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  • Manual grinder recommendation for our usage?

    Hi, i am hoping to get some pointers to assist us in getting a better coffee experience while travelling in our camper (no 240v power but plenty of 12v, which unfortunately doesn't seem to assist us ie. its either manual or 240v for grinders that I have found). We are thinking the next logical step might be a manual grinder but I can't say i am necessary looking forward to doing this daily (was hoping to find something small with rechargeable battery or could be plugged into a 12v cigarette socket)

    Our current setup which is okay is a Bialetti Moka Induction 3-cup stovetop (if there a better stovetop or similar out there that is as easy to use I would be interested in hearing about it). This suits us well as we have a dual gas burner in the camper. It requires 24 grams of coffee at a medium-fine setting (good for 2 of us). The grinder is only for the camper as we have a 240v grinder at home.
    • For short trips currently I will pre grind a few days of coffee and keep in the fridge (seems to work ok)
    • For longer trips could be several months we have just purchased various small ground coffee vacuum packs from the larger chain supermarkets which are ok when opened but not so good as time goes by. It is this experience we are trying mainly to improve.
    • Budget open but ideally less than $100 but prepared to pay more for speed, small size, durability (important), ease of use etc as we only want to buy once


    Also, we have a vacuum sealer with us so I was thinking for filling several small sealed packs with beans (about 200-250g) and taking them with us. Any tips on how to get a good balance of bean freshness v longevity once pack is opened and potentially which beans may be good to buy from the larger chains supermarkets along the way (typically all we see unfortunately)

    Thanks for any assistance

  • #2
    If you’re happy with the coffee you make with your Bialetti then it’s as good as anything so I’d stick with it. There are of course many, many other options for making different styles of coffee while traveling, but the Bialetti Moka pot is fine for that style of drink. Using a good technique makes a difference as well and I’d recommend you check out the Chef Steps YouTube video on how to make good quality stovetop espresso. As far as the grinder goes I highly recommend the Gefu Lorenzo. It can be picked up from places like Peters Of Kensington for as little as $70 and it’s the best grinder I’ve used in this price range for this style of coffee.

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    • #3
      Orphan Espresso Lido grinders are the pick of the bunch, but they're a little over your budget. Check out the used ones for sale below:

      https://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-ha...tml#post644832

      https://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-ha...bits-bobs.html

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks for the suggestions so far, i will check out the grinders suggested.
        Liked the video suggested for the moka pot, couple of things to try there.

        I also noticed another few videos where people are putting on an 18v drill with a socket and bypassing the handle and using the drill to crank and grind the coffee, is this a thing or just for youtube as we do have 18v drill and sockets with us. (in theory if/when get fed up with the manual cranking I could turn to the drill )

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        • #5
          The lido is great. Pretty big though (compared to a pepper mill)
          I have a porlex mini as well (for travel aeropress). The porlex is slow and painful. The lido is powerful and fast. Although watching others use it is very clumsy. I don't have any issues with the lido E when changing from espresso to French press grind.
          I don't think it would suit older hands.

          Is it a idea to get a 12v to 240v converter for travel? Many other uses, and could use your home grinder if it's not too big.

          One of those rechargeable grinders, I have heard are mindboggingly slow. At 44g, I'd say a porlex would also sux so bad, it's bad enough with 15g.

          Lido would be the minimum as a hand grinder. Imo

          Comment


          • #6
            If you have "plenty" of 12v power then, as Jackster suggests, another approach is to get an inverter and use your home 240v grinder.

            Depending on the wattage of your home grinder an inverter should be affordable. I would recommend not going for the cheaper offerings and to look at those with a proven track record. Victron have a good reputation. A bonus is that you will then have an inverter for other purposes eg chargers, and you will also be retaining the knowledge base of your home grinder and moka pot.

            The Porlex has a hex drive shaft which readily opens up your 18v drill option. The Lidos have a D shaped drive for which an adapter is not readily available. However, there are 3D printer files available for a Lido adapter. Just remember to keep your drill speed as slow as possible.

            A Lido is worth stretching your budget to. You could have picked up an original Lido here recently for just over $100. There was also a Lido E on offer up to the weekend for just $200 but it has now been withdrawn. It could now be on evil bay.

            Another option relatively new to the market is the Precision Hand Grinder that offers stainless burrs for around the $100 mark. This would give a more aggressive grind than the Porlex, and it does have a threaded hex drive for which a lock nut should be readily available to allow use of a power drill. Maybe some other Forum members can comment on this grinder.

            As to quality beans on the road, this is a problem. However, I have found that just a little research will identify regional roasters from which, as long as you are not going too remote, fresh roasted beans can be sourced.

            Good luck with your search for good coffee on the road.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks for the thoughts on the 240v inverter (its a good idea), we have deliberately stayed 12v to maximise/reserve available battery amp hrs for fridge etc when camping remote and found devices that are 12v or DC compatible, eg. car chargers for laptops, rechargeable batteries or USB devices etc. The DC type of devices tend to use only what they need to run where as 240v or AC devices assume power is available and tend to use more then they need. Space and storage is a premium in our setup (single off road vehicle not a caravan) so everything is a comprimise.

              Even the dimensions of the the Lido grinders seem large to us to store (approx 34.3cm tall, 7.6cm diameter), although I like the way some of the handles fold in.
              • Are there other makes/models that are worth considering that very durable but smaller that grind about 30g at a time that have a hex head nut to try out the drill at some point?

              • eg. Helor 101 expensive also but smaller, is it in the same class as the Lido's? We should maybe up our budget if necessary and go with the hopefully "buy once" theory if there is a lot of difference in quality


              RE: drill setting, can do slow speed pretty easily but would you put the drill on "drill" or "screw" mode? I am assuming "screw" mode so it would stop if it felt any resistence, then give the grinder a shake and try again or wind manually and then try again.

              If we start vacuum sealing beans it should make it much easier to find the occasional roaster on the road which would just add to our travel experience. Is there a general rule of thumb that roasted beans can be stored reasonably (eg. plastic container) once opened and in temperatures and conditions that vary a lot?

              Comment


              • #8
                Theres also the Precision Hand grinder. You may have to search for one. $100 buys stainless steel conical burrs and the grind quality is up there with the bigger conical hand grinders. It's compact and holds about 20g.

                Way, way better than the Handground or any of the cheapies: Porlex, Hario etc.
                Last edited by Caffeinator; 12 February 2019, 06:25 PM.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Caffeinator View Post
                  Theres also the Precision Hand grinder. You may have to search for one. $100 buys stainless steel conical burrs and the grind quality is up there with the bigger conical hand grinders. It's compack and holds about 20g.

                  Way, way better than the Handground or any of the cheapies: Porlex, Hario etc.
                  Thanks, I am assuming this is the one you mean, having trouble finding any review information about it or even the instruction manual would be good. Commercial link removed as per Site Posting Policy
                  Last edited by Javaphile; 12 February 2019, 07:14 PM. Reason: Commercial link removed

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Yes- that's it

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Rookie23 View Post
                      Hi, i am hoping to get some pointers to assist us in getting a better coffee experience while travelling in our camper (no 240v power but plenty of 12v, which unfortunately doesn't seem to assist us ie. its either manual or 240v for grinders that I have found). We are thinking the next logical step might be a manual grinder but I can't say i am necessary looking forward to doing this daily (was hoping to find something small with rechargeable battery or could be plugged into a 12v cigarette socket)

                      Our current setup which is okay is a Bialetti Moka Induction 3-cup stovetop (if there a better stovetop or similar out there that is as easy to use I would be interested in hearing about it). This suits us well as we have a dual gas burner in the camper. It requires 24 grams of coffee at a medium-fine setting (good for 2 of us). The grinder is only for the camper as we have a 240v grinder at home.
                      • For short trips currently I will pre grind a few days of coffee and keep in the fridge (seems to work ok)
                      • For longer trips could be several months we have just purchased various small ground coffee vacuum packs from the larger chain supermarkets which are ok when opened but not so good as time goes by. It is this experience we are trying mainly to improve.
                      • Budget open but ideally less than $100 but prepared to pay more for speed, small size, durability (important), ease of use etc as we only want to buy once


                      Also, we have a vacuum sealer with us so I was thinking for filling several small sealed packs with beans (about 200-250g) and taking them with us. Any tips on how to get a good balance of bean freshness v longevity once pack is opened and potentially which beans may be good to buy from the larger chains supermarkets along the way (typically all we see unfortunately)

                      Thanks for any assistance
                      We're in a similar situation Rookie, travel in a motor home from time to time.

                      As you say it's a balancing act, for trips of up to a month freshly roasted beans stored in a one way valve bag last pretty well.
                      Longer trips, we do the best we can, however it's always nice to get back home to a fresh roast and a decent brew.

                      We/I use a hand grinder, the grind is OK, however the process is a pain in the arse, novelty of hand grinding wore off long ago, have considered a drill, but just another thing to worry about, so hand grinder it is.

                      We have 150 amp hours of battery storage, sufficient to run fridge, lights, charge phones, computer, fan etc, however wont go down the path of an inverter for 240 volt appliances, they are 12 volt power hungry and would tip us over the edge.

                      As for beans available on the road (supermarket) Aldi have had good comments, I've tried them, probably better than what you will get from the other chains.

                      Good luck with your quest.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I spend a good 6 weeks or more away from home each year and use a Lido E-T (basically a Lido 3 with finer adjustment in espresso range). Using this grinder for 6 weeks in a row doesn't bother me at all.....the ergonomics are good.....and if you are grinding for a Bialetti it will be even easier. They are a superb grinder. As acknowledged above a new one is well out of your budget range but the 2nd hand ones <$200 are getting closer.

                        I also own some cheaper hand grinders (Porlex Mini and Hario Skerton). They are a bit more of pain to use, but the Porlex might be sufficient for use with a Bialetti (and is certainly available well within your price range).

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          After all that I’ve seen nothing here that I’d recommend over the Gefu Lorenzo in your price range. I’ve also seen the Precision Hand Grinder now being sold by Talk Coffee among others. It could be good and I’d certainly trust their recommendation, but it’s so new that no one here will have personal experience with it yet. The Gefu Lorenzo ticks all the boxes for your purposes. I don’t think you can attach a cordless drill to it due to the adjustment mechanism, but it’s so easy to use and grind with that I don’t think you’ll feel like you need to. It is all plastic, but still well made and has some great features.
                          I see Hario have upgraded the Skerton to the ‘Skerton Pro’ which could have sorted some of the issues of the old Skerton. And it’s in your price range so it could be worth a try. I don’t think you’ll find it as easy to use as the Lorenzo, but you can probably attach a drill to it.

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                          • #14
                            It already looks like you're not going the 240V route, I would add my recommendation in not running an AC motor on a DC inverter. Doesn't matter how top of the line it is, nothing is going to give you a proper sinusoidal waveform under load. If you like your grinder don't do it.

                            Is there a general rule of thumb that roasted beans can be stored reasonably (eg. plastic container) once opened and in temperatures and conditions that vary a lot?
                            Once the beans have degassed fully they will do best in a container with minimal air and kept at 14°C consistent temperature. Any deviation from this will age the beans faster and lose the regional and more nuanced flavours. You can get away with freezing beans once. If you only removed what you need from the freezer each time they will last quite a while.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
                              I would add my recommendation in not running an AC motor on a DC inverter. Doesn't matter how top of the line it is, nothing is going to give you a proper sinusoidal waveform under load. If you like your grinder don't do it.
                              A few years back I developed a line of specialist sinusoidal drives for AC motors: in turntables. Amazing how many hoops I needed to jump through to get the waveform right.

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