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Looking for advice buying a coffee grinder
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2024
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There are a few things to note: burr vs blade. You do not want a blade, because as others have said, the key to the grind is consistency of granules. Coffee ground too fine tends to over-extract, be bitter, and even clog equipment. Coffee ground too coarsely will under-extract, taste kinda earthy & "bleh", and it's a waste of bean.
The two best electric burr models on the budget side of things, AFAIK, is the the Capresso Infinity & the Baratza Encore.
The Capresso Infinity is the cheapest quality burr grinder you can get; it is gentle & slow grinding. Very consistent. Unit size is small, which is nice.
The Baratza Encore is SUCH a capable grinder. Very well known. It's got a nice "heft" to it, so it stays put while grinding. I had a very oily bean that I sent through the Encore, so much that it choked & stopped up. I carefully cleaned it all out & it works just fine. What a champion!! Unlike the Capresso Infinity, it can crank out a more than acceptable espresso-level fine grind.
Between capability & reliability, the Baratza Encore wins my endorsement. If you don't care about espresso & you just want a good machine without spending all the money, then & only then would I recommend Capresso Infinity.
I have had an Encore for a few years now, and it has handled everything from French press to espresso. I've been very happy with it, and instead of spending an upgrade there I was able to buy an espresso machine and get into that side of coffee.
Wow. I was only planning on educating myself and then hunting for a bargain on ebay and charity shops. But this reads like a truly genuine endorsement that I might just go for that. Not sure yet but I'm definitely considering!
I was using a hand grinder for years before i finally decided to plunk down the $ on a good electric grinder. Based on the reviews I'd read over the years the Encore really seems like the best grinder for the $, even though it's relatively expensive. If you're gonna use it daily, it's a worthy investment. It's fast, reliable, consistent, and it's also built to be taken apart for cleaning/maintenance. It's one of these situations where "buy once, cry once" could apply.
If looking for a bargain, you can always try to score one open box on eBay...
Did Baratza stop selling refurbs? I got mine as a refurb but don't see a page for refurbished ones on their site.
Also they sometimes sell refurbished Encores on their site for a discount. But honestly new, they're still very reasonable. My refurb looked brand new and has been serving me well for 2 years.
I was going to suggest refurb, too, but looking around their site there is no longer a page for refurbs. A little googling and it appears since Breville bought them in 2020 they've gone downhill some.
Oh that's a bummer! I bought mine in 2022 and didn't know that.