Coffee Grinder?

[pasusan]

The other topic about coffee brought this question to mind...

We use a french press while camping.

I'm looking for a coffee grinder that makes medium to largish grounds so the filter in the french press does a better job. We have been buying the pre-ground coffee for our trips, but don't like the grounds in our cups of coffee.

I'm not sure if we should have a small (non-electric) one to bring with us and grind new beans every day - or - one to leave at home and bring a jar of grounds with us.

Any suggestions?

[wa8yxm]

Oh, if anyone interested in this thread is passing past exit 49 on I-95 in Georgia (Darian exit) Kitchen Collection in the Darian Outlet mall (West side of freeway) is closing on Jan 26,, They have a very nice Electric Burr type grinder by Cuisinart on the shelves. Did not check the price.

[ewarnerusa]

A post of mine about a manual grinder

Although it appears they don't make the one I purchased anymore. New one looks like this:

http://gsioutdoors.com/products/pdp/javamill/coffee

I've been doing Moka pot or French Press for years. I've gotten into the habit of never drinking the last few sips of any cup due to the dregs.

[2012Coleman]

pasusan wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:
Not trying to be a smart alek, but if your current coffee tastes good and the only complaint is grounds in your coffee, then why don't you just pour it into the cup through a small strainer?

I occasionally use a french press, and this is what I do.

One doesn't need to be a smart aleck to give some advice. 😉
And thanks very much for this - believe it or not I never thought of it. Found what looks like a good one on Amazon:



I definitely will grind beans if just for the fun of it, not to mention the wonderful aroma while grinding. The strainer should help in any case.

Great! This is exactly what I use. And if for some reason grounds still get through, you can tear a piece of coffee filter to size and line the strainer with it.

[pasusan]

2012Coleman wrote:
Not trying to be a smart alek, but if your current coffee tastes good and the only complaint is grounds in your coffee, then why don't you just pour it into the cup through a small strainer?

I occasionally use a french press, and this is what I do.

One doesn't need to be a smart aleck to give some advice. 😉
And thanks very much for this - believe it or not I never thought of it. Found what looks like a good one on Amazon:



I definitely will grind beans if just for the fun of it, not to mention the wonderful aroma while grinding. The strainer should help in any case.

[2012Coleman]

Not trying to be a smart alek, but if your current coffee tastes good and the only complaint is grounds in your coffee, then why don't you just pour it into the cup through a small strainer?

I occasionally use a french press, and this is what I do.

[pasusan]

Thanks very much for the additional replies. I've got the antique grinder cleaned up and will try to get to the store for beans - then we'll see how it goes. I'm thinking this grinder is the burr type as the mechanism looks a lot like this one on the left with the grooves:

[DrewE]

pasusan wrote:
OP here -- Thanks all for the responses. We have done the grinding at the store, but still find the coffee grains aren't large enough even when we set it to coarse. And we don't want to spend a lot on a grinder since we use the Keurig at home.

While I was walking through the house after I posted this I came face to face with the antique coffee grinder we have mounted on the wall in the kitchen. I'm thinking of taking it apart to clean the grinding part and then giving it a try with some fresh beans.

It looks like this:



Not sure how coarse it will turn out since you just turn the crank to grind it and there is no real control, but we'll see. 🙂

There may be an adjustment screw in the middle of the handle axle, or on the back, kind of like a pepper mill?

New hand-cranked coffee grinders are available from various places. Lehman's carries a few and their store in Kidron, OH is a fun place to visit and is close enough to the Erie, PA area to make a nice day trip, if you're looking for an excuse to get out of the house during winter.

[mosseater]

The Capresso is a great grinder. Very happy with mine. The burr grinders don't impart the heat into the bean like the blade grinders do.

[cbconway]

I found blade grinders okay if I was using a paper filter, but for a french press the grind was simply not uniform enough -- resulting in too much sludge at the bottom of the pot. Better grinders, such as the Capresso, produce a uniform grind that results in a cleaner cup. But, hey, a freshly ground cup regardless of the grind is always better than something ground days or weeks ago.

[Jim_Shoe]

I used to drink Navy coffee - and liked it. Therefore, I'm disqualifying my self from answering any questions about taste. As to grinding my own beans, I tried an electric one for awhile. The neighbors got together and reminded me that there was a noise ordinance.

[pasusan]

OP here -- Thanks all for the responses. We have done the grinding at the store, but still find the coffee grains aren't large enough even when we set it to coarse. And we don't want to spend a lot on a grinder since we use the Keurig at home.

While I was walking through the house after I posted this I came face to face with the antique coffee grinder we have mounted on the wall in the kitchen. I'm thinking of taking it apart to clean the grinding part and then giving it a try with some fresh beans.

It looks like this:



Not sure how coarse it will turn out since you just turn the crank to grind it and there is no real control, but we'll see. 🙂

[fj12ryder]

Wow, I had always assumed that roasting coffee would smell terrific. I guess it's the finished product, and not the process. Who knew.

[8ntw8tn]

When our burr grinder gave out last year I did some research and found that the Mr. Coffee blade grinder had some very good reviews. It was inexpensive and I found one at Wal-Mart. For medium to coarse grinds it seems to work every bit as well as the burr grinder did. I've not used it for fine grinds so I don't have any information in that regard. Hope this helps.

[capndan77]

If you plan to roast your own beans in a hot air popcorn popper, you may want to advise your neighbor campers. Our friend roasts his own via this method and twice, while camping together, concerned neighbors called the fire department! They do give off an acrid burning smell but the end result is great coffee.

[Geocritter]

Since 1975 all I've used is a Krupps grinder. When I'm away from the mother ship and exploring in my Caravan I use a little inverter that plugs into my cigarette lighter to power it. Like pitch said you can adjust the grind by experimenting with the grind time. I used to roast my own beans in a West Bend Poppery II hot-air popcorn popper. It did a nice job but I never charted how to adjust the roasting time in response to the ambient outside temperature (you want to roast coffee outside as it gives off an acrid odor when roasting). As a result I had problems with roasting consistency. However, when I got it right the coffee was outstanding!