well, i went out and got the french press, ive been enjoying a cup(or 5) of some black dog and killer bean coffee for the last few days. I like to switch up my bean from day to day, from what ive noticed with the burr grinders is that you fill them up with about a 1/2lb of beans, then grind as you need. Does that mean I can only use that bean till the container is empty, then change it out? A lb/ of coffee lasts me about a little over a week. Am I not goiing to be able to switch the bean out mid wk??
conical grinder question
- Thread starter BigFoot
- Start date
Ratbert
BoM Oct '07
Are you filling up the container on the grinder? I just put in however many scoops of beans it takes to make a pot. I only grind as much coffee as I'll use on the spot.
Granted, it can be a pain to clean out the grinder every time, but that's the only way I've ever done it.
Granted, it can be a pain to clean out the grinder every time, but that's the only way I've ever done it.
Since you want to start using it for a variety of beans, just put in what you will need for each pot. If you are going thru a pound a week now freshness isn't an issue, but if you start buying multiple roasts make sure to store your beans in an air tight container!
These are two valuable statements!
You should only put into the grinder the amount of beans that you plan to grind for the pot of coffee you are about to brew. The reason being that oxygen is coffee's worst enemy. Not so much with the whole bean as is the case with the coffee once ground, but it will still have an affect on the freshness and flavor of the coffee if the whole roasted bean is left in the presence of oxygen instead of an air tight container.
Fragile aromatic oils in the roasted beans that give much of the charm and uniqueness to every coffee from every origin begin to break down and can go rancid once exposed to oxygen. The structure of the whole bean protects it somewhat and will not allow it to occur as fast but it will still have some amount of effect due to the bean being a porous structure. Ground coffee on the other hand will begin to stale as soon as it is ground and exposed to oxygen. You definitely don't ever want to pre-grind a large amount of coffee ahead of time because it would be defeating the whole purpose of the freshness of fresh roast.
No knowledge or experience with either of the two you mention.
I have a Baratza Maestro Plus that I have used daily for a little over four years and have never had a problem with it. The one in this link is a newer upgraded version than the one I have. It is a little pricier than others but just thought I'd toss it out there. I've been plenty satisfied with mine.
I got mine from Sweet Marias, but here it is at probably about the best price you will find plus free shipping and no sales tax at Wholelattelove.
Ratbert
BoM Oct '07
I have a Capresso and am very happy with it. I'm not sure of the model, but it's metal, not plastic, and is quite heavy. Looks good sitting on the counter and the metal supposedly keeps the static electricity to a minimum, although in the winter that's hard to do, so some grounds will still cling to the inside.
Like jgbutler, I got mine from Sweet Maria's.
Ratbert
BoM Oct '07
I don't have an espresso maker and so have never considered if mine could grind for this. I checked Capresso's web site and according to them, their conical burr grinders can be used for espresso. (turns out that the Infinity is the model that I have)
does espresso use an especially fine grind?
The timer lets you grind the correct amount for your coffee maker once you guage what that is (provided you are filling the hopper rather than measuring for each pot). Once you know that, you just set the timer and walk away to get your water or whatever and the grinder will grind the proper amount.
So, I've been looking for a decent and affordable burr grinder for a while and this one seemed to fit the bill. I read the reviews on www.coffeegeek.com and they were mostly good. The package arrived yesterday so I guess I will be french pressing some freshly ground beans this Saturday morning. Thanks for posting about this grinder here.