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French Press / grinder enthusiasts


Yarome

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My faithful ol manual burr grinder gave up the ghost a number of months back. It took a few tries, but I finally hit on an inexpensive manual grinder that, once modded, produces flawless coarse grounds for french press java. Works even better than my old iron works.

 

If anyone is interested, it's the Hario Skerta ceramic burr grinder with a lower bearing mod I ran across from Orphan Espresso. All told.. $45 for near perfect coarse ground beans.

 

It will also work with the Kyocera CM50 grinder, since they are identical except in markings, but the difficulty is finding genuine grinders. Amazon is flooded with knock-offs (barely less expensive) from varying sellers that will not work with the above bearing mod. The link above to the Hario is one that is verified to sell genuine Hario's. Worked for me anyway.

 

I also liked the fact that Hario Skerta's have rubber lids for both the hopper and the grounds container that the Kyocera's don't. No more 'escapee' beans, I can grind my daily lot all at once and seal up what I don't use in the morning for my supper cuppa.

 

Three weeks in and I couldn't be happier so just had to share. ;) It even more consistent than a lot of $200-300 electric's.

 

For those just reading out of curiosity... manual grinders generally only have a bearing point up at the top of the grinder. As you set your grinder for a courser ground (opening the burrs more), the 'slop' created by the larger aperture creates uneven grounds... large, medium, and DUST. You end up with a little bitter, muddy cup of joe with granules left in your coffee mug that your press couldn't filter out.

 

The mod installs an additional lower bearing point right at the top of the burr so your burr will maintain a constant gap as the beans get processed.

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Getting a decent coarse grind form an inexpensive grinder is a common project and a lot of the things folks suggest work out quite well. It sure beats buying a mid-grade grinder like a Baratza Vario for $560.00 or a top of the line grinder like a Mazzer Koni for $1600.00.

 

https://www.wholelattelove.com/products/baratza-vario-w-986-coffee-grinder

 

https://www.wholelattelove.com/products/mazzer-kony-coffee-grinder

 

Once you need a very fine espresso grind the grinder quality really becomes a critical factor but folks are always working to tweak the $200 range grinders to get decent grounds. A bad grind can really disappoint you when you take a sip, even with very expensive beans so getting it right is important.

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I've always been a tinkerer and a fixer...

So what better way to stay active in my retirement than to buy an RV...

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Capresso... it's the real deal

 

Tried it, but wasn't impressed. I think those little electrics run too fast and don't give the beans enough time to 'drop' to get a good ground. Too much "dust" and a muddy cuppa. Just IMO.

 

It sure beats buying a mid-grade grinder like a Baratza Vario for $560.00 or a top of the line grinder like a Mazzer Koni for $1600.00.

A bad grind can really disappoint you when you take a sip, even with very expensive beans so getting it right is important.

 

X2. I like my morning Joe, but not a half a grand to a grands worth. Cheap, manual, and effective works for me. Although, with my current setup, and after installing the lower bearing mod, it wouldn't work well at all for fine grounds like espresso. The above is strictly for even course grounds for french press. For depth of flavor, I would stack my modded manual against any $200-500 electric.

 

 

And for a grinder look at the Hario Coffee Mill Slim...

 

That's a really good grinder! If I wanted an inexpensive espresso, drip or siphon ground, that would be the one I would buy.

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Yarome,

 

Did you purchase your Hario from that link to amazon? I've been reading the reviews on that one and other skertons on amazon and it seems to be hit or miss as far as getting a genuine hario.

 

Thanks,

 

JPT

 

Yep. The reviews are combined by product available from a number of different outlets. The link I posted is a few dollars more than some others, but you'll get the real deal rather than the knock-offs.

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