct 22, 2012)

Hario slim or a Porlex would both be fine - just difficult to make fine adjustments between different beans (and takes a long time to grind for espresso). Definitely keep an eye out on eBay and Gumtree though. I got a Vario for £40 on Gumtree and I've heard plenty similar stories of people finding good grinders for very little money on the web.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

if space is not a problem, i have seen (and bought) 4 compak k6 grinders off ebay recently, all for less than £100, easy to maintain and work on , and phenominal grinders at that price point, certainly enough for nearly any upgrade in machine you may have in the future.


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## EwanEdwards (Apr 23, 2013)

Thanks for your advice guys,

i'll probably get a hand grinder and keep an eye out for them models on the internet.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

A rancilio md50 just went for less than £80 on ebay


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## EwanEdwards (Apr 23, 2013)

So while looking through ebay, i came across this

: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1Pc-coffee-bean-grinder-mill-tool-accessory-washable-adjustable-unique-design-/190826786529?pt=Coffee_Machines_Makers&hash=item2c6e29aee1

I had already decided to get a manual grinder for the mean time and this one seems, at least to my untrained eye, identical to the hario slim. Is this the same product just without the hario branding? At Half the price of a hario i'm tempted.

Also it says i might have to pay customs, anyone have any idea how much that'd be for an item such as this.

Many Thanks


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

It indeed "looks" identical...but it's not. Chinese copy along the lines of the Tiamo. Don't buy it.

Buy the Hario or a Porlex.


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

Surely coffeechap can hook you up with a sub £50 grinder that has 83mm flat burrs


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