[Closed] STW Coffee aficionados to the forum please

How much are you wanting to spend? For the size and money I really rate my Baratza Encore.

Oh and I've just remembered I have a francino model b which doesn't fit on our surfaces which I should probably sell...

That Ibeirtal one from Happy Donkey is the standard STW recommendation. Very good. Happens to be the one I use every day too 🙂

I'm not that committed to the bean. Something a bit cheaper please

Krups grinder on Amazon
£20 and works well enough

Yesterday, I bought:

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-23-october/product-detail/ps/p/coffeespice-grinder-1/

Seems to work well!

And when I was back in, about 2 hours ago, they had loads left.

My first grinder.

[quote=codybrennan said]And when I was back in, about 2 hours ago, they had loads left.
My first grinder.

I see they call it a grinder but it mentions a blade. Does it actually grind stuff or chop it ?

Blade ? grinder I thought

Hmm that's a mill not a grinder.

It has a blade, and chops. I think its intended for herbs too.

Its my first grinder (as mentioned) so have nothing to compare them to. But, this morning, it made me my day's coffee from nice beans.

Does that mean my grinder is crap?

[quote=codybrennan said]Does that mean my grinder is crap?

I think it means it's not a grinder 😉

What are you planning to use it for and, frankly, how much do you care? I got the encore as it grinds consistently over a wide size range so it's good for cafetiere and can grind down to espresso reasonably well. The Iberital above is a good espresso grinder but if you make lots of different styles of coffee it's more annoying to adjust and isn't very consistent at coarser grounds. The Aldi model is what it is, cheap and cheerful - better than nothing but it's not going to do you an espresso grind and will be completely inconsistant size wise.

The Krups one is somewhere in the middle - reputation for lots of fines, fairly uneven grind, not really great for espresso but can just about manage - it's a pretty good first choice but it's possiblya step down from your Gaggia depending which model that was.

I know hee-haw about grinders, but what came out of the grinder this morning was smooth, consistent, and made damn fine coffee.

I feel like I'm taking steps into a larger world here. You guys make me feel like I did years ago when I knew nothing about bikes and had BSOs. Possibly.

It's bad form of Aldi to sell it as a grinder.

You could either continue if you like the coffee it produces or get a refund and get a burr grinder (the Krups isn't perfect but it does grind rather than chop).

I think what I'll do is keep it as a herb chopper, for my curries.

And if someone wants to recommend a grinder for general coffee use, I'll ask for it from Santa.

The Iberital one is brilliant at an espresso grind and gives you very fine adjustment. But as has been said is a big faff if you want to switch between different grinds (many many turns of an adjusting knob.) I only grind for my machine so I love it.

I think what I'll do is keep it as a herb chopper, for my curries.

If you like the coffee it makes then keep it! I used a pretty crumby whirly blade thing for years before buying a big second hand one of ebay and then replacing it when my GF put her foot down.

The coffee did taste good. Segafredo beans. Run of the mill, but still good. I'll try more exotic things later.

The krupps one can be modified to give a really good consistent grind for espresso - but obviously invalidates the warranty. It's also sold under lots of different brand names (eg starbucks).

http://ineedcoffee.com/hacking-the-starbucks-barista-grinder/

When ours eventually died we got an Iberital- same end result but its sturdier, a bit quicker (and noisier), takes lots more beans, and will hopefully last longer. But yes- the dial takes forever to turn to get any result.

It's going to be used with my Gaggia Classic to make espresso. I see Krupps do a burr grinder the Krupps Expert at £40 which is more my price range.