The coffee thread

[Ashful]

I couldn’t imagine grinding by hand! My burr grinder pulls 120 watts (1/6th horsepower) for a solid 30 seconds to grind enough for just one pot.

Agreed on grinding coarse for French press. You can do anything, I suppose, but its not recommended. If I tried to use my expresso grind in my French press, it’d all just go right thru the mesh! Even my pour-over grind would just clog the screen, and make it really hard to press. Been there, done that.

The next thing of interest to me, for making a quick cup at work, is the AeroPress. I’ve been making about 44 oz per day to take to work in a Stanley thermos, and it works... but some days I run dry and want more. The aeropress seems to straddle that sweet spot between pour-over and expresso pumps.

 

[PaulOinMA]

I couldn’t imagine grinding by hand! My burr grinder pulls 120 watts (1/6th horsepower) for a solid 30 seconds to grind enough for just one pot.

That's why I'm asking for recommendations. The reviews I read online for some grinders are of the type … took me ## minutes to grind beans for 1 cup!

I'm cooking moderator at the WAGS (Wagner and Griswold Society) forum, so I searched "Griswold coffee grinder" on ebay. Nope, not going to pay that.

 

[PaulOinMA]

... to take to work in a Stanley thermos …

I'm still using the Stanley Thermos I got in grad school in 1982 (!) to bring coffee into my lab. Used it Saturday, in fact, when we went to Mystic, CT for the day.

 

[SpaceBus]

Which one do you have? Do you like it? Can you recommend one? Something that can grind enough for a pot in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks, in advance.

And … only black coffee for me. No sweetener, no dairy.

I got a "Khawfee" brand hand ginder on Amazon. It has a large hopper, collector, and a ceramic burr.

 

[johneh]

Can not see the attraction to coffee I prefer a good cup of Tea

 

[SpaceBus]

I couldn’t imagine grinding by hand! My burr grinder pulls 120 watts (1/6th horsepower) for a solid 30 seconds to grind enough for just one pot.

Agreed on grinding coarse for French press. You can do anything, I suppose, but its not recommended. If I tried to use my expresso grind in my French press, it’d all just go right thru the mesh! Even my pour-over grind would just clog the screen, and make it really hard to press. Been there, done that.

The next thing of interest to me, for making a quick cup at work, is the AeroPress. I’ve been making about 44 oz per day to take to work in a Stanley thermos, and it works... but some days I run dry and want more. The aeropress seems to straddle that sweet spot between pour-over and expresso pumps.

Weird. I grind it super fine in my ceramic b rr grinder by hand and it presses fine. I get more sediment this way, but I find it helps flavor.

 

[SpaceBus]

Can not see the attraction to coffee I prefer a good cup of Tea

I like both personally.

 

[PaulOinMA]

I'm actually switching from coffee trying to make a dent in the huge stash of teas my wife has. People know she's a tea-drinker and keep giving her tea. She likes black tea: English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Earl Gray, etc.

She had a large collection of teas as gifts she's received that I need to work through to get some of them out of the pantry. I think a lot of them are of the "berries, twigs, and roots" variety.

 

[PaulOinMA]

I got a "Khawfee" brand hand ginder on Amazon. It has a large hopper, collector, and a ceramic burr.

Thanks!

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm actually switching from coffee trying to make a dent in the huge stash of teas my wife has. People know she's a tea-drinker and keep giving her tea. She likes black tea: English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Earl Gray, etc.

She had a large collection of teas as gifts she's received that I need to work through to get some of them out of the pantry. I think a lot of them are of the "berries, twigs, and roots" variety.

We drink turmeric ginger or turmeric cinnamon tea for aches and pains.

 

[Ashful]

That's why I'm asking for recommendations. The reviews I read online for some grinders are of the type … took me ## minutes to grind beans for 1 cup!

I'm cooking moderator at the WAGS (Wagner and Griswold Society) forum, so I searched "Griswold coffee grinder" on ebay. Nope, not going to pay that.

Avoid the blade type grinders, they’re just garbage. If you’re just grinding for pour-over, drip, or French press, any burr grinder will do the job. If you’re grinding for expresso in an unpressurized portafilter, then you need something with finer adjustments, even my Baratza Virtuoso is a little marginal for this purpose.

Larger burrs usually means a faster grinder and longer burr life (esp. with stainless steel burrs). Ceramic burrs last infinitely longer than stainless, but either can work fine for home usage frequency.

If I were looking for a less expensive grinder, the Baratza Encore would be high on the list. Go on YouTube and watch any “how to” videos for coffee, anything from French press to expresso, and you’ll see Baratza grinders are used in 90+% of those videos, regardless of the poster. There’s a reason for that.

The only reason I paid extra for the Virtuoso over the Encore was the larger burrs and better grind speed, since I’m grinding about 3 oz. every morning while rushing to get out the door, and the cost difference was not a huge deal for me. I have friends who use the Encore, and report it does every bit the same job.

 

[Ashful]

We drink turmeric ginger or turmeric cinnamon tea for aches and pains.

Go start a ginger thread, then. [emoji14]

 

[SpaceBus]

Go start a ginger thread, then. [emoji14]

I normally don't like ginger, but it relieves inflammation due to my allergies. At least when combined with the turmeric.


Since this is a coffee thread, I picked up a lb Mexican medium roast from the local roasters.

 

[SpaceBus]

Avoid the blade type grinders, they’re just garbage. If you’re just grinding for pour-over, drip, or French press, any burr grinder will do the job. If you’re grinding for expresso in an unpressurized portafilter, then you need something with finer adjustments, even my Baratza Virtuoso is a little marginal for this purpose.

Larger burrs usually means a faster grinder and longer burr life (esp. with stainless steel burrs). Ceramic burrs last infinitely longer than stainless, but either can work fine for home usage frequency.

If I were looking for a less expensive grinder, the Baratza Encore would be high on the list. Go on YouTube and watch any “how to” videos for coffee, anything from French press to expresso, and you’ll see Baratza grinders are used in 90+% of those videos, regardless of the poster. There’s a reason for that.

The only reason I paid extra for the Virtuoso over the Encore was the larger burrs and better grind speed, since I’m grinding about 3 oz. every morning while rushing to get out the door, and the cost difference was not a huge deal for me. I have friends who use the Encore, and report it does every bit the same job.

I was using an electric blade grinder, but I wanted something that wouldn't send my dogs into a panic while my wife is asleep. I usually wake up first and begin the morning "summoning ritual" to get my wife out of bed. When I pour the hot water into the press the smell makes its way upstairs and wakes her up in a much more preferable way to the alarm clock.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Avoid the blade type grinders, they’re just garbage. If you’re just grinding for pour-over, drip, or French press, any burr grinder will do the job. If you’re grinding for expresso in an unpressurized portafilter, then you need something with finer adjustments, even my Baratza Virtuoso is a little marginal for this purpose.

Larger burrs usually means a faster grinder and longer burr life (esp. with stainless steel burrs). Ceramic burrs last infinitely longer than stainless, but either can work fine for home usage frequency.

If I were looking for a less expensive grinder, the Baratza Encore would be high on the list. Go on YouTube and watch any “how to” videos for coffee, anything from French press to expresso, and you’ll see Baratza grinders are used in 90+% of those videos, regardless of the poster. There’s a reason for that.

The only reason I paid extra for the Virtuoso over the Encore was the larger burrs and better grind speed, since I’m grinding about 3 oz. every morning while rushing to get out the door, and the cost difference was not a huge deal for me. I have friends who use the Encore, and report it does every bit the same job.

Blade grinders produce a lot of heat; the coffee will loose a lot of its flavor. Ceramic burrs are the best option.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

We drink turmeric ginger or turmeric cinnamon tea for aches and pains.

My lady drinks Green Tea, Ginger Tea and Licorice Tea, all organic. She drinks an espresso two or three times a year.

 

[Ashful]

Blade grinders produce a lot of heat; the coffee will loose a lot of its flavor. Ceramic burrs are the best option.

Agreed. But to be more specific, large burrs are best. As long as they’re not worn down, it doesn’t really matter if they’re stainless or ceramic. The primary advantage of ceramic burrs is that they last a lot longer, important if your grinding dozens of pots or hundreds of shots per day, not such a big deal for home use.

 

[Ashful]

I was using an electric blade grinder, but I wanted something that wouldn't send my dogs into a panic while my wife is asleep. I usually wake up first and begin the morning "summoning ritual" to get my wife out of bed. When I pour the hot water into the press the smell makes its way upstairs and wakes her up in a much more preferable way to the alarm clock.

Burr grinders are less obnoxious than blade grinders, but they’re not silent, either. Very high gear ratios, so it sounds a lot like an electric can opener, and then there’s the fact that your still crushing several hard beans every second.

 

[begreen]

Ours is pretty noisy, but given it's long years of service we have grown used to it, sort of. My wife keeps a towel that she wraps around the grinder when running. It has a nice big hopper which holds a lot of beans, but that also seems to amplify the sound. Here's one for sale on fleabay.
(broken link removed to https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Braun-Burr-Coffee-Grinder-Type-4045-Made-in-Germany/303119903361?hash=item46935aaa81:g:b50AAOSwTdZcqjOh)

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Ours is pretty noisy, but given it's long years of service we have grown used to it, sort of. My wife keeps a towel that she wraps around the grinder when running. It has a nice big hopper which holds a lot of beans, but that also seems to amplify the sound. Here's one for sale on fleabay.
(broken link removed to https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Braun-Burr-Coffee-Grinder-Type-4045-Made-in-Germany/303119903361?hash=item46935aaa81:g:b50AAOSwTdZcqjOh)

When I was a kid, my mother used one like this. She still has it.

 

[Ashful]

When I was a kid, my mother used one like this. She still has it.

View attachment 243998

Hey, come to think of it, we had one of those, too! I think ours was pretty limited on grind adjustment and consistency, though... cast iron burr with spring tension adjustment.

 

[SpaceBus]

When I was a kid, my mother used one like this. She still has it.

View attachment 243998

I'm always looking for an antique burr grinder like that one.

 

[SpaceBus]

My lady drinks Green Tea, Ginger Tea and Licorice Tea, all organic. She drinks an espresso two or three times a year.

Currently we have the previously mentioned organic turmeric teas, organic loose leaf Jasmine green tea, and a box of Lipton for iced tea. Usually ice tea is only in summer, so I don't know how much we will drink here in Maine!

 

[begreen]

Usually ice tea is only in summer, so I don't know how much we will drink here in Maine!

I was surprised when a friend sent me a shot from Maine a couple days ago and there still were no leaves on the trees.

 

[SpaceBus]

I was surprised when a friend sent me a shot from Maine a couple days ago and there still were no leaves on the trees.

The maples just started to make leaves. We've seen a few Forscithias (sp?) that have begun blooming. Everything is budding right now. Soon the birch and Alder will bloom.