What coffee grinder for a beginner?

IrishHomer

I would really appreciate if someone could direct me to what coffee grinder to buy as i havent a clue?

I love proper fresh ground coffee and for many years have been promising myself to buy a proper grinder but i havent a clue about the machines but i suppose i would be looking to buying a basic machine as i love regular coffee as not really into mochas expressos lates etc just the regular americanos?

Mr Magnolia

Go for a decent grinder and a French Press and learn how to use them properly.

Americanos are made with espresso and hot water as you probably know but they don't carry the same depth of flavour as a well brewed coffee.

A french press will leave a little sediment in the cup but don't let that put you off, give it a good go to start with. After that if you want a really clean cup you could go for a Hario V60.

Look for a Bodum French press, you shouldn't pay more than €20 for one.

Baratza grinders reviewed here and sold here. I think the Maestro+ faired the best for french press but take a read yourself. Don't waste your money on an espresso machine if all you want is good black coffee, you'll fair better with the above.

http://www.coffeeangel.com have the grinder, the V60 and a selection of good, freshly roasted coffee. You'll pick up the french press in most good homeware stores.

Fire away with any further questions, I'll link some tutorials on the french press if you do decide to purchase one.

dakar

Excellent, I came with the very same question

I'll have a look at the linked items.

Thank you

dakar

Arrrgh! I shouldn't be allowed read anything!:D

At the moment, I make French press coffee using a Krups blade chopper/grinder. I'm pretty careful about the temperature of the water and so on. It's not bad, but it's not great either.

I also have a Gaggia Cubika machine that has fallen into disrepair (non-functioning switches, seems to be a common problem). I was never entirely happy with what I got out of it, which is of course because of what I was putting into it.

The sensible solution would seem to be to go for one of the Baratza grinders suggested above by Mr Magnolia, along with an Aeropress for when I fancy a jolt of something more intense.

But it's amazingly easy to catch upgrade-itis from the internet and I want the Mahlkonig Vario. I normally hang out on the Photography forum where occasionally people need to be gently talked off proverbial window ledges and have a friendly arm put round their shoulder while it's explained to them that the good quality middle of the road camera is way more than they'll ever need and they dont really need the bells and whistles........

So, most of you have been along this path, any advice for someone who is reasonably serious about their coffee? Is it nigh on inevitable that one gets hooked on the upgrade path, or is the jump in quality by going to one of the Baratza machines likely to keep me happy for a while?

An impossible question really, I know, but I'd like your opinions:)

PandyAndy

Mmmmm coffee

Nice links, Mr. Magnolia. That Baratza grinders look pretty neat.

Gran Hermano

dakar wrote: »

Arrrgh! I shouldn't be allowed read anything!:D

At the moment, I make French press coffee using a Krups blade chopper/grinder. I'm pretty careful about the temperature of the water and so on. It's not bad, but it's not great either.

I also have a Gaggia Cubika machine that has fallen into disrepair (non-functioning switches, seems to be a common problem). I was never entirely happy with what I got out of it, which is of course because of what I was putting into it.

The sensible solution would seem to be to go for one of the Baratza grinders suggested above by Mr Magnolia, along with an Aeropress for when I fancy a jolt of something more intense.

But it's amazingly easy to catch upgrade-itis from the internet and I want the Mahlkonig Vario. I normally hang out on the Photography forum where occasionally people need to be gently talked off proverbial window ledges and have a friendly arm put round their shoulder while it's explained to them that the good quality middle of the road camera is way more than they'll ever need and they dont really need the bells and whistles........

So, most of you have been along this path, any advice for someone who is reasonably serious about their coffee? Is it nigh on inevitable that one gets hooked on the upgrade path, or is the jump in quality by going to one of the Baratza machines likely to keep me happy for a while?

An impossible question really, I know, but I'd like your opinions:)

Don't spend €100-150 on a grinder now to discover you need a different/extra grinder in another while.

If I was in your shoes, I'd invest a little extra in the grinder. See if Kenilworth Electrical can resurrect the old Gaggia, if not you'll have
a grinder to go with the new espresso machine you know you'll eventually buy.

dakar

Thanks for the heads up on Kenilworth, I'll give them a shout in the morning. It's just the power switch thats jammed/broken, so it may not be too difficult to sort, I just wasn't terribly motivated.

My camera experience would leave me in the 'buy cheap, buy twice' camp, so I'll think seriously about the better grinder from the start.

Clinker

dakar wrote: »

But it's amazingly easy to catch upgrade-itis from the internet and I want the Mahlkonig Vario. I normally hang out on the Photography forum where occasionally people need to be gently talked off proverbial window ledges and have a friendly arm put round their shoulder while it's explained to them that the good quality middle of the road camera is way more than they'll ever need and they dont really need the bells and whistles........

No no, that's not what we do here: we walk out on the ledge with them, admire the view, praise their choice of ledge, or maybe point out a higher one, and encourage them to jump. Some of us have jumped many times, why discourage the rest? And when you taste the coffee, you know it's worth it, and there are lots of weasel ways to persuade yourself that, viewed from a certain angle, really, it was cheap!

dakar

Clinker wrote: »

No no, that's not what we do here: we walk out on the ledge with them, admire the view, praise their choice of ledge, or maybe point out a higher one, and encourage them to jump. Some of us have jumped many times, why discourage the rest? And when you taste the coffee, you know it's worth it, and there are lots of weasel ways to persuade yourself that, viewed from a certain angle, really, it was cheap!

My, what a helpful bunch of addicts you are!

I've been on to Karl in coffeeangel about a Vario, I'll save the really high ledges for when I decide I need a new espresso machine...............

PPC

Yeah +1 for the Vario, may aswell just invest in it now.
I had an MC2 for a few weeks before swapping to the Vario. MC2 for espresso and a hand grinder for drip/press wasn't really working out.
Last time i was this impressed with a quality jump was when i went from my 70-300mm lens to a 70-200mm F/4L, you feel stupid for not doing it earlier, but wonder should you have spent more to get something better

dakar

PPC wrote: »

Last time i was this impressed with a quality jump was when i went from my 70-300mm lens to a 70-200mm F/4L

A language I can understand (even if I don't shoot Canon;))

dakar

Update:

My grinder (Mahlkonig Vario) along with a selection of beans arrived from Coffeeangel yesterday. I feel as though a window to a new world has opened!

Even given the limitations of my own newbie barista skills and the shortcomings of my wee Gaggia Cubika (no way to drop the pressure from 15bar), the coffee was just gorgeous. A million miles from the watery attempt at shots I was getting from my blade grinder. It's even on a par or better than I get served in a lot of coffee shops, although not the best ones obviously!

Thanks for the advice

PPC

dakar wrote: »

Update:

My grinder (Mahlkonig Vario) along with a selection of beans arrived from Coffeeangel yesterday. I feel as though a window to a new world has opened!

Even given the limitations of my own newbie barista skills and the shortcomings of my wee Gaggia Cubika (no way to drop the pressure from 15bar), the coffee was just gorgeous. A million miles from the watery attempt at shots I was getting from my blade grinder. It's even on a par or better than I get served in a lot of coffee shops, although not the best ones obviously!

Thanks for the advice

Congrats on the purchase.
You could probably mod an adjustable opv into your Cubika, i can't find any parts diagrams so i can't see if its possible.
But i'm in the process of modding my Baby Class with an adjustable opv as the stock one is set to 12 and can't be adjusted.

You could ask on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gaggia/ how to do it.
Its where i found the guide for mine.