He is literally just recommending the cheapest things he would use to still obtain a "ballpark level of quality". The Hario burr mill is the cheapest burr grinder you can get for the most part, so that's what he recommended. If you don't mind paying a bit more, and/or waiting, I am personally pretty happy with my Capresso Infinity automatic burr grinder. I just waited and used CamelCamelCamel to buy it for ~$80 on Amazon. It's currently $92, and I'd still buy it at that price.
Second the coffee grinder. We use this "burr" grinder from amazon
French press is good coffee, but for everyday use we're still using a cheap 5 cup automatic coffee machine we got for like $15 from Wal mart.
You'll find you can enjoy
A: making the coffee -- so you'll get into all the different ways to brew and grind coffee and have fun with that
B: adding to the coffee -- so you enjoy adding chocolate or spices or rum or making your own flavors up
C: not making coffee at all and you stop by Mcdonalds to grab a $1 caffine fix
or any combination.
It's really not too bad. I've also heard of some people using a power drill on their grinder... Although I'm sure that isn't too great on the grinder.
The Baratza is about 130 USD, but I think the capresso is more like 90 USD.
If you can find an Infinity, that'll probably be a bit more affordable.
I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_960B7SD10TKX8A3VCJGD
It’s ~100$. I’ve had it for 5+ years and it’s still in pristine condition. The only negatives are there are grounds that escape the container and it’s moderate in sound.
The grinder I currently have is a Capresso Infinity. Would you consider this a decent grinder? I chose it after watching a few Youtube channels reviewing conical burr grinders and saw that this was on sale on Amazon and leaped for it.
Thank you for the Amazon links! This is really helpful. A few questions if you have the time: Just wondering, why do you no longer use the French Press in favor of the pour over? Is this pour over method conducive to making 1-3 cups at a time?
Also, how is the flavor in the V60 method? Another comment mentioned it leans towards fruitier flavors rather than nuttier / chocolatier, and I think I’d prefer the latter.
Lastly, how do you like the hand grinder? Debating this Capresso Infinity, thoughts on this vs yours vs a Berzata?
Hey! Sorry for the late reply, was just searching /r/coffee for electric grinder advice. Which infinity is the latest model? A few different options come up on amazon with very different pricing. Is this the one you're talking about? Thank you!!
The Capresso Infinity is only $72 right now on Amazon. Otherwise I would agree with a refurb Encore.
I'd recommend the upgrade and instead of the Baratza Encore, I'd recommend the Capresso 560.01 Infinity. I use one at work and home to grind for espresso and chemex. It has a very wide range from very fine to coarse. I love this thing and saved $60 going with this instead of the encore. Here's the link, Capresso Infinity
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Conical Burr vs
Baratza Encore vs
Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder
​
Thoughts?
Currently looking at this one It's slightly out of my price range, however from the reviews I've read it would be very much worth to have. How's the cleaning between grinds if I want to try a different bean for example? And would the weighing be the beans you put in or the grind that comes out?
The compass is fantastic! Will definitely be using that to find the sweet spot. How would you increase/decrease the brew time in, say, my drip coffee maker?
Thank you for the detailed response! This is actually super helpful.
In particular loved your comparison of aeropress, french press, and pour over. Of those three, is there one you'd recommend? I'm between aeropress and pour over but slightly leaning towards latter.
In terms of "what kind" my preference would be for nuttier / chocolatier flavors and I do like the idea of a "clean" cup. If do go for pour over, gooseneck kettle sounds like a worth purchase in that case.
Agree grinder seems very important.. but don't think I'm in a position to drop 100+ on a grinder just yet... Read that this Capresso Infinity might be a good choice though, what do you think about that? Figure if I'm spending ~20-50 on hand grinder, makes sense to go up to ~100 for more consistent results. That said, let me know if it really makes sense to go up to 140 for Baratza Encore
EDIT: Please bear in mind I will usually be making 1-3 cups of coffee at a time, so managing that scale is important.
I use a Capresso Infinity (https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Conical-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1513540922&sr=8-3&keywords=capresso+burr+grinder) burr grinder. I will have to check out the melitta cone, sounds like a good solution
My apartment kitchen has the three prongs. I'll check tonight if it works with two prongs + adapter.
It depends on when you plan on buying that espresso machine and how often you plan on using it. Back in the US, I had an aeropress, a moka pot, a chemex, and an espresso machine. I would say that about 90% of the time, I used an aeropress.
My recommendation would be to buy this grinder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AR7SY/ref=pe_2313390_216827310_em_ti
That works perfectly fine for everything except espresso. For an espresso machine, you will need to be spend the money and buy the Virtuoso. The Capresso just doesn't have the ability to grind the beans finely enough for espresso applications.
At the end of the day, it's all up to you, but I think that it would be better to start small and expand the coffee setup later. Plus, when you are ready for an espresso machine, you will love having two separate grinders. Otherwise you would be spending a good amount of beans (expensive) and a bunch of time fine tuning the grinder for the perfect espresso shots every time you swap between different modes of coffee.
What do you mean by cheap, and where are you located? I love my Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder and recommend it to people for french press and pour over all the time. Relatively inexpensive but highly regarded and reviewed burr grinder.
Do remind your BF that nutribullet uses a BLADE grinder, and is thus relatively useless for good coffee. You can get cheap burr grinders even in the $50-80 range (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Conical-Grinder/dp/B0000AR7SY), but others in the forum can recommend more expensive and capable ones.
Edit: Many people here are giving pro advice, but if his goto right now is to take preground coffee and occasionally buy beans, a cheap burr grinder in my mind is good enough, I would not spend more than $100 to be honest. You can upgrade later if this becomes a habit.
Absolutely. Not sure if you're looking for recommendations but a reasonable place to start is:
Aldi/Trader Joe's/Local supermarket private label single origin beans. Try every country and blend they have, figure out what you like. Try to figure out their dating system (most use a best buy, not roast date but they can be reverse engineered to figure out when they were roasted). I'm not crazy about making sure it's super fresh but the fresher the better of course.
Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder
Hario Skerton Plus Manual Grinder
Gooseneck Bodum Kettle (if opting for a pourover method)
Bodum French Press Easiest bigger batch option. Grind coarse and basically let it sit. I'm a big fan of James Hoffman's technique
Aeropress- Very very clean cup of coffee, size is it's downfall. Getting the right recipe can be a little tricky, but you won't mess it up too bad unless you forget to tighten the cap lol
Even if you don't go with a new brew system, grinding your own beans into whatever drip brewer will yield great results.
You want this kind of burr, but I think the model you have uses a roller burr or disc with nubs or teeth on it which nibbles at the beans. They don't produce uniform sized grounds and produce more fines than conical or flat burrs. The Capresso Infinity (560) is usually the minimum recommended grinder here, but the price is a bit higher than normal at the moment. It can usually be bought around $80. Using a coupon at BB&B can get you a better price.
I'm guessing the OP is using a bladed grinder, since he equates grinding "a lot" with fine and powdery, which is exactly how a bladed grinder works. If so, a moka pot won't work well since it relies on finely adjusted grind sizes. You need a decent burr grinder for that. A decent electric burr grinder is going to start at around $80.
If you're willing to get a manual grinder, you can get much better coffee. It takes about 20-40s to grind beans for a cup of coffee https://www.amazon.com/KINGrinder-Adjustable-Aeropress-Consistency-Stainless/dp/B09GV59M4L/ref=sr_1_5?crid=394TIQ9ZSXOGR&keywords=king+grinder+k6&qid=1663048626&sprefix=kin+grinder%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c...
You can play around with the Moka pot and your french press would get way better with this.
Mr. Coffee could be the reason why you're chasing that elusive strong cup of coffee. It is notorious for under-extracting due to low brew temperatures and uneven extraction from an uneven pour.
Here's the modern replacement.
Deal link: Amazon
Deal link: Amazon
That machine can pull great shots. Get a better grinder. This one works fine. Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RJSDRGHD65AA274MZSMK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I gave my parents this grinder in 2007 and it's still running strong. The hopper probably is a little brittle after 13 years and needs replacing though.
https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Conical-Grinder/dp/B0000AR7SY
You won't get really good espresso grinds without spending a lot more money. I have a ceramic conical hand grinder for when I want to show off with a proper espresso or even turkish grind.
If you're that picky, the public/costco machines are usually full of stale coffee remnants.
What’s your price range? It’s on amazon for 74. Even cheaper if you don’t mind a “very good” status used version.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BXO9DbAASSTVN
This is the cheapest I would recommend. I had it and loved it. Capresso 560.01 Infinity Conical Burr, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4aL8BbFVHMKZR
O melhor café que eu já provei foi numa lojinha em Salvador que já não lembro o nome. Adoro café. Compro em grão mesmo e preparo toda manhã com meu moedor em uma de minhas cafeteiras (tenho seis!). Invista na italiana, é uma das minhas favoritas. Assim que eu tiver dinheiro estou pensando em comprar uma Chemex
Your absolute musts:
A burr grinder - I have both a Capresso Infinity and a Hario manual grinder. I like the Capresso, but you have to spank it a bit to get all of the coffee grounds into the hopper. The Hario is alright, but if I had to buy a manual grinder again I'd shop around a bit more--it has some stability issues.
A kitchen scale - Measuring things is good and is an easy way to drastically improve the quality and consistency of your morning coffee.
A timer and calculator - your phone can do this, obviously, but sometimes I find it nice to leave my phone alone during my morning routine.
As for brewing options:
French press - This is the best option for a "fire and forget" brewing style. Do you like to multi-task? Maybe pop a bagel into the toaster and turn on some music to while away the 3-ish minutes it takes coffee to brew? Then this is the option for you. Cleaning the press takes a bit more effort than an Aeropress or pour over, but it's really nothing substantial.
Pour over - Is morning routine too mundane for you? Does morning ritual sound more like your style? Then this is probably the method for you. While you can just dump all your water onto your grounds and go about your business while it drips, it's definitely worth investigating other pour methods to see what tastes best to you. I find myself spending the whole 3~4 minutes intensely focused on my pour over when I use it. Clean up is super easy, though!
Aeropress - I think I'm just awful at using an Aeropress, so I'm probably not the best spokesperson for it. There are a lot of different Aeropress brewing methods, ranging from a fire and forget method where you can let the brew do its business until it's time to flip and plunge the press to methods almost as involved as some pour over options, so you'd have to do some research and trial and error.
> So is the consensus that machines that include a grinder are not good, do they just have bad grinders compared to standalone grinders, or do they fail at some other aspect of coffee prep?
The problem is that one part or the other fails, and then you are left with an expensive paperweight.
I would suggest:
Capresso Infinity burr grinder link
Bonavita 1500TS link
reusable metal cone filter that fits the Bonavita link
Bonavita auto-drip machines are by far the most frequently recommended inexpensive quality automatic brewer on /r/coffee because they are approved by the Specialty Coffee Association of America since they actually get the water hot enough for proper extraction, unlike most auto-drip brewers. The Capresso Infinity is on /r/coffee's short list of entry level burr grinders that are worth their price and actually do a good job of grinding. The re-usable filter fits your criteria and is also very inexpensive. That setup will make better coffee than that found in the vast majority of homes or restaurants for that matter so long as you are using freshly roasted beans.
Upvote for the burr grinder advice. I have a cheap(er) Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder, a Chemex and a Melita Ceramic Cone Brewer. I actually prefer the Melitta over the Chemex. For water I have a Bonavita programmable kettle. The Aeropress is on the long list of items I need to purchase... You probably already have a decent scale...
Capresso coffee grinder, one of the best purchases I ever made.
If you want to spend ~$20 like you did with your Mr. Coffee blade grinder, of which I hope you can still return and get a refund for, you can check out a Hario Coffee Mill which is a manual grinder. I have one for when I travel it does the job but it is manual so it gets old fast if you are using it daily. Some people attach a power drill to to speed up the process.
I have had this Capresso grinder since 2008 and it is still kicking. I am just now thinking about upgrading to something different.
I tend to do my best to future proof things that I buy so I don't spend as much money in the long run and don't end up making extra waste of equipment. So I'm hoping I can find something that will also do a decent cup of espresso when I (someday) get a espresso machine.
What about the Capresso Infinity Grinder (Amazon, Coffee Geek)?
I've used this one for over a year and it's been excellent.
Ya, i also copped a Capresso which seems to be highly rated and is under 100. threw all my Amzn points at the purchase and out the door for like $300 :D
To be honest, electric grinders in the ~$100 range are entry level. That's not really very expensive for something that you'll use daily for every brewing method but espresso.
That being said, the cheapest decent electric is the Capresso Infinity. You can easily get one for up to $20 less than retail by using a coupon/discount at somewhere like Bed Bath and Beyond.
Go with at least the Baratza Encore instead if at all possible. More grind settings, less grounds retention, better grind consistency, better manufacturer support, and readily available replacement parts.
You'll probably want to get a scale as well for the best results with any brewing method. Look for something that's accurate to at least 1g. The Jennings CJ4000, American Weigh SC-2KG-A, and Hario scale are all nice for measuring during pour overs or just weighing your beans.
Edit: Personally, I'm not a fan of the lower end hand grinders. They're slow, inconsistent, and, from my experience with the Harios, not durable at all. The Porlex grinders seem like they'd last longer, but they still aren't so great consistency wise. Those hand grinders are still better than blade grinders though if they're all you can afford or are willing to pay for. I'd avoid French presses if you purchase one of those hand grinders- go with the Clever, Bonavita Immersion Dripper, or Aeropress if you want an immersion brewing method.
The grinders in question, with Amazon links and ratings:
Capresso Infinity $99.95, 4 stars, 1962 customer reviews
Baratza Encore $129.01, 4 stars, 268 customer reviews
Bodum Bistro $127.99, 4 stars, 840 customer reviews
Breville Smart Grinder $199.90, 4 stars, 506 customer reviews
You can get a good grinder under $200.