Coffee Appreciation

Right, I have a Gaggia Classic, picked up from here, tamper, beans and I thought I was ready to go when I picked up a Sboly burr grinder but, oh no, under no circumstances will this do - I've got to drop at least a weeks wages on an appropriate grinder suitable for espresso!!

Is this the coffee equivalent of 'nothing less than Ultegra will do' or will the Sboly be suitable on the finest grind settings....I understand buying pre-ground is also a no-no....Is my flirtation with 'proper coffee' over before it even started?....I can't afford to drop 100 odd quid on a suitable grinder quite frankly!

You could buy beans "pre-ground" for espresso, best off getting small quantities from a reputable roaster.

Until you can get an espresso specific grinder.

I have an Ascaso that I rarely use (bought from on here) but it does a much better job at fine grinds than the daily driver for filter coffee.

The thing is you may need to adjust the grind a small amount to make a big difference to output, and you just cant get that level of refinement in a non-espresso specific grinder.
(partly the reason I have yet to pull the trigger on a proper espresso machine)

I mean, you can try and get it as fine as possible, but ultimately, that will be the limiting factor in getting tasty home espresso. If you have a read back on this thread, a quality grinder is a strong investment for consistency in coffee making.

It's more like trying to run ultegra on campag shifters. Might do part of the job but definitely not build for it.

I found a Porlex to be fine enough (in both regards) for espresso, if you're looking for a cheaper option. Still a bit pricey for a hand grinder but cheaper than a Niche or similar. Also I've heard good things about the Timemore C2 hand grinder which might be another option.

Good post - added a few more

https://girlswhogrindcoffee.com/collecti­ons/subscriptions
https://climpsonandsons.com/collections/­subscriptions
https://www.caravancoffeeroasters.co.uk/­collections/subscription
https://www.ancoats-coffee.co.uk/product­s/subscriptions
https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/collectio­ns/subscriptions
https://assemblycoffee.co.uk/pages/assem­bly-subscriptions
https://workshopcoffee.com/pages/subscri­be
https://hard-lines.co.uk/coffee/coffeeclub
https://www.darkartscoffee.co.uk/products/monthly-subscription-1
https://friedhats.com/products/friedhats-coffee-subscription?

https://longshortlondon.com/coffee-shop/coffee/the-narrative-coffee-subscription/
https://girlswhogrindcoffee.com/collecti­ons/subscriptions
https://climpsonandsons.com/collections/­subscriptions
https://www.caravancoffeeroasters.co.uk/­collections/subscription
https://www.ancoats-coffee.co.uk/product­s/subscriptions
https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/collectio­ns/subscriptions
https://assemblycoffee.co.uk/pages/assem­bly-subscriptions
https://workshopcoffee.com/pages/subscri­be
https://hard-lines.co.uk/coffee/coffeecl­ub
https://www.darkartscoffee.co.uk/product­s/monthly-subscription-1
https://friedhats.com/products/friedhats­-coffee-subscription?

I have consistently really enjoyed the long and short coffee sub

Generally you don't have to spend big to get very nice coffee, but espresso depends entirely on finding a sweet spot of flow rate which is primarily determined by grind size. Therefore the grinder is the most important part of an espresso setup.

That said, you can try with your grinder, you might even be able to mod it a bit finer, and if you can;t go fine, then try using the pressurised portafilter. There's nothign wrong with that, it will still taste nice and you can steam milk to go with it and practice latte art.

I started with a classic and a modded dualit grinder like yours. I made bad espresso, but I made tasty milk drinks and learned a bit until I got a used commercial grinder for £60 on gumtree.

Just try making coffee and see what you get within your limitations.

Thanks @neu @DethBeard @Double_J @mmccarthy - what you say makes absolute sense....my wife wasn't all that enamoured with the prospect of my tentative dalliance into the world of home espresso making - words too naughty and spiteful to repeat on here (she is 37 weeks pregnant) - when the Gaggia Classic made a belated appearance this morning so it's going back up for sale on here later if no response from the 2nd/3rd dibsers on the original thread I've pm'd. I'll reignite this interest 'dreckly' as we say down here.

ok, my lovely wife has suddenly come around to the idea, so long as it's in the future, of my making espresso based drinks so I'm going to sit tight for a while until a doozie of a bargain suitable grinder comes up....Right at the very bottom of the 'perfectly appropriate' grinder for espresso category and price-range; i figure it's probably easier/cheaper ultimately to get the right tool for the job than gradually make do, modding etc to eventually get to the 'right tool for the job' further down the line...should anyone come across anything, manual or electric, please shout but I'll read the thread and check out some suggestions
Thanks

Just think £100 is only about a month of espressos from a cafe.

Less than half that at my local...

Ah yeah I’m talking speciality where a double should be at least £2

Buy a right fancy hand grinder designed for espresso, or look on ebay for an Iberital MC2. These are likely your cheapest options for grinders that will make decent espresso.

done - will only use for espresso (espresso based drinks). Please give me some suggestions at the lower end of the price range but that will grind appropriately for espresso. Thanks

The cheapest hand grinder that's suitable for espresso and is very good is the 1Zpresso JX-Pro. There may be others out there now that are also really good, but this one is great. New motorized grinders at the same price... not sure I'd bother. Cheapest that is probably decent is the Sage Smart Grinder Pro.

Someone will probably come along and tell me how wrong I am and that's totally fine (:

I need to start thinking about a hand grinder and beans strategy for when we relocate to another country for a few months. Will only be drinking cafetiere or filter though so hopefully that will make the choice easier and/or cheaper.

Any forum favourite hand grinders that don't need to do espresso?

I have (and use) a rhino hand grinder.
Was a gift a few years ago
I use it daily for my aeropress in le office.
Solid construction.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Iberital-MC2-Auto-domestic-coffee-grinder-/275186264446?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Edit - not mine, just an example of what's out there.

Any forum favourite hand grinders that don't need to do espresso?

Another vote for the Rhino, cheap and robust. Doesn't go fine enough for espresso, but if you're looking for filter only it's perfectly suitable. Also has the advantage of having a hex bit on top (as opposed to the penta bit you get with the Porlex), so you can easily slap a drill on it.

Any forum favourite hand grinders that don't need to do espresso

Rhino
Porlex / Porlex Mini
Hario
Zassenhaus

All will see you well.

rhino, as above its better than the porlex ones.
or a Made by Knock if you have the moolah.

Made by Knock.

Thanks everybody, just the kind of suggestions I was looking for.

Timemore c2, £40-45 on AliExpress. £55~ from uk sellers.

Worth the tiny bit extra over other entry level grinders as it is a bit better. Can only fit about 30g beans at once tho, minor gripe. Think they do a large version. Edit: the c2 max is the large. It says capacity is 25g, but I fit 30g to the brim of the normal one regularly and it works fine.

I've been using a Kinu M47 for a while now and whilst it makes great espresso I admit that my innate laziness made me buy an electric machine - and I just got an email telling me that my new Niche will arrive tomorrow. Much excite.

The M47 is going to go with the 9Barista into my camping setup. I need to make a nice box for them both so they don't have a fight with the Trangia.