Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder - Baratza 585 Review

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(More customer reviews)Since I have only had the Virtuoso for three months I will not discuss the long-term quality. Because I use it primarily for press pot, drip and small espresso batches I was not looking to get a solid consumer grinder, like the more expensive Rancilio Rocky or Mazzer Mini.
Previously I have owned a Starbucks Barista (the Solis verson, not the newer Saeco Titan verson) and the Capresso Infinity 560 Black. The Barista had a long and happy life, and after performing the hack (see coffeegeek.com), made great coffee and pretty good espresso. The Capresso was excellent for drip & press coffee, but only adequate for espresso. I would happily recommend each of these for people that just want a pretty solid cup of Joe, and do not mind it being slightly heated in the process. The Capresso was still running solidly, so do not infer it died early (it cheerfully grinds my wife's flax seeds very well now), I just wanted something better for my espresso shots.
After briefly considering the Gaggia MDF I looked at the Virtuoso, mainly for three, important, reasons.
First I was very happy with my Solis/Starbucks grinder, it lasted for over 10 years of heavy use. The hack allowed it to make good espresso. Baratza has been involved with selling the Solis products, and are the designers of the Maestro and Maestro Plus grinder (yes, thats right they are THEIR machines, not Solis). After talking to a few of the locally operated coffee shops, invaluable advice, I was able to learn more about the company.
Second, many of the negative reviews were early in the introduction of the product. What I appreciated, and what the shop owners told me about, is the serious approach to resolving any issues the product has and updating the product itself. Each issue has been addressed, burr design, machine rpm, cleanliness, fineness settings, etc. Important to me was that the later reviews, specially by some of the talking heads, were far better than the earlier versions of the Virtuoso.
Third the current version of the product, it is an affordable ($200 in some cases slightly less) grinder with a professional burr, over 40 settings (it can be easily hacked to allow for finer or coarser setting- something I have not needed to do yet. That information is posted in the FAQ of the Baratza website), and lower rpm motor (very important if you do not wish to heat the ground beans, or use a heavy French Roast as I do). It is easy to clean with the supplied brush, but hand wash and rinse well, the washable parts. Absolutely do not wash the container in the dishwasher, unless you wish destroy the anti-static properties of the container, plus it isn't necessary.
After figuring out what settings work best for my three purposes, I am getting a coffee that is as good as I would get in even some of the better local establishments in Portland. My espresso is not quite as good, but then I do not have Mazzer's and a thousand dollar plus espresso machine. For my purposes the espresso is far better than I have made on my own in the past.
It may be only a perception, but it seems as though I am using fewer beans as I have in the past as well, important as coffee prices rise. This is a great grinder for its niche, one can get better, but you will have to pay more, and be seriously addicted to Barista quality espresso.

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La Pavoni PGB Coffee Grinder, Brass Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using my PGB for about 10 years; it works very well with no problems. A great virtue of the model I have (hope this is still true) is the ability to grind directly into the espresso basket, turning on the machine with simple pressure from the basket; this enables one to grind just the coffee needed with no reservoir to empty or clean, and more assurance that a minimum of old ground coffee will join that which is freshly ground.

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Gaggia 8002 MDF Burr Grinder with Doser, PARENT Review

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(More customer reviews)Real espresso is a combination of freshly roasted beans properly ground and pressed at high pressure using 200 degree water. When you do that, you produce something so delicious it'll blow your mind if you love coffee. When purchasing equipment to do this at home, the most crucial of these three factors is in many ways the grinder. You need to be producing a very exact, very fine grind that doesn't include larger chunks (it'll mess up the pressure, because water will "channel" here) nor coffee dust (which will end up in your cup). And you kinda' want a grinder that won't break.
There are surprisingly few grinders sold that meet these requirements. Some espresso drinkers try to get by with one of the only two grinders under $150 which can sometimes manage this: the Solis Maestro and the Capresso Infinity. Whether you succeed will depend a lot on whether you got lucky, and you got one that happens to be put together well. Both make use of plastic parts which will fail over time. Some people buy the Solis Maestro Plus for $150 -- it's heavier than the Maestro, but otherwise no better: you're really wasting your money. The next step up is the Gaggia MDF. It usually sells for around $200, and the Amazon price tends to fluctuate, actually coming in under $200 some of the time with promotions, which makes it a wonderful bargain, though that may be hard to fathom for folks used to a $20 whirly blade grinder. The MDF used semi-commercial grade steel burrs in a semi-commercial (and hence longer lasting) burr set. It will produce the even, fine grind necessary for espresso, and when paired with another Gaggia, or a Solis or Rancilio or FrancisFrancis machine, you're ready to be a home barista and blow the minds of your friends. If you've got a bit more money, I'd recommend the Rancilio Rocky, which typically sells for $280: it's quieter and more rugged, but uses the identical burrs to the MDF. Up from there would be the Mazzer Mini for around $360, which should last you 20 years if not a lifetime. Most people who get into home espresso eventually end up with a Mazzer someday, and you could save yourself some time and money by just starting out with one. But the MDF is probably the best bargain going for being a true home barista. If you're terribly on a budget, Vaneli's Maximo is inferior but useable, and sometimes sells here for low prices.

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With 34 grind settings, this home grinder provides exceptional results for anything from espresso to drip to French press. The unit's commercial-strength 120-watt motor, in combination with its gear-reduction system, provides exceptional torque, extremely quite operation, and reduced static build-up, while its 50-mm tempered-steel grinding burrs deliver precision-ground beans, quickly and efficiently. With each pull of the plastic lever, the grinder's convenient doser dispenses 1/4-ounce of coffee from the ground-coffee container directly into the filter holder. Pull the lever once for one cup of espresso, or twice for two cups. Constructed of impact-resistant smoked plastic, the ground-coffee container for the dosing section has an 8-ounce capacity, and the large 10-ounce bean hopper is made with a sealed top to ensure bean freshness. The burr grinder measures 20 by 14 by 14 inches and carries a one-year warranty.

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La Pavoni La Moka Burr Grinders Review

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(More customer reviews)Cheap, grinds adequately. The moniker "La Moka" should've clued me in that this was a mediocre manufacturer's lame attempt to make a coffee grinder sound hip or trendy.
It grinds fairly well, but the two-piece plastic hopper for the grounds is awkward and tends to fall apart easily, spraying grounds all over the counter and the machine itself.
Also the dial used to select coarseness can be confusing. 9 is for coarse, 1 is for fine, but there is a left arrow ( ) each pointing away from the number, so that if you move the dial all the way to the right, you think you're choosing FINE since the word fine is at the right, but in actuality you're choosing COARSE even though it's on the opposite side. The fine grind is pretty fine, but coarse really isn't, there doesn't seem to be much difference between coarse and fine with this grinder despite your selection.
I regret this purchase.

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Housed in durable ABS shock-resistant plastic, this grinder with steel burrs works great for producing freshly ground coffee. The unit provides a large 8-4/5-ounce bean hopper with a seal-tight lid, and its nine grind settings range from French press coarse to espresso fine. In addition, the unit automatically dials-in the exact amount of coffee required, from 2 to 12 cups, and adjusts to espresso, coarse, and drip settings. It also introduces beans to the grinding chamber a few at a time to ensure a consistent, even grind. Other highlights include an on/off switch with auto start, raised feet, and an ETL safety listing. It's not suitable, however, for Turkish grinds or lever machines. The 120-watt grinder measures 6 by 5 by 10 inches and carries a two-year warranty on the motor.

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