20 November 2007 by Scott Stadler
Home Espresso: The Complete Buyer’s Guide (part 4)
Fickle Palate presents the Home Espresso Complete Buyer’s Guide.
Chapter 1 - Intro, Vocabulary, and Awesome Reasons
Chapter 2 - Essential Components of Café-Quality Home Espresso
Chapter 3 - Getting More Familiar with Espresso Machines
Chapter 4 - Recommended Grinders
Chapter 5 - Recommended Espresso Machines
Chapter 6 - Accessories & Troubleshooting
Guidance on Buying a Quality Grinder
Because the grinder is such an essential part of creating good espresso, it’s worth buying the best grinder your budget will allow. The right grind is the foundation that the rest of the espresso extraction method is based on.
When looking at coffee grinders, it’s important to know that the burr-type grinder is really the only variety suited for espresso. Instead of using a sharpened blade to unevenly disintegrate the beans, burr grinders use rotating burred discs to accurately and evenly grind coffee to just the right consistency for espresso.
There’s nothing wrong with choosing a simple grinder without a bunch of extras such as fancy dosers (they feed the coffee beans into the grinder). But quality is important. The better quality the grinder is, the more variations of grind size that will be offered. This allows for finer tuning to get the formula just right for the most superb shot of espresso.
One additional thing to mention – it’s better to have no grinder at all than to use a subpar device. Decent quality pre-ground coffee is available for those just getting started, but do make sure you buy a ground meant for expresso.
Here are a few notes on three popular grinders frequently used by espresso lovers at home. There’s one for each budget. (All prices shown are approximate.)
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Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder – $90 Despite its low price, the Capresso Infinity actually gets surprisingly good reviews. It’s fast for the price and produces really good espresso-ready coffee grounds. It features 16 different settings, and can be tweaked for just the right consistency. Even though the Infinity isn’t built of fancy stainless steel, but plastic instead, it is still durable when used properly and should last for some time. For a burr grinder that’s at the very beginning of the price spectrum, it’s difficult to find any major faults. A certain recommendation for both newbies and novices alike. |
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Rancilio Rocky – $310 Another persistently popular grinder, the Rancilio Rocky has been a cult favorite of espresso gurus ever since its initial market release in 1991. It’s a remarkably solid unit that’s intended to provide a lifetime of service to its owner. It does come in either doser or doserless models, although the doserless Rocky model is generally preferred by the pros. The Rancilio Rocky is literally rock solid and repeatedly delivers awesome results time and time again. |
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Mazzer Mini – $529 The Mazzer Mini is an excellent high-end light duty – think home use – commercial grade flat burr grinder. It includes a doser too. Those who use it love the quality of grind it produces but also rant and rave about what a great value it is, even with its seemingly high price. It’s considered one of those things that should be bought once and never replaced. High marks across the board for the Mazzer Mini. |
