Coffee Grinders

Seems like our appliances are somehow aware of the fact that we are going to abandon them - the microwave died (we had bought a new larger unit for the new house anyway so it was pressed into early use), the odd under counter light has committed hara kiri and the latest defection was the coffee grinder, a serviceable Breville burr grinder, which got half way through it;s duties this morning before going out on strike. Very much wanting my morning coffee, I harboured thoughts of Basil Fawlty giving a rebellious car (maybe an Austin 1100? Haven't watched that episode in awhile) a tongue lashing as well as beating it with a handy branch.

Looked up what a good replacement would be and landed with a Kitchenaid model that appears to do everything I want - anyone owned one or have comments?:

We don't like grinders that store coffee beans as they stale quickly. We use a Capresso and a timer. 1/3 Cup of beans for 30 seconds works just fine for us to make a liter of coffee. Have use this system for decades albeit not with same machine; they do wear out like everything else.

Although that one looks as if it stores beans, the lid lifts off and I would only add what I want to grind at any one time. - I agree with you.

[Jenise]

Although that one looks as if it stores beans, the lid lifts off and I would only add what I want to grind at any one time. - I agree with you.

Precisely. Ours has a hopper, but we never fill it up.

[Jenise]

Btw, that Breville didn't last you very long did it. Three years maybe? I remember us here trying to talk you into a burr grinder, and it wasn't all that long ago. Our current one, we love. Bought it at Seattle Coffee Gear--it's not only made in America (that is: NOT in China) but designed by a coffeehead engineer in the Seattle area. Our favorite so far after a Cuisinart and a Capresso.

Btw, that Breville didn't last you very long did it. Three years maybe? I remember us here trying to talk you into a burr grinder, and it wasn't all that long ago. .

6 years ago in this thread, you convinced me.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=31462&p=267444&hilit=burr+grinder#p267444

Probably not a bad life for that level of grinder....

I bought this model Cuisinart as a factory rebuild about 5 years ago and it died last year. So then I bought this Mr. Coffee. The mechanical/electrical parts are identical the the above Cuisinart. I've been quite happy with it so far.
What's the problem with storing 12 oz. of coffee beans in the grinder for up to a week? Freezing or refrigerating roasted beans is not recommended, so what's the difference if the beans are stored in the bag or in the grinder? BTW, my coffee roaster died and I went back to using a hot-air corn popper for roasting green beans. It works nicely. Also, I've discovered that Aldi's sells Honduras and Peruvian whole bean for $4.79 per 12 oz. bag and it is pretty good.

I'll be curious to see how the Kitchenaid model holds up. We've had a Brevile burr grinder for quite a few years now that's done well for us, particularly for the cost.

[Jenise]

Btw, that Breville didn't last you very long did it. Three years maybe? I remember us here trying to talk you into a burr grinder, and it wasn't all that long ago. .

6 years ago in this thread, you convinced me.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=31462&p=267444&hilit=burr+grinder#p267444

Probably not a bad life for that level of grinder....

Six years--that's definitely better. Neither our Cuisinart nor the Capresso actually gave out, for the record, but the blades seem to have dulled and we were constantly clearing clogs. So we just started over.

The Breville has slowed despite repeated cleaning and now chugs along at part speed, sometimes coming to a stop. I wonder if grinding coffee can dull the burr blades - seems like it. But the motor seems to be the issue. If it were an MG generator I'd take it apart and refurbish it. With a coffee grinder, just replacing is easier.

The Kitchenaid has a rep for being a good grinder if a bit loud and also for having a breakable lower glass container, but otherwise good. We shall see. My second choice was a Baratza model at similar pricing.

I've had one of these for going on ten years now, with no real complaints. It's a solidly constructed piece of machinery that has lasted a lot longer than the couple of Capressos that preceded it. It's used for our daily press pot and for the drip machine that gets hauled out on the occasion when larger quantities are wanted. It does well for those two grinds but I have no experience how it might do on finer grinds, as for espresso. I actually like the glass container since it avoids static electricity issues I've had with plastic ones. I suppose I might feel differently if I break it, though.

A couple of quibbles: there's a crevice where bean canister meets grinder that seems to fill with broken coffee beans. Not a big deal but something I feel compelled to tidy up when I clean the machine up, something I admit I don't do as often as recommended. Also, there's enough coffee that seems to stay in the grinder that I assume when I grind today's beans, the ground coffee must include some of yesterday's.

Overall, I'm very happy with the grinder. As I said a very solid/stable piece of gear which so far has proven very durable with no perceptible change in performance in the decade I've had it.

[Jenise]

The Breville has slowed despite repeated cleaning and now chugs along at part speed, sometimes coming to a stop. I wonder if grinding coffee can dull the burr blades - seems like it. But the motor seems to be the issue. If it were an MG generator I'd take it apart and refurbish it. With a coffee grinder, just replacing is easier.

Exactly. Don't see how you can go wrong with the KA. As you know, I love how they stand behind their products.

Freezing or refrigerating roasted beans is not recommended

Is this really true? I often grind more than I need and keep the extra in the freezer. Seems perfectly fine the next day.

Freezing or refrigerating roasted beans is not recommended

Is this really true? I often grind more than I need and keep the extra in the freezer. Seems perfectly fine the next day.

I was referring to long term storage (up to a month or two) of roasted whole beans. I don't see a problem with refrigerating ground coffee overnight.

Freezing beans is a matter of some discussion by coffee aficionados. I hold my beans at -10 deg. F for long term storage in sealed bags.

See http://www.huladaddy.com/articles/freeze-your-beans.htm for an interesting discussion.

[Jenise]

Yeah, it's strange. Freezing used to be the standard recommendation for preserving freshness. Then something changed--I believe I learned that it had on this board, from Hoke IIRC.

It would seem that there is a difference between long term freezing (good) and short term (bad) which causes flavour change.

Have to go now - I hear a big truck at the door......

[Jenise]

It would seem that there is a difference between long term freezing (good) and short term (bad) which causes flavour change.

Have to go now - I hear a big truck at the door......

They must have hated this job! I presume they didn't take a moving truck down your treacherous driveway (to other onlookers: the driveway at the soon-to-be ex-residence is a very steep and narrow semi-circle, most of Bill's guests won't even take their cars down it).

Actually they had no problem backing down the West driveway.

It is just possible that the experience of the wine crew negotiating that driveway has something to do with the amount imbibed between arrival and departure.....

[Jenise]

Actually they had no problem backing down the West driveway.

It is just possible that the experience of the wine crew negotiating that driveway has something to do with the amount imbibed between arrival and departure.....

Uh...I remember one entirely sober guest who was carted off in an ambulance before he even got in the front door!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Baratza line of grinders. Their basic Encore model should be perfectly adequate if you are not making espresso (none of the others mentioned above are really good espresso grinders). One great thing about these guys is their support. I have an older basic model, the Maestro, which I use for drip coffee and it stopped working after a few years. Turns out this is a known issue with wear on one of the gears. Unlike a lot of manufacturers, they provided an upgraded gear set for a reasonable price (around $15) plus streaming videos as to how to do the repair! Shocking in this day of disposable crap.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Baratza line of grinders. Their basic Encore model should be perfectly adequate if you are not making espresso (none of the others mentioned above are really good espresso grinders). One great thing about these guys is their support. I have an older basic model, the Maestro, which I use for drip coffee and it stopped working after a few years. Turns out this is a known issue with wear on one of the gears. Unlike a lot of manufacturers, they provided an upgraded gear set for a reasonable price (around $15) plus streaming videos as to how to do the repair! Shocking in this day of disposable crap.

Barazza was on my list when we bought the Breville. IIRC, they are rated well on coffeegeek.com. We ran across the Brevillen first and picked it up.

[Jenise]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Baratza line of grinders. Their basic Encore model should be perfectly adequate if you are not making espresso (none of the others mentioned above are really good espresso grinders). One great thing about these guys is their support. I have an older basic model, the Maestro, which I use for drip coffee and it stopped working after a few years. Turns out this is a known issue with wear on one of the gears. Unlike a lot of manufacturers, they provided an upgraded gear set for a reasonable price (around $15) plus streaming videos as to how to do the repair! Shocking in this day of disposable crap.

That is definitely remarkable, and laudable.

Seems like our appliances are somehow aware of the fact that we are going to abandon them - the microwave died (we had bought a new larger unit for the new house anyway so it was pressed into early use), the odd under counter light has committed hara kiri and the latest defection was the coffee grinder, a serviceable Breville burr grinder, which got half way through it;s duties this morning before going out on strike. Very much wanting my morning coffee, I harboured thoughts of Basil Fawlty giving a rebellious car (maybe an Austin 1100? Haven't watched that episode in awhile) a tongue lashing as well as beating it with a handy branch.

Looked up what a good replacement would be and landed with a Kitchenaid model that appears to do everything I want - anyone owned one or have comments?:

Can describe broadly with details specification? Others soo nice.