Gaggia Electric Burr Grinder for Aeropress and French Press.

The Toff

I have a hand grinder that I use for my aeropress. Grinding 17g 3 times a day is getting a little tedious. Looking around the forum, Gaggia seems to be a favoured brand. I have not heard anyone mention this cheap grinder, though.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaggia-RI8121-Ceramic-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0000C72S0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1319578624&sr=8-7

Will this produce an even grind? I won't be looking to have a fine espresso grind for the foreseeable future. Anything else that you'd like to recommend in this price range?

Sinfonia

If you're not looking for an espresso grind, then the MM should be a decent burr grinder, and be nice and even.

However, if that's just for the forseeable future, and you may eventually want to grind for espresso, then it might be worth paying out for a Gaggia MDF or better, so you won't have to buy twice, and you'll always have the option.

The Toff

I know what you mean. It could end up costing me more in the future, but I can't see myself making the move to espresso for a long time. I'm happy with the aeropress, and the occasional French press at the moment.

The Toff

Hmm.. Sorry to bump., but just in case someone finds this thread while researching this grinder, here's my two cents. It is a useless grinder for filter. It has 9 steps, the coarsest setting is still a very fine espresso grind. Secondly, there is a massive amount of static buildup and a very awkward "W" shaped grind container that results in lots of coffee stuck in nooks and crannies.
I cannot say if it works well for espresso, but with just 9 steps, surely not, unless you have a very basic machine and are not discerning when it comes to extraction.
The money I spent on this was a waste, and I ended up buying a Hario Skerton hand grinder as well as an electric Baratza Maestro Plus, which are both very nice grinders for filter.

adrian522

Why do you need 2 grinders if all you need is filter? Do you keep one at the office?

The Toff

I bought the skerton first, then bought the baratza later as I wanted an electric one. Skerton is handy for travel also.

adrian522

How did you find the Skerton? Does it take long to grind your beans for a brew?

The Toff

I can't give an informed opinion as of yet. I've only been brewing well extracted coffee in the last 2-3 months. Until then, I didn't really know what I was doing, and mostly thanks to the extractmojo, I sorted everything out. I've been using the maestro plus in all that time, and am only switching back to the skerton as of today, just to try it. At finer settings, the grind looks pretty even, maybe even more so than the baratza, but at a coarser grind, it's a nightmare. There is this wobble at the coarsest setting that provides an uneven grind that requires a mod to fix. That is not an issue with a filter grind, though.
As for timing, I didn't time it, but I reckon 15g took me maybe 30 seconds at most. I'll know more over the coming days as I dial in the grind.

adrian522

Thanks, just thinking about picking up a cheap grinder just for filter ...

The Toff

I think you should maybe stick to the Skerton, though at a higher dose than 15g, it might get a bit frustrating. I regret not spending a little bit more and getting a Baratza Virtuoso rather than the Maestro plus. I'd have been better off sticking with the skerton really. The one nice thing about the Maestro, apart from the speed, is that I know the settings required for my aeropress recipe, and it's repeatable. Depending on the coffee, and how much the beans have aged, I will always get a drinkable cup if the grinder is set at anywhere between 16-20. It will usually just take 2 brews to know where that sweet spot for the desired extraction is. The skerton is stepless and it might be a little awkward figuring out the sweet spot for each coffee, especially if I have several on the go, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
There are a few other hand grinders that I saw mentioned on either coffeegeek or home barista. Either the LIDO or the orphan grinder. Apparently they are very good too, but I don't know the price ranges. The handy thing about the skerton is that you can pick it up easily in 3fe or coffeeangel.

Edit: To clarify, if you're gonna get an electric grinder, might as well pony up and get the virtuoso with precisio burrs, as it isn't much more expensive than the Maestro plus and it may be the best home filter grinder. If you're not willing to make that leap, stick to a good hand grinder. Don't make my mistake and pay 180euro for the maestro plus when I could have spent a bit more to get a much better one.

The Toff

Again, sorry for the double post and bump, but I messed around with the skerton over the weekend. Maybe I have a bad set of burrs or something, but this thing produced a massive amount of fines even at a general filter setting. I moved it more towards espresso, where there is less of the "skerton wobble", but this required far more effort, and this grind doesn't work well with an aeropress filter. I had the dirtiest, sludgy cups I've ever had. It was not pleasant at all. I can't see this working for french press at all, as the grind is even more uneven at a typical press grind.
The sludge issue would be alleviated with a pourover brew, as it would be blocked by the filter, but it won't sort the issue of the uneven grind.
I appreciate my Maestro Plus even more now!