Low cost grinders

[CoffeeFishingBeer]

Hi all,

New to Sweet Maria's and to home roasting.

I'm currently using a Krups blade grinder but am getting tired of hauling it back and forth to work so am looking at getting another grinder for one location or the other (at work, my team uses it to grind beans for our drip machine). At home I brew with a Vietnamese coffee press.

What do you think of low-cost burr grinders such as the Delonghi KG89 or Krups GVX1-14? (both about $60). Or would I be better off going with another blade mill? I'm not currently grinding for espresso, but might at some future point.

Thanks!

[EricBNC]

Hi all,

New to Sweet Maria's and to home roasting.

I'm currently using a Krups blade grinder but am getting tired of hauling it back and forth to work so am looking at getting another grinder for one location or the other (at work, my team uses it to grind beans for our drip machine). At home I brew with a Vietnamese coffee press.

What do you think of low-cost burr grinders such as the Delonghi KG89 or Krups GVX1-14? (both about $60). Or would I be better off going with another blade mill? I'm not currently grinding for espresso, but might at some future point.

Thanks!

Welcome to the Sweet Maria's forum - the coffee press - does it use a paper filter or is it like a Phin with a perforated plate acting as the filter?

[CoffeeFishingBeer]

Welcome to the Sweet Maria's forum - the coffee press - does it use a paper filter or is it like a Phin with a perforated plate acting as the filter?

The bottom is a perforated metal plate with a screw sticking up in the middle. You put coffee in, then screw on the second metal plate to sandwich the coffee between the two plates. Most of mine hold 6 - 8 ounces of water, but I have a big one that I bought in Viet Nam this past summer that holds about a quart.

[kschendel]

I'd suggest going for a used / refurb Baratza Maestro or Capresso Infinity instead. The Maestros seem to run over $100 these days, but I see a bunch of Infinity's on ebay for under $100 (buy it now). Or, if you don't mind turning a crank, get one of the hand grinders with ceramic burrs: Hario Skerton, Porlex, or Kyocera.

(I have a Maestro bought refurbished and a Kyocera hand grinder, and like both of them.)

[CoffeeFishingBeer]

Thanks for the input! I picked up a nice used Capresso Infinity on Craigslist today.

[AhZheng]

Hello! I've recently modified my Delonghi KG89 and posted some pictures. Take a look!

http://the-coffee-nut.posterous.com/so-youve-bought-a-delonghi-kg89-how-to-get-a

The grinds on the left is from my modded KG89 and the right is from the mazzer superjolly from work.

grinds.jpg (164.86 KiB) Viewed 1400 times

The grinds on the left is from my modded KG89 and the right is from the mazzer superjolly from work.

[spro745]

Thanks for the input! I picked up a nice used Capresso Infinity on Craigslist today.

The Infinity is a good all-around grinder and is very much espresso capable. Not the most ideal due to having a very small "espresso" range, but it's doable with very good results. My only problem was the grounds retention.

[spro745]

AhZheng,
I do applaud your effort to make something better. As you probably know, just grinding fine enough is only part of the equation. Problem with that grinder and others like it is the "fake burrs" and high grinding speed. Having said that, if it's all one has to work with then let it roll.