Coffee Grinder

And here was me thinking coffee was simple!
I use a cheap high speed thing with two blades in it, pour in some beans and press down the button till I decide it is fine enough for whatever machine I am putting it in, sometimes a stovetop, sometimes cafetiere, sometimes plug in thing that looks like a kettle and sometimes even a half decent machine ( nothing like you guys have got, mine is shit) Depending on the beans and the mood I sometimes even cook them up in a pot, let the grinds settle and pour into a pre-warmed mug, always find that gives a nice woody flavour and reminds me of my honeymoon in Cyprus. 75 quid for a grinder? I'll stick to my 20 quid whizzo thing and drink "shit" coffee.
 
I see the attraction mate, but does it really make that much of a difference? Not trying to be a tit, I just dont know.
I see where you are coming from though. I recently bought a 120 quid razor that doesnt shave any better than any other razor I own, but it looks nice and it feels nice. Different strokes for different folks I guess?
 
daz said:
And here was me thinking coffee was simple!
I use a cheap high speed thing with two blades in it, pour in some beans and press down the button till I decide it is fine enough for whatever machine I am putting it in, sometimes a stovetop, sometimes cafetiere, sometimes plug in thing that looks like a kettle and sometimes even a half decent machine ( nothing like you guys have got, mine is shit) Depending on the beans and the mood I sometimes even cook them up in a pot, let the grinds settle and pour into a pre-warmed mug, always find that gives a nice woody flavour and reminds me of my honeymoon in Cyprus. 75 quid for a grinder? I'll stick to my 20 quid whizzo thing and drink "shit" coffee.
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I definitely see your point Daz, I do wonder if I would be able to taste the difference between a £20 grinder and £75 one. The problem is I'm drawn into the Internet reviews and "must spend that bit more" incase the cheap one truly is shit.
 
Some of the cheaper electric ones will have a tendency to burn your beans while grinding which will kill some of the taste, or should `I say add to it, but not in a nice way. Personally speaking I have a hand and electric grinder, both of which can be set for different grinds, or as I said above I take control and decide how fine or coarse. Bear in mind I am a smoker and drinker so my tastebuds could be miles off the mark. IMHO the person making the coffee, makes it good. Get to know the kit you have, if you already know it well and have some pennies burning a hole on your pocket then knock yourself out mate. Afterall it is the wee luxuries in life that give us all a bit extra pleasure, and if you're happy the shops will be even happier after taking your money
 
I used to have a Gaggia MM (~£100) but lost the loose bits in a move and now use a Krups cheapo burr grinder (~£50). I can't say I noticed a great deal of difference between the two as far as flavour goes and both were/are capable of blocking a Gaggia Tebe on nowhere near the finest setting.
But hey I'm just a coffee amateur chucking his tuppence ha'penny worth into the mix.
 
Bechet45 said:
Ok, Tony - now you've given me a waggy finger will you please tell us how fine the grounds need to be for espresso, or whatever it is that grounds need to be for espresso?

Beans being too fresh is a surprise, for instance. I had thought beans needed to be as fresh as possible for good coffee.

If we put your espresso at 10 on a scale of 0 to 10, where would you put Nespresso coffees. I like the purple ones - Argeggio. Trying to get a handle on what 'good' espresso is. I like what 'the Italians' - broad generalisation - whack out at a rate of knots in their stand-up bars. Never been disappointed in many Italian cities and towns.
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Scoring isn't that useful as it'll just reflect my particular taste in coffee however if I could produce what I consider 8/10 espresso for the rest of my days I'd be more than content. It's about reproducing consistency and that's quite difficult to do with my level of domestic use i.e no more than half a dozen shots a day even on a professional machine.
You get consistent by repetition and knowing your machine and blend intimately which is what you experienced in Italy, they know their product and how to reproduce it. As for the grinder it isn't just about how fine you can go but being able to adjust the grind that suits your machine and your tamp to give you the desired result so even if the dualit could grind finely enough the adjustment is crude (stepped) which makes zeroing in difficult although I'm sure you could find a modification somewhere to make it step-less. You just don't need that level accuracy with any other type of coffee and as for beans they need to degas (Co2) for a minimum of five days or more after roasting (hence the bag valve) use them any earlier and they'll choke the machine. It's dance, you hope you are Fred, more often it's Flintstone rather than Astaire.
 
Ah! thanks for that, Tony - my understanding increases! Seems I degas by default by over-ordering to save on postage!

The new Dualits - the ones we are talking about, anyway - are stepless but the ten or so Blob marks have no graduations between so getting back to the perfect position again after cleaning would be hit and miss, albeit close. I suppose you could mark the static and moving parts with a scribe.

Fortunately, I prefer my coffee long - strong, but long - so good enough grinding is OK and the journey is to find the right beans for my palate. I prefer single estate so the guess work/luck in getting it right is taken out but I'm testing a few blends as I go, as well. I do not like high roast coffee, I've discovered and confirmed.
 
It seems that mileage also varies in coffee tastes... and that's not surprising at all. My dualit/bialetti stove top does it for me for everyday consumption. If I want "the coffee that passeth all understanding" I'll take myself off to Spain or Italy... the Mediterranean climate, second hand cigarette smoke and traffic fumes enhance the experience even more. Might even have a cigar while I'm at it.
 
The Iberital's motor is practically bullet proof and for the price takes some beating, that or a second hand pro machine. A consistent and uniform grind is a necessity for espresso based drinks - there is a correlation between price and standard of output in the coffee world but never more so than with grinders - imo. Yep it's a little fiddly switching between grinds but you'll get used to it - I found it's a little like tuning a guitar; go past where you want to be and then dial it back slightly. TBH I have never used any grinder that moves seamlessly between grinds even the £1100 LaCimbali Magnum that I use for events. Ooh, and make sure you have a good tamper.
 
Weight and balance for me primarily, assuming the other stuff like materials & ergonomics are also decent like a quality hardwood handle and a well machined stainless base.

Bought one from these guys and I was quite impressed....

http://www.madebyknock.com/buy.html
 
As Tony says - weight and balance. There are some incredibly light aluminium ones around; pre-tensioned to 30lb examples; convex, concave heads; different woods for handles - it's like shaving brushes, the list goes on. The best tamper though is the one that's used correctly, not the "all the gear no idea merchant" who has the best Reg Barber in the market - my tamper of choice BTW, bought for me by one of the daughters.

Word to the wise - if you're thinking of buying one make sure you measure your group head basket first.
 
It gets worse! Tony's link took me to a place I could understand - diameter, materials, fit in your hand, etc. A question had risen in my mind - a tamper suggests tamping, a light compression, so how much should you compress? - bearing in mind we don't want to cause the dreaded choking even if the grind is perfect.

But then Neil chucks into the pot - tampers "pre-tensioned to 30lb" - and I really don't know if we are into p**s-taking or if you are for real! Nespresso is never this difficult!
 
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