looking for a conical grinder... recs?

Hey all, currently in the market for a conical grinder. can't seem to find any solid brand/model recommendations out there, so was wondering if any of you had some input.

grinder would be used mostly for coffee, maybe 1-2 times a week. would prefer something that doesn't take a lot of counter space and is easier (relatively) to clean.

thanks

Do you only drink coffee once or twice a week? Do you need a grinder that can do a decent espresso grind?

I have a Bodum Antigua at home, which is a good grinder for it's price and gets a decent espresso grind. Rancilio, Mazzer, and Baratza all make a great grinders, but they're much more expensive.

Check here for reviews: http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders

If you can't find recommendations, then you're lookin' in the wrong place The coffee enthusiast websites are filled with information about grinders.

I would VERY strongly suggest reconsidering your notion of dual usage. Buy a good burr grinder for your coffee, and buy a $20 whirly-blade grinder for your [non]coffee needs.

Being a member of said enthusiast sites, allow me to enlighten you with the types of responses that you will encounter:

1) What is your price range?
2) What is your main method of preparation (drip brew, french press, turkish, moka pot, espresso)?
3) Do you intend to use it for multiple methods (Mr. Coffee on the weekdays, leisurely french press on weekends)?

If you're at all serious about a grinder, expect to spend $80+ for a good starter coffee grinder. I've used and would recommend the following: (all links are to Amazon)

• Capresso Infinity
• Saeco Titan
• Barzata Maestro

As Llama recommends, CoffeeGeek is a great resource.

Good luck,
-s.

thanks for the input so far, this is actually for a gift but i'm looking at the $100 range and i do believe it is mostly for french press. it would be only for coffee beans.

anyway, i'll look over the coffeegeek site... my google query mostly returned shill/composite price sites which i tend not to trust.

thanks again

You won't go wrong with any of the three that I listed. More importantly, since it's a gift, make sure that the seller has a generous return policy. You might also want to consider a gift coffee subscription from a well-regarded local roaster. Metropolis & Intelligentsia both fit the bill in that regard. (I don't have any professional affiliation with either roaster, just a happy customer)

-s.

I'll echo everything that Sherman said. The Capresso Infinity is a great grinder for the price. I've given it as a gift to two or three people now. I have one and also have a Rancilio Rocky (which is $400). They are equally good grinders for drip, french press, manual pour over, and vacuum coffee. The differences between the two shows up if you want to brew espresso. The Capresso is a bit more user-friendly than the Rocky.

When I bought my Capressos, they made a black model that was under $100 and a brushed aluminum model that was around $130. They were the same grinder, but with different finishes. So I bought black models.

Darren72 wrote:I'll echo everything that Sherman said. The Capresso Infinity is a great grinder for the price. I've given it as a gift to two or three people now. I have one and also have a Rancilio Rocky (which is $400). They are equally good grinders for drip, french press, manual pour over, and vacuum coffee. The differences between the two shows up if you want to brew espresso. The Capresso is a bit more user-friendly than the Rocky.

When I bought my Capressos, they made a black model that was under $100 and a brushed aluminum model that was around $130. They were the same grinder, but with different finishes. So I bought black models.

Have you had any problems with cleaning and static? These are some of the issues I have seen with this unit in other reviews.

My Krups blade coffee grinder died today. I am thinking of getting the Capresso burr grinder you mentioned above. I make only two cups of coffee a day. If I grind only 2 coffee cups worth of beans a day, can I get away with cleaning the coffee grinder only once a week?

I have a Baratza Virtuoso that I use for coffee and am very happy with it. It's the next step up in Baratza's line from the Maestro. Baratza often has refurbished Maestro and Virtuoso models for sale at a discount on their website (http://www.baratza.com).

jpreiser wrote:I have a Baratza Virtuoso that I use for coffee and am very happy with it. It's the next step up in Baratza's line from the Maestro. Baratza often has refurbished Maestro and Virtuoso models for sale at a discount on their website (http://www.baratza.com).

Thanks for the advice. I also got a recommendation for Baratza Maestro on the coffeegeek forum.

shorty wrote:Have you had any problems with cleaning and static? These are some of the issues I have seen with this unit in other reviews.

My Krups blade coffee grinder died today. I am thinking of getting the Capresso burr grinder you mentioned above. I make only two cups of coffee a day. If I grind only 2 coffee cups worth of beans a day, can I get away with cleaning the coffee grinder only once a week?

No problems with cleaning or static. Sometimes there is a little static, but not so much that it would deter me from recommending this unit or buying it again.

I don't think you need to clean the grinder nearly that often. I clean mine every couple of months, though I probably should do it more frequently. But once a week seems more frequent than is necessary. In any case, cleaning the unit is really easy. The top canister easily comes off. Then you pull out the top burr. Then you use a vacuum or something to cleanout the grinds, perhaps spray with compressed air, and then use an old tooth brush to wipe the burrs. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes.

Darren72 wrote:

shorty wrote:Have you had any problems with cleaning and static? These are some of the issues I have seen with this unit in other reviews.

My Krups blade coffee grinder died today. I am thinking of getting the Capresso burr grinder you mentioned above. I make only two cups of coffee a day. If I grind only 2 coffee cups worth of beans a day, can I get away with cleaning the coffee grinder only once a week?

No problems with cleaning or static. Sometimes there is a little static, but not so much that it would deter me from recommending this unit or buying it again.

I don't think you need to clean the grinder nearly that often. I clean mine every couple of months, though I probably should do it more frequently. But once a week seems more frequent than is necessary. In any case, cleaning the unit is really easy. The top canister easily comes off. Then you pull out the top burr. Then you use a vacuum or something to cleanout the grinds, perhaps spray with compressed air, and then use an old tooth brush to wipe the burrs. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes.

Right now I am trying to decide between Capresso Infinity and Baratza Maestro. I saw that Infinity has some issues with static and wasted/retained grinds and I also saw some comments that the Maestro grinder is loud + there are issues with getting the beans down the hopper. I am leaning towards getting Capresso Infinity.

FWIW, my Virtuoso has minimal static. There is some in the grounds hopper - especially right after grinding - but it quickly disipates once the motor stops. Even a 10sec lag between grinding and pouring tends to be OK.

Even with this, most of my static issues are with chaff remnants rather than grinds. A quick tap against the sink wall takes care of them.

I know the Virtuoso has gone through several grinds hopper versions to deal with static issues. I'm not sure wheather the Maestro has had similar upgrades though.

I've never seen a conical burr grinder that has unacceptable amounts of static. They all have a little, but much less than flat burrs. Same with noise levels.

shorty wrote:Right now I am trying to decide between Capresso Infinity and Baratza Maestro. I saw that Infinity has some issues with static and wasted/retained grinds and I also saw some comments that the Maestro grinder is loud + there are issues with getting the beans down the hopper. I am leaning towards getting Capresso Infinity.

I have a Baratza Maestro Plus, and haven't had many problems with static. As jpreiser said, there's a little static in the bin, but it's nothing that a few light taps can't overcome. Also, the bin of the Maestro Plus (and I believe the Maestro, also) has an anti-static coating...obviously it doesn't eliminate static completely, but it's noticeably better than plain old uncoated plastic.

I haven't had any problems getting beans down the hopper, and I've thrown everything from el-cheapo grocery store beans to big, fat Maragogype beans in it. Once in a while one or two beans might dance around & resist taking the fatal plunge into the burrs, but a bit of pulsing takes care of them. That issue is so minor, I wouldn't even consider putting it in the potential-deal-breaker category.

I would strongly recommend spending the extra $30 or so (assuming you're getting a refurb) to get the Maestro Plus rather than the Maestro. The heavy steel base is well worth it for the stability, and the pulse grind button on the front of the machine is a useful feature.

The Maestro Plus is by no means whisper quiet, but it's quieter than the average whirling-blade grinder. Volume isn't a big concern for me though, because my wife almost always wakes up before I do, so I'm not concerned about disturbing anyone's slumber by grinding some beans in the morning.