This is a community for coffee enthusiasts, be they users of £10k Espresso setups, Aeropress, Moka Pots, V60 pour-overs or an old sock on top of a pyrex jug to filter out the grinds you just boiled with some water in a pan.
Discuss, suggest, debate, have fun!
I've been using the Timemore Chestnut C2 manual grinder for a couple years now. Really good for ~£55. There's the C3 now for a bit more as well but haven't looked into what the difference is.
I'll update to an electric grind once I decide to waste all my money getting into home espresso.
I upgraded from the C2 to the C3 pro, but only really because I wanted the folding handle so the damn thing fits on the shelf and doesn't fall over all the time.
I can only speak of what I use. I have a Sage SmartGrinder Pro (£160ish on offer), and a eureka mignon specialita (£300-ish)
If I were spending more, I'd go with something like a niche.
Plus points on the SG: It's dead easy to use, and makes decent coffee.
It's a little noisy (nowhere near how bad some machines are, however).
The Specialita is fantastic. The main reason I got it was for noise reasons, it is extremely quiet.
However, I put a lot of weight to set-and-forget convenience: The timers means once I have dialed in a bag of beans, I can press one button and get a precise dose, without using scales.
What you want the grinder to do is probably the most important question. Hand grinders are the best value, but you may soon get tired of winding every single cup.
I've upgraded my Eureka Mignon with a single shot hopper that has a bellows built in to blow the last of the grinds through from the burrs. Not quite a niche grinder but good enough for me. I got mine from Aliexpress, same thing available on Etsy for double the price.
Good advice. Still in the world of hand grinders myself. About two cups a day is just a nice little work out, but sure is a pain when we have visitors. It's hard to not recommend starting with a hand grinder to new people though just because of the price jump to anything decent and electric.
My first real grinder was a mazzer super jolly. Very good grinder, built like a tank and really consistent grind quality. Its downfall was the workflow and insane retention. Adjusting the grind was difficult and there was little attention paid to things like static, so grounds went everywhere. All in all, it's a good grinder, but not for home use.
Then I got a lido 3 et. Again, very nice piece of kit. It can grind for espresso, so will give you a real workout, if you like lightly roasted beans. I still use it as a travel grinder today. The build quality is great, and the grounds are consistent, but it's difficult to get any fruity notes out of it. Changing the grind setting is such a pain, that I stopped bothering, which is probably not great if you want to use it for espresso.
I currently have a niche, which is great. The workflow is really good, and hopping from one brewer to another is a breeze. The coffee from it tastes quite traditional, so if you prefer floral notes, you might want to consider something else.
Which is where I'm at now. I think it's time for a change. There's a lot of great options on the market now, so it's an exciting time to be shopping around!
I've been a long time Comandante C40 mk3 user and have been impressed with it. I don't think you could go wrong with it. But if you're looking for something that gives a cleaner profile, I suggest looking at 1zpresso's offerings. I recently bought a ZP6-Special and it has been winning me over. It is however only for filter coffee and not suitable for espresso (if hand grinding for espresso is something you do).
personally not ventured into espresso yet, kitchen needs a re-arrangement and SO needs to be placated before I bring another kitchen gadget into the house.
I get you! I am also tight on counter space so I always prefer small footprints/hand grinders over electric grinders. There is the Lagom Mini and Varia VS3 which are relatively small electric grinders though.