Coffee grinder __ recommendations please

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You are whispering because you continued typing directly after the footnote in my post, and the formatting then gets carried forward.

MichaelG.

PostScript :

Here’s a nice tribute page to the Spong coffee grinders: **LINK**

https://www.home-barista.com/grinders/spong-coffee-mills-grinder-for-23rd-century-t16165.html

MichaelG.

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Yes, I probably will somehow find/make enough wall-space if a good example turns-up

sometimes the simple questions only require simple answers!

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If I wanted ‘lifestyle’ or ‘financial’ advice, I would have asked elsewhere.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 18/09/2022 15:50:10

MichaelG,

I’ve been using my Krups GVX2 grinder for years now and find it perfect.

It’s sat on a piece of foam that allows me to give it a shake to get recalcitrant beans to head for the grinding mill.

Geoff - Insomnia strikes again grr!

Thanks for the ‘review’ Geoff … that’s definitely one on my list of candidates

Incidentally; those who are actually interested in the mechanics of grinding coffee may like to admire the CNC-milled stainless-steel burrs that are currently advertised on ebay.

Now that the ceramic burrs are so common, it was a surprise to see these little beauties.

[ Mr Turbine Guy might be impressed ]

MichaelG.

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There would be no point inserting a link here, but anyone interested can search for:

CNC Stainless Steel Burr Mill Hand Coffee Grinder Manual Coffee Grinder Plate

or

Manual Burr Coffee Grinder, Coarseness Settings CNC Stainless Steel Burr Mill

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/09/2022 07:42:03

There is a sizable community of coffee enthusiasts out there with their own forums and You Tube channels. They will offer endless advice given half a chance.

My question is what type of coffee do you want to make? Filter coffee and caffetiere coffee are much less sensitive to grind quality, and an inexpensive burr grinder like the Dualit will work fine. If you want to make espresso you are in completely different territory. Espresso is very sensitive to the size, quality and consistency of the grind. Believe it or not studies using electron microspcopy have been done which describe the shape and quality of coffee grinds necessary for espresso. Bad machines crush and tear the beans, good machines grind into uniform undistorted particles. Machines like the Dualit will not do decent coffee beans justice and you will never be able to achieve the exquisite results possible with a better grinder. A good starting point for espresso is the Sage Smart Grinder Pro available from John Lewis. I use a Rocket Fausto which is pretty good.

Coffee enthusists will say that the grinder is more important than the espresso machine.....

Edited By lfoggy on 19/09/2022 16:04:13

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… and my pre-emptive answer to that [which appeared to shock some] was given on page_1

MichaelG.

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P.S. __ When BAe was moving into Tolouse, I went over for a couple of weeks ; the ‘canteen’ was superb and had a Gaggia machine the size of my kitchen. The guys there introduced me to Serré 

Ref. https://garconcoffee.com/coffeedetail.php?item=3&id=1

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/09/2022 16:42:20

+1 for Andy and Nealab. I use a Dualit for espresso as well and it seems fine. As somebody mentioned earlier, blade grinders seem to produce more heat and thus a change of taste in the resultant grind. The Dualit has a multiple grind setting and can also be adjusted to give whatever portion size you want. The 'footprint' is only about 5 inches square. Not sure of the current cost but mine was about 50 quid maybe 7-8 years ago.

If you like that you need to try a Macchiato. You will need to get yourself an espresso machine though....

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Thanks for the thought … That was a new one on me: but I don’t use Milk

MichaelG.

MichaelG,

Let us know what you decide.

I was introduced to French coffee when I worked for Merlin Gerin, Grenoble in the early ‘70s.

Steve Gibson on coffee and grinders is interesting.

I’m a percolator man myself.

Geoff - Mowed lawn today

Edited By OuBallie on 20/09/2022 19:35:00

I will, Geoff … currently tempted by some Spongs on ebay, although I really don’t have the room for one.

MichaelG.

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P. S.  __ on the subject of ‘makers’ rather than ‘grinders’

“When I were young” I used a lovely old Cona

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 20/09/2022 19:53:41

[ UPDATE ]

I have just purchased a tidy-looking example of the Salter version of the Spong No 1

… here’s hoping

MichaelG.

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Quote from Grace’s Guide:

By the late 1970s, Spong and Co were experiencing mixed fortunes

1980 With falling sales of mechanical kitchen equipment, the hardware section of the company was sold off to Salter Housewares Ltd. Salter Housewares Ltd continued production of some key Spong products, such as the mincer and coffee grinder, but these were eventually phased out and production has now ceased.

[ FootNote ] 

I had never seen the innards of the Robert Welch version before:

https://wildcardcuriosities.com/2021/01/23/robert-welch-designed-spong-coffee-grinder/

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 20/09/2022 22:49:08

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 20/09/2022 23:26:10

Link not live for me - for a horrible moment I thought that you had succumbed to the lure of some ghastly plastic imitation (Salter aren't what they were) but a moment with Grace's guide reassured me. I have the No 1 and have never had any problem with fatigue grinding enough for a cafetière. About 30g for a 350ml cafetière in my case, but I like it strong!

Robin

Edit - posted before your ref to Grace's appeared! R,

Edited By Robin Graham on 20/09/2022 23:08:32

Sorry, Robin … the underlining of Salter version was not intended as a hyperlink, it was just for emphasis.

MichaelG.

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A masterly updating by the pattern-maker:

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 20/09/2022 23:38:51

I use a cheap 400W chinese grinder daily. This model works well for around 3+ years and then I switch to my spare and order a replacement. For coffee making I add some star anise to spice things up. For bread making I grind up flax speeds (not a job for a lightweight motor) and add to the dough.

There are cheaper and lower powered coffee grinders but I've found them to be a false economy.

Take care all.

Well …

The Salter [née Spong] No.1 arrived safely today, and gives every appearance of never having met a Coffee Bean

Everything is remarkably clean, and the black finish [which looks like powder coating] seems to extend contiguously over the two round-head screws [as visible in my previous post] … so I am reluctant to dismantle it for inspection.

Hopefully this will prove to be the real deal, not just a decorator’s homage

Does anyone else here have the Salter version ?

MichaelG.

Well, I'm pleased you've tracked down a Spong(-oid). I hope you'll be very happy together. I discovered only after my recommendation, that they were defunct. What a pity. However, with no built-in obsolescence, they were doomed to death by accountant.

Edited By Kiwi Bloke on 25/09/2022 10:14:12

I checked with the Seller, and yes, it had been used ‘a bit’ and then gathered dust on the kitchen wall.

They had kindly given it a wash before posting it to me.

Everything seems to work as hoped … and I don’t think it has even been run-in yet

[ see the note about lack of precision in that link that I posted ]

There is a small but very noticeable patch in the rotation where there must be a high-spot on the cast burr.

… my grounds may be contaminated with slag for a while !!

I’m sure we will be very happy together … Job done, suitable grinder found, thanks.

MichaelG.