Down this rabbit hole we go. Just had a buddy bring back some whole Kona beans I requested and now I'm looking to pick up a good manual grinder with the sales this weekend. I was looking at the Epare grinder but not sure if there's better in that price range.

What say the worldly folks of SF?

You might check Lehmans.com for a manual. LINK

Not to derail your request, but check SeattleCoffeeGear dot com for Black Friday sales. I'll highly recommend a Baratza Virtuoso electric grinder, it's a lot of bang for the buck. LINK


Good luck to you.

.

quote:

I'll highly recommend a Baratza Virtuoso electric grinder, it's a lot of bang for the buck.

+1 on the Virtuoso. I bought both mine and my Dad's at Roastmasters so it's another spot to check for Black Friday deals.

Unless you've done it before, you may be surprised how much work hand grinding can be.

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:
Unless you've done it before, you may be surprised how much work hand grinding can be.

That's why I have teenage sons. They've got to be good for something.

Yes, new to trying grinding my own coffee. Really that much work? I didn't think much of it.

Anyone have a reasonably priced electric grinder to start with? A $200+ grinder is a bit steep to jump into right away.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
You might check Lehmans.com for a manual. LINK

Not to derail your request, but check SeattleCoffeeGear dot com for Black Friday sales. I'll highly recommend a Baratza Virtuoso electric grinder, it's a lot of bang for the buck. LINK


Good luck to you.

.

How does the Encore compare to the Virtuoso?

Another vote for the Baratza.

Yes, they are a bit pricey, but they definitely fall into the category of "buy once, cry once".

I should also say I'll be looking for more of a drip grind to use in a reusable K-cup thing.

quote:

Originally posted by steelcityfishanddive:

How does the Encore compare to the Virtuoso?

IIRC, the Virtuoso is the one to go with if you are grinding beans for espresso. I bought a used Virtuoso and had it for years. When I needed a new one, I went with the Encore and it is outstanding.

NOTE: If you check the Baratza website, they occasionally have refurbished grinders at significant savings.

I have the hario skerton ceramic grinder. I use it every 2-3 days. It takes a little elbow grease but I don't think it's that bad. I've been using it for 4 years now, it's held up well and makes consistently sized grounds. I use this with a chimex pour over pot. All of this actually helps limit my coffee intake so that I can drink water through out the day too.

Hario Skerton Ceramic

Edited to add that it screws directly onto a mason jar, so that's kind of handy too.

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:
Unless you've done it before, you may be surprised how much work hand grinding can be.

Never ground my own, but a bean fell in the sink at my place in Can-eh-duh and stopped the Badger garbage disposal so I had to hand crank that. I had no interest in hand grinding coffee before and have even less after.

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:

quote:

Originally posted by steelcityfishanddive:

How does the Encore compare to the Virtuoso?

IIRC, the Virtuoso is the one to go with if you are grinding beans for espresso. I bought a used Virtuoso and had it for years. When I needed a new one, I went with the Encore and it is outstanding.

NOTE: If you check the Baratza website, they occasionally have refurbished grinders at significant savings.

So looks they have a refurb Encore for $100. My other leading option would be the manual Hario pro for $50ish.

A new one is $140. IMO, you can't go wrong getting a mfr refurb'd grinder for $100.

I have a few dozen of coffee grinders dateing back to the mid 1700’s that all are manual

Buy a good quality modern electric Burr grinder

I have a manual Turkish coffee grinder, but it's pretty much relegated to power out backup and road trips.
The rest of the time my ancient Braun ceramic cone grinder still works like a champ.

You can buy a used Braun burr grinder on eBay, like I did to replace an older one.

You want f:1" target="_blank">this model , not the blender blade type.
[Sorry about the screwy looking link, but it works.]

The Encore can do espresso but the Virtuoso is better at it. The virtuoso is also faster than the Encore. I have an Encore and I like it a lot. It does an extremely even grind...if it goes tits up on me I’ll buy another Encore. No question about it.

Capresso Conical Burr. The best I have ever used. Metal body $150, plastic body $80 on Amazon.

https://www.capresso.com/coffee-grinders.html

I've got a $24 JavaPresse conical burr grinder from Amazon that seems to work well. But then again, I'm new to the whole French press/whole bean thing. I'm not expert enough to be talking about hickory undernotes and hints of whatever, but it's a LOT better than Folgers. LOL