One size grinder fits all?

Equipment, technique, or just drinking the stuff

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One size grinder fits all?

Postby Lambo » Mon Dec 01, 2014 5:44 pm

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere - I had a look but didn't see anything too obvious.

I'm contemplating upgrading my amphibious Rocky - still going strong despite my best efforts. Now the heretical part is that I'm not overly bovvered about (dramatic drum roll - wait for it) espresso. :oops: I'll get me coat...
I'm generally quite happy with FP or filter. One mouthful and it's gone, leaving you thinking "I fancy a coffee" doesn't really do it for me. However, 'Er Indoors is quite partial to the stuff, even when I make it. One problem I have with the Rocky is that E.I. ends up with some sludge in the last little slurpette - I don't know if this is due to the Rocky, me or what.

So basically I would want a grinder that is easy to adjust between different grinds without spending hours dialling it in for somebody else's coffee :D .
Does such a beast exist, one that would also produce less in the way of dust?

Regards,
Lambo
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RE: One size grinder fits all?

Postby bruceb » Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:18 pm

Easy that one. I have an SJ for espresso and an SJ for filter. Change between them is instant.
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Postby GreenBean » Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:21 am

Hi Lambo. I am not sure that any grinder will provide completely sludge free coffee from a french press. I think it is likely that some grounds will always find a way to bypass the FP screen. Why not just pour the last slurp, containing the sludge, down the sink?

I find that a Dualit E60/Solis 166 is fine for french press. How about using your Rocky for filter and something like the Dualit for FP?
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Postby dr.chris » Tue Dec 02, 2014 10:17 am

All that matters is getting a drink you like. At home I have Anna and the mazzer mestre and expensive coffee beans (also a dualit and an MC2 both gathering dust).

At work I have a press pot, a krups bladed grinder and beans from a supermarket chain beginning with T. I know which one is better but I like both.
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Postby Lambo » Tue Dec 02, 2014 1:19 pm

I was trying not to go to a two-grinder solution :)

Sorry, I wasn't being very clear - I was at work overnight till 5 this morning and I think the few remaining little grey cells suffered.
The Rocky gets used for all 3 grinds - FP, filter and espresso. I meant the problem sludge (not a HUGE amount) is in the espresso, not the FP coffee (I'm not bothered by the sludge in FP), so my wife ends up not being able to drink all of it. Even a double isn't particularly large, so it seems a bit of a waste. Not being an afficianado of espresso, I don't actually know if this is inevitable or just due to my setup / way of doing things. I changed the burrs sometime in the last year, so hopefully they're not a problem. Would a bigger, better, fancier grinder get rid of this as far as espresso is concerned?
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Postby CakeBoy » Tue Dec 02, 2014 3:41 pm

It could be your burrs or the grind, though it is probably left over from the previous shot as you suggest. The only thing I can think of is a very expensive chuteless style grinder to avoid anything left behind, and something stepped for ease of transition. We have a minimum of three grinders running at all times, two for espresso and a Dualit for brewed. I think it's easier, and potentially cheaper, than a single grinder solution.
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Postby Lambo » Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:02 pm

Ooh, Cakey - you've wetted my appetite now - would the very expensive toy - sorry - grinder have flashing lights and lots of buttons to push as well? 8) It's nearly Christmas!!!
"Out of the way Little Lady - this will take a man to operate it!" Cue lights and sound effects...

Don't really know why I put that - 'Er Indoors doesn't use the Rocky, so she'd be even less likely to use anything fancier. In fact she doesn't do anything much as far as the coffee is concerned apart from drinking it :shock:

I try and empty as much out of the Rocky as possible each time - "opening up" to a coarser setting right at the end, using a pastry brush and a judicious amount of tilting it forwards. I never bothered with putting the tape on the sweeper - looked too fiddly to me.

Would there be anything that actually fits your description? I'm talking about a domestic situation of course.
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Postby Lambo » Wed Dec 03, 2014 6:25 pm

Just taken the Rocky apart for cleaning :shock:
Once I'd taken the hopper off I could see there were grounds all over the place - it's only been 3 months or so since I last did it.

Spent a couple of hours last night going round in circles. Looking at reviews for the Eureka Mignon, Mini E and Mahlkönig Vario. You read a review that says Product A is wonderful - best thing since whatever. Then you read somewhere else that Product B is what you want - nothing can touch it! Then guess what the third review says?! My head hurts :cry:
I obviously just need somebody to say "Buy Product X NOW!!!!!'
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Postby GreenBean » Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:12 am

Lambo wrote:...I obviously just need somebody to say "Buy Product X NOW!!!!!'

I guess we are suggesting a two or more grinder solution is the way to go. Expecting one grinder to quickly and easily change between espresso, french press and filter grinds and to produce good, consistent and repeatable results is asking for a great deal. I would say it is asking for more than can be achieved. Some grinders may claim to do this, I have not tried them, but I seriously doubt that I would be happy with the consistency and repeatability they can achieve.
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Postby motoman » Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:46 am

The old fashioned method of cracking an egg into a jug of coffee to collect the sludge, may work in a French press, but may bugger up the portafilter in your espresso.

Please Cakey, do not eat the egg.
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Postby simonp » Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:14 am

I needed a new grinder last year to primarily do brewed coffee methods. I bought the Malkhonig Vario last year with a view to it potentially doing what the Mazzer Mini does for espresso too. The answer is that it will switch easily between majorly different grind settings, BUT, most importantly, it doesn't quite go back to the same grind at the finer end straight away so shot times are messed with. Not ideal if you want to maintain consistency.
I also found that the Vario produces a little too much in the way of fines on a coarse grind.

The answer seems to be that you can NEARLY do everything on one grinder, but not quite....
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Postby Lambo » Thu Dec 04, 2014 1:30 pm

Hmm, I don't really want to go for the two grinder option - space is an issue, plus somebody else in the house may object, even though she would benefit if the new one was for espresso.

Oh, decisions, decisions!!! That would mean going back to reviews again - what's a sufficient upgrade from the Rocky to make it a worthwhile purchase for espresso, or do I keep the Rocky for espresso and buy something "cheaper" for the coarser grinds???
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Postby sicinius » Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:15 pm

The Mignon is very well made by Italy's top manufacturer of coffee grinders (no it isn't Mazzer).

It's small enough to fit under kitchen shelves, has an accurate timer for dosing, very simple controls that include a brilliant, non-electronic method of adjusting grind, a simple hopper interchange and is very tidy in that only the grinds that miss the portafilter end up on the counter.

However I have kept my original grinder for press-pot and filter.

If you have two grinders, using them both is mahoosivley preferable to making repeated large adjustments in the grind.
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Postby Lambo » Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:18 pm

Thanks sicinius. Why do you mention the simple hopper interchange? Is there some sort of mechanism that prevents the beans from falling out of the bottom if you take the hopper off?
I only ever put what I want to grind right then into the hopper of the Rocky, rather than leaving everything in it - is the Mignon suitable for this?
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Postby HughF » Mon Dec 08, 2014 3:39 pm

If you are forced to have two grinders, the Mahlkonig Vario is quite small and fits under most kitchen cupboards but you would need to slide it forwards to load more beans. I do that twice a day to load four 8g scoops of beans for Chemex brews. The Vario has two accurate grind duration settings plus manual start/stop.
NB : I have not tried the Vario for espresso grinding.

Two grinders also means easy use of different beans for different purposes.

Cheers,

Hugh
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