this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2024
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Coffee
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Manual grinders aren't bad, unless you go for the cheap ones. For example, my Comandante grinder has a steel conical burr, but most of the cheaper ones come with ceramic. The thing is, the thing's sharp, I could actually cut myself if I wasn't careful during cleaning, opposed to the ceramic burrs that are pretty blunt (from what I've heard, never had one). That makes grinding coffee a breeze (maybe 20-30secs for ~13grams for a cup of coffee), even on finer settings, also it introduces less dust, as it doesn't crush the beans but cuts them into fine bits. There are many models of manual grinders that come with great burrs, some of are of the Chinese make if price is an issue (1zpresso for example).
Flat burrs are an electric grinder thing. The mechanics of grinding with those is a little different than with conical ones, but the result is pretty much the same. Electric grinders can come with both conical or flat burrs. I've got an absolute overkill of a grinder meant for commercial use, bought used for around $300. The thing is a beast, takes less than 5secs for ~20g of coffee. I wouldn't suggest you get one (Mazzer Super Jolly FYI), just because of its size, but anything with that kind of build quality is likely gonna last you a literal lifetime. There are some more reasonably sized consumer electric grinders though, I heard Wilfa Svart is decent, some other might be fine as well.
Oh okay that probably explains my terrible experience with manual stuff. I think it was a cheap terrible ceramic one.
Are good manual grinders easy/fast enough to use daily? I'm pretty a zombie in the morning till I get my fix. if it's too much effort, I don't think I can see myself doing that every day (Especially just after waking up)
Chiming in to provide another anecdotal experience. At a drip grind size on my 1zpresso JX, I take no longer than half a minute to grind an 18g dose of beans and it requires nearly no effort at all. If you're trying to keep the budget under or around $200USD, the brews you get from a nice manual grinder are significantly better than what you can get from an electric grinder at a similar price point, but you are trading convenience. If you're entertaining or brewing for more than a few people regularly though, it might be worth the tradeoff. For me, the flexibility and portability of a manual grinder were definitely a priority, since it allowed me to take a very compact brew setup while traveling so that I wouldn't be stuck with bad coffee while backpacking/in hotels.
Yes, they are. I pre-measure the amount in the evening and in the morning, while the kettle is getting hot, I grind it and put it into a Phin (vietnamese coffee filter, you'd be surprised how good it is) well before the water's ready. While it takes its time to drip I cook up something quick to eat... and that's been my morning for the last few years :D
Good manual grinders are definitely easy and fast enough for daily use, with the caveat that it's going to depend on which type of coffee you are brewing. Pourovers/french press? Easily. Espresso? Probably a bit harder, and will require a better grinder.