Coffee Catch-All

Yesterday I accidentally used my Moka pot and forgot the water. D:

IMAGE(http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4560453035820420&pid=1.7)

Ever winced at the taste of overroasted beans? Ain't got nothing on the smell the Moka pot put out.

Now that we're spending a little more for quality coffee, I need a new grinder. The blade grinder we've been using works okay, but it's hard not to notice all the large unground chunks of bean floating in my Aeropress every time I make a cup. Any recommendations for a decent burr grinder that isn't $100 or more? I approach this like most of my purchases - I want a well-made, entry-level product that will last awhile, but I don't need anything more than that.

I bought this Capresso burr grinder back in October and I've been really pleased with it.

It was my first burr grinder and my criteria were identical to yours. The Amazon price can fluctuate a bit (duh), so it can be had for closer to $80 than $90, if you're patient, but I haven't seen it below $80.

We went to brunch Saturday. Something horrifying happened. I found out my wife's friends are a bunch of circus freaks.

1. They do not drink coffee.
2. They do not have coffee in their home.

That needs to be put up front, like a beware of dog sign. "This house has no coffee." Or put on an invitation like warning the hosts have a food allergy.

A little warning would have had me prepared, and I would have gotten my stove pot or a french press ready.

B Dog wrote:

I bought this Capresso burr grinder back in October and I've been really pleased with it.

I got the same one locally for around $80 several years ago. It has the minor annoyance of static cling due to the plastic material of the collection cup, but otherwise it does its job quite well.

KingGorilla wrote:

We went to brunch Saturday. Something horrifying happened. I found out my wife's friends are a bunch of circus freaks.

1. They do not drink coffee.
2. They do not have coffee in their home.

That needs to be put up front, like a beware of dog sign. "This house has no coffee." Or put on an invitation like warning the hosts have a food allergy.

A little warning would have had me prepared, and I would have gotten my stove pot or a french press ready.

Burn the house down. It's the only appropriate response.

IMAGE(http://static4.fjcdn.com/comments/3221247+_d3c65a3486d1322a57172f13d8052427.jpg)

Boudreaux wrote:

Now that we're spending a little more for quality coffee, I need a new grinder. The blade grinder we've been using works okay, but it's hard not to notice all the large unground chunks of bean floating in my Aeropress every time I make a cup. Any recommendations for a decent burr grinder that isn't $100 or more? I approach this like most of my purchases - I want a well-made, entry-level product that will last awhile, but I don't need anything more than that.

A Hario or Kyocera hand grinder would work.

Boudreaux wrote:

Now that we're spending a little more for quality coffee, I need a new grinder. The blade grinder we've been using works okay, but it's hard not to notice all the large unground chunks of bean floating in my Aeropress every time I make a cup. Any recommendations for a decent burr grinder that isn't $100 or more? I approach this like most of my purchases - I want a well-made, entry-level product that will last awhile, but I don't need anything more than that.

I've got a basic Krups GVX-2 burr grinder. I think I got it at Costco or Amazon. For whatever reason the reviews are bad, but I haven't had any problems with it. I basically make 2 16 oz cups of coffee every day and I've been doing that for years without any problems. Reading the reviews people are basically saying it breaks after a month. Maybe I'm lucky, or the older ones were built better. Online they range from $50-$60.

One of the complaints is that it is a bit messy. Either I'm just used to it, or I have an expectation that hi-speed grinding of coffee isn't a spotless task to begin with. The other complaint I saw was that its loud. Again, I'm not sure how quiet a hi-speed motor grinding hard coffee beans is supposed to be, but it doesn't bother me.

My roommate has that Krups one. It's just fine, but it cannot do a coarse grind for french press for whatever reason, so if you use a press pot, you'll get quite a bit of silt at the bottom of your cup. It would work for doing espresso or pour over, however. The other cheap one is the Cuisinart one. I used that one for a long time. It doesn't do a very even grind, and you get a lot of fine dust, but it definitely works.

I would highly recommend the Bodum burr grinder as the perfect grinder, but it's just out of the price range at $120.

psoplayer wrote:
B Dog wrote:

I bought this Capresso burr grinder back in October and I've been really pleased with it.

I got the same one locally for around $80 several years ago. It has the minor annoyance of static cling due to the plastic material of the collection cup, but otherwise it does its job quite well.

Same grinder here, and yes the static electricity throws coffee grinds all over my kitchen. Really happy with it overall, but there HAS to be some home remedy for the static problem short of rubbing dryer sheets on it before grinding.

Osiran wrote:
psoplayer wrote:
B Dog wrote:

I bought this Capresso burr grinder back in October and I've been really pleased with it.

I got the same one locally for around $80 several years ago. It has the minor annoyance of static cling due to the plastic material of the collection cup, but otherwise it does its job quite well.

Same grinder here, and yes the static electricity throws coffee grinds all over my kitchen. Really happy with it overall, but there HAS to be some home remedy for the static problem short of rubbing dryer sheets on it before grinding.

I'm getting a little bit of static electricity with mine, but quite honestly, it's very minor and a lot less than I expected. The unit definitely benefits from regular cleaning of the burrs and the chamber (I do it every Sunday morning), but the static electricity is an issue with just about all burr grinders with a plastic canister. I think the only one with a glass container in the entry-level space is the Bodum tuffalobuffalo mentioned.

Yup! The glass container on the bodum grinder is superb and does not have the static electricity issue.

boogle wrote:
Boudreaux wrote:

Now that we're spending a little more for quality coffee, I need a new grinder. The blade grinder we've been using works okay, but it's hard not to notice all the large unground chunks of bean floating in my Aeropress every time I make a cup. Any recommendations for a decent burr grinder that isn't $100 or more? I approach this like most of my purchases - I want a well-made, entry-level product that will last awhile, but I don't need anything more than that.

A Hario or Kyocera hand grinder would work.

I need to learn more about this. Thinking of getting a hand grinder for work.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Yesterday I accidentally used my Moka pot and forgot the water. D:

I've put whole beans in the filter basket. A few weeks ago I put ground coffee in the water collector in our drip maker, though at least I caught that one before the supposed coffee was brewed, unlike the whole bean incident.

B Dog wrote:

I bought this Capresso burr grinder back in October and I've been really pleased with it.

I have one as well and really like it. My only issues are that it's quite loud and that the hopper and bin are made of plastic. I guess it's hard to expect anything else, but we've already lost an (unimportant) piece off the bottom of the hopper somehow. I don't mind the static issue though. After pouring out the grounds I just knock the bin on the side of the sink to clear out any remaining grounds. Also, it's great that the grinder can go from a coarse ground to fine enough for greek coffee.

complexmath wrote:
Quintin_Stone wrote:

Yesterday I accidentally used my Moka pot and forgot the water. D:

I've put whole beans in the filter basket.

I've done that once. Very weak coffee.

Looking for a recommendation for a travel mug. I have a ceramic one that is a bit small and does a poor job of keeping coffee hot. I make "1" cup at a time so I think a 16 oz mug would be good. Sometimes I put the current one in the microwave. Smell is a big part so if there is one that keeps things from spilling but lets the smell out when you drink it that is a plus as well. Other thoughts are welcome.

I got some dollar store mugs that I hate and will be replaced the next time I am at Bed Bath and Beyond or Kohls. I might suggest a trip to 7-11. They have decent microwave safe mugs that are not insanely priced (usually 5-10 bucks).

My dad has always just used a normal mug, no lid, when he is in the car. Just don't over-fill it. I suggest a tall 16 oz mug that will fit in the cup holder.

EvilHomer3k wrote:

Looking for a recommendation for a travel mug.

I use a JOEmo. The name is ridiculous (and it's stainless steel, so no microwaving), but it really does keep coffee warm for hours. Especially if you preheat it with boiling water.

I suggest a vacuum insulated stainless steel travel mug--they keep coffee hot for hours. The trick is finding one with a lid that doesn't suck. You want a screw-on lid with a flap that snaps down over the drinking hole. Anything else is going to leak or break. After a bit of googling I found this one from Bodum that seems to fit all the criteria.

complexmath wrote:

I suggest a vacuum insulated stainless steel travel mug... with a screw-on lid with a flap that snaps down over the drinking hole.

Zojirushi makes the finest in the category that I've yet seen. The design of the lid is actually pictured in an identical model that happens to be priced higher. It's spring-loaded, so you just push the button on the front with your thumb and it pops open for sipping.

Does the Zoji lid stay open when it is flipped out? I have a water bottle with a flip lid and it tends to be in the way and flops ariound when drinking. Cleaning is an issue so the fact that it comes apart is good. It isnt microwavable but looks to fit a lot of other criteria and it is leakproof which is a bonus,

Oops, I forgot the link. This one has a screw-on lid, and a pushbutton mechanism rather than a flap -- a little harder to clean, but it works.

EvilHomer3k wrote:

Does the Zoji lid stay open when it is flipped out?

Yes. It locks open in two different positions: 180° sticking straight out and all the way a bit further down against the side.

I use this stainless steel mug from starbucks. It keeps coffee hot (or cold) for hours and is fantastic. It has the screw top with flap that snaps closed that complexmath mentioned.

Unfortunately it appears to be out of stock online but they were plentiful in stores last year.

IMAGE(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WwTW4LrzL._SX450_.jpg)

I'm also interested in a burr grinder but not interested enough to drop $90 to find out if the improvement is worth it. I use a moka pot and recently got a Hario cold brew coffee maker, so the medium coarse grind from my blade grinder has worked okay. I guess my question is are there any good burr grinders for those of us on a budget?

Scaphism wrote:

I'm also interested in a burr grinder but not interested enough to drop $90 to find out if the improvement is worth it. I use a moka pot and recently got a Hario cold brew coffee maker, so the medium coarse grind from my blade grinder has worked okay. I guess my question is are there any good burr grinders for those of us on a budget?

I'd give you a free Cuisinart one. I upgraded to the Bodum one. The plastic is broken on a bit of the threaded part, but it definitely works much better than a blade grinder. And yeah -- free. Otherwise, I'll probably just give it to Goodwill. Send me a PM if interested.

EvilHomer3k wrote:

Looking for a recommendation for a travel mug ...

Santa gave me an REI stainless steel mug for Christmas. I usually put in 12 ounces of coffee and add another 4-5 ounces of milk, and that about fills it up. Hard plastic screw-on cap is super secure. Cleans up easily. Seems to keep coffee warm enough, but I add so much milk and drink it so fast it doesn't really matter. Coffee purists swear by ceramic mugs, but I have no complaints so far.

Scaphism wrote:

... I guess my question is are there any good burr grinders for those of us on a budget?

Unless you have TWO slightly-used burr grinders lying around, TB, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. I saw this Mr. Coffee grinder at Target the other day and was sorta tempted because it's the cheapest electric one I think I've seen. But the reviews are iffy.