Inexpensive coffee grinders?

[alan_weinberg]

FWIW, as its name suggests, the Encore did an encore, too, dying at almost precisely two and a half years. Now, to find the details of this extra plan, which I had compltety forgotten about. Any thoughts on the best ones these days, including durability? I’m just curious, as I hope I paid for something that will cover a new one. But, it’s nice to know the current state of affairs.

Baratza has an affordable repair/refurbish program. Sent mine in and they fixed it, not expensive.

[Josh_Grossman]

Bodum. It has been great for me:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00430AXLO/

Also have the matching water kettle:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LQNTVRC/

[David_Wright]

The encore (along with other baratzas) has parts that eventually wear out, but they can be replaced. How-tos and parts on their website.

[Jay_Winton]

We bought a Secura a couple of years ago SCG-903B. No issues so far

[John_S]

I’ll weigh but not saying much new. Really just two primary options I can see.

If the blade type (I call them choppers) are fine then go ahead. They simply obliterate and chop the beans and leave the grind quite uneven. But if that works for you then by all means. I used to have one but have not used for coffee in 20 years now. Just pretty poor results for what I want.

For a real grinder I’d pretty much only go with the Barazta Encore as the lowest end. Great service and product. Get a refurb to save $$. There are other cheaper burr grinders but IMHO not that reliable for LT use and this is IMHO essential LT kitchen gear.

Not going into grinders for expresso as then you up the ante way beyond what you need for regular coffee.

[Chris_S_p_i_k_e_s]

Agree with John on all accounts. I didn’t realize how much of an improvement my Encore had been for my coffee making until I went on vacation and packed a chopper blade grinder thinking that would be at least good enough and better than grinding ahead. I couldn’t believe how poor the coffee came out for us compared to our usual. Now I take a high end hand burr grinder and have excellent results.

It’s all about the particle size distribution. Blade grinders deliver particles from super fine all the way to coarse in the mix which means you have a lot of over-extraction (fines) and under-extraction (coarse) mixed with the proper sized particles. Some pretty sophisticated technological evaluations of particle size distribution for grinders set in the drip grind range has shown that the Baratza grinders are the best on the market for such. I have the Virtuoso which replaced my Encore after about 10 years.

As John mentioned, espresso grinders are a different beast with another digit of cost thrown in for the good ones. Also, good espresso grinders aren’t the best drip grinders.

[ybarselah]

best deal going right now for an espresso grinder is the Sette 30 ($250) then adding the better adjustment assembly direct from baratza for $90. it’s a phenomenally amazing design and grinder. overkill for drip or pourover, but i do get amazing results when used that way. you don’t really need the better adjustment, but it’s a rather cheap upgrade and you get to dial in exactly what you need. it’s a modest improvement over stock, but likely worth if for those that have a better espresso machine and know what they’re doing.

https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Sette-30-Conical-Grinder/dp/B075G11F9N

https://baratza.com/product/sette-270-270w-adjustment-assembly/

[Robert_M_yers]

Does the 30 with the $90 upgrade essentially turn it into the 270 model?

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

FWIW, as its name suggests, the Encore did an encore, too, dying at almost precisely two and a half years. Now, to find the details of this extra plan, which I had compltety forgotten about. Any thoughts on the best ones these days, including durability? I’m just curious, as I hope I paid for something that will cover a new one. But, it’s nice to know the current state of affairs.

Baratza has an affordable repair/refurbish program. Sent mine in and they fixed it, not expensive.

Alan:

Did both your Baratzas die on you?

I bought another Encore, and had an issue when the new one arrived. Dealing with their “peoples” was pleasant and easy, and they have sent one to switch and send back the new one. Someone there said they had a “bad batch” of motors around 2016…is that your experience, too?

Hope all is well.

Had an unbelievable Sauzet Truffieres 2004 with local lobsters this weekend. A WOW wine.

stuart

[ybarselah]

Does the 30 with the $90 upgrade essentially turn it into the 270 model?

yes. it misses some of the custom functionality and i think the portafilter holder is different, but the grinding mechanism was always the same, just with a plastic adjustment with fewer steps; this upgrade replaces that entire adjustment.

[Robert_M_yers]

Almost pulled the trigger on a refurb 30 for $180, but then they wanted $50 to ship. Just better of getting a new one with free shipping on Amazon. Has anybody bought the optional burr unit for the Sette line which supposedly makes better drip grinds? Looks super easy to swap out but they don’t give a great explanation of how it’s better.

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

Almost pulled the trigger on a refurb 30 for $180, but then they wanted $50 to ship. Just better of getting a new one with free shipping on Amazon. Has anybody bought the optional burr unit for the Sette line which supposedly makes better drip grinds? Looks super easy to swap out but they don’t give a great explanation of how it’s better.

I thought the two burrs were included?

[Robert_M_yers]

Almost pulled the trigger on a refurb 30 for $180, but then they wanted $50 to ship. Just better of getting a new one with free shipping on Amazon. Has anybody bought the optional burr unit for the Sette line which supposedly makes better drip grinds? Looks super easy to swap out but they don’t give a great explanation of how it’s better.

I thought the two burrs were included?

Here’s the other optional one supposedly for coarser grinds. I tried to call them 3 times on Friday for a better explanation but they weren’t picking up.

https://baratza.com/product/sette-bg-coarse-cone-burr-holder/

[Robert_M_yers]

Just went back and bought the 270wi refurb for 379. Looking at some YouTube videos it seems like for the most consistent coarse grind the other burr helps, but shouldn’t be absolutely necessary. I’ll play around and get it later if I think it would make a difference. Going from a chopper to this should be fun. I only have a Baby Gaggia right now, might be time to start looking…

[Stan_Y]

For press pots, pour-overs, etc. I wish there was a good alternative to a big Ditting or Mahlkonig store grinder that are so expensive and huge. I have a Virtuoso and I still get lots of fines, and it still makes a mess…no coarse-grinding nirvana in this price range. But my cheap little Bonavita makes just as good a cup as the Technivorm that I used for years.

[ybarselah]

Almost pulled the trigger on a refurb 30 for $180, but then they wanted $50 to ship. Just better of getting a new one with free shipping on Amazon. Has anybody bought the optional burr unit for the Sette line which supposedly makes better drip grinds? Looks super easy to swap out but they don’t give a great explanation of how it’s better.

I thought the two burrs were included?

Here’s the other optional one supposedly for coarser grinds. I tried to call them 3 times on Friday for a better explanation but they weren’t picking up.

https://baratza.com/product/sette-bg-coarse-cone-burr-holder/

i use the sette 1-2x per week to make pourover and I find that about position 25 is great. i haven’t needed anything courser and it’s perfectly even. shifting back to 11-13 for espresso needs one shot to recalibrate i find.

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

For press pots, pour-overs, etc. I wish there was a good alternative to a big Ditting or Mahlkonig store grinder that are so expensive and huge. I have a Virtuoso and I still get lots of fines, and it still makes a mess…no coarse-grinding nirvana in this price range. But my cheap little Bonavita makes just as good a cup as the Technivorm that I used for years.

What happened to the Technivorm? and…how long have you had the Bonavita? I reco’d it to a couple, and it died in a few months…so…they gave up and went back to whatever they were using. So, I am curious what the best value in a high-temp coffeemaker is these days…short of Technivorm.

[John_S]

Check this site linked below for what i would term the best for serious coffee people who want drip. I have the Bonavita and have used the Techivorm as well. Both seem to perform pretty similarly, maybe a slight edge to the Bonavita for home roaster like myself who often has very freshly roasted beans. The Technivorm is cooler looking but I prefered the nice water spout of the Bonavita. Technivorm is also more solid but comes at a much steeper price. I had the Bonavita 1900 for 18 mos, never a problem. Would not rec the one with the heated plate, bad for your brew!

Certified Home Brewers — Specialty Coffee Association

[ybarselah]

Certified Home Brewers — Specialty Coffee Association

this is fantastic - thanks for the reference.

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

Just went back and bought the 270wi refurb for 379. Looking at some YouTube videos it seems like for the most consistent coarse grind the other burr helps, but shouldn’t be absolutely necessary. I’ll play around and get it later if I think it would make a difference. Going from a chopper to this should be fun. I only have a Baby Gaggia right now, might be time to start looking…

I bought the same grinder this weekend. It does not come with the extra burr. I’ll try it with the regular burr first.