# Coffee Grinding



## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

Ok since I am a coffee officiando "beginner" lol...I order some single origin Kenyan coffee but I had them grind it should I invest in my own grinder and that will result in better tasting coffee? If I had the time I would get my own beans and roast them myself but I just don't have the time at the moment


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## jamaster14 (Feb 25, 2014)

CoqaVin said:


> Ok since I am a coffee officiando "beginner" lol...I order some single origin Kenyan coffee but I had them grind it should I invest in my own grinder and that will result in better tasting coffee? If I had the time I would get my own beans and roast them myself but I just don't have the time at the moment



yes, you will see better results if you grind it yourself.... think of it like pepper, do you use ground pepper in the kitchen or do you grind it in a mill yourself?

same principal, like pepper, when you grind coffee beans there are oils and flavors realead. you lose some/all of that with packaged pre-ground coffee.


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

jamaster14 said:


> yes, you will see better results if you grind it yourself.... think of it like pepper, do you use ground pepper in the kitchen or do you grind it in a mill yourself?
> 
> same principal, like pepper, when you grind coffee beans there are oils and flavors realead. you lose some/all of that with packaged pre-ground coffee.



good comparison do you own a grinder which one should I look into getting?


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## JohnnyChance (Feb 25, 2014)

Conical burr grinder. Manual or electronic, depends on how much you want to spend and how much cranking you want to do.


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

Not much small batches because it is for myself and maybe my GF if she likes it?


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

Which brand is the best there are so many I see on Amazon


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

out of Bodum, Breville, and Krups I guess?


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## jamaster14 (Feb 25, 2014)

CoqaVin said:


> good comparison do you own a grinder which one should I look into getting?



yes, but not to grind coffee 

i just use this cheap one to grind spices and make spices mixtures: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBYRMQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

i dont drink coffee, and for whenever i need it for desserts i just use a mortar and pestle


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## Pensacola Tiger (Feb 25, 2014)

What method of brewing are you using? French press? Filtered drip? The method will enter into choosing the best grinder.

Rick


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

filtered drip


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## Burl Source (Feb 25, 2014)

I bought a cheap Burr Grinder at walmart.
What a difference in the taste of the coffee.
I like to use a drip cone and make each cup as I need it.


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

You know what inspired me to buy coffee was that post you made with the coffee and the burls


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## Pensacola Tiger (Feb 25, 2014)

CoqaVin said:


> filtered drip



Then a "whirly" spice grinder like jamaster14 linked to will do fine. Any dust you create while grinding beans in it will be filtered out and won't muddy the cup. If you were using a French press, you'd need a more expensive burr grinder.


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## toddnmd (Feb 25, 2014)

I have a Capresso. Not really cheap, but if you use it for years, it's a good investment. Beans degrade after grinding (and pretty quickly), so grinding and then making a pot is a good way to boost the quality.


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## Burl Source (Feb 25, 2014)

Just going slightly off topic here.
The other day after work I stopped by the grocery store on the way home.
Like a dummy I did not lock the car.
When I came back the glove box and console were open and a package with 2 lbs of coffee that had arrived in the mail were missing.
There was $15 cash still in the console that they left, but the dang thief took my coffee.


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## CoqaVin (Feb 25, 2014)

Thats the wierdestthing ive ever heard


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## Burl Source (Feb 25, 2014)

CoqaVin said:


> That's the wierdest thing I've ever heard


I am in SW Oregon. Everything is weird here.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Feb 25, 2014)

If you really want to buy once, cry once I have a Mazzer Mini for sale. PM me if interested.


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## Keith Sinclair (Feb 26, 2014)

I grind per cup,#4 cone filters.Use a stiff artists brush to clean the grinder & cap.Been using a Mr. Coffee small grinder last couple yrs. works fine.

I think grinding your beans fresh is one of the best:coffeelove: single steps you can take to improve your cup of joe


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## Zerob (Feb 26, 2014)

I have a breville smart grinder. I love it. I drink a lot of coffee daily (4-6 cups) and you can't beat freshly ground. Also if you have money to splurge, a technivorm coffee maker is amazing. It makes an amazing pot of coffee. I've had French drips, presses, percolators, but thee technivorm makes the strongest pot for me.


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## apicius9 (Feb 26, 2014)

Burl Source said:


> I am in SW Oregon. Everything is weird here.



I may have applied for a job around there somewhere... 

Not much to add to the coffee grinding except confirming that getting a decent grinder really does make a huge difference.

Stefan


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## seward (Feb 26, 2014)

IMO, th only hand grinder worth looking at is the Lido from Orphan Espresso. 38mm conical, well under $200, it will even do espresso grinds---though it's best at drip and press.


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## Bitter (Feb 26, 2014)

You should get a good grinder (ex : mazzer) if You have an expresso machine that uses no pressurised filter (easy : You see through the hole) because You actually create the pressure in the coffee by how thin the particles are (thinner = more pressure) and You actually have to adapt the grinding for each coffee. If your expresso machine has a pressurised filter in my opinion don't bother such grinder any cheap grinder with rotating blades will be enough and you'll still get the benefit of fresh coffee (honestly it does make a huge difference in my experience).

Buying an "real grinder" and a decent non pressurised expresso machine was quite a revelation on my part :eek2: I hope you'll experiment the same thing.


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## 9mmbhp (Feb 26, 2014)

I ran across this grinder a while ago: http://www.versalab.com/server/coffee/grindernew.html

It's over the top but... :groucho:


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## Bill13 (Feb 26, 2014)

I have been using the Rocky Rancillio Doserless for about 10 years. You have to clean it every year or so but it's been bullet proof.

http://www.rancilio.it/5-Rancilio-Dosing-Grinders-MD_80-40-ROCKY--ROCKY-ROCKY_SD_


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## hardline_42 (Feb 26, 2014)

When I used to drink coffee, I used a Camano Coffee Mill. It was perfect for the amounts of coffee I made (just me, daily, and two or three when we had company) and was quiet enough to use in the morning without waking anyone up. The grinding took some effort so if you're averse to physical exertion, look elsewhere. It's far from being the ne plus ultra of manual grinders but it was affordable, interchangeable with all widemouth mason jars and made in the USA.


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## apicius9 (Feb 26, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> I have been using the Rocky Rancillio Doserless for about 10 years. You have to clean it every year or so but it's been bullet proof.
> 
> http://www.rancilio.it/5-Rancilio-Dosing-Grinders-MD_80-40-ROCKY--ROCKY-ROCKY_SD_



That's what I had been using and fully agree. Recently got my hands locally on a Mazzer and now I am wondering whether to keep the Rocky as a second grinder for French press and drip or sell it. If I sell, shipping it out of the islands would be too expensive, so it will go on Craigslist. Anybody on Oahu need one? 

Stefan


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## rodneyat (Feb 26, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> I have been using the Rocky Rancillio Doserless for about 10 years. You have to clean it every year or so but it's been bullet proof.
> 
> http://www.rancilio.it/5-Rancilio-Dosing-Grinders-MD_80-40-ROCKY--ROCKY-ROCKY_SD_



Those are the Mercedes of coffee grinders. I don't have one..but have used one. They are expensive...but if you really want a consistent grind. It is the best!


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## CoqaVin (Feb 26, 2014)

holy shiet at prices on the Mazzer and Rancillo


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## WildBoar (Feb 26, 2014)

rodneyat said:


> Those are the Mercedes of coffee grinders. I don't have one..but have used one. They are expensive...but if you really want a consistent grind. It is the best!


More like the Hondas. The Mazzers, etc. take it to a higher level.


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## Keith Sinclair (Feb 27, 2014)

hardline_42 said:


> When I used to drink coffee, I used a Camano Coffee Mill. It was perfect for the amounts of coffee I made (just me, daily, and two or three when we had company) and was quiet enough to use in the morning without waking anyone up. The grinding took some effort so if you're averse to physical exertion, look elsewhere. It's far from being the ne plus ultra of manual grinders but it was affordable, interchangeable with all widemouth mason jars and made in the USA.



That Red Rooster site is pretty cool.


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## gunnerjohn (Feb 27, 2014)

Burl Source said:


> I am in SW Oregon. Everything is weird here.


Yep.. My mother in law lives in Hashland... it's all weird down there.... and that's coming from someone that grew up in Eugene.... but was smart enough to move to Springfield


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## DTB57 (Feb 28, 2014)

I bought the Baratza Preciso conical burr grinder after reading this review on the coffeegeek forum:
http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/quickshot/baratzavirtuosopreciso/details

I got a refurb unit from the baratza website and saved $50. I'm very happy with it.


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## Keith Sinclair (Mar 1, 2014)

I ordered the Camano coffee mill.It's oscar month on Turner Classic Movies was watching (Two Women) Italian movie made in 1961 starring Sophia Loren.There is a scene were she is grinding beans with a hand crank mill.She was not only beautiful,she was a good actress as well.


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## Scrap (May 6, 2014)

My own grinder has a few....issues but I got a broken one and haven't heard of any others with my problem. Either way it works great for small batches of pretty much any size - hario's slim mill. Only makes about 2 cups at a time but with a manual you want want to make more than that at once anyway and it's only 30 dollars. I'd say go for something like this rather than drop a fair sum on an electric, just so you know whether it's worth it to pay for that.


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## Duckfat (May 7, 2014)

DTB57 said:


> I bought the Baratza Preciso conical burr grinder after reading this review on the coffeegeek forum:
> http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/quickshot/baratzavirtuosopreciso/details
> 
> I got a refurb unit from the baratza website and saved $50. I'm very happy with it.



I picked up a Preciso about two years ago and I'm very happy with it. Nice score on the refurb!


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## Mute-on (May 7, 2014)

CoqaVin said:


> holy shiet at prices on the Mazzer and Rancillo



Yeah coffee equipment get expensive very fast. Having said that I've had. Rocky for over 13 years and it's still perfect.

However, for anything short of espresso, this will be more than adequate ... 

http://www.1st-line.com/store/pc/Baratza-Encore-Coffee-Grinder-124p4567.htm

Always grind just before brewing. Use coffee roasted within 2 weeks. Don't ever freeze beans. Keep in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. You will never be happier (with the coffee that is ... 

Cheers,

J


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## Norton (May 7, 2014)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> Then a "whirly" spice grinder like jamaster14 linked to will do fine. Any dust you create while grinding beans in it will be filtered out and won't muddy the cup. If you were using a French press, you'd need a more expensive burr grinder.



The dust from a spice grinder will clog the filter paper pores and slow the extraction. You really do want a burr grinder, which produces minimal "fines."


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## Jordanp (Jul 10, 2014)

What would be the best grinder to use for a french press?


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## mkriggen (Jul 10, 2014)

Jordanp said:


> What would be the best grinder to use for a french press?



French press doesn't require anything different as far as a grinder goes (as long as it's a burr grinder), just need to use a med-coarse setting.

Drink well, go Kona,
Mikey


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## skiajl6297 (Jul 10, 2014)

Any conical burr grinders worth their salt for around $200? I am not grinding for espresso, but rather aeropress and chemex. Like variability, but also looking for minimal fines. Have been using hand burr grinder, and I am just tired of it. I like to get to business fast!


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## daveb (Jul 10, 2014)

I recently moved from a Krups whirley bird grinder to a Baratza Virtuoso burr grinder. At just over 200 I only wish I had done it earlier. I use mine to feed an Aeropress and a drip pot. Chemex may be in my future.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 11, 2014)

This forum is taking me back to the stone age. Hand grinding coffee, shaving with a straight razor. Been using the Camano for 5 months now. It is a ritual just like shaving. Besides being an older fart any little exercise helps.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Jul 11, 2014)

skiajl6297 said:


> Any conical burr grinders worth their salt for around $200? I am not grinding for espresso, but rather aeropress and chemex. Like variability, but also looking for minimal fines. Have been using hand burr grinder, and I am just tired of it. I like to get to business fast!



The KitchenAid ProLine is great for both Aeropress and Chemex. I've used mine daily for over six years and it's still going strong.

http://www.peachsuite.com/977-kplcm...offee-bin-stainless-steel-cuttin-kplcmob.html


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## 99Limited (Jul 11, 2014)

daveb said:


> I recently moved from a Krups whirley bird grinder to a Baratza Virtuoso burr grinder. At just over 200 I only wish I had done it earlier. I use mine to feed an Aeropress and a drip pot. Chemex may be in my future.



+1 for the Baratza Virtuoso. I bought mine about five months ago from JL Hufford for $190. Unless you're a serious espresso lover this grinder will handle all your coffee grinding needs.


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## DDPslice (Jul 13, 2014)

For an aeropress honestly you could just go with a cheepo $20 krups blade the only time consistency really matters is when a) you've advanced your coffee to a local micro roaster or you get some sweet Maria's pre roasted or green beans b) really the only qualification = your pulling an espresso. With aeropress and French press the coffee is so murky/muddled that the kind of clarification your looking for, if you wanted to test this than use your cheep blade grinder to break the beans half way then hand grind (what I do, its much faster), you would need a different form of extraction to make spending those 200 big ones worth it. A pour over or an espresso machine would make the price worth it, Rok makes a cheap alternative ($200) that I've been wanting to test out. Really true consistency of the grind only matters with espresso, where the flavor of a good pull can vary like night and day, pour overs you can get away with a little inconsistency. If you choose to ignore my advice in that regard, than I would go with the Baratza, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdBWAUS8HA&feature=youtube_gdata_player 
Seattle coffee gear has great reviews on YouTube 
If your serious about coffee or are thinking of taking that next step into espresso than I would bump up to a rancilio rocky WITHOUT (sorry no way to underscore, I'm not shouting at you) the basket and thats around 300+. gl drink on and may your teeth forever stay white.


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## 99Limited (Jul 13, 2014)

French press doesn't have to be murky. After my brew cycle is finished, I use my Hario V60 and a rinsed filter to transfer the coffee to my thermos. It's amazing how clogged up the filter gets. The last 1/4 cup I just let pass down the kitchen sink drain because it flows so slow through the filter.


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## DDPslice (Jul 13, 2014)

The point of the French press is to be a murkier muddled taste, the extra grinds left over and the soak time, are supposed to increase the caffeine content, but not create a clarification of flavors like the pour overs do. But hey, the best coffee is the one your enjoying. Personally right now I do an espresso grind in my hario manual grinder than aeropress, using about 25-30 grams, talk about strong with the force.


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## DeepCSweede (Jul 14, 2014)

I just ordered a Baratza Encore last week along with a Bonavita BV1800TH. Really looking forward to replacing the MrCoffee and the whirly grinder.


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## nerologic (Jul 14, 2014)

Burl Source said:


> Just going slightly off topic here.
> The other day after work I stopped by the grocery store on the way home.
> Like a dummy I did not lock the car.
> When I came back the glove box and console were open and a package with 2 lbs of coffee that had arrived in the mail were missing.
> There was $15 cash still in the console that they left, but the dang thief took my coffee.




I had a friend in DC whose house was broken into. The thief stole 4 laptops and..... the Brita filter attached to the faucet. The cop actually laughed out loud when she listed the 5 things that were nicked. Would have made the thief pretty easy to identify.


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## mano (Jul 15, 2014)

+1 KitchenAid Pro Line burr grinder. Sometimes they have them on sale at the KA website.


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## menzaremba (Jul 30, 2014)

The baratza grinders are my favorites in the sub-200 range.


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## evanjohnson (Aug 9, 2014)

WildBoar said:


> More like the Hondas. The Mazzers, etc. take it to a higher level.



Just received a Mazzer I purchased from Jason/ AFKitchenknivesguy. All I can say is WOW. Thanks KKF


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## WildBoar (Aug 11, 2014)

:thumbsup: It sure makes things a lot easier. It may seem like overkill to many people, but in reality it is the right tool for the job.


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## Vesteroid (Aug 11, 2014)

It's really funny jumping from hobby to hobby and finding how people view what their items cost, and what the "minimum" quality level is as compared to other hobbies. Coffee snobs have grinders that cost more than a really good Devin T knife, or a medium Burke. And that's just their grinder. I can easily say that for any serious coffee snob 700.00 is the starting point of a "quality" grinder (new). Of course when I came here and saw knives for 2K I almost passed out, but an espresso machine for 2K is just getting started in the upper end lol.


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## WildBoar (Aug 11, 2014)

hehe, yeah. My espresso machine = a Kramer custom. But it gets used a heck of a lot more then I would use a $5k knife. I've probably made 3,000 espressos/ cappucinos with it the 5 years I have owned it. Factoring in the costs for beans and milk, I'm probably close to break even on it right now compared to buying coffee drinks at Panera and coffee houses. Of course if I had used the money to get a Kramer custom instead I could have sold it for a $15k profit, then bought the espresso machine and deposited $15k back into the bank :O


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## DDPslice (Aug 17, 2014)

Vesteroid said:


> It's really funny jumping from hobby to hobby and finding how people view what their items cost, and what the "minimum" quality level is as compared to other hobbies. Coffee snobs have grinders that cost more than a really good Devin T knife, or a medium Burke. And that's just their grinder. I can easily say that for any serious coffee snob 700.00 is the starting point of a "quality" grinder (new). Of course when I came here and saw knives for 2K I almost passed out, but an espresso machine for 2K is just getting started in the upper end lol.



I agree if you want your automatic, dual pump, yada yada yada. But if your willing to throw in some elbow grease or a little ingenuity then a hario hand mill for $50, a nut and bit with a drill can produce a really even grind for 1/100th of the cost. Or minus the drill and bit and a hundred turns for 30ish grams and you'll be drinking your coffee in about 5 minutes. And for a cheapo who can substitute money for effort it works out well enough. However if you do have a grand lying around then look into the HG One if your truly worried about a low heat quality grind (spoiler, it's also a manual grinder).


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