Sorry - I need a coffee grinder

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 ****ed.

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.

baratza encore esp user here, can be had just over £100, highly recommend it.

Fitted mine with a single dose hopper and bellows, coffee is noticeably better since getting a grinder better than the built in sage one.

Re the static thing... I find this varies massively depending on the coffee. I ground up a bag of Taylors for a guy at work and the static was horrendous. I regularly use booths coffee and that does generate a little bit, but my go to is Dark Woods and I get very little static from that.

@morecashthandash I have a cuisinart grinder for sale if you're interested?

I have a Bodum one. It cost £20. It grinds coffee.

Anyone else having problems with the Svart? I’ve had a warranty replacement twice this year as the timer went completely haywire and would only grind for a couple of seconds at a time when only a few months old?

Had zero argument replacements both times so wondered if it was a known issue?

I used to have the bodum, which was ok, not overly consistent but I was also a bit worse at making coffee then. Since moving to espresso it's been replaced/upgraded in numerous ways but all out of the range you are looking at/need for these brew methods.

Stealth ad- I've got an extra bnib sage I've been meaning to put on eBay for 2 years, so would be willing to part with it for £100 hassle free.

I make my coffee in a Bialetti pot using a packet of  ground coffee. Is there much real world taste difference buying beans and grinding.

I would be dipping my toe in the water not splashing out £100.  One of the £20-£30 ones on Amazon.

Anyone else having problems with the Svart?

I've not had a problem with mine, had it a couple of years, use it several times a day.

Is there much real world taste difference buying beans and grinding

Yes, a bag of pre-ground will go "stale" one you've opened it. Even if you bash through it in a few days, it won't taste as good at the end as it does at the start.

Grinding your beans as you make each brew means you get the freshest flavour each time. Plus I think it encourages trying a wider variety of coffees, there's that much out there, you could probably try a different flavour every week and never get through it all.

Grinding your beans as you make each brew means you get the freshest flavour each time.

Indeed. But perhaps the more relevant question is whether there is much real world difference between grinding beans for your Bialetti or Aeropress in one of the £100+ fancy grinders mentioned here vs something cheaper and more cheerful.   Or is it a case of the emperor’s new speaker cables?

My first one had that issue, then after a while the replacement did too. If you’re handy with a soldering iron you can fix them very cheaply by replacing a capacitor inside.

vs something cheaper and more cheerful.

I get you... I'd say if you drink enough coffee it's worth investing in something a bit better than a blade grinder. I used to use one of those and it soon became a pain in the arse, it's much better being your grind from one push of a button.

Do you go £40 or £80 though... I let James Hoffman talk me into it! ?

I make my coffee in a Bialetti pot using a packet of  ground coffee.

I am the first to admit that there is a lot of snobbery and pretentiousness about coffee when you get into the realms of expensive kit and convoluted prep methods etc. But honestly, the oft repeated advice to buy your coffee fresh and grind it yourself is definitely not snobbery.  It is the single biggest thing you can do to elevate your coffee and radically improve the taste.  It's one of those things that if you never try it, you will never know what you are missing or how good coffee can taste. It's cheap and easy to do too.  It's like the difference between a fortnight old white sliced bread and a loaf from the local bakery still warm from the oven.

Coffee starts to lose its aromatic properties slowly, from the moment it is roasted.  It starts to lose it much more rapidly (literally within minutes) once it has been ground.  It doesn't become unsafe to drink, it just becomes increasingly  muted, and dull to taste as the volatile flavour compounds are lost. If you enjoy your pre-ground coffee, that's obviously fine, but properly fresh coffee can be so, so much nicer.

Coffee beans are at their peak for flavour from about one to two weeks after roasting and ground immediately before brewing.  They will still taste good for a while longer, but not indefinitely. Good quality beans will have a "roasted on" date, commodity beans (most supermarket coffee) will have a "best before date" and has usually been roasted and ground months before you buy it.  If you buy from a local coffee roastery or online, it will probably have been roasted just a few days before you get it and will be night and day better for flavour.  A nicer grinder is a nice thing to use, but you don't need one.  Any grinder is better than pre ground, it smells awesome  while you grind it too which just adds to the experience. You don't have to go down any rabbit holes (unless you want to) or become a full-on coffee bore, but if you appreciate freshness and flavour - buy fresh beans and a grinder, any grinder.

The "don't have to replace both grinder and machine" was the reason I bought my (not £100 admittedly!) Eureka Mignon Zero, as my trusty 5 year old Sage Barista Pro grinder needed servicing/fixing. Best thing I did - echo everything said up there ^^ about how much better coffee tastes freshly ground. I really struggled with my Sage to get a 30second extract (on most beans I tried) whereas now I can pretty much dial that in as the grinder is so much better.

Whether my vacuum sealed bean thing, the WRT tool or the "Gravity" tamper add much is up for more debate! However, I'll never get tired of bellowing out the remains of a grind 🙂

buy your coffee fresh and grind it yourself

Any grinder is better than pre ground, it smells awesome  while you grind it too which just adds to the experience.

Thanks for the pragmatic advice.

My recommendation would be a Kingrinder k6. It's well built and easy to grind with. The burrs are good, reported to be as good as the 1zepresso burrs, but it's slightly cheaper and therefore within your budget. It doesn't have a nice carry case, and the main downside is that it's a bit fiddle to disasemble and clean.

Anyone else having problems with the Svart?

I managed to kill mine by never cleaning it, which was silly of me. Loved it up to that point though.

I just sent you a message about a my used Sage Smart Grinder Pro if you're still interested.

I managed to kill mine by never cleaning it, which was silly of me.

Easily done.  We mostly expect domestic appliances to be maintenance free, but coffee grinders do need some occasional TLC.  Coffee beans are quite oily.  The oils accumulate and can gum stuff up but also, they can go a bit rancid over time. This can obviously affect the taste of your brew.  Static also means fine grinds can migrate to the deepest recesses of the machine where they accumulate and cause issues. I give my "posh" grinder which gets used every day, a really good clean every fortnight or so.

Easily done. We mostly expect domestic appliances to be maintenance free, but coffee grinders do need some occasional TLC.

I actually replaced it with a Fellow Ode which I know I can take apart to clean because I've done so to replace the burrs. It's used at least once most days, so sounds like I need to add 'clean coffee grinder' to my list of weekend jobs.

But perhaps the more relevant question is whether there is much real world difference between grinding beans for your Bialetti or Aeropress in one of the £100+ fancy grinders mentioned here vs something cheaper and more cheerful.

I think this depends on the beans you buy. If you're getting freshly roasted stuff then you can definitely get a noticable improvement with a decent grinder over a cheap one. There's just more different flavours in the bean to extract so getting the process right can make a big difference. If your preference is for supermarket (or similar) beans then the difference is less noticable so probably not worth the extra from that perspective.

The other thing to take into account with a grinder is how often you use it. The more you use it the more the overall design of the grinder makes a difference. The value of having something that's nice to use is a judgement only you can really make.

Thanks for replies.   I shall give a grinder a go.

morning rabbit hole dwellers....... i found myself up thread suggesting a Hario Skerton, and indeed i have been very happy with mine. But EpicJnr is on A level study leave and requiring lattes at all hours, and my arthritic thumbs are complaining.

So for an espresso grind and sensible money what are my options......seems from here there are three options

• Sage something pro grinder (digital or more analogue)
• Baratza something (And sage seem to do bundles w a Baratza grinder)
• Miicoffee D40 or 54 if it does espresso grind 

Am i correct on that or should i look at anything else (don't want to spend more than this side of 200 so although a Niche or Eureka or Fellow would be nice i'm too tight)

Thanks all

First of all, LittleMissMC is also on A level study leave and sorts her own drinks out.

Second, the second hand Sage Smart Grinder Pro upthread has been fantastic. Might have been a "forum mates rates" involved, but if you can find a second hand one at a decent price, I'd strongly recommend one.

@susepic I'm planning a grinder upgrade, so will have a DF54(solo/Turin) from UK sellers, Bella Barista, bought in October last year up for sale shortly. It's been used nearly daily for 1 or 2 coffees since purchase, I have all the packaging and accessories just need to clean it up and box it later if you are interested let me know. 

First of all, LittleMissMC is also on A level study leave and sorts her own drinks out.

Reported to Child Protection. 

@susepic The DF54 is probably the most solid but more expensive, if that's too expensive I'd probably go for the Baratza Encore esp. the Sage just doesn't do espresso grinding well enough and can't single dose if that's something you're interested in 

Posted by: dc1988

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@susepic The DF54 is probably the most solid but more expensive, if that's too expensive I'd probably go for the Baratza Encore esp. the Sage just doesn't do espresso grinding well enough and can't single dose if that's something you're interested in 

I'm pretty sure it will single dose, though as an Aeropress user I tend to just grind a couple of days worth at a time. 

I’ve had a Wilfa Svart for about 5 years and it’s been fine but now seems to be a bit on the blink

"About"?  Wilfa have a 5 year warranty, another reason why they are a great buy.  Check your purchase date, you might be entitled to a repair or replacement.

You can try and single dose the Sage but it retains/exchanges far too much to call it a single dose grinder. Mine is still going strong after quite a few years with my mum but I upgraded to a DF64 and much prefer it

as an Aeropress user I tend to just grind a couple of days worth at a time

At the risk of sounding like a coffee bore (although I think that ship has already sailed), please have a think about not doing that if coffee flavour is important to you.

Whole beans lose their aromatics and develop stale, muted flavours fairly slowly in storage.  Once ground though, that accelerates rapidly and it's honestly noticeable after an hour or so, let alone days. Even in an airtight container.  That's the main benefit of grinding your own coffee, enjoying the beans at their best.  The Aeropress can make incredible tasting coffee, if the beans are fresh, good quality and ground just before use.  Obviously if convenience and a simple caffeine hit are more important than great taste ignore all that. 

I upgraded to a DF64 and much prefer it

I have one too and love it.  Possibly a bit much for the OP to justify for Aeropress use though.  

Up the budget and get a single dose, this is one of the cheaper ones.

https://bellabarista.co.uk/collections/single-dose-grinders/products/the-solo-df54

Posted by: toby1

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if you are interested let me know

Hi @toby1 - have DM'd you i think

"About"?  Wilfa have a 5 year warranty, another reason why they are a great buy.  Check your purchase date, you might be entitled to a repair or replacement.

Thanks for that alert. A search of my mailbox reveals that "about 5" is actually 7 :-(. It's used twice a day every day, so maybe that's not so bad?

But perhaps the more relevant question is whether there is much real world difference between grinding beans for your Bialetti or Aeropress in one of the £100+ fancy grinders mentioned here vs something cheaper and more cheerful.

Yes and no as I think it depends on the coffee you're using. I have a Niche Zero grinder that I use with espresso machines* at home. I also sometimes use it with an aeropress and a moka pot. With speciality beans you can go down a rabbit hole of dialling in the flavour with all of these brewing methods. 

However my default for holidays/travelling is a moka pot or aeropress with pre-ground Lavazza coffee. Unsurprisingly the moka pot works really well with dark roast Italian style coffee. The only real grind issue when I've used whole beans is going too fine and choking/risking overheating of the pot. 

*yes 2! Sage machine and a manual lever Flair.

Posted by: MoreCashThanDash

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LittleMissMC is also on A level study leave and sorts her own drinks ou

You might have a different A-level specimen MCTD 😉 . Coffee brewing for our specimen is an excuse for a check-in/kick up the chuff and some darts and bonding

Useful feedback on the single-dose and residual grounds. I think that's an important consideration, as only grind as needed, and sometimes (when it's not exam time) might go a couple of days without making a coffee.

Cheers all

Posted by: blokeuptheroad

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At the risk of sounding like a coffee bore (although I think that ship has already sailed),

Pfft - you're only an amateur coffee bore - at the cafe stop on todays club ride, one rider checked the time to make sure it was still appropriate to order a cappucino. He is Italian though, so is forgiven.

Noone recommending to freeze most of those beans yet?! 

!

Also.... "Indeed. But perhaps the more relevant question is whether there is much real world difference between grinding beans for your Bialetti or Aeropress in one of the £100+ fancy grinders mentioned here vs something cheaper and more cheerful.   Or is it a case of the emperor’s new speaker cables?"

Actually, a huge difference. High quality steel burrs make a remarkable difference to quality of extraction. You can even smell it. Great coffee is annoyingly expensive (and is going to continue to get more and more expensive)