Glad you like the analogy, always looking for ways to explain coffee concepts in a different light! I already had a busted blade grinder, should have gone with the flow and ruined my burr grinder in the process too xD
This is the BEST Burr vs Blade Grinder video out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for doing this, I will be buying a burr grinder thanks to You.
Man, you definitely have a knack for explaining things. You don't see many people go that far to help folks understand things in such a simple, approachable way. I'm sure many out there will appreciate this! As for my grinders I currently use three. The Baratza Encore is my general purpose and I would probably consider it my daily driver. It's versatile and the grind quality is pretty good. I also have a Ceado E5P that I use for espresso. 64mm flat burrs and grinds a dose (18g) in about 10-12 seconds. My most recent is the 1Zpresso JX-Pro. Because I rotate beans daily (and sometimes 2-3 different beans the same day), I wanted a grinder with minimal retention and that's also easy to clean. Hand grinders in my opinion are much easier to take care of and as for retention, with the JX-Pro I'm pretty much getting zero using RDT (measured to 1/100th of a gram which is crazy). To top it off, it's a really fast grinder. Going forward, I don't think I'll look to electric grinders for upgrading. My dream used to be to one day get a KafaTek Monolith, but luckily I have since come to my senses. I think at a certain price point it's less about quality, and rather about what get's highlighted in your cup. I'd be better off with maybe one more hand grinder (thinking the Timemore Slim Plus) and another burr set for my Ceado (SSP Red Speed). I think I'd be set then... or maybe free to waste money on other coffee stuff, haha.
Appreciate the head nod :D I love finding more straightforward analogies to explain complex concepts. Why does it have to be so tricky! That's a good thing to mention; if you are brewing with multiple beans in one day, then a hand grinder with minimal retention will minimize headaches! You might have noticed, but I have this 2D printed mod on the Rocky as it had a LOT of grind retention. Seriously a couple of grams get stuck in there from a thoroughly cleaned state when used for the first time... That's a second thumbs up for the 1Zpresso in the comments; I will have to give it a closer look! I haven't heard of Ceado E5P. Looks beasty! What are your thoughts on it for espresso? The KafaTek Monolith is seriously such a gorgeous grinder but not everyone's cup of coffee. Analogy time! Grinders are like the vehicles in your garage! Would you rather have various vehicles suited for different purposes (off-road, casual, racing, drifting, scooter, boat etc.) or one specialized supercar? So true, the coffee rabbit hole never ends rawr +_+
@@brewinghabits I was sold on the JX-Pro after watching Asser's video: czcams.com/video/KWs80A67joc/video.html About the E5P. It's Ceado's barebones model. No frills. You're basically paying for the chassis, motor, and burr set. It's very capable though. I know that if there's anything wrong with my shots, it wasn't the grinder. I was really hyped to get it thinking it will be my end all be all, but I probably had my hopes too high and so it was a letdown initially. But it's grown on me and now I'm thoroughly happy with it. I got it with the intention of using it single dose, which it wasn't designed for. Retention bothered me quite a bit early on and cleaning the internals is a pain, but I realized that most of these grinders (even ones costing 4-5 times as much) have the same issues. I've managed to get retention fairly low now. I improvised a stand that allows me to prop it up at an angle (like many of the high-end low retention grinders) and modified the inside flap (there to break up clumps) to reduce ground accumulation. Adding RDT to the process helped as well. Also I don't rotate beans with this grinder, and clean it when I change bags. So now I don't need to worry about my singe-origins becoming blends, haha. I've finally matured in my coffee journey, and can totally relate to your vehicle analogy. The thought of having multiple grinders, each well suited for different circumstances (and not going broke while doing it) sits well with me.
Quite a solid review; it's even decent for espresso! The steps' granularity seems relatively minuscule (It has even more increments than my ol' boi Rocky +_+), and the grind speed is relatively fast (with a 45s grind time for 18g). It is always great to know that your efforts and knowledge have gotten you to a peak in your coffee journey and can consistently brew a good cup of coffee. To be a tour guide for the masses and bring more people to that peak is pretty much the dream of the Brewing Habits channel! On that note, any coffee topics you feel are under-represented, were easier to understand or just researched more? Always looking for new video ideas :D
Where did your comment disappear to?! I vaguely remember reading it before bed yesterday soooo yes I have seen that grinder on Kickstarter! It reminds me of the Fellow ODE Kickstarter in vibes but targeted towards on-the-go/convenience and modularity. As for how it will fair, it looks like a solid grinder with good construction but only time will tell once backers get it in their hands.
Excellent breakdown on grinders Paul. I wish I had seen this before buying my grinder(s). Like you, my first was a Hario Skerton and I also had the wobbling issue. I hear the new models have corrected that problem as well as improving how you set the grind level. I still use the Hario when I travel and installed a kit to stabilize the lower end of the shaft which makes a big difference by eliminating the wobble. Cheers!
I bet that the Hario Skerton is the most bought entry-level burr grinder! You can't go wrong with its low price tag! I have seen the mods, and it does help the wobbliness. Are you referring to the upgrade kit you can buy that adds an extra metal circular stabilizer to the crankshaft?
@@brewinghabits Yes, that's it exactly. It works great and is simple to install. I do like the improved grind setting of the new models though. No point if buying a new one though, ha.
Really like your videos. using a 1zpresso Q2, but still not sure what I’m looking for. I think I got good results on one of my beans using your videos.
I never used the 1zpresso jx-pro. What are your thoughts on it? Espresso is a deep rabbit hole. It was a bit too much time, effort and hassle for me so I sold all of my espresso equipment like 3 years after wading in the deep end lol. Imo, I would only recommend getting into espresso if you are incredibly passionate, have extra funds, countertop space AND want a new hobby (as espresso is a different beast compared to filter coffee)!
@@brewinghabits well said. It’s the money. It’s far in the future. I’m a bid fan of the Kalimantan wave and the v60. My jx-pro has been super consistent with grind soz and have got only good things to say. It accommodates 35-40gm as well. Easy for 1-2 ppl. 👌🏾
Now, Timemore has a new version of handgrinder, the Timemore C3. Wonder to get this, or the Commandante M4? The only product I have from Timemore in my manual brew setup, is the Timemore Black mirror coffee scale. Want to upgrade to Pearl Acia scale, but I think my priority is a high-quality hand grinder. Motivated by espresso brewing, the 4Ms of espresso, one cannot undermine the importance of good grinder to brew good cups of coffee. To me, as long as the scale has 0.1 grams steps, and is quite sensitive, I do not see the need to invest in Pearl scale, heck even the kettle I am just using the V60 gooseneck kettle, and not Brewista kettle.
As much as I love the Timemore C3, I cannot recommend it for grinding espresso. While it can grind quite fine, its grind adjustment has steps that are too big. It would be next to impossible to dial in the right grind setting. For an entry level hand grinder for espresso, I recommend the 1Zpresso JX-Pro. Every step of its grind adjustment shifts the burrs 12.5 micrometers, which allows even more fine tuning than the Comandante C40, which adjusts at 30 micrometer steps.
For the first month or so I really got into coffee, I used a hand-me-down electric grinder. It was small and cheap. It didn’t have any settings, just one button to start/stop the machine. Obviously it was nice of my parents to lend me the grinder, but I knew I needed a change, so I bought a Hamilton Beach grinder. It’s still cheap (cheap enough for a broke Uni student), but better than what I had! I do wish I had seen the video before I bought though, I probably would’ve saved an extra $30 or so to buy a burr grinder 😅 not sure which one I should go for, though!
Yea, there are many coffee grinders out there that are blade grinders, so it's easy to buy one if you don't know the difference between the two grinder types! At least you can blame your lousy coffee days on the grinder... for now :P IMO, if you are looking for a burr grinder under $100, then a hand grinder like the Hario Slim, Porlex and Timmemore would be your best option. If you are looking for an entry-level electric grinder, then the Baratza Encore ($200) is a crowd favourite. More expensive options after these price ranges start becoming subjective with its aesthetic and your wants and needs!
Interesting enough, I had a low end ceramic grinder when I first started. Only lasted for 2 months tho until the center shifted and no longer produce only coarse, but also a lot of fines. Now I'm using Timemore C2, cheapest steel hand grinder out there (at least for me here in Indonesia). The result? Never again I'm gonna recommend others for having a ceramic grinder, start with this grinder. Once you go steel you can't go back to ceramic.
I've had the same experience as you! To play the devil's advocate, I think that there is an overwhelming amount of high-end stainless steel burr grinders compared to ceramic burr grinders out there so perhaps the data is just skewed. For example, the Baratza Vario has great reviews and there doesn't seem to be any complaints about it having ceramic burrs at the $500+ range! But for now, I am sticking to you in the same boat. I'll only recommend ceramic burrs if your budget is less than $100!
Waaah, I re-checked the pricing that I can get it for and its still $100+ Canadian Dollars. US Dollars is still $80+ with taxes! You must have gotten a sweet hookup with the $50 price! xD
The potato analogy was brilliant! Was half expecting you to stick the potato in your burr grinder.
Glad you like the analogy, always looking for ways to explain coffee concepts in a different light! I already had a busted blade grinder, should have gone with the flow and ruined my burr grinder in the process too xD
This is the BEST Burr vs Blade Grinder video out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for doing this, I will be buying a burr grinder thanks to You.
It's amazing how much the hand grinder market has changed over the last year with all of the Comandante copycat designs. I love my Timemore C3!
Yusss, the handgrinder industry really has changed over the past year or so! Also, glad to see you speed running my channel haha :P
Man, you definitely have a knack for explaining things. You don't see many people go that far to help folks understand things in such a simple, approachable way. I'm sure many out there will appreciate this!
As for my grinders I currently use three. The Baratza Encore is my general purpose and I would probably consider it my daily driver. It's versatile and the grind quality is pretty good. I also have a Ceado E5P that I use for espresso. 64mm flat burrs and grinds a dose (18g) in about 10-12 seconds. My most recent is the 1Zpresso JX-Pro. Because I rotate beans daily (and sometimes 2-3 different beans the same day), I wanted a grinder with minimal retention and that's also easy to clean. Hand grinders in my opinion are much easier to take care of and as for retention, with the JX-Pro I'm pretty much getting zero using RDT (measured to 1/100th of a gram which is crazy). To top it off, it's a really fast grinder.
Going forward, I don't think I'll look to electric grinders for upgrading. My dream used to be to one day get a KafaTek Monolith, but luckily I have since come to my senses. I think at a certain price point it's less about quality, and rather about what get's highlighted in your cup. I'd be better off with maybe one more hand grinder (thinking the Timemore Slim Plus) and another burr set for my Ceado (SSP Red Speed). I think I'd be set then... or maybe free to waste money on other coffee stuff, haha.
Appreciate the head nod :D I love finding more straightforward analogies to explain complex concepts. Why does it have to be so tricky!
That's a good thing to mention; if you are brewing with multiple beans in one day, then a hand grinder with minimal retention will minimize headaches! You might have noticed, but I have this 2D printed mod on the Rocky as it had a LOT of grind retention. Seriously a couple of grams get stuck in there from a thoroughly cleaned state when used for the first time... That's a second thumbs up for the 1Zpresso in the comments; I will have to give it a closer look!
I haven't heard of Ceado E5P. Looks beasty! What are your thoughts on it for espresso?
The KafaTek Monolith is seriously such a gorgeous grinder but not everyone's cup of coffee. Analogy time! Grinders are like the vehicles in your garage! Would you rather have various vehicles suited for different purposes (off-road, casual, racing, drifting, scooter, boat etc.) or one specialized supercar?
So true, the coffee rabbit hole never ends rawr +_+
@@brewinghabits I was sold on the JX-Pro after watching Asser's video: czcams.com/video/KWs80A67joc/video.html
About the E5P. It's Ceado's barebones model. No frills. You're basically paying for the chassis, motor, and burr set. It's very capable though. I know that if there's anything wrong with my shots, it wasn't the grinder. I was really hyped to get it thinking it will be my end all be all, but I probably had my hopes too high and so it was a letdown initially. But it's grown on me and now I'm thoroughly happy with it. I got it with the intention of using it single dose, which it wasn't designed for. Retention bothered me quite a bit early on and cleaning the internals is a pain, but I realized that most of these grinders (even ones costing 4-5 times as much) have the same issues. I've managed to get retention fairly low now. I improvised a stand that allows me to prop it up at an angle (like many of the high-end low retention grinders) and modified the inside flap (there to break up clumps) to reduce ground accumulation. Adding RDT to the process helped as well. Also I don't rotate beans with this grinder, and clean it when I change bags. So now I don't need to worry about my singe-origins becoming blends, haha.
I've finally matured in my coffee journey, and can totally relate to your vehicle analogy. The thought of having multiple grinders, each well suited for different circumstances (and not going broke while doing it) sits well with me.
Quite a solid review; it's even decent for espresso! The steps' granularity seems relatively minuscule (It has even more increments than my ol' boi Rocky +_+), and the grind speed is relatively fast (with a 45s grind time for 18g).
It is always great to know that your efforts and knowledge have gotten you to a peak in your coffee journey and can consistently brew a good cup of coffee.
To be a tour guide for the masses and bring more people to that peak is pretty much the dream of the Brewing Habits channel!
On that note, any coffee topics you feel are under-represented, were easier to understand or just researched more? Always looking for new video ideas :D
Where did your comment disappear to?! I vaguely remember reading it before bed yesterday soooo yes I have seen that grinder on Kickstarter! It reminds me of the Fellow ODE Kickstarter in vibes but targeted towards on-the-go/convenience and modularity.
As for how it will fair, it looks like a solid grinder with good construction but only time will tell once backers get it in their hands.
Excellent breakdown on grinders Paul. I wish I had seen this before buying my grinder(s). Like you, my first was a Hario Skerton and I also had the wobbling issue. I hear the new models have corrected that problem as well as improving how you set the grind level. I still use the Hario when I travel and installed a kit to stabilize the lower end of the shaft which makes a big difference by eliminating the wobble. Cheers!
I bet that the Hario Skerton is the most bought entry-level burr grinder! You can't go wrong with its low price tag! I have seen the mods, and it does help the wobbliness. Are you referring to the upgrade kit you can buy that adds an extra metal circular stabilizer to the crankshaft?
@@brewinghabits Yes, that's it exactly. It works great and is simple to install. I do like the improved grind setting of the new models though. No point if buying a new one though, ha.
Haha yea I don't think there is a world where the Hario Skerton Pro even WITH the fix would be a sensible "upgrade" from your Fellow Ode :P
Really like your videos. using a 1zpresso Q2, but still not sure what I’m looking for. I think I got good results on one of my beans using your videos.
Mine was a Hario skearton also, now upgraded to a 1zpresso Je.
My first one is the 1zpresso jx-pro. Haven't ventured into the espresso land yet. My next one is probably a eureka mignon or the niche.
I never used the 1zpresso jx-pro. What are your thoughts on it? Espresso is a deep rabbit hole. It was a bit too much time, effort and hassle for me so I sold all of my espresso equipment like 3 years after wading in the deep end lol. Imo, I would only recommend getting into espresso if you are incredibly passionate, have extra funds, countertop space AND want a new hobby (as espresso is a different beast compared to filter coffee)!
@@brewinghabits well said. It’s the money. It’s far in the future. I’m a bid fan of the Kalimantan wave and the v60. My jx-pro has been super consistent with grind soz and have got only good things to say. It accommodates 35-40gm as well. Easy for 1-2 ppl. 👌🏾
From a bit of googling, it indeed looks like a pretty decent handgrinder! Will have to keep that name in my backpocket of recommendations :D
Now, Timemore has a new version of handgrinder, the Timemore C3. Wonder to get this, or the Commandante M4? The only product I have from Timemore in my manual brew setup, is the Timemore Black mirror coffee scale. Want to upgrade to Pearl Acia scale, but I think my priority is a high-quality hand grinder. Motivated by espresso brewing, the 4Ms of espresso, one cannot undermine the importance of good grinder to brew good cups of coffee. To me, as long as the scale has 0.1 grams steps, and is quite sensitive, I do not see the need to invest in Pearl scale, heck even the kettle I am just using the V60 gooseneck kettle, and not Brewista kettle.
As much as I love the Timemore C3, I cannot recommend it for grinding espresso. While it can grind quite fine, its grind adjustment has steps that are too big. It would be next to impossible to dial in the right grind setting. For an entry level hand grinder for espresso, I recommend the 1Zpresso JX-Pro. Every step of its grind adjustment shifts the burrs 12.5 micrometers, which allows even more fine tuning than the Comandante C40, which adjusts at 30 micrometer steps.
awesome video! ☕️
For the first month or so I really got into coffee, I used a hand-me-down electric grinder. It was small and cheap. It didn’t have any settings, just one button to start/stop the machine. Obviously it was nice of my parents to lend me the grinder, but I knew I needed a change, so I bought a Hamilton Beach grinder. It’s still cheap (cheap enough for a broke Uni student), but better than what I had! I do wish I had seen the video before I bought though, I probably would’ve saved an extra $30 or so to buy a burr grinder 😅 not sure which one I should go for, though!
Yea, there are many coffee grinders out there that are blade grinders, so it's easy to buy one if you don't know the difference between the two grinder types! At least you can blame your lousy coffee days on the grinder... for now :P
IMO, if you are looking for a burr grinder under $100, then a hand grinder like the Hario Slim, Porlex and Timmemore would be your best option. If you are looking for an entry-level electric grinder, then the Baratza Encore ($200) is a crowd favourite. More expensive options after these price ranges start becoming subjective with its aesthetic and your wants and needs!
@@brewinghabits Thanks, I’ll keep those in mind! Great job on the video!
Interesting enough, I had a low end ceramic grinder when I first started.
Only lasted for 2 months tho until the center shifted and no longer produce only coarse, but also a lot of fines.
Now I'm using Timemore C2, cheapest steel hand grinder out there (at least for me here in Indonesia).
The result? Never again I'm gonna recommend others for having a ceramic grinder, start with this grinder.
Once you go steel you can't go back to ceramic.
I've had the same experience as you! To play the devil's advocate, I think that there is an overwhelming amount of high-end stainless steel burr grinders compared to ceramic burr grinders out there so perhaps the data is just skewed. For example, the Baratza Vario has great reviews and there doesn't seem to be any complaints about it having ceramic burrs at the $500+ range!
But for now, I am sticking to you in the same boat. I'll only recommend ceramic burrs if your budget is less than $100!
@@brewinghabits apparently you can get the timemore c2 for less than $100. It only costs me around $45-$50!
Waaah, I re-checked the pricing that I can get it for and its still $100+ Canadian Dollars. US Dollars is still $80+ with taxes! You must have gotten a sweet hookup with the $50 price! xD
Can you grind other things than coffee like nuts or dried plants in a burr grinder
nice