Rancilio Rocky Burr Grinder with Doser

Last Updated on Thursday, 8 April 2010 03:09 Written by bjcoffee Thursday, 8 April 2010 03:09

If the quality of grounds is a top criteria for your burr coffee grinder, then the Rancilio Rocky Burr Grinder with Doser may be for you. With 55 settings for grind size, it does a fantastic job of making fine espresso grounds through course French press grounds, and makes it easy to switch from one grind to another.

Our reviewers found the Rocky grinder had all the features of a light commercial grinder, for hundreds less. You will also not need to scream to be heard over your grinder. The Rocky is quiet, precise, and efficient. It has a heavy duty metal frame and no snap together parts, we found it sturdy and well made.

While the Rocky is not the fastest burr grinder we have tested, grinding 21g of coffee in about 45 seconds on a very fine setting, it produces consistent ground coffee every time.

The bottom line–while the Rancilio Rocky Burr Grinder is not inexpensive, it will have you making espressos or cappuccinos as good as your local coffee shop anytime.

KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Coffee Grinder – Onyx Black

Last Updated on Tuesday, 6 April 2010 04:40 Written by bjcoffee Tuesday, 6 April 2010 04:40

Few grinders have elicited the decadent pleasure that our team got from the KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Coffee Grinder – Onyx Black. The KitchenAid was an otherworldly experience that made us want to set aside other grinders and just keep making grounds with it.

Hyperbolic, perhaps. But this grinder is an expensive unit, and worth every penny. KitchenAid boldly points out a few features that burr coffee grinder connoisseurs drool over–450 RPMs, glass bean hopper and bin, all metal grinding mechanism, and 15 different grind settings. If this does not mean anything to you, this translates into low heat to prevent flavor loss, great anti-static features, quality parts that will last for years, and a setting for all your needs from espresso to Turkish coffee.

Virtually all burr grinders will give you a good grind–this one is no exception. The difference lies in the extras. Is the unit easy to clean? Does it provide many grind settings? Will it last a long time? Often grinders provide plastic carafes and bean hoppers. This reduces the cost, but can greatly increase static, which makes cleaning the unit every day a challenge. Often a unit can substitute plastic for metal in the grinder construction–another cost cutting measure, but then the unit will not last as long.

So, if you are asking yourself, is this unit worth the cost, our answer is a resounding yes. If you want to buy a grinder that will work for a long, long time, and make your every day use easy and even fun, the KitchenAid does all this exceptionally well. You will pay more than for the average grinder, but you will save time and money in the long run.

The bottom line–this is a great grinder. If you are willing to pay a little more, you will not be sorry!

Capresso 560.04 Infinity Commercial Grade Conical Burr Coffee Grinder Bundle With Grindz Cleaner

Last Updated on Monday, 5 April 2010 04:39 Written by bjcoffee Monday, 5 April 2010 04:39

The question you need to ask yourself about the Capresso 560.04 Infinity Commercial Grade Conical Burr Coffee Grinder Bundle With Grindz Cleaner is–is this really a commercial grinder as the name would suggest?

Two things that we expect to see from a commercial grinder are (1) prices that are about double this grinder, and (2) the expectation that you will do a lot of grinding with the unit. This grinder pleasantly surprised us price-wise, but we were surprised by the suggestion to only grind three times in a row to prevent static build-up.

The Capresso is a great deal considering the quality and features–it is relatively quiet, has great anti-static properties (again, assuming you only grind less than three times in a row), and the unit features a lower grind speed than most to produce the same results, meaning the heat is kept to an absolute minimum. And the results can be tasted in the coffee.

If you don’t already know about the wonders of burr grinding and when burr coffee grinders make the best coffee, the main thing you need to know is that low heat output and consistent ground size are the hallmarks of the burr grinding process. When a grinder produces less heat, the flavor of the resulting beans is truer and richer than if flavor is lost or modified in the grinder process due to heat. This grinder more than most will prevent any degradation in flavor due to heat loss.

Our reviewers loved the flavor, but our panel was not able to agree on whether this was better for personal use or commercial use. We settled on the recommendation that boutique shops that can grind less than three times in a row will love the quality and cost of the unit–larger commercial shops may find this requirement too stringent. But we also want to stress that for home users, for only a small amount more than many personal use grinders, the Capresso offers a commercial-caliber grind for a non-commercial price.