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Coffee Grinder Reviews
Cheapism
Mid-range
High end
$10
$20
$100...+Coffee Grinders Performance
Coffee grinder reviews are fairly straightforward. Most comment on the evenness of the grind, the ease of cleaning, and the coffee grinder's durability.
General Performance.
The mark of a top-notch coffee grinder is its ability to produce uniformly-sized grounds so that each granule or powdery speck brews at the same rate, which in turn minimizes any bitter or burnt flavor. Cheap blade grinders do a more or less better job of even grinding, depending on the model, but never reach the standard set by pricey burr grinders.Getting the optimal size grind for the beans you like and the coffee-making process you use, however, may involve some trial and error, according to coffee grinder reviews. For example, the Home Cooking in Montana blogspot reports that a pulse action involving short, quick bursts, as well as shaking the grinder, is the best way to get even grounds with the Capresso 501 Cool Grind. CoffeeGrinderReview.net suggests staging a few test runs with the Krups Fast Touch 203-42, but notes that nine seconds seems right for the amount of beans needed for one flavorful cup. If you don't like the idea of guesswork, there's always the Mr. Coffee IDS77; a coffee grinders review on Amazon claims the electronic grind and cup settings shut down the machine at just the right moment.
Based on the coffee grinders reviews we read, certain models are more adept at a given grind size than others. Fine grinds are the forté of the Krups Fast Touch 203-42, say coffee grinders reviews on Amazon, a strength that makes this the cheap coffee grinder of choice for consumers who brew coffee with paper cone-shaped filters. French press coffee makers need a coarser grind that users say is hard to get with the Krups Fast Touch 203-42; a coffee grinders review on Epinions notes that the fine grinds escape the netting of the French press and wind up in your cup. A coffee grinders review on Epinions says the Toastmaster 1119 makes a fine, powdery grind out of a quarter cup of beans if you hold down the button for 15 seconds. HowStuffWorks disagrees, saying the Toastmaster 1119 is best suited to producing a coarse grind. But the real strength of Toastmaster 1119 may not be grinding coffee beans at all; coffee grinders reviews laud its prowess at grinding nuts and seeds, and one mom reports using the Toastmaster 1119 to grind grain for baby food.
Coffee grinders reviews on Coffeebeandepot.com report the Capresso 501 Cool Grind stands out for its coarse grind, which is a good match for drip coffeemakers. And a user who conducted a comparative tasting asserts the cool grind technology delivers a better brew than regular blade grinders, according to a coffee grinders review on Amazon. The automatic controls on the Mr. Coffee IDS77 produce the desired fine, coarse, or medium grind, say coffee grinders reviews on Walmart, although other users report inconsistency in the grind between the beans at the bottom and those at the top of the chamber.
The Cuisinart DCG-20 does its thing well enough, say coffee grinder reviews on Amazon but requires some pulsing to yield the best result, which tends to be relatively coarse. Users like the pulse feature on the Black & Decker CBG100S, and a coffee grinders review on Home Depot says pulsing is the best way to ensure the size grind you want, be it fine, medium, or coarse. Other coffee grinders reviews warn that putting too many beans in the chamber of the Black & Decker CBG100S will leave you with a very uneven grind: too fine around the blades and too coarse in the rest of the chamber.
Ease of Use.
Noise, mess, and clean up are the primary issues consumers raise in coffee grinders reviews. Most write that regardless of model, these little appliances are noisy -- but if you want to smell the coffee in the morning, you just have to deal. Stray grounds that fall to the counter as you open the top of the grinding chamber irk some users of most models we researched. Some also grumble about spills when scooping out or otherwise transferring the grinds to the cap before dumping (or measuring) them into the coffee maker. The most frequent complaints about excessive spills and stray grinds concern the Cuisinart DCG-20, in part because of its small 2.5-ounce size of the chamber, and the Black & Decker CBG100S, in part because some users find the top difficult to remove. Trying to pour the grounds directly from the motor unit into coffee-brewing equipment is an awkward alternative with blade grinders, says a coffee grinders review on Tea & Coffee in US. Some users also report static cling in the grinding chambers of the Toastmaster 1119 and Cuisinart DCG-20.Frequent cleaning of the coffee grinder prevents build up of rancid oils that mar the coffee flavor. Many users say clean up is a breeze with the Mr. Coffee IDS77 because the grinding chamber can be removed and put in the dishwasher. Mr. Coffee IDS77 also features a proprietary cleaning system that "sweeps" out coffee residue, although users' assessments of this contraption vary: some coffee grinders reviews on Walmart say it's useless while others say it's an effective cleaning aid.
Blade grinders can't be disassembled for cleaning, and coffee grinders reviews indicate this bothers some consumers. Other users report, however, that some quick work with a small brush or swipe with a damp towel suffices. One owner of the Krups Fast Touch 203-42 says in a coffee grinders review on Cooking.com that a burst of canned air does the trick. Because it may be hard to completely eliminate the coffee aroma or a few stray grounds, several consumers commenting in coffee grinders reviews about the Capresso 501 Cool Grind suggest keeping a second grinder for non-coffee uses. Several reports surfaced on Epinions about grounds that collect under the blades in the Toastmaster 1119.
Durability.
With but a few exceptions, cheap coffee grinders seem to last. According to coffee grinders reviews on sites like Amazon and Viewpoints, the Krups Fast Touch 203-42 is especially durable; some users write about having used the same unit for more than 10 years. We found a few reports of early death for the Capresso 501 Cool Grind and the Mr. Coffee IDS77, and one consumer says the Toastmaster 1119 slows down as it ages; i.e., it takes longer to get the preferred grind.The Cuisinart DCG-20 and Black & Decker CBG100S seem plagued by more mechanical problems than other models we researched. Several consumers posting coffee grinder reviews on Amazon and Macy's report the Cuisinart DCG-20 died shortly after purchase, even with minimal use, and one says it didn't work fresh out of the box. Coffee grinders reviews of the Black & Decker CBG100S, also on Amazon, report blades that keep spinning even when the cap is off, which poses a safety hazard.
A final note: Your cheap coffee grinder will probably live longer if you don't overload it. Don't pack the grinding chamber with too many beans or grind too many batches in a row.
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Products Mentioned in This Review
Proctor Silex E160B Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder ReviewHamilton Beach 80365 Custom Grind Hands-Free Coffee Grinder Review
Black & Decker CBG100S Review
Cuisinart DCG-20 Review
Jura Capresso 501 Cool Grind Review
Toastmaster 1119 Review
Krups Fast Touch 203-42 Review
Mr. Coffee IDS77 Electric Review
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