Beginner Grinder?

Mo14

Hey everyone, can anyone recommend a cheapish grinder for use with a French Press? I won't be making espresso in the foreseeable future (I'm on a student budget), so I don't need one capable of a super fine grind. Does the type of grinder matter all that much if I'm just using it for my Cafetiere?

Sinfonia

Article on French Press usage and the importance of not skimping on the grinder here: http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot

Mo14

Sinfonia wrote: »

Article on French Press usage and the importance of not skimping on the grinder here: http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot

That's a great article, thank you. But at the moment I don't have a grinder at all , and I simply can't afford an expensive grinder. So there's no hope of me getting a relatively uniform coarse grind, from a grinder costing ~€40?

Sinfonia

Mo14 wrote: »

That's a great article, thank you. But at the moment I don't have a grinder at all , and I simply can't afford an expensive grinder. So there's no hope of me getting a relatively uniform coarse grind, from a grinder costing ~€40?

Unfortunately not, it seems..

Where do you buy your beans? You should look for a local coffee shop that sells beans that have been roasted within the last week if you don't already. Supermarket beans are basically stale already. Usually if you're buying from a coffee shop, they'll grind the beans for you if you want. Not a great solution, because once the beans are ground, they start going stale at quite a fast rate, but I'd still probably recommend doing this, and saving up for a grinder that's up to the job, rather than spending money now on a grinder that you'll have to replace.
You're either gonna have fairly stale grounds with a nice even grind, or else a messy uneven grind with fresh beans. Neither is ideal obviously, but I'd rather save up, and put the €40 towards a good grinder rather than waste it now.

For a decent grinder, the lowest price is pretty much found in the Gaggia MDF (~€175 new). I have one and it works great (you just have to keep it clean!) It may seem steep now if your budget is around €40, but if you can put €10/€20 aside each week, you'll have the money saved up in no time, and you'll majorly appreciate the difference.
Also, if at any stage you do decide to start making espresso, you won't need to upgrade then either. In other words, an MDF or better will last you for years and years, and spread over that length of time, a couple hundred Euro isn't so much of a big deal.

Mo14

Sinfonia wrote: »

Unfortunately not, it seems..

Where do you buy your beans? You should look for a local coffee shop that sells beans that have been roasted within the last week if you don't already. Supermarket beans are basically stale already. Usually if you're buying from a coffee shop, they'll grind the beans for you if you want. Not a great solution, because once the beans are ground, they start going stale at quite a fast rate, but I'd still probably recommend doing this, and saving up for a grinder that's up to the job, rather than spending money now on a grinder that you'll have to replace.
You're either gonna have fairly stale grounds with a nice even grind, or else a messy uneven grind with fresh beans. Neither is ideal obviously, but I'd rather save up, and put the €40 towards a good grinder rather than waste it now.

For a decent grinder, the lowest price is pretty much found in the Gaggia MDF (~€175 new). I have one and it works great (you just have to keep it clean!) It may seem steep now if your budget is around €40, but if you can put €10/€20 aside each week, you'll have the money saved up in no time, and you'll majorly appreciate the difference.
Also, if at any stage you do decide to start making espresso, you won't need to upgrade then either. In other words, an MDF or better will last you for years and years, and spread over that length of time, a couple hundred Euro isn't so much of a big deal.

I do live quite close to Nick's in Ranelagh, I wonder if they'd sell ground coffee, or just whole beans? I've been alternating between preground from hasbean and the supermarket. It'll be a long time before I'd have enough for an MDF (like I say, student), although I am aware of it being quite good. Oh well. Thanks again for your help.

mandarin

I agree with Sinfonia that a good grind is very important for cafetiere but there is a cheap option. I use a Hario mini-mill hand grinder (30 euro approx). It works nicely for a cafetiere and is very well regarded in general. The mini mill is more impressive with fine grinds than coarse (cafetiere needs coarse) but I think you'll find it more than aqequate.
Badger and Dodo now selling them, see
http://www.badgeranddodo.ie/site/products/

Review - http://prima-coffee.com/blog/hario-skerton-vs-mini-mill

Sinfonia

Mo14 wrote: »

I do live quite close to Nick's in Ranelagh, I wonder if they'd sell ground coffee, or just whole beans? I've been alternating between preground from hasbean and the supermarket. It'll be a long time before I'd have enough for an MDF (like I say, student), although I am aware of it being quite good. Oh well. Thanks again for your help.

Hooray! Perfect!
That's exactly where I buy my beans, in fact I just went up there for some about an hour ago!

Just go in for a bag of beans (Nick's Sweet Espresso is the kind of 'Standard' one, €4.50 for a 250g bag so a nice price, but any of the staff are usually happy to recommend beans and give a free sample etc). All the staff are really friendly too, I often have a chat with whoever's there. Ask them to grind it for you and they will (in fact they might just offer anyway), and if it happens to be Nick that's working when you go in, tell him about your grinder woes, he usually knows someone who can source a good deal on equipment and parts.

donnacha

mandarin wrote: »

I agree with Sinfonia that a good grind is very important for cafetiere but there is a cheap option. I use a Hario mini-mill hand grinder (30 euro approx). It works nicely for a cafetiere and is very well regarded in general.

+1 on a hand grinder - I use a hario skerton. A fresh grind is just as important as a good grinder. and the hand grinder is a great investment as you'll hold onto it forever as its the perfect travel companion.

Mo14

Two conflicting views on the subject by people who know their stuff here. I think I'm going to do both, that Hario looks perfect for me right now, while I definitely see myself investing in a better one (something along the lines of an MDF) down the line.

Sinfonia wrote: »

Just go in for a bag of beans (Nick's Sweet Espresso is the kind of 'Standard' one, €4.50 for a 250g bag so a nice price, but any of the staff are usually happy to recommend beans and give a free sample etc).

Think I'll be doing this tomorrow, I think I had the opinion that I'd receive some disapproving looks if I asked for it ground . That's a great price too.

Thanks everyone again for all your input.

Sinfonia

Mo14 wrote: »

Think I'll be doing this tomorrow, I think I had the opinion that I'd receive some disapproving looks if I asked for it ground . That's a great price too.

Sure just say you're in the process of looking for a grinder, and whoever's there might throw some suggestions your way. In my experience, none of the staff are snobby, and love nothing more than someone who's just getting into home coffee looking for advice!