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!

  • tomkatt@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    2 months ago

    Check out the Baratza Encore ESP. It’s one of the few grinders around that can handle espresso and French press pretty well. It also has internal shims (and includes extra/spare) for adjusting how close or far the burrs are to make minute adjustments to the grind, separately from the grind dial.

    It’s got a 40 click adjustment dial where the first 20 are for fine adjustment for espresso grinds, and then from 21 to 40 is for regular coffee grinds. I do 25 for my pour over, and around 33-34 for French press.

    My previous grinder was a Capresso Infinity, and though I liked it, the Baratza is better quality and much easier to clean and maintenance.

    ———

    Edit - both the Capresso and the Baratza have some grinds retention (anything will on fine grinds) but the Baratza also has the benefit of having compatible bellows, and even aftermarket single serve hoppers with bellows. Capresso does not.

    My Capresso Infinity was bad, sometimes up to 2+ grams retention and I’d have to shake it kind of whack the side of it to get them out.

    With the bellows added, the Baratza’s grounds retention is almost zero, just press it down and the grounds come right out with no fuss. It’s also part of why it’s cleaner, and easier to clean in general.

    • Dop@lemmy.worldOP
      6·
      2 months ago

      The baratza encore is also on my list, but it’s the only electric grinder on it. I’m not set yet, but I think a manual is nice, and easier to carry on a trip. Thank you very much for this detailed review, it’s much appreciated and I’ll take it into consideration!

      • tomkatt@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        2 months ago

        If you need espresso, be sure you’re looking at the Encore ESP, not the original Encore.

        For something easy to carry on trips if you want a manual, Timemore makes good stuff. I have a Timemore C3S. Supposedly it can adjust down to espresso sizes but I haven’t tried it.

        I keep the Timemore as a back up in case power is out and my house battery is low, but I haven’t had much opportunity to use it other than my initial testing.

        I only do pour over and French press, but I’ll just say I don’t think I’d want to hand grind for espresso, would be a pain to do that with any regularity.

  • breadsanta@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 months ago

    I just want to add another vote for the JX Pro. It’s been my daily driver for 3 years and still going strong. I use it for Moka Pot, Aeropress, espresso, pourover, and French press with great results. Changing the grind size for different brew methods isn’t painful. Grinding for espresso does give you a forearm pump tho. It’s a great budget option, and as someone who enjoys the process of making coffee, a manual grinder adds to the process. If you need to grind more than 30 grams at once for guests, etc. then it is time consuming and takes multiple refills. That’s my only criticism of a great grinder.

  • brandon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    2 months ago

    Manual grinders are a great budget option, they punch well above their weight, comparable to electric grinders that are 2-3x the price. I’ve been happy with my 1Zpresso X-Ultra for pour overs. While it can do espresso, it’s quite a bit more work when you get that fine in grind size.

    For espresso, I was able to get a Timemore 078s at a discount that I’ve been happy with it though there are a lot of options these days for electric grinders in the $300-$800 price range.

    As a quick hack, you can also pair a manual grinder with a cordless screwdriver/drill. Just go easy on the power as it shouldn’t take all that much to match or exceed hand power.

  • toomanypancakes@piefed.worldEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    I’ve been using the capresso infinity for years, I just do pour over but it’s worked fabulously for me. I haven’t tried the others listed though, so I can’t say for certain if they’d be better or worse.

  • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 months ago

    I have a fellow opus that can do pour over and espresso pretty well, for a $200 grinder. Was using a hario hand grinder, switched to the fellow and noticed immediate improvement. Well worth the money.

    • psud@aussie.zoneEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Seconding this. I replaced my Hario hand grinder with a cheap electric burr grinder which was better, which I replaced with a good electric grinder which was better still

  • Hawke@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 months ago

    I see recommendations for the Hario Mini Mill and a comment that it is slow. I haven’t used that specific one but I use the Skerton Pro because it’s got a higher capacity and is compatible with standard jars if I break the factory jar.

    The mechanism looks to be identical, so I can’t imagine your 20 g requirement would be a problem in terms of time; I’m usually grinding 50 g in 2-3 min.

  • pjwestin@lemmy.world
    14·
    2 months ago

    Honestly, I’d skip the manual grinders and get the Baratza Encore. The manual grinders on your list are $50 to $100, and you can find a used Encore on eBay for that much. It’s more than capable of giving you the grind you need for a moka pot, drip, or French press, and if you open it up and adjust the grind settings, you can just push it to a fine enough grind for real espresso, should you ever get a proper machine.

    Hand grinders are great, but they can be finicky and tedious, and they’re the last thing you want to deal with when you just want a cup of coffee. They have a lot of range for relatively little cost, but it’s not like you’re regularly making Turkish coffee and cold brew. You’re mostly grinding in the medium to medium-fine grind range, and a good entry-level electric burr grinder will do that for you.

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
        2·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, it’s pretty noisy, but I use mine for my Moka pot, drip coffee, French press, and even cold brew. It struggles on the ultra-fine grinds, but it’s pretty versatile for it’s price point, and will more than do what the OP needs it to do. I just don’t want to see someone drop $300 on a Commandant only to realize they hate manual grinding and don’t need that kind of grind range.

  • jakemehoff11@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    I haven’t seen anything about Timemore in here yet, but I’ll throw my recommendation for those in the mix. I’ve got a C3ESP Pro and it’s great for pourover, moka pot and espresso grinds. It’s not quite up to snuff for French Press, but I don’t know if any hand grinder is gonna be capable of doing both ends very well without breaking your budget.

    My sister just got the C5S Pro and it’s also great, the burrs are slightly more precise than on mine but it takes a little while longer to grind 20 grams than on my C3ESP. Both of these are well within your budget, if you wait until January 1st they’ll be slightly more affordable on AliExpress. Good luck and happy grinding!

    • Dop@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      2 months ago

      Thank you for the suggestion, I’ve seen it mentionned a couple times during my initial benchmark, although not as much as 1Z or, Commodante or Kingrinder. I appreciate your feedback!

  • CoffeeSoldier@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    2 months ago

    Since youve bothered to list it, I’m assuming it’s not out of your price range - go with Commandante and eschew regret. Stock burs will do all that you’ve asked, but if you want to deep dive into espresso at some point, yes you can upgrade. It’s reputation has been earned and it’s really nice when you can get a Recipe or particular bean type that has grind setting info that you can put directly into your grinder. Since it’s such a popular grinder, it’s easier to find this information.

    • Dop@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      2 months ago

      Interesting, it sure is nice to have specific indication on how to grind certain beans beans!

  • BorgDrone@feddit.nl
    3·
    2 months ago

    What is your budget? €100? €1000? €10000?

    A grinder that does everything is quite rare so you may have to decide what you want optimize for.

    For electric grinders: do you want to single-dose or do you want a hopper. (That is: do you go through one bag at a time or do you switch coffees regularly?).

    What kind of flavor profile are you looking for?

    • Dop@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      2 months ago

      Around €100 would be nice. If I had to pick I’d say drip > moka > espresso, given my current appliances.

      As for the flavor profile, I’m still willing to experiment.

  • ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    10·
    2 months ago

    Kinggrinder k6 if you’re okay with hand grinding and want something cheaper. It’s basically a clone of the 1zpresso

    • krellor@fedia.io
      4·
      2 months ago

      I’ll second the kingrinder k6. I use it for my daily routine, and mostly make French press and moka pot, which seems pretty on brand for your use. It can go extremely fine or more coarse. Grinding on finer settings takes a little extra work, but grinding an 18 gram dose of beans on 90 click seeing for use in a French press takes about 45 seconds to a minute. I can have a French press or moka pot fully prepped for hot water before my kettle boils, so I don’t find the time to grind an issue. Also, manual grinders are quieter if that is an issue with early morning brews and others still sleeping.