I mostly do drip coffee (shh, I’m basic), but I’d like a more consistent, fresh brew, and potentially something that could do an espresso grind, as well.
I’ve seen good things about the Capresso Infinity Plus, but thought I’d ask about the personal preferences from more experienced folks here.
It’d be lovely to have something that can easily fit on the counter, and with a simple mechanism and/or reparability (even if that means looking for old stock of a certain model).
Thanks!
I have used a blade grinder, the Hario Skerton hand grinder (cursed - avoid at all costs), the Knock Feld2 (quite good at the time it came out but beaten by less expensive alternatives now), the Helor 101 (same comment as Feld2), the electric Fellow Opus (quite good for the price but not perfect) and the Fellow Ode Gen 2.
I use the Fellow Opus at the office with a Clever Dripper immersion brewer and it is very good for that purpose. It was not so great for the V60 at home because it produces a fair amount of fines. It was ok for the V60 but the Fellow Ode Gen 2 is fantastic in comparison when used with the V60. The Ode Gen 2 produces very few fines and an incredibly consistent grind. I was frankly blown away by the improvement from the Opus to the Ode Gen 2 on the V60. The Opus is also a very visible step up from the Feld2 and Helor 101 when used with the Clever Dripper.
For drip coffee I cannot over recommend the Fellow Ode Gen 2. It is a great grinder and well worth the price.
One big negative, is that it won’t do espresso grind.
I would happily consider the Fellow Opus as a well priced all around choice for espresso, moka pot, and drip.
Assuming that you want to keep your budget in a price range similar to the Capresso Infinity Plus, you don’t have too many electric options that will be suited for espresso, let alone suited for filter coffee and espresso.
That being said, I think the Baratza Encore sounds right up your alley when it comes to longevity and reliability. It’s more expensive than the Capresso, but it’s durable, repairable (and popular enough that you’ll find lots of documentation online from others who have had to repair the grinder), and definitely a capable-enough grinder to get tasty cups with. In my personal experience, it’s the cheapest electric grinder where you aren’t necessarily conceding taste for convenience when it comes to grinding for filter coffee. And if you for some reason get the itch to upgrade your setup, the Encore can be made to fit a different burr offered by Baratza, the M2, which does improve the filter coffee. The original Encore makes claims that it can grind for espresso, but you should take that with a grain of salt. While it can technically grind at the espresso range, the grind adjustment mechanism simply cannot make the minute adjustments necessary to dial in your espresso properly. You can probably get a drinkable espresso, and maybe even a good one depending on the particular bean, but I don’t think you would get enough control to ever be satisfied if you are particular about your espresso, or ever think you might become particular in the future.
That being said, Baratza has also recently released a different version of the Encore, the Encore ESP, that they claim is capable of making minute adjustments for espresso. I want to stress that I have no personal experience with this grinder, unlike the Encore, so I cannot vouch for its suitability for espresso, nor whether it’s worth the additional cost. It is worth doing more research into if you think that you’ll want to get more into espresso.
I know that I wrote quite a bit about the Encore, but that’s really just because I made the assumption that you were looking for an electric grinder. Others have mentioned hand grinders in the sub 220USD price range, and I personally would tend to choose a hand grinder of the same price versus an electric grinder. This might be due to my own personal biases, but in my experience, hand grinders offer far better value for money in this space (but how much you value convenience may differ).
I have an Orphan Espresso Lido 2 that I have had for ten years. It will outlive me. Rock solid.
Yooo, Lido 2 represent! I’ve had mine for about the same number of years, use it daily, and it’s !@#$ing amazing. I remember wincing at the $200 pricetag, but it performs better than the Baratza, outlives the Baratza, and… well, yeah. Hand grinders for the win. I have more than gotten my money’s worth.
Hell yeah! Bonus points to it for being a serviceable murder weapon!
I have mine dialed in to get 44grams of espresso from 22 grams of beans in ~ 30seconds. With a bottomless portafilter, a WDT, a puck spinner, and a tamper, I NEVER get channeling.
Whoa, that’s impressive that you hand grind for espresso. That takes a bit of muscle even with a pretty dark roast I’d guess. I mostly use it for pourovers, but even on a coarse grind, some of those lighter roasted African beans can have me working up a sweat. :)
Oh and a couple of beans always pop out of the top! I’ve been meaning to custom-fit some kind of lid…
Now, it is indisputable fact that you own one. My girlfriend can’t even remotely fathom the strength to grind her coffee in the morning. When I am injured or sick, the morning coffee is quite a workout!
Hahaha! Yes, I also grind my partner’s for her, whenever I’m around… I keep offering to buy her an electric one, but… then that would be so LOUD… :)
Add another endorsement for the OE Lido, but we have the 3 after someone stole our Lido 2. The 3 is also slightly less hazardous on the sailboat when the weather gets bumpy. It’s also easier to bring with us since I have to travel a lot for work.
Whoa! I don’t actually know what I expected, but this is so much more awesome information than I thought I’d see!
Thanks, everyone – I think I’m leaning towards a Baratza model, as that should fit a lot of categories that weren’t absolutely necessary, but preferred (electric, mid-range price, upgradeable).
Eventually, I may go for something fancier, some of those recommended are very slick, or gift myself a hand-grind; I do enjoy the ritual for certain things, but I’m not there yet, for coffee – props to those who put so much care into your brew!
Illness wrecked my enjoyment of many things until recently, coffee included, so it’s exciting–if not a little daunting–seeing numerous home options available. It seemed like pour-over was just getting going in the US last time I had the will and energy to look into a better brew, so I’ll be thrilled to have something nicer than my little Y2K era Krupps grinder (though the tiny beast is still kickin’, haha), and slowly move into a variety of quality home brewing options, especially as winter approaches.
I have a baratza encore going on about a year. No complaints, does a pretty consistent grind for my pour over. It can do espresso, not amazingly well but for the price the performance is more than acceptable. Supposedly you can swap in the burr from one of their higher end grinders for a couple Andrew Jacksons and it does much better for espresso that way.
I’m happy with my Fellow Ode 2. The ionizer is a game changer. If I wanted something that could do espresso too I’d probably start looking at the Opus.
I might look at the 1zpresso J-Ultra, but I’m not sure how well it handles filter coffee.
I really love my 1Zpresso K Pro. A few notes, though:
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it’s manual, I know that’s a deal breaker for some, but I prefer manual grinders 🤷♂️ I greatly enjoy the “ritual” around coffee
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it doesn’t get down to espresso grinds
If those aren’t deal-breakers, then I can’t suggest it enough! A little pricy, but significantly cheaper than an electric of similar quality.
Nice thing about the manuals: if you have a hand drill, you can make it an electric. Fit it right over the nut that holds the handle and just drill away.
I have that one! Got an electric encore baratza for daily use because husband isn’t as into the ‘ritual’ as I am, but I enjoyed using it quite a bit. I keep it in the cabinet now for any potential power outages; I will then bust it out with my signature look of superiority.
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Baratza Encore ESP is what you want. I have the virtuoso (non-plus) as someone else here mentioned. It technically can do espresso grind but I’ve found it doesn’t like to and seems to be prone to getting knocked out of alignment or slightly broken with lots of espresso grinding of lightly roasted beans. Nothing major and a fairly easy fix if you’re handy / can follow a youtube video / willing to buy a $3 part, but still a little annoying.
For drip or pourover it’s really good though.
I previously had a capresso infinity. I think encore esp would be worth the additional cost.
It’s a royal pain in the ass to switch between filter and espresso (seriously, don’t bother trying), but I love my Eureka Facile. A few simple 3D prints at the local library and I’ve modded it to be one hell of a single-doser.
And for regular coffee, I’ve a Timemore Chestnut manual – perfect for my Clever dripper.
+1 for Timemore Chestnut (C3S) - quality build, can go from powder to as coarse as you’d need. It is manual with click-adjustments on the bottom, so I’ve found it helpful to keep notes of the click numbers. It has no visible number scale, so unless you remember what it’s currently set at, you’ll have to reset it by tightening all the way, then loosening the # of clicks corresponding to purpose.
I think nothing can touch the DF54 for the price. I have the DF64 Gen 2 but I was going to buy the DF54 if the former didn’t go on a ridiculous sale that I took advantage of.
I like mine to hold more beans, though. My personal lazy vs perfectionist scale is fine with it having not the most perfectly fresh beans.
If your buying this grade of grinder, your not getting much of the benefit of the added cost. If your not not using fresh beans and dosing consistently. These two things will have a bigger impact that the jump from encore/svart aroma to these types of grinders.
They make pretty consistent grinders that hold over a serving of beans.
For a home user, leaving beans in hoppers negates much of the improvement in coffee quality that higher end grinders may achieve.
If you want a big hopper, you may as well save some money and get something like a encore or svart aroma.
These grinders don’t have big hoppers because that’s an advantage. Smaller hoppers means you can single dose without beans bouncing about for too long. The people chasing cup quality that has them buying these more expensive coffee grinders will already be single dosing, and using fresh beans. Because that can have a disproportionate impact compared to the price difference of many grinders.
Sure, but op stated from the getgo he wasn’t a coffee elitist. He just wants something to consistently make a couple different grinds.
My favorite, trusty Mazzer Mini. Not actually that mini, but dependable, precise and indestructible. My children’s grandchildren will probably still be using it.
I’ve been using a Baratza Vario for over a decade and it’s great.
On a support note the gear that connects the motor to the belt finally wore out. All the teeth were worn smooth. I ordered a replacement and when it arrived it had a different connection style and wouldn’t fit on the motor.
I emailed and asked if they had an old one that would work with my motor. The didn’t but sent new a new motor for free. Machine is up and running again like a champ.
Not exactly an espresso grinder, but I absolutely love my Baratza Virtuoso (not the plus). Couldn’t recommend it more highly.
No messing around, just a good looking, weighty, stainless appliance that does the job.
Can be had for cheap on ebay or similar. Tons of interchangeable parts and guides. Super easy to clean. Couldn’t ask for more. Well, maybe a single dose hopper just for fun.
The range is absolutely perfect for Aeropress/V60 up to cold brew. Maaaaaybe fine enough for espresso depending on your setup. Definitely worth the few extra bucks if you’re considering a Baratza Encore or similar.
doesn’t virtuoso have plastic cladding?
I went Capresso Infinity Plus > Baratza Encore > Timemore Sculptor 078s. I also have a Commandante C40. I also pretty much exclusively do Pour Overs and Aeropress with Light Roast beans (I’ve found my favorite roaster to be Black and White. Any beans I get from them I find quite enjoyable, even their less expensive stuff).
The Caspresso was just OK. The Brataza could produce a decent cup, but the Commandante and the Timemore are just on another level.
I got the Timemore as part of their Kickstarter and during the 8 month wait from payment till delivery I found myself just not even using the Encore cuz the C40 was that much better… even though it took extra time and effort to hand grind the beans.
That said, if you’re not getting really good beans, and not being precise with your brew ratios and methods, the difference between all 4 of these might not be noticeable.
I’ve had a Capresso for about 12 years. It runs great even though I don’t take great care of it.
