# Which grinder?



## kowalmen (Oct 16, 2017)

I'm reading all those posts and still i'm struggling to decide which grinder i should choose. So far i can spend maximum 130 pounds. But maybe if i'll wait i can spend bit more? 200 pounds. Obviously i would like to spend as less as possible.

I am using Aeropress now and French press from time to time. But in the future i will buy Gaggia or Rancillo Silvia. Only I drink coffee in our household 3 times a day maximum. So huge grinder is not for me i guess. Is it worth to buy Comandante C40 or something cheaper. Or Wilfa WGCG2 Svart, or Mazzer ? I dont know what to do


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

When you buy an espresso machine, it will be best to have a dedicated grinder that you will just make small adjustments on. A separate grinder for brewed would be a good move, brewed coffee doesn't need as fine adjustability or as may grind changes (for the same method & brew weights). Cross the espresso bridge when you get there.

The Wilfa & Baratza Encore will suffice for Aeropress & French press. The Commandante costs more than either of these, I love hand grinders, but you said price was an issue?


----------



## John T (Dec 4, 2014)

When you go over to Espresso and if you're going to drink 3 per day, spend your money on a dedicated hand grinder such as the Lido E. In my opinion it's a superb machine, specially designed for Espresso. I bought mine from Coffeehit who are the UK stockists.


----------



## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

I tried a hand grinder for a while. Takes to long especially if trying to get the right grind for an espresso machine. The one I used is branded Hunts, has good reviews and grinds well. It's amazingly similar to a Japanese model who's price rocketed thanks to Aeropress.

Your probably not getting many answers because this question crops up too often. There aren't many options in your price range.

Buy a used commercial model. Might be a bit beaten up and might need new burrs which do not cost that much for some models. Main thing with these is that the motor runs sweetly and that spares are available. They are generally rather *big* and usually have a doser attached. Opinions vary on dosers. My view is people put up with them really as removing them may not be simple. There is a view that these grinders produce better coffee due to usually large flat burrs. If it has the name Mazzer on it prices are likely to be higher than others but as I usually look at parts diagrams before buying anything many makes are very very similar. Mazzer do make a smaller grinder as well. It tends to fetch high prices on ebay. The larger ones are also sometimes rebranded by companies that sell entire set ups.

This one seems to be well regarded but I have read reports that the burr adjustment thread is a rather loose fit but can be fixed via a wrap of plumbers ptfe tape. It seems some other makes are much the same.

https://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hd0866-iberital-mc2-auto.html

The downside is no adjustment scale and as it uses a gearbox somewhat noisier than others. A review suggests it can grind for all methods but changes need a number of turns of the knob so going from one method to another is not easy.

I tried a Graef grinder as it was a bit cheaper than Sage. Sent it back. It clumped the grinds and the burrs choked up at fine settings even though the chute was clear. Pity really as it's a very easy machine to clean and is also solidly built.

That just leaves Sage who's prices seem to have gone up

https://sageappliances.co.uk/collections/coffee-grinders

Both are timed grinders. It's easier to make small changes to the times on the dearer one and it will store several times. Both will grind for all methods. In fact I think most grinders will. A commercial machine might have 1 turn of the adjustment to cover the espresso range and coarser setting would need more but offer the same fine adjustments. They probably vary.

I think that both of the Sage grinders use steps. I mostly use a Sage Barista Express for drinks that has a built in grinder that has steps rather than a continuous adjustment. I grind to get as much taste out of the bean I am using as I can. If I go one step finer the machine stalls as it can't produce enough water pressure - same 15bar they all use. If it wasn't stepped I could probably grind a bit finer.







Not convinced it would make much difference though. Both of these Sage grinder seem to offer more adjustment steps in the espresso range. I also have the Pro grinder bought off ebay from some one who sells refurbished Sage stuff from time to time. I suspect that they are John Lewis returns. Bought to try out different beans without messing with the BE. It takes time to get the grinder right for an espresso machine. It actually also works well if I just weigh beans into it. Sage seem to have had problems with espresso grinding when some of these models came out so 2nd hand may not be a good idea. All I did on mine was to check it empty on the finest setting. The burrs rubbed and slowed the machine down, getting slower all of the time as they heated up. I just adjusted the burrs one step coarser. Now the machine just sounds busy at the finest setting suggesting they are as close to each other as they realistically can be. I doubt if the very finest setting will ever be needed.

A personal view but for a simple life on a budget Sage are the cheapest option however if it breaks then it's bust. One burr can be replaced if it wears but that's about it. From my own experience I would also suspect that people who upgrade from this level of grinder quickly due to espresso problems haven't really got to grips with their espresso machine or maybe they bought one that for some reason hadn't been put together correctly. That appears to be easy to check.

John

-


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

ajohn said:


> I tried a hand grinder for a while. Takes to long especially if trying to get the right grind for an espresso machine. The one I used is branded Hunts, has good reviews and grinds well. It's amazingly similar to a Japanese model who's price rocketed thanks to Aeropress.
> 
> John
> 
> -


The Hunts (AnnyFa) grinder, like the Porlex, has ceramic burrs (less aggressive cut), which is why grinding takes a long time. With a faster steel burr hand grinder (of a similar burr size) you can grind single doses in 30-40seconds, or less. The Porlex is a good quality grinder despite the low grind speed & has always been more expensive than the super cheap Chinese AnnyFa grinders that are now appearing under various names...I suspect they are cheaper for good reason.

For brewed, a steel burr, bearing supported, hand grinder is certainly adequate, with high dose consistency, as long as you don't mind the effort. But, as stated earlier, most of the ones suitable for grinding for Aeropress cost more than OP's anticipated budget. The ceramic grinders are OK for small doses/brews, such as Aeropress, but I'd stick to the known quantities like Porlex, Rhinowares, Hario Mini.


----------



## the_partisan (Feb 29, 2016)

Wilfa will be perfectly adequate for brewed coffee. It doesn't however grind fine enough for espresso, so you'll need to get a dedicated espresso grinder at some point.

You can also get something like AerGrind which can do both and is very reasonably priced, but it might take you a few months to get hold of one. For brewed, hand grinding with a steel burrs is really easy, you can do 15g of beans in just a few seconds. Espresso can be more of a chore but still doable. Espresso also require very precise grind adjustments.


----------

