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Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 12:22 am
by redefined_cycles
Got the Hunt Bros as my first. Bit tall for decent weight/space saving bikepacking or taking with on the trails. Died about a year or 6 months later as one of the ceramic burrs had fractured long before and slowly it all went downhill.

Then missus got me a Hunt Bros copy from ebay for £7... I think this has laste me about 7 months again and ready to be chucked away. The (I think they're) ceramic burrs are fine but upon cleaning it once and it all kinda just fell apart. Managed to get another few months life out of it but seems to have developed a crack on the plastic viewing window.

Really want a Hario but can't justify that kind of spend... Especially if its gonna go the same way as the Hunt Bros (think that was close to £30 but was a long while ago.

Anyone any decent suggestions for pacakboliry, ease of use, longevity and easy cleaning etc etc..

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 12:23 am
by redefined_cycles
Sorry if anyone finds it OT :???: but i always thought coffee and cycling are like brothers :smile:

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 5:40 am
by Boab
Get yourself a Porlex Mini...

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 8:49 am
by firestarter
I've just got a porlex mini from maxicoffee for 47 posted tracked from france too 3 days very impressed

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:03 am
by Bearbonesnorm
Image
It's available as 2 in 1 as well :-bd

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:20 am
by redefined_cycles
Bearbonesnorm wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 9:03 am Image
It's available as 2 in 1 as well :-bd
Ya bloody coffee snob you... :smile:

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:44 am
by redefined_cycles
Really want a Hario but can't justify that kind of spend.. Especially if its gonna go the same way as the Hunt Bros (think that was close to £30 but was a long while ago.
Ern... the Porlex is only £17 even more over budget. But I guess the money from my Restrap bag makes its £30 cheaper. Thing is, is it gonna last and is there any other (cheaper, not dearer please :grin: ) suggestions

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:45 am
by oreocereus
Short version: from my experience working in coffee for years, any grinders comparably cheap to the hario will be a pig to use and/or be liable to break.
I can’t say too much about the longevity of the hario, all of the stuff in the sub £60 price bracket (and most in the sub £100) are cheaply constructed to some extent, but hario do have a better reputation than those priced similarly.

A grinder shouldn’t break after months of use... a decent set of burrs should last a minimum of ~200kg of grinding, with 500kg being a common standard on more expensive models. Manual grinders are simple machines, and it’s pretty unacceptable that one fell apart that quickly. Generally the only things that should need repair are burrs (replacing over time) and any screws lost while cleaning.

So I worked in the cafe and roasting side of coffee for a number of years, so I’m not super in touch with consumer goods - but the hario porlex (or mini) is the only cheap grinder that gets any sort of recommendation within the industry. Other grinders around the same price point use poor quality burrs or are badly designed - and you’ll find yourself replacing broken junk and contributing to landfill overtime. The porlex should pay for itself quickly.

For others reading who are considering the porlex mini, if you can up your budget to the Made By Knock Aerspeed, which is £75+VAT (the porlex isn’t that much cheaper but comes up on sale), you get a far higher quality product, hand built in Edinburgh.

Comparatively, tha hario feels a plasticky and flimsy. The burr set isn’t as well designed, or marchined, and the shaft is plastic. All this results in a less consistent grind that is harder work (a hario user in the coffee MYOG thread tested how long it took to grind their coffee, and I did a test with the aerspeed - it takes 20-25seconds depending on grind size with the aerspeed, and around 1min with the hario).

But the Hario is still a league ahead of the low budget competition.

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 12:03 pm
by redefined_cycles
oreocereus wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 9:45 am Short version: from my experience working in coffee for years, any grinders comparably cheap to the hario will be a pig to use and/or be liable to break.
I can’t say too much about the longevity of the hario, all of the stuff in the sub £60 price bracket (and most in the sub £100) are cheaply constructed to some extent, but hario do have a better reputation than those priced similarly.

A grinder shouldn’t break after months of use... a decent set of burrs should last a minimum of ~200kg of grinding, with 500kg being a common standard on more expensive models. Manual grinders are simple machines, and it’s pretty unacceptable that one fell apart that quickly. Generally the only things that should need repair are burrs (replacing over time) and any screws lost while cleaning.

So I worked in the cafe and roasting side of coffee for a number of years, so I’m not super in touch with consumer goods - but the hario porlex (or mini) is the only cheap grinder that gets any sort of recommendation within the industry. Other grinders around the same price point use poor quality burrs or are badly designed - and you’ll find yourself replacing broken junk and contributing to landfill overtime. The porlex should pay for itself quickly.

For others reading who are considering the porlex mini, if you can up your budget to the Made By Knock Aerspeed, which is £75+VAT (the porlex isn’t that much cheaper but comes up on sale), you get a far higher quality product, hand built in Edinburgh.

Comparatively, tha hario feels a plasticky and flimsy. The burr set isn’t as well designed, or marchined, and the shaft is plastic. All this results in a less consistent grind that is harder work (a hario user in the coffee MYOG thread tested how long it took to grind their coffee, and I did a test with the aerspeed - it takes 20-25seconds depending on grind size with the aerspeed, and around 1min with the hario).

But the Hario is still a league ahead of the low budget competition.
Thanks. Thats just the sort input i was after. I hate landfilling (burnt my last compost bin by mistake and was just thinking this morn about how urgently we need another :o ) and might be able to recycle some more cycling gear forward to afford that there Edinburgh onw you recommend. Thanks a bakers dozen (does that even make sense and is it the correct quote... dunno. Thanks anyways oreooreocerus

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 2:35 pm
by oreocereus
Sounds like you were composting too well!

The aerspeed is nice as it fits inside the chamber of an aeropress, but it’s heavier (422g from memory) than the porlex mini, which is nearly half the weight (due to metal construction of the Aerspeed - I suppose you could leave the grinds catchment chamber behind to save weight!)

I can’t promise the hario would last long term, but they’re generally recognized in the industry as the best low budget option and I haven’t heard of any durability concerns - though I would have no concerns that the aerspeed should last decades, just recycling the burrs every 5-10 years... it has one o-ring, which the maker said is the only thing that wears out aside from the burrs).

If you do go for the cheaper option, let me know if it fails on you a year or two in.

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 3:21 pm
by Huwblut
I’ve got an Aergrind, it was a little expensive but expect it to last a very time. With hindsight I’d have bought aerspeed as I don’t grind for espresso.

It’s particularly satisfying use & takes no time to grind for one person. Not sure I’d take it on the bike but it does fit perfectly into an aeropress...

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 3:51 pm
by thenorthwind
I've got a Hario Skerton and a Mini. Had both for quite a while. I think the burrs on the Skerton are a bit worn, but it's been used on average once a day maybe for about 5 years. The shafts on both are steel on mine - not sure if that's changed. They seem to have gone up a lot in price - sure mine were about £20-25 each. Still think they're worth that rather than a dirt cheap sub standard one that will break. Given the price difference now, I might have gone for the Porlex though.

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 5:02 pm
by oreocereus
thenorthwind wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 3:51 pm I've got a Hario Skerton and a Mini. Had both for quite a while. I think the burrs on the Skerton are a bit worn, but it's been used on average once a day maybe for about 5 years. The shafts on both are steel on mine - not sure if that's changed. They seem to have gone up a lot in price - sure mine were about £20-25 each. Still think they're worth that rather than a dirt cheap sub standard one that will break. Given the price difference now, I might have gone for the Porlex though.
Good value at £20. I had a google, doesn't look like Hario sell replacement burr sets. They should only be £10-£15 for ceramic burrs, but I find it odd and disappointing that they don't. I wonder if they'd help you out if you contacted customer service?
Huwblut wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 3:21 pm I’ve got an Aergrind, it was a little expensive but expect it to last a very time. With hindsight I’d have bought aerspeed as I don’t grind for espresso.

It’s particularly satisfying use & takes no time to grind for one person. Not sure I’d take it on the bike but it does fit perfectly into an aeropress...
I find it a real joy to use. I have used the Hunt Bros one mentioned in the first post at a friends house and found it difficult and unpleasant to use. I see why it sits on his shelf unused, and he continues to buy bags of stale tesco "omnigrind."

If it's any consolation, when I spoke with Peter at MBK, he suggested the Aergrind is a slightly higher quality product. The burrs are a little more precisely (and expensively) machined by the burr manufacturer, and Knock also have a more intensive heat treating for the grind burrs. They are however a bit more calibrated toward espresso than filter ranges (which I find odd - people I know who've tested it for espresso have commented that it's possible but very hard to get a good grind for espresso), which means that it "moves through" the filter grind size ranges faster.

Comparitively, the speed is a slightly less refined burr set and profile, which may be a little less consistent (whether or not those differences are only theoretical, I don't know) and the burrs may not last quite as long.

So, the grind is more capable of producing a consistent grind size, but within the filter>caffetiere range of grind sizes, it'll adjust quite quickly - potentially making it harder to actually get to the grind size you want with accuracy. It'll be easier to find the right grind size with the speed, but if both were set "correctly" for whatever you were brewing, the grind would theoretically produce a better grind.

But, I find it weird that they have two products here, with complicated theoretical differences (it took a long chat with Peter to really get my head around the differences). I think for 95% of folks the Aerspeed would be a sensible and relatively (compared to a lot of coffee equipment, anyway) frugal investment. They have the Feld 2 if someone wants a "premium" product, so i find the Aergrind a weird place in their product line up.

But both are good grinders, and compare favourably (and sometimes better than) manual grinders at twice the price - and electric grinders at 5x the price.

I generally wouldn't take it on the bike, apart from short, more social trips with friends. But i like the size for when I'm working away from home. And it

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 5:34 pm
by thenorthwind
oreocereus wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 5:02 pm
Good value at £20. I had a google, doesn't look like Hario sell replacement burr sets. They should only be £10-£15 for ceramic burrs, but I find it odd and disappointing that they don't. I wonder if they'd help you out if you contacted customer service?
I had a quick look the other day and found some from a Canadian place, but priced in £, as if the UK is a target market, at about £5. The cheapest postage option was about £60 :roll:

Edit: also, only the inner burr appears to be available, despite the fact it looks like the outer burr could be removed with three screws. Surely that would only half solve the problem?

Edit 2: Here - https://eightouncecoffee.ca/products/ha ... burr-shaft

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 5:47 pm
by oreocereus
thenorthwind wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 5:34 pm
oreocereus wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 5:02 pm
Good value at £20. I had a google, doesn't look like Hario sell replacement burr sets. They should only be £10-£15 for ceramic burrs, but I find it odd and disappointing that they don't. I wonder if they'd help you out if you contacted customer service?
I had a quick look the other day and found some from a Canadian place, but priced in £, as if the UK is a target market, at about £5. The cheapest postage option was about £60 :roll:

Edit: also, only the inner burr appears to be available, despite the fact it looks like the outer burr could be removed with three screws. Surely that would only half solve the problem?

Edit 2: Here - https://eightouncecoffee.ca/products/ha ... burr-shaft
I would think so. I don't have a lot of experience with conical burr sets (the cafe burr sets I serviced for a very brief period were always flat burr sets), but even if the inner burr did somehow wear faster, you would always want to replace both at the same time..

Should you find someone who sells a whole set (again, I reckon Hario should help you out if you contact them - though I have no experience with their customer service), look into postal forwarding options. I recently purchased an American backpack that was $105 on sale with $70 shipping to Ireland. Through the Irish mail postal forwarding option I paid €12 for shipping and somehow skipped customs fees and import taxes :-bd I used to use them when I lived in New Zealand, as American and British cycling and hiking equipment was always outrageously expensive with the stores default shipping options.

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:36 pm
by redefined_cycles
Been looking at the Made By Knock stuff and seems decent (after reading the discussion here and understanding the issue a bit more from online). Seems like a supply issue at the moment from MBK and unable to make any advance orders (just what gets produced and whoever sees it at the time).

Anyone any exp or thoughts on the 1ZPresso ones. Other than that it might just have to be a Hario as the Prolex seem to bw back at £80 and above quid with limited supplies...

Thanks for all the insight btw

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Thu May 28, 2020 8:31 am
by Roobell7
I have a Rhinowares hand grinder, purchased at the Adventure Show a few years ago. It travels with me around the world, along with a dripper.

Here are the local beans about to made into my breakfast coffee fix :cool:

ImageCoffee setup by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Thu May 28, 2020 8:40 am
by redefined_cycles
:-bd

All sorted. Couldn't quite stretch to a £100 grinder so bought the Toyota (poor mans Lexus)... ie. The Hario mini mill on offer at £30 :smile:

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Thu May 28, 2020 8:44 am
by oreocereus
£30 is a good price, enjoy :-bd
redefined_cycles wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 9:36 pm Been looking at the Made By Knock stuff and seems decent (after reading the discussion here and understanding the issue a bit more from online). Seems like a supply issue at the moment from MBK and unable to make any advance orders (just what gets produced and whoever sees it at the time).

Anyone any exp or thoughts on the 1ZPresso ones. Other than that it might just have to be a Hario as the Prolex seem to bw back at £80 and above quid with limited supplies...

Thanks for all the insight btw
late to this, but I’ll answer anyway. I have no personal experience with one (quite recently to the market) but I am aware they exist and seem well reviewed. Ironically I went with the Aerspeed at the time because his lead times were 1 week, and the 1zpresso came from Aliexpress with the associated 3 month shipping period. I also wanted to support a local-ish business.
Roobell7 wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 8:31 am I have a Rhinowares hand grinder, purchased at the Adventure Show a few years ago. It travels with me around the world, along with a dripper.

Here are the local beans about to made into my breakfast coffee fix :cool:

ImageCoffee setup by Andy Wright, on Flickr
how do you like it?

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:13 pm
by Roobell7
oreocereus wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 8:44 am
how do you like it?
I like it a lot. It's small, fits in a carry-on suitcase well and does a great job. Having a stainless steel body means its not the lightest but then is unlikely to get damaged. I've taken it on the bike a few times but find Taylors coffee bags much easier.

:cool: Andy

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 12:16 am
by composite
redefined_cycles wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 12:03 pm (burnt my last compost bin by mistake and was just thinking this morn about how urgently we need another :o )
WTF Shaf how do you burn a compost bin by mistake?!?!? :lol:

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 8:45 am
by firestarter
After getting my aeropress and grinder I've now discovered cold brew coffee I think I'm addicted I love it it's better than warm :)

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 8:50 am
by Boab
firestarter wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 8:45 am After getting my aeropress and grinder I've now discovered cold brew coffee I think I'm addicted I love it it's better than warm :)
I'll just leave this here then... https://eu.puckpuck.me/

Image

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 9:00 am
by firestarter
:lol: :-bd

Re: Suggest a coffee grinding machine

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:10 am
by redefined_cycles
composite wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 12:16 am
redefined_cycles wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 12:03 pm (burnt my last compost bin by mistake and was just thinking this morn about how urgently we need another :o )
WTF Shaf how do you burn a compost bin by mistake?!?!? :lol:
It was all working out so well for us. Kids were growing up and so polite and beautiful. Chickens were laying white as well as brown eggs. The shed was getting a lovely tan over the years and the compost bin was producing lovely clumps of compost. We were hardly throwing much waste in the green or grey bins.

It was a warm and cool breeze day when it happened. Not too hot nor cold and day before we'd had a barbecue. So I woke up thinking, I know what, 'the nitro from the ashes of the barbecue will be good for the compost bin'. So I shovelled it in with the spade that'd had its handle burnt off at some point over the years. Don't ask how that happened as I can't recall.

Next day woke up to a well heaped up compost pile. It was beautiful except the bin had withered away overnight. It was rather traumatic and I've not composted ever since. Even got rid the chickens and moved towns. It was that traumatic :lol:

The money saved on the grinder though will go towards a new compost bin. Been saving the used leftover coffee grinds since the day of the Hario order, got some cut grass in back garden going and plenty of carboard etc etc...