Calling all coffee lovers! Burr mill suggestions sought! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

KAdams4458 · #1 03-03-2009, 02:30 PM

For nearly a year and I half, I have fought with a Cuisinart DBM-8 burr mill every time I want to brew a pot of coffee, and today was the last straw. Thanks to the continual beatings I have to administer to this POS Cuisinart in order to keep it from jamming, I have slightly sprained my wrist. Curse you, Cuisinart! No more!

I want a real, honest to God, conical burr mill. Thanks to the mill-shaped-object that Cuisinart cursed me with, I don't want to see a plastic, static-prone collection container, either. I just want to dial in a grind setting, press a button, and get either course grind that is %100 course ground, or a fine espresso grind that is, of course, %100 fine ground! When I pour out the grounds, I don't want a freakin' mess all over my counter and floor!

Just for the heck of it, I'll assign an arbitrary dollar figure that I would prefer not to exceed. Let's say, oh, about $150. (I might be dreaming, but it is worth a shot.)

Any suggestions?

TheDon · #2 03-03-2009, 02:38 PM

KAdams4458 · #3 03-03-2009, 02:40 PM

Well, I see a yellow Krups. A Very yellow Krups.

Is that a conical burr grinder? Is the collection container glass or plastic? Details, man, details!

Oh, and my wife will want to know if it comes in red.

TheDon · #4 03-03-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KAdams4458

Well, I see a yellow Krups. A Very yellow Krups.

Is that a conical burr grinder? Is the collection container glass or plastic? Details, man, details!

Oh, and my wife will want to know if it comes in red.

I duno, the one I have is white

I found it for cheap at a yard sale

all my friends that have the same one tend to put stickers on it and mount it on their car for fun

I wanted to do the same

but for seriousness, krupps machines are pretty good

KAdams4458 · #5 03-03-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

I duno, the one I have is white

I found it for cheap at a yard sale

all my friends that have the same one tend to put stickers on it and mount it on their car for fun

I wanted to do the same

but for seriousness, krupps machines are pretty good

You have some odd friends.

I've had a few darned impressive Krupps espresso machines over the years, but have never seen anything in terms of grinders they made that I wouldn't consider a glorified spice grinder. They don't seem to have anything listed as being conical gear models, so I may have to rule them out completely.

One thing is for sure. Cuisinart, isn't on the list!

Da Nag · #6 03-03-2009, 03:07 PM

Two suggestions:

On the low end, Saeco makes an excellent burr grinder for the $$. Costco has it on sale right now - it's usually well over $100.

We retired our Saeco from daily duty a while back, and use it on the boat - still works great. We replaced it with a Mini Mazzer, which is complete overkill for anyone other than true espresso snobs...but you can't buy anything finer for home, if you really want the best. I'll let you Google the price for the rude surprise...

Da Nag · #7 03-03-2009, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KAdams4458

...I don't want to see a plastic, static-prone collection container, either.

Whoops..didn't catch that the first time.

The Saeco collection container is plastic, and static can be a minor annoyance. Doesn't really bother me - the container comes out easily, and I just tap it on the counter to release any sticking grounds.

rs899 · #8 03-03-2009, 03:26 PM

This will do your business...

http://www.baratza.com/products.php?itemid=19

cheaply as a factory refurb

http://www.baratza.com/refurb.php

We have one of these- it does have a plastic hopper, though. That's going to be hard to find at the price point you are after.

TheDon · #9 03-03-2009, 03:31 PM

http://coffeegeek.com/

go there

MTI · #10 03-03-2009, 03:31 PM

I agree with the price point . . . there's really no "middle" priced products in the burr grinder world, so you're either "sub $100" or "$200 plus". The upper end grinders have the motors that will pulverize beans without heat transfer to release oils.

SwampYankee · #11 03-03-2009, 03:36 PM

Geez, it's hard trying to be a coffee afficianado! I just got a French Press and now I need to get rid of my $13 Black & Decker spice grinder I use to grind my beans?

Forgive me for a stupid question, but what is the benefit of a conical burr grinder? Is it uniformity? Grind size control? Longevity?

SwampYankee · #12 03-03-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTI

I agree with the price point . . . there's really no "middle" priced products in the burr grinder world, so you're either "sub $100" or "$200 plus". The upper end grinders have the motors that will pulverize beans without heat transfer to release oils.

So is that the advantage (a good) burr grinder has over a cheap spice grinder-type?

MTI · #13 03-03-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

Forgive me for a stupid question, but what is the benefit of a conical burr grinder? Is it uniformity? Grind size control? Longevity?

Yes, yes and yes.

burr grinders will do a more consistent grind at the very least. blade grinders tend to generate random grinds, however they do a fine job on herbs and spices.

KAdams4458 · #14 03-03-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Da Nag

Two suggestions:

On the low end, Saeco makes an excellent burr grinder for the $$. Costco has it on sale right now - it's usually well over $100.

We retired our Saeco from daily duty a while back, and use it on the boat - still works great. We replaced it with a Mini Mazzer, which is complete overkill for anyone other than true espresso snobs...but you can't buy anything finer for home, if you really want the best. I'll let you Google the price for the rude surprise...

I'm not sure about the Saeco, but with Costco, things become easy. If I hate it, they'll take it back, and it doesn't take any real effort on my part. (Except for having to navigate through the store to the customer service counter when the place is full of inattentive mothers that are each dragging seven kids around with them. What is it with those people? Don't they know when to stop? LOL!)

And the Mini Mazzer I am familiar with. They're definitely cool, but I would probably get the "look" from my wife if I ordered one of those. She gave me the "look" when I tried to buy an $80 pair of sunglasses the other day, and $80 on sunglasses would have been the all time least amount I ever spent on a pair, and I am famous for using them for years on end. (My current RayBans from back in the B&L days are going on eight years old!)

I love my wife, but she still struggles with the concept of buying the best thing that we can afford when it isn't also the cheapest thing on the shelf. I really have to work to sell her on some things. Oddly enough, I never get the "look" when I'm buying cars, parts, or tools, but I do get the "look" over a pair of comparatively cheap sunglasses and even over a gallon of paint latex interior paint. Eh? It's a little unpredictable.

KAdams4458 · #15 03-03-2009, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rs899

This will do your business...

http://www.baratza.com/products.php?itemid=19

cheaply as a factory refurb

http://www.baratza.com/refurb.php

We have one of these- it does have a plastic hopper, though. That's going to be hard to find at the price point you are after.

Hey! Nice find on the refurbs!

I might have to live with the plastic. Maybe not all of them are as horrid as the burr-mill-shaped-object (BMSO) that I am currently dealing with. You would not believe the mess that it makes. Half the reason it clogs up so badly is that it coats itself with dust and then binds the burred plates up. The cleaning brush is worse than useless, and I end up having to unplug it, take it down to the shop, and hit it with 90 PSI of compressed air to get the thing cleared! This process of beatings and air blasts is repeated every two to three days!