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Manual grinder recommendation for our usage?

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  • #16
    Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
    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.

    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.
    Thanks everyone so far, I really like that people have picked up on that we are just trying to get a better brew in the mornings and and that in our situation we will have to compromise. Probably the most important factors for us are size of grinder (storage space used), ease of use (time/ease to grind meaning we will use it) and quality of grind (good for 25g hits for our moka pot) and durability (handle travel including eg. corregated roads, we can wrap if needed).

    RE: optimising bean storage and freshness once opened (no freezer space for beans). I think this is our likely approach from what I have heard, do these approaches sound reasonable (daily temperatures will vary greatly but we usually avoid extreme heat/cold pretty well) ?
    1. The small plastic containers we travel with hold about 200g of coffee beens, therefore we vacuum seal bags around this size for 4-8 weeks at a time to keep in our storage (likely provide good cushioning), after that we source rooasters as opportunities present. Once a vacuum sealed bag of beans is open it will be in the plastic container for a about a week before we open another (can be in fridge most of the time if this helps)
    2. Approach 1, but with larger vaccum sealed bags of about 400-500g (might be easier to work with). Once opened stored in 1 plastic 200g container and remaining left in open bag sealed wrapped up with rubber band and kept in fridge. Original sealed bag opened for about 2 weeks as beans and freshly ground daily.


    RE: Shortlisted grinder units looks like a choice of 3 so far, I will list them by smallest size first and I suspect it may be the reverse order of ease of use. Please let me know if I am missing anything or any others I should be considering?

    • Precision Hand Grinder (new kid on the block, I have found somewhere I can have a play with one of these and it can likely handle a drill if needed occasionally). As there is not much information around about these it would be great to hear others experiences)
    • Gefu Lorenzo (looks good and has been around for while, largely available and seems to have a 5 yr warranty, no drill likely)
    • Lido models (best in class, no drill likely, wasn't looking to spend this much consider used model)

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    • #17
      Originally posted by Rookie23 View Post
      Probably the most important factors for us are size of grinder (storage space used), ease of use (time/ease to grind meaning we will use it) and quality of grind (good for 25g hits for our moka pot) and durability (handle travel including eg. corregated roads, we can wrap if needed).
      I have the Lido E-T, and it comes with a neoprene case that you can pack it into, should help keep everything nice and safe while travelling. Also has the folding handle to make it easier to stow-away. It will give you the quality you need and then some, and will be more than adequate if you decide to upgrade your coffee machine to a flair or something similar in the future. I use mine twice a day at work for double espressos, and I can hand grind in the same amount of time it takes others to get the same out of a Mazzer Mini. I don't feel like it's a chore at all, and personally don't feel like I would need to use a drill or anything with it.
      The downside, which you are aware of, is the size and price.
      Not sure how much your budget could be stretched, but keep an eye out on the for sale section, send out to the sponsors to see if they could do a deal for you on a new one, and sometimes ebay have % off sales that might make it affordable.

      Good luck, hopefully the stars will align and a bargain will fall into your lap

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Rookie23 View Post
        RE: optimising bean storage and freshness once opened (no freezer space for beans). I think this is our likely approach from what I have heard, do these approaches sound reasonable (daily temperatures will vary greatly but we usually avoid extreme heat/cold pretty well) ?
        1. The small plastic containers we travel with hold about 200g of coffee beens, therefore we vacuum seal bags around this size for 4-8 weeks at a time to keep in our storage (likely provide good cushioning), after that we source roasters as opportunities present. Once a vacuum sealed bag of beans is open it will be in the plastic container for a about a week before we open another (can be in fridge most of the time if this helps)
        2. Approach 1, but with larger vacuum sealed bags of about 400-500g (might be easier to work with). Once opened stored in 1 plastic 200g container and remaining left in open bag sealed wrapped up with rubber band and kept in fridge. Original sealed bag opened for about 2 weeks as beans and freshly ground daily.
        A small tip regarding beans kept in fridge or freezer :- take them out an hour or two before using them. and allow them to come up to room temperature before opening the container. If you unseal them while they are cold, condensation may form on the beans, and they will go stale faster. Light, heat and oxygen are not good either, so keeping your vac-sealed bags cool and dark will also help.

        I'm not going to comment on grinders, as I have only owned two, and neither are suitable for your needs.

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        • #19
          Re powering a hand grinder with a drill: I tried this with my little Hario, and I can see that its days are numbered. The trouble is that the central drive shaft is in a plastic sleeve. When the drill heats it it gets soft and starts to collapse, causing the blade pressure to reduce. I managed to fix it by adding extra washers on the bottom, but it's clearly not going to work for much longer.

          On a brighter note, I emailed Ross at Portaspresso re this subject a week ago. His reply:


          The next batch of grinders are being redesigned to change the bearing design
          to reduce maintenance, but the changes will also allow higher speed
          grinding with a drill. Assuming it works as planned (making the
          prototype now), I will probably offer an accessory cap that has a hex
          drive for a drill.
          The Rolls Royce of hand grinders, and designed to be drill powered. What more could you want?

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          • #20
            Originally posted by balrog666 View Post
            Re powering a hand grinder with a drill: I tried this with my little Hario, and I can see that its days are numbered. The trouble is that the central drive shaft is in a plastic sleeve. When the drill heats it it gets soft and starts to collapse, causing the blade pressure to reduce. I managed to fix it by adding extra washers on the bottom, but it's clearly not going to work for much longer.

            On a brighter note, I emailed Ross at Portaspresso re this subject a week ago. His reply:



            The Rolls Royce of hand grinders, and designed to be drill powered. What more could you want?
            Interesting, which model Hario are you talking about and any idea when it might be available for purchase?

            How does this rank compared to the Lido, Gefu and Precision models mentioned elsewhere in this thread?

            Comment


            • #21
              The Hario is the Hario Slim.

              Ross says the next batch he makes will have the new bearings, and there's no stock left of the old ones.

              Not sure how the Portaspresso grinder ranks against the competition. Others may know.
              Last edited by balrog666; 15 February 2019, 12:37 PM. Reason: clarity

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              • #22
                Have gone with the Precision Hand Grinder as i could have a demo (grinds easily), its very small and made of stuff that shouldn't break while travelling.

                Had a couple of test runs so at home so far and its making the best grind and tasting coffee that our low end expresso coffee machine has ever made , so much so I now realise (from another post on CS) that my home grinder needs a shim/spacer added as its not quite grinding fine enough (hopefully its as simple as adding the spacer).

                This little grinder could be a double win for us as I am hoping it will do our little moka pot grind well also, thanks all!

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                • #23
                  Manual grinder recommendation for our usage?

                  Hi Rookie23

                  Congrats on the Precision and the immediate benefit you have got.

                  Any chance of some pics to convey a little more info than what is currently
                  available on line?

                  Am considering one of these as a relatively inexpensive and dispensable grinder for international travel to avoid worry of losing one of my favourites.
                  Last edited by Otago; 19 February 2019, 08:53 PM.

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Rookie23 View Post
                    This little grinder could be a double win for us as I am hoping it will do our little moka pot grind well also, thanks all!
                    Should handle it with ease Rookie.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Otago View Post
                      Hi Rookie23

                      Congrats on the Precision and the immediate benefit you have got.

                      Any chance of some pics to convey a little more info than what is currently
                      available on line?

                      Am considering one of these as a relatively inexpensive and dispensable grinder for international travel to avoid worry of losing one of my favourites.
                      Here ya go, a large part of the reason we went for this one was its size, its tiny.
                      We will just wrap it in bubble wrap or tea towel or similar so it doesn't get knocked about, it feels very solid.
                      Hopefully I can attach a couple of pics and a scan of the grinder manual.
                      Attached Files

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                      • #26
                        That looks pretty good. If you wouldn't mind I'd be interested to see some ground coffee spread out on a piece of paper at espresso and moka pot settings.

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                        • #27
                          Hi Rookie23

                          Thanks so much for the photos and copy of the manual.

                          It gives me a much better idea of the construction and finish of the grinder.

                          Will now go ahead and get one. Great that it fits in an Aeropress.

                          Thanks again.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
                            That looks pretty good. If you wouldn't mind I'd be interested to see some ground coffee spread out on a piece of paper at espresso and moka pot settings.
                            Hopefully the photo is of some use.
                            Click image for larger version

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                            I used setting 6 (this is what I have been using in my expresso machine at home) and 12 out of the box.
                            I am thinking setting 12 is a reasonable start for my moka pot, does that sound about right?
                            (haven't tried it yet as it stowed away in the camper)

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                            • #29
                              Thanks I haven't had heaps of experience with moka pots, but I would have thought finer than that. Like two clicks coarser than espresso.

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                              • #30
                                the Moka pot is a pretty forgiving little device as far as grind is concerned, experiment, pretty much whatever suits your palate.

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