Hi,
I've been using a blade grinder for years and just recently realized how badly it affected the brew (took me a while, please don't hate haha).
So I started looking for a better alternative, with burrs, and from what I gathered, a good manual grinder will beat any fancy electric one, so I guess I'll be grinding my beans myself now.
I still need your help picking the right grinder for me, so here is my situation :
- I mostly use a moka pot and a dripper, and more rarely a French press, for lack of a proper espresso set up
- I'm also an espresso guy but I will probably end up investing in a decent espresso set up sonif the grinder could manage all of these that'd be neat! (I haven't started benchmarking for a proper setup yet because enjoying a good ristretto from time to time is fine by me for bow, but any advice on a a machine that is not too pricey is welcome too!)
- most of the time I grind approx 20g of beans
- I buy my beans from a local roaster, in small quantities (by 250g), dunno if this is any relevant
So far here is a list of grinders I've seen recommended on this sub :
- 1ZPresso JX pro
- Commandante c40 (but there are different burrs and I don't know which one I'd pick)
- Capresso Infinity
- Hario mini mill
Haven't bern really checking the the last two though. There seem to be quite we difference in prices range, so I need your help picking the right model (and size?). I don't want to spend too much, but I'm okay for a little pricey one if it makes a great deal of difference and it'll last! Also I'm open to look for second hand grinders unless you thinks it's a bad idea ?
Cheers and thank you for your help,
Edit : kingrinder's P & K series are also seemingly a solid choice, if any of you guys have an opinion, I'm interested!
I've used my Comandante C40 almost daily for several years, so I can just comment on that. Was mostly doing pour overs but lately exclusively espresso. No complaints so far, it's done everything I've asked it to and held up well. It's built solid, the only fragile parts are the top cover is made of plastic and obviously the bottom jar is made of glass. Can grind fine enough for espresso so I haven't felt the need to get an electric grinder just yet.
Price is usually the big hurdle for people, I don't disagree but since I've used mine a lot, I think I got my money's worth. It also matches my espresso machine (Odyssey Argos) so another personal reason I chose it. YMMV.
Other tedious parts are if you switch between grind sizes a lot just have to remember your preferred settings (# of clicks) to dial back in. It's pretty consistent but still don't like switching once I'm dialed in.
Oh forgot to add, I've taken it camping/backpacking along with my Aeropress so that's another benefit of a manual grinder.
Yeah, going on trips with my grinder sounds like a nice upgrade!