I mainly want to get a coffee grinder because beans have a longer shelf life and are cheaper. If I also get better coffee, that’s a bonus! (Basically, I’m not looking for a premium option)
What is something I should pay attention to when buying a grinder. I see people mention “flat burr” grinders all the time. Is that something important?
A few years ago I bought a cheap terrible manual coffee grinder off Amazon. It took 5-10mins to grind my coffee. The grounds where too course and my hands hurt. Is the experience better with higher quality manual grinders? At the moment, I’m not a huge fan of manual grinders because of this experience and am leaning towards buying an electrical one.
What makes a coffee grinder better than others? What is the difference between premium and budget options?
Oh okay that probably explains my terrible experience with manual stuff. I think it was a cheap terrible ceramic one.
Are good manual grinders easy/fast enough to use daily? I’m pretty a zombie in the morning till I get my fix. if it’s too much effort, I don’t think I can see myself doing that every day (Especially just after waking up)
Chiming in to provide another anecdotal experience. At a drip grind size on my 1zpresso JX, I take no longer than half a minute to grind an 18g dose of beans and it requires nearly no effort at all. If you’re trying to keep the budget under or around $200USD, the brews you get from a nice manual grinder are significantly better than what you can get from an electric grinder at a similar price point, but you are trading convenience. If you’re entertaining or brewing for more than a few people regularly though, it might be worth the tradeoff. For me, the flexibility and portability of a manual grinder were definitely a priority, since it allowed me to take a very compact brew setup while traveling so that I wouldn’t be stuck with bad coffee while backpacking/in hotels.
Yes, they are. I pre-measure the amount in the evening and in the morning, while the kettle is getting hot, I grind it and put it into a Phin (vietnamese coffee filter, you’d be surprised how good it is) well before the water’s ready. While it takes its time to drip I cook up something quick to eat… and that’s been my morning for the last few years :D
Good manual grinders are definitely easy and fast enough for daily use, with the caveat that it’s going to depend on which type of coffee you are brewing. Pourovers/french press? Easily. Espresso? Probably a bit harder, and will require a better grinder.