# Expensive grinder for non-espresso?



## scrufftyguy (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi,

I'm thinking about getting an electric grinder, because at the moment I've got a zassenhaus hand-grinder but find it awkward to adjust the grind. So I'm after getting a grinder that's easily adjustable, but do I really need to spend big £££'s as I haven't got an espresso machine, and don't plan on getting one for the forseeable future? At the moment I've got a couple of french presses and an aeropress, there's a good chance I'll be getting a stove top in the next few months, and quite fancy trying an eva solo/chemex at some point too.

The cost isn't really the issue, it's more will it be overkill getting an expensive (£200+) grinder.

Thanks!


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

The Baratza Maestro Plus should fit the bill for the methods you currently use

Alternatively you may be able to get away with a Baratza Maestro but that limits future brewing method choices


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## BanishInstant (Oct 12, 2009)

The more money you spend on a grinder, the more consistent the grind whatever your brewing method - in general!


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## scrufftyguy (Jan 6, 2011)

So you reckon a grinder in the £100-150 should do the job? I'd also been considering the Eureka Mignon, after being put off the Rocky Rancillo, but was unsure if a £250+ grinder was overkill for my needs.


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## BanishInstant (Oct 12, 2009)

I would make sure you have some flexibility, since you like to dabble with brew methods, the grinder needs to be able to change the grind setting easily, but also allow fine control. Hopefully somebody can comment on whether the Eureka Mignon can fill this role?


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

I believe the Eureka Mignon is a worm screw type adjustment. In short, if you're using it not for espresso then it will drive you mad! They are incredibly slow to change grind setting on so if you wanted french press one day then drip the next it would be really inconvenient.

As Glenn pointed out, go for a Baratza Maestro Plus from CoffeeHit (slightly cheaper than hasbean when postage is included) and don't look back.

Until you spend closer to £1000 (on something like a Mahlkoenig Guatemala/Tanzania or whatever they're called) you won't really get much more benefit. The grind is apparently quite even and it is very easy to adjust.

If you didn't want to spend £140 ish then you could go for the standard Baratza Maestro which has the same burrset as the plus but doesn't have the same build or the switch on the front (it just has the timer switch I believe), or you could go for the basic Dualit grinder which I think has the same burrset but is built quite a lot more cheaply.

edit:

David Walsh did a bit of a review of the Maestro grinders on his blog here, he thought they were excellent and produced a better grind for brewed coffee than pretty much anything else he had tried. This isn't necessarily a universal opinion but they are generally pretty highly regarded for non-espresso use.

I've been thinking recently that I could do with a non-espresso grinder to complement my Iberital MC2 and am pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Maestro plus.


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## scrufftyguy (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice, looks like the Baratza Maestro Plus could be just what I'm after, and then look at upgrading if I ever invest in a espresso machine!


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## scrufftyguy (Jan 6, 2011)

Does anyone know if you can grind just enough beans for what you need with the Baratza Maestro Plus, or does it cause problems if you only grind a small amount?


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

Like a lot of people I weigh out exactly what I require in beans (currently 15-17g depending on the basket I'm using) then pour them in and grind them leaving the grinder empty at the end. Some machines may require the weight of other beans to get a good even grind but I've never had that problem. I would imagine that it will be fine to do it that way.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

You can grind just a few but the grinds will not be as consistent as if you had constant pressure from above (eg beans in the hopper)

You may suffer popcorning and particle sizes that give you extraction issues in your brewing method


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## scrufftyguy (Jan 6, 2011)

Glenn said:


> You can grind just a few but the grinds will not be as consistent as if you had constant pressure from above (eg beans in the hopper)
> 
> You may suffer popcorning and particle sizes that give you extraction issues in your brewing method


Do these issues arise with all grinders, or is it only certain types of grinder that have problems with not using a full hopper?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

I found popcorning to be an issue with my conical MC2 but the big Mazzer with flat burrs I use now has proven to be no problem regardless of the amount of beans in the hopper. To some extent the issue can be overcome by weighting the beans in the hopper with something, I used to use a little ceramic dish with the MC2.

My assumption from this observation is that the conical burr shape leads to more likelihood of beans bouncing out of the feed compared to a flat burr feed, at least in the case of my Mazzer.


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

Mini-e Mazzer is somewhat different, with the hopper removed you need something on top of the beans to keep them in! Without an old tamper in place the way the grinds pop out of the throat is quite spectacular.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

How weird is that, I just had a look into the throat of the Royal and my only observation is that the burrs are set back from the throat due to their larger diameter which leaves a lip overhanging the burrs. Maybe this prevents the beans from leaping upwards as they come into contact with the burrs.


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## scrufftyguy (Jan 6, 2011)

The more I look into it the more I think that I'd maybe be better off getting the Mahlkonig Vario, so that way I shouldn't need to upgrade if I do end up getting an espresso machine. It seems like it gets real mixed reviews though!


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