I want to buy a burr grinder and could use some help. I have read reviews and still am confused. I know there are some serious coffee people here on CC, so I figured I’d ask if anyone can recommend a brand/model that he/she really likes. Bonus points if it is not a pain in the neck to clean. And extra bonus points if its under $300. I am amazed at how expensive these grinders can get. I have seen some models for under $100, but have read some mixed reviews on them.
Oh and if anyone has a favorite online place where they buy good quality coffee beans–please let me know.
I have been happy with a Capresso burr grinder for years that looks like the one in @suzy100 ‘s link (mine is black). It cleans easily with a small brush. I have several sources for beans locally so no suggestion there.
There’s a lot of different types of grinders out there, and some are better at doing coffee grinds vs espressos grinds. I’d say initially not to drive yourself crazy and just spend around $100. In a few years if you realize the combination of your grinder and coffee maker aren’t doing it for you, then you’ll know what you want in an upgrade. IMHO it’s like starting out drinking wine - initially you’re perfectly happy with a $10 bottle but over time you might (or might not) develop an appreciation for a $100 bottle.
In addition to the grinder, you’ll also need a good coffee maker. Assuming you’re not using a manual method like pourover or aeropress, make sure your machine can get up to at least 195F. Easiest way is to buy an SCA-certified machine. https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer/
For mail-order beans I sometimes use Intelligensia or Blue Bottle. Fantastic quality but very expensive. If you can find a place locally that roasts their own beans you’ll save a ton of money and support a local business. Google or yelp “coffee roasters ” or “third wave coffee ”. If buying beans locally, only buy beans that display the roast date. Personally I won’t buy beans roasted more than 4-5 days previously, but some people prefer older roasts; it’s just personal preference. IIRC Intelligensia and Blue Bottle will ship within 24 hours of roasting.
A friend of ours is in the coffee business–he invented a gizmo for brewing coffee that’s used in almost all commercial coffee shops–recommends 49th Parallel Coffee (you can buy online). He also recommends the Mochamaster coffee pot and grinder. I use them all and I’ve been pleased with my coffee and beans.
We use the same grinder that @anomander mentioned above and it does a decent job. We’ve had it for at least a couple of years and have had no problems at all. I agree that the glass container really helps with the grinds sticking because of static. We’ve tried many mail order coffee beans but haven’t been very happy with most of them. We are fans of dark roast Peet’s coffee, so for convenience often buy it in the grocery store. However, there is a Peet’s store not far from where we live that we go to once in awhile to get both fresher beans and different kinds than are available in the grocery store. You can also buy it online, which we used to do before it was so readily available, and which we still sometimes do for gifts for other coffee fans. We use either a French Press or an espresso machine to make coffee most of the time, although for single cups we use a gold filter.
@mathmom, we don’t clean our grinder! I have only washed the glass receptacle, but not the part where the coffee is ground. Maybe we should think about doing that, but I don’t know if it’s necessary.
Our coffee maker repair person told is it depends on the oiliness of the beans. We ditched our grinder and now have a coffee maker that grinds the whole beans itself.
After trying many different types of beans, my husband swears by Intelligensia. They are drier than the Italian beans and the machine seems to do better with them. He almost exclusively drinks espresso.
Thanks for the suggestions and advice! I definitely need a more decent coffee maker at some point. But I just went from using packaged ground beans to grinding my own in a blade grinder and the taste of the coffee is significantly better. So, I am hoping that the burr grinder will help even more and then at some point, I will get a better coffee maker.
@anomander: I am interested in the glass receptacles due to the static cling issue you raised. I have read that burr grinders can be messy to use.
I also like Intelligensia, as well as coffee from Zingerman’s (I like Roadhouse Joe). I can buy both at a local grocery, but I know you can buy Zingerman’s online. Probably Intelligensia as well. I just do single cup pourovers.
We have a Delonghi burr grinder and a Cuisinart burr grinder. They both work fine for grinding coffee. They’re messier than I like and the Cuisinart is much louder than the Delonghi.
We also have a little Hario hand cranked burr grinder that’s my personal favorite. It’s hands down the best for a beautiful even grind for our French press, is quiet, and doesn’t make any mess, BUT it’s a lot of work for more than a cup or two of coffee.
We buy locally roasted beans from a coffee shop in our neighborhood. Sometimes the beans are still warm from roasting and they smell wonderful.
I’ve been drinking black coffee since I was 12 (probably why I have esophogus issues now) - and I’ve used the Capressa grinder as linked to above at my brothers house weeks at a time when I visit, however, we have had for the last 10-15 years one of the Cuisinart Grind & Brew 12 cup thermal carafe coffee makers and I swear it is as good as any of the high end grinders and coffee makers I’ve tried at other folks house. It lasts a long, long time if you clean the grinding shute regularly (it actually displays when it’s time to clean but I just check once a week) - the entire unit is about $150 now but it makes good coffee and never will I ever have a coffee pot sit on a burner again (and we drink it fast in my house). No more sludge for me!
WoodsCoffee.com is a local roastery here in the PNW, home of the coffee snob hipsters. I often give this as gifts and people love it. They sell online and ship and keep their beans quite fresh.
We also like the San Francisco blend French Roast we get at Costco, some people find it too dark and strong.
My current grinder is a Baratza Encore and I’ve been happy with it for years, if you are looking in person check how the grind cup fits in and out. My prior gr8ndef had a sort of crescent shaped cup for the grounds, it was so difficult to get it fitted in and when not fitted correctly, it would fall out and make a big coffee grounds mess.
@Bromfield2 I was hoping you would post here because I remembered you had posted in the past about getting coffee beans online and I couldn’t recall the name of the place you mentioned.
There is no coffee roaster near to me, so I will need to look online and am very appreciative of the suggestions posted. There are so many bean choices that it’s kind of overwhelming. Currently, I am drinking a medium roast that I like which is described as “floral and fruity”, so I guess I can search for beans similar to that to try different brands and then branch out to different roasts.
@somemom I think I was at a Woods Coffee when we were in the PNW, and I recall that the coffee was very good–so I definitely will check out their website.
I think @anomander 's advice is good and that I should just select a grinder at the $100 price point and see how it goes. I’ll check out each of the burr grinders that were mentioned in this thread.
I would love to upgrade my coffee maker as well, but I would like one that makes a large batch of coffee (my current coffee maker makes 14 cups). I don’t know if the fancier brands make large batches or not. I’ll have to check it out.
I’m a Melaleuca user so I get preferred pricing on their items. I love their whole bean organic coffee and have been drinking it faithfully from day one. When you open the bag the aroma is amazing and you can see the oils. This is the flavor I drink:
$15/bag non preferred customer pricing ($9.99 for preferred) which isn’t bad for the quality of coffee. I typically French press my coffee for optimum flavor. I use a simple but good one, Bodum + Starbucks it does the job just fine
Blue bottle coffee. Put the 3 words together and add .com.
My son is a coffee snob. I sent him a 3 month subscription for his last b/d. In prior years, I bought him a coffee maker and grinder at Williams Sonoma. His fiancé bought him classes in making coffee. I don’t know what equipment he uses now. So, my message to the OP is to look for local classes.