I went through this debate myself and ended on the Encore ESP with a 3rd party bellows. I use the wet beans trick for static issues and the bellow deals with my zero retention needs. It is loud however otherwise perfect for aeropress and V60 duty.
this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2024
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Ever considered hand grinding? The comanante is the high-end for that. But James Hoffman just made a video about a decent 35$ hand-grinder. Try to get metal burrs.
No. Arthritis. Thank you though.
Seriously, hand grinder with a power drill on the shaft. Even if you bought a cheap second hand drill just for this, you'd still be ahead
Ha. Okay, I'll bite. What's so great about the hand grinders? Understand you'll save a little money without a motor, but M I missing something else?
Nope. That’s it. That’s the primary advantage. You can get a better grinder for less if you can forego (or byo) motor.
You get a lot of value for the money with the better hand grinders. The really good 1zpresso, Kinu, and others (not Commandante C40 which is way obsolete for the money) get you great burrs and materials without the added expense and space of a motor. A good hand grinder will go through 25 grams of beans in under a minute easily.
I do this and would not recommend for someone with arthritis. You have to have a strong grip to keep the hand grinder from spinning
I had to wrap mine with rubber bands to hang on to it even without the drill
This is what I'm waiting for. I have a birthday coming up. $299, great reviews on pre-production units, and the bigger brother (sister?) model is highly regarded.
Hoffman's (comparison) review of the DF64.
I keep editing this. James' review is for espresso grinding. As long as it can dial to as coarse as you like, and these should, they should be fit for purpose for pour-over.
Interesting. I should have mentioned I typically brew a two person batch in a chemex with 60g of beans. The 54 would be too small. I've seen the df64 before though and heard good things. Do you really think I'd notice a taste difference as compared to my infinity though?
Capresso Infinity does a great job for pour over so long as you’re using a paper filter. As you note it makes too many fines to use with a mesh filter.
I use either a sock or paper. Perhaps I'd notice a difference with the sock with a different grinder?
The grind consistency and shape of the grinds can be better for pour over. The 1zpresso ZP6 and the Fellow Ode 2 are two grinders that are specifically designed to produce better grinds for pour over. Both under $400.
I've got my sites on the ode 2! Was hoping to find a good deal on a used one and probably replace the burs, but not seeing many options. Will likely get a new one in a month or so.
I got a Fellow Opus thinking I might get an espresso machine in the future and I was thinking it might be better for moka pot which I was doing at the time. Now I have abandoned the moka pot and have at least for now decided not to consider an espresso machine. So I regret not getting the Ode 2. Not that the Opus is a bad grinder, it isn't bad especially at less than $200 but I am now doing only V60 pour over and the Ode 2 would be a better grinder for that.
Perhaps, but ive heard the opus is still a damn good all around grinder. Why did you give up on espresso dreams? I actually drink more espresso than coffee but love the convenience of my Jura fully automatic. Coffee is something I can really get into tweaking but I feel like playing with espresso perfection is something I don't have the time or pockets for presently.
The Opus is a great grinder for the money. Very powerful. Low enough rpms to not generate too much heat. Not too many fines. Huge torque, like the lightest roast doesn't even begin to make it work hard.
I already have two very nice hand grinders, so I have good conical burrs. If it hadn't been for the moka/espresso side track, I was wanting to try out the flat burr profiles.
I have plenty of money for a nice espresso machine, what I don't have is excess counter space in the kitchen nor an excess of patience that seems to be needed for learning and getting good at espresso.
Also, after lots of moka pot and cafe espresso, I think I just realized I am really more of a light roast filter coffee person.
However, both are over $300!
FTFY
I’d go for a df64 if you don’t mind single dosing. Great grinder, in your budget, and is comparable to slightly higher priced models. But I’d say if you like the coffee you’re making there’s really no need to change. I wouldn’t let fomo guide your decision unless you’re wanting something new and different in your coffee.
Just chasing perfection, guess it is fomo but sometimes that pays off, other times not. Seems like the greater consensus from what I'm reading is that ode would be better than df64 for pour over. You have any thoughts on that?
Both are quite good but please be looking at the Ode 2 and not the original Ode. Same goes for the DF64, make sure that it is Gen 2 and not the original.
I have a Baratza Vario and an Aergrind, which are both pretty good grinders. The Vario is a much larger flat burr grinder, and I feel like there’s a pretty drastic difference with the taste of my aeropress coffee with it. Much less bitterness and a cleaner flavor. So I would say it’s worth it. That being said, I also feel like I stop tasting the coffee after a couple weeks with the same beans. So maybe it’s wasted money and effort in that regard. Regardless, I think you would do well with a Fellow Ode or a refurbished Vario
If it's the same bag or a different bag from the same roast date then that couple of weeks is quite possibly related to the age of the beans.
I just bought a Kingrinder K6 as a replacement for a Porlex Tall. The coffee tastes so much better, a lot less bitter, because the coffee is ground much more homogeneously.
I've now seen enough mentions of this model that I'm more or less decided to buy one. But, where can I get it? The KINGrinder site only points to Amazon where the K6 is currently unavailable. Now what?
Amazon seems to sell em for the lowest price, I got one for 88€. Just write a mail to the manufacturer, I'm shure they will answer why it's out of stock.
Shopped up the K6, got a discount coupon code thingy (, repeatedly fended off Amazon trying to trick me into starting a Prime trial...), placed my order, and... it'll be here in a month. Guess the manufacturer have their hair on fire right now.