Sorry – I need a coffee grinder

Last thread I could see was back in Feb, so let’s go again.

MrsMC has returned from Vienna with a kilo of coffee beans from an apparently amazing cafe she went to. She kind of overlooked the fact that we don’t have a grinder.

So what’s the recommendation – to be used in aeropress or maybe cafetiere. I actually find finer espresso grinds work better in an aeropress but that seems to be me.

Let’s make it less than £100 please. Shame we missed black Friday.

I smash mine to bits in a di longhi grinder. Obviously you’ll need the thighs of a Costa Rican* beauty/beau on which to grind to the perfect level.

*Dependant on source of the beans.

I was just using a fairly cheap Krups burr grinder for aeropress & filter coffee before I went down the espresso rabbit hole. Did the job absolutely fine for that other than it does generate a lot of static so it helps if you can very slightly dampen the beans with a mist sprayer but that’s true of lots of grinders.

Hario Skerton hand grinders on offer on their site. Added benefit of hand strength training for one finger braking

Wilfa svart for aeropress, Moka, filter ?

You really need to up the budget, even for a hand grinder… and they soon become a bit tedious. Spend a load now and you’ll have something that’s a joy to use and will last years. In true STW fashion, I’d recommend a Niche Zero. I’m assuming you have plenty of “Dash” btw.

I have a sage but it’ll cost more than 100 I’m afraid. We have the krupps one at work and it’s a cheaply constructed hateful thing. The grind adjustment system doesn’t seem to do anything at all, it’s very loud, and the timer is ****.

If you see yourself using it more than a couple of times a week get the sage if you can afford to, would be my strong recommendation.

Unless you want to grind for espresso, I’d also vote for the Wilfa Svart, within your budget and mine has no static/retention problems. Also very long warranty.

Discounted at the moment (24%): https://wilfa.co.uk/collections/coffee-grinders/products/wilfa-silver-coffee-grinder

We had the Krups, which was ok, but eventually died. The replacement a Sage Pro is much nicer, but nearly 3 times the price!

Check out some of the miicoffee range.

Cheapish but good value.

I’ve got a single dose df64p. The range is a bit confusing. My model is specifically espresso grind range. Might not be less than a 100 but there are some between 100-200.

I see a Niche Zero on the horizon 😉

When I bought my espresso machine I was recommended the Eureka Mignon as the “cheapest grinder I’d never feel the need to upgrade” and I’ve still got it after 10 years so it’s worked out ok.

there seem to be a few different models now. At the time it was also one of very few that weren’t designed for cafe volumes of grinding.

As above, Wilfa Svart is the sweet spot for your use case. Consistent grind, affordable, not too noisy, easy to use and reliable.  No need to spend any more unless you plan to get into espresso later. They are great grinders for every other brew method, they just don’t go quite fine enough for espresso.

Would a pestle and mortar be a silly suggestion?
Asking for a friend who didn’t read the packet very carefully.

Sage is fine. Probably more like £150. Not good for single dosing / varied grinds for different purposes as it retains a bit. But for filling up a hopper and getting the same grind out repeatedly, which I think is what you are after, then it’s ideal.

Wilfa svart FTW

Knock aergrind here, sold out the outlet ones but register and wait for next batch. Or pay for a perfect one, my graded one is perfect i couldnt see any scratches.

Knock aergrind here, sold out the outlet ones but register and wait for next batch. Or pay for a perfect one, my graded one is perfect i couldnt see any scratches.

Same here – couldn’t see any marks whatsoever on mine.

Wilfa Svart owners – do you haev any tips on cleaning it? Mine seems to be getting clogged on a regular basis, and apart from removing the hopper and lifting out the metal thingummyjig I don’t see what I can do to un-clog it.

I have so many interweb windows open for all these grinders and YouTube reviews I’m going to have to switch to decaf…..

Any Bodum grinder users – a mate has recommended what he had and they have big discounts at the moment – which is not always a good sign….

I’ve recently done the many many internets research, ended up with a Wilfa Svart – long warranty and seemingly well reviewed. I unfortunately am not allowed to try mine until the 25th, except we are away until 30th and can’t be chewed to drag it to Ireland and back, so will have to wait.

Got mine in Black Friday sale, so £75 delivered.

Hi,

I have an Iberital MC2 grinder sat in the garage not being used after I upgraded a year or two back. These were the go to entry level espresso grinder for a long time but I don’t think are sold in the UK anymore. Review here: https://coffeeblog.co.uk/iberital-mc2-coffee-grinder-review/

I would be happy to package it up and pop it into the post to you for well under your budget. Drop me a message if you’re interested.

M

Wilfa Svart is a strong contender but looks quite bulky in terms of taking up room on the worktop. Found some good reviews of the Gaggia MD15, that might be edging it at the moment.

I bought a hand grinder and, so far, don’t mind hand grinding when I need a coffee, which is a few times a day

I bought a timemore c2

As others have said you can spend crazy money if you want. If you’re just going to use aeropress, cafetière and moka pot etc then I’ll join the list of Wilfa Svart recommenders!

The best balance of price/quality.

p.s. I owned a cafe and tried many different t grindeds, this was the only one we chose to sell in the cafe ;).

About cleaning it, you just have something wrong with it, some dampness or too much static perhaps? I’ve rarely had to clean mine, it never gets clogged and I only clean it once a year or something.

if you want to spend all your money… Google Mahlkönig

Hand grinders are out as MrsMC currently only has one working hand, and that’s wearing out.

Very tempted by the Wilfa Svarts but they would take up a lot more of our limited worktop space.

Gaggia MD15 are out of stock in the UK

Who knew this would become such a rabbithole?

For your budget the Wilfa Svart is the go to electric non espresso grinder. If you want to be able to grind for espresso then you need to spend a bit more or go manual.

Fwiw if you’re grinding a bit coarser for french press or aeropress then it doesn’t take too long in a decent hand grinder

Didn’t see if you’re looking for electric or hand grinder OP, but if the latter I am a big fan of the Orphan Espresso Lido 2 (or any of the Lido series). I use mine for espresso (La Pavoni), Aeropress, and V60 and does well with all.

I’m happy with my Wacaco Exagrind, it’s got 30 clicks of adjustment so allows you to dial it right it for your preference, then adding an extra click or two as your coffee beans age.

Have had the Delonghi burr grinder for a long time. No sign of it giving up any time soon.
There’s  a hack for a finer espresso grind.

I use mine daily for Mokka pots.

And cheap.

Who knew this would become such a rabbithole?

Someone was has not read any of the previous STW coffee threads, ever?

Fellow opus is also worth considering if you are looking at 150ish

Seems well reviewed. Will go well  for both espresso and filter

James Hoffman reckons the Wilfa svart is the best grinder in the £100ish price bracket by quite a margin, he did a video review a while back, as others have said it’s not an espresso grinder.

I had a very cheap grinder, but that sucked, so I bought a more expensive grinder (about £80 IIRC, Delonghi) but that also sucked for espresso, so in the end I bought a Niche Zero which is pretty awesome and produces really nice espresso.

There are now good grinders around for less than the Niche Zero, but even those seem to be around the £200 mark. Fellow Opus? But don’t waste your money on something that can’t grind fine enough for good espresso unless you’re absolutely sure you will never want to go down that road.

Wilfa Svart +58 or whatever.

I inherited mine from my sister when she upgraded to a Fellow Ode, so it’s pretty old but it’s never skipped a beat. Does everything I need it to for pourover and aeropress.

As for cleaning, I use a vacuum and a little brush.

Any Bodum grinder users – a mate has recommended what he had and they have big discounts at the moment – which is not always a good sign….

I sold mine, it doesn’t go fine enough for espresso.

I’ve been using the Wilfa Svart (the black version) for nearly a year. Did have a lot of static issues, but solved that with a £2 atomiser to spritz water on the beans first.

Not fine enough for espresso, but very good for Moka pot, aero press, v60, cafetiere, I do all four types regularly

The hopper is a shit design for decanting into an aero press, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be changing any time soon.

You really need to up the budget, even for a hand grinder… and they soon become a bit tedious.

No they don’t. I love my hand grinder, it’s part of the ceremony. It reminds me of being a youngster visiting my German grandma and being in charge of the coffee grinding.

I have a baratza encore, which just about goes to espresso fineness and consistency. But it is dialled right back. It’s noisy as hell. I have a rancilio Silvia v6 for coffee making.

I’ll go for a niche zero or eureka mignon next year. For espresso it’s worth watching James Hoffman’s videos on the niche burrs and which to select.