What's a good manual / electric coffee grinder?

Bruno · 07-05-2008, 10:36 PM

My wife and I like to make coffee from fresh ground coffee beans.
We have an antique manual grinder that is nice to use, but unfortunately, it is not up to daily use anymore.
It starts to wear, and I'd rather not go on until I destroy it.

Since there are other coffee lovers here: what would you recommend for manual coffee grinding.
Keep in mind that this grinder will be used nearly daily, so it has to be built to last.

Any advice is welcome.

Also, are electric grinders comparable in coffee quality with manual grinders?
If so, what would be a good grinder?

RayG · 07-05-2008, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

My wife and I like to make coffee from fresh ground coffee beans.
We have an antique manual grinder that is nice to use, but unfortunately, it is not up to daily use anymore.
It starts to wear, and I'd rather not go on until I destroy it.

Since there are other coffee lovers here: what would you recommend for manual coffee grinding.
Keep in mind that this grinder will be used nearly daily, so it has to be built to last.

Any advice is welcome.

Also, are electric grinders comparable in coffee quality with manual grinders?
If so, what would be a good grinder?

I have been using this daily for the past two years and have been very happy. It is a conical burr grinder, which like your manual grinder (and unlike electric blade grinders), will not burn the coffee. It has been very reliable, giving me consistent, uniform grounds from coarse (for my presspot), to very fine espresso and turkish grinds. The price is very reasonable.

If you have not seen it yet, CoffeeGeek's extensive reviews on different grinders may help you decide.

JMS · 07-05-2008, 11:51 PM

My manual grinder that I had been using for years was starting to poop out, so I went to an antique store and picked up another that works real nice!

honedright · 07-06-2008, 12:29 AM

This is the manual grinder I have been using for several years. It's made in England, called the "Birchleaf Coffee Grinder."

Scott

Pyment · 07-06-2008, 02:27 AM

For a manual grinder Zassenhaus is reputed to be the best. I have 3-4. I have a collection of manual grinders and would consider them among the best. They had been unavailable in the US, but now can be had at several spots.

I have a collection of hand grinders, but the Zass is at the top.

If you are interested in an electric burr grinder, I have given away some grinders I bought from Costco:

Costco - Saeco Titan Coffee Bean Burr Grinder

People have been pleased. Not suitable for espresso. But it is a decent price quality point.

From there it is mainly a question of how much do you have budgeted?

JimmyH-AD · 07-06-2008, 04:48 AM

+1 on the Zassenhaus. I have a few of them and they are functional works of art. Check out ebay they are on there all of the time. I prefer the 'knee grinders' like the 156 or 496.

mitchellb · 07-06-2008, 03:35 PM

Quality manual grinders with conical burrs can be had at a much lower price than their electric counterparts of similar quality. Zass grinders and PeDe (Peter Dienes) are both quality manual choices that can be had under 60 dollars easily.. You can get a good electric grinder made by Rancilio or Mazzer, but the manual should suit you nicely for drip coffee once a day..

cannonfodder · 07-07-2008, 04:41 AM

Zass’s are good but you pay a premium. I have only used a couple hand mills, I have two Cimbali Max commercial grinders and a Cimbali Jr on the espresso bar, but the Mazzer Robur is king, and cost as much as a small car. I had one on the espresso bar for a write-up, along with my Mazzer mini, Super Jolly, a couple of Macaps, purchased the Max.

We have a large hand mill following and thread on Home-Barista you may want to read over, Hand (grinder) Jive-a photo essay.

Pyment · 07-09-2008, 02:34 PM

One thing you miss out on with an electric is that burst of fragrance as the beans are ground (especially if freshly roasted).

It is a part of the experience of the coffee. Takes a little more time, but it is pretty nice!

TULIP · 07-12-2008, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyment

One thing you miss out on with an electric is that burst of fragrance as the beans are ground (especially if freshly roasted).

It is a part of the experience of the coffee. Takes a little more time, but it is pretty nice!

Agree on the Zassenhaus. They make great pepper mills, too.

Nice vacuum pot on the avatar. I've got an old Cory that I use.

thebigspendur · 07-12-2008, 01:15 AM

I recently bought a new Zass and to me maybe at one time they made great grinders but their new stuff has terrible workmanship. I had to return two which were defective and the third is very inconsistent. But its a nice show piece. I have a Solis maestro electric and it does everything I would ever want. You can spend a lot of money for a grinder but as long as it has conical burr grinders and a gear reduction motor and grinds fine enough for what you need that's about it.

Chris L · 07-12-2008, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Mazzer Robur is king, and cost as much as a small car.

My first thought as a coffeegeek was that a Robur for home use is the quintessence of overkill. Then I thought: "it's no less equivalent to you having the Shapton stones in relation to straight shaving, so keep yer yap shut, you should talk". Wow, a Robur for home use. Seriously? What does a Robur give the home user that a Macap M4 Stepless can't? An honest question.

Chris L

cannonfodder · 07-15-2008, 02:57 AM

Clarity, repeatability, speed, built like a tank and very few adjustments. Keep in mind, this is for espresso, one of the most demanding preparation methods, for drip/press/vac pot the difference would be less obvious. The espresso machine you use makes a difference as well. Using a Robur on a Krups steam toy verses a LaMarzocco FB80 would nullify most of its benefits. My machine is a Elektra 60’s A3 which produces an uncannily clean cup.

Elektra works some magic with their machines, I have used the A3, MicroCasa leva and Semiautomatica, and they all produce some of the best shots out there. I also have a two group Faema I restored, two Gagga lever machines and a VBM Domobar Super, then there is the hottop roaster and pounds and pounds of greens for blending and roasting. Yup, I take my coffee pretty seriously. I have a VBM Doubledomo coming for a buyers guide around the end of this month. Their prototype and gen one machine had a couple of issues. VBM is doing some redesign work and shipping us (team HB) a new gen two for testing, but that is getting a bit off topic.

If you want the big explanation might I recommend you read through…

Titan Grinder Project
Titan Grinder Project: Can it Beat the Mazzer Robur?

If you really want to go over the top we also ran a grind partical analysis with a Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer and a Scanning Electron Microscope. Ya, we take coffee seriously.

My house, most of those grinders are for testing.

Chris L · 07-15-2008, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Clarity, repeatability, speed, built like a tank and very few adjustments. Keep in mind, this is for espresso, one of the most demanding preparation methods, for drip/press/vac pot the difference would be less obvious. The espresso machine you use makes a difference as well. Using a Robur on a Krups steam toy verses a LaMarzocco FB80 would nullify most of its benefits. My machine is a Elektra 60’s A3 which produces an uncannily clean cup.

Elektra works some magic with their machines, I have used the A3, MicroCasa leva and Semiautomatica, and they all produce some of the best shots out there. I also have a two group Faema I restored, two Gagga lever machines and a VBM Domobar Super, then there is the hottop roaster and pounds and pounds of greens for blending and roasting. Yup, I take my coffee pretty seriously. I have a VBM Doubledomo coming for a buyers guide around the end of this month. Their prototype and gen one machine had a couple of issues. VBM is doing some redesign work and shipping us (team HB) a new gen two for testing, but that is getting a bit off topic.

If you want the big explanation might I recommend you read through…

Titan Grinder Project
Titan Grinder Project: Can it Beat the Mazzer Robur?

If you really want to go over the top we also ran a grind partical analysis with a Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer and a Scanning Electron Microscope. Ya, we take coffee seriously.

My house, most of those grinders are for testing.

Very nice set up. Can I move into your house? The silky crema laden elixers must just taste like honey at your place. I couldn't have a set up like that at home. Why? Too much caffeine makes me tired, lethargic and makes me just want to go to sleep. That and if I quickly increase my normal dosage of caffeine than go back to my regular dosage, the headaches almost make blood drip out of my ears. Yep, she's a cruel mistress always wanting me to take in more and more and more and more.

Chris L

I want to start brewing my own Kombucha!

rexj · 07-15-2008, 04:29 AM

Wow!!, I was so proud of my Breville and Zass. Very impressive. I should probably get immunized for GAD now.

timberrr59 · 07-17-2008, 03:40 PM

I have FOR TRADE the conical burr hand crank assembly from a very, very, OLD grinder for trade. It is definitely from the 19th century! It is only the crank and burrs. The wooden base/ box is long gone. I temporarily rigged it to a wooden plank so that I could grind something. It worked. Slow but sure. This item is perfect for parts, restoration, or just as a curio for that shelf. If someone has an extra straight razor that will shave, let us trade. Ugly is OK. The grinder assembly is ugly for now also. This is the plan: We can both have something of utility without spending money for. No photos. I do not have a camera either. Maybe someone has an extra older digital camera instead of a razor for the trade. How does this sound? Gotta go, the coffee is ready. Robert