Customer Reviews

Capresso 503.05 Stainless Steel Cool Grind Coffee Grinder, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really want to like this grinder, but after a couple weeks of use I'm disappointed enough to shop for a replacement. I've been grinding coffee beans for +/- 15 years using less expensive machines, and decided to upgrade to a "better" grinder this time instead of simply replacing my Krups Fast Touch.

Pluses: the round design is comfortable to hold and has small footprint in cabinet, built-in cord storage is an excellent feature, easy to operate, round design is little less messy than the Krups Fast Touch when transferring grounds to canister, a little quieter than other machines due to lower pitch of moter sound, operates cooler than others so no scorching to interfere with taste.

Minuses: coarse grind only, grinds unevenly even after pulsing and shaking to mix contents, max capacity is more like 7 cups of grinds not 15 cups as advertised, blades are less sturdy than Krups Fast Touch.

There aren't many minuses here but function outweighs aesthetics. The blades are seated higher than the Krups Fast Touch which makes the grinder produce only a coarse, auto-drip, grind. I much prefer a fine grind, even for use in a drip maker, for more intense flavor and less bean consumption.

However it doesn't work as well as my previous one from Pavoni. The cover on the Capresso fits around the outside of the grinder so when you transfer the ground coffee to another container there is always some cleanup required. It also takes longer to get the beans finely ground.

I decided to write this review to balance out the undeservedly-low 3.5 star average rating this grinder currently has on Amazon.
We have previously owned Krups grinders, and were most recently using a Proctor Silex E160B grinder, but my wife grew tired of its tiny grinding capacity.
After 6 months of grinding 2 lbs of beans a month, here are our impressions:

This Capresso is an upgrade from all previous grinders we have owned in every respect that concerns us:
1) it can hold & grind 2-3 times as many beans as the Proctor Silex in a single load
2) it is much quieter than our other grinders
3) it opens much easier, and spills less after grinding
4) the cord storage if far quicker, & less prone to jamming than our Proctor Silex
5) we can grind an entire pound of beans in about 5-6 grinder-loads - with the Proctor Silex it was at least 1 dozen.

I've read the other reviews for this grinder, and would like to address some of the pros/cons mentioned by other reviewers:
Convenience or perfection, choose ONE:
If you want a "perfect" grind, stop buying blade grinders and go spend $300+ for a top-of-the-line burr grinder!!!
The burr grinder will be heavy, cost 12x as much, take up 6x as much storage/countertop space, will be a major pain to clean, but it will deliver coffee-house perfect grinds.
You can have affordable convenience, or a perfect grind, NOT BOTH !!!

Specific "issues" addressed by others reviewers:
* Grind consistency gripes: ALL top loading blade grinders have consistency issues. It is true that the grind consistency isn't perfect, but it's better than our old Proctor Silex. We've had no trouble getting a consistently fine grind by shaking the machine once or twice while the motor runs and grinding for an additional 10 seconds or so.
* Spillage: we get far less spillage than with our little Proctor Silex - both because the lid is much less prone to jamming and because we're no longer overloading it with too many beans.
* Cleaning: It takes me 5 seconds with a 1" paintbrush to thoroughly clean the entire machine. I'm a bit puzzled how one reviewer claims to have difficulty cleaning underneath the blades. I simply push them aside with my brush and keep on brushing.

Punchline: I'd give it 4.5 stars with the caveat that I'd like to see Capresso continue to tweak blade design in the search of even better grind consistency.
At the end of the day, it is the quality of your beans that make for a good cup of coffee. If you can deal with a "very good" grind that still produces an excellent cup of coffee from high-quality beans, this grinder will do the trick.
If you're in search of perfection at any price, have fun spending some serious time researching your burr grinder purchase.

The Capresso is stylish and perfect for grinding my Kona coffee beans for espresso. The price was also right, so it was a win win purchase.

If you grind your own coffee beans, as we do, this nifty grinder will do exactly what you need. When our last one finally wore out after many years of use, we decided to stay with a good thing. It's safe, easy to use, and does what it supposed to do. How nice!

I wish that I loved this grinder as much as I loved the aesthetic appearance. I've been using it for a year now, and the drawbacks have become enough that I'm going to have to look for a replacement. Let's start with the pros:

1) The grinder has a nice ergonomic design which makes it easy to handle.
2) The cord is easy to wrap up and keep counter space clear. If you're not a regular drinker of coffee this also makes storage a lot easier in the cabinet.
3) The grinder has a small footprint in your cabinet or on your counter.
4) Unlike many grinders, this one will not overheat and scorch your beans, or become uncomfortable to handle.
5) Very quiet, which is a huge plus when you're used to listening to your grinder rattle incessantly or whir loudly while using it.

Now on to the cons that have made this an unusable grinder for me:

1) While you will still need to shake the grinder to get an even mix, you have no settings for grind speed. For someone that isn't used to grinding beans (like my other half) this means that coffee can come out too coarse or too finely ground.
2) There is constant drop off of your coffee grinds, they become stuck in the lid and as such fall all over your counter no matter how careful you are.
3) Drawing off of point two, because of how messy this grinder is you end up with coffee grounds stuck under the base of the machine.
4) As you have a higher set blade it takes a lot longer to grind your beans finely. It's inevitably not a big thing at the onset but it becomes as annoying as waiting for a slow elevator.
5) This is a difficult little grinder to clean, even with a brush you're going to have problems getting under the blades.
6) Blades on this machine dull rather quickly, within a few months of heavy usage (two pots a day it would seem is too much) you're going to end up having to spend longer and longer getting through your beans. After a year this can become intolerable, especially on those groggy mornings where you'd really like an easy time making a pot of coffee.

When all is said and done while this is a nice looking, quiet, and ergonomic machine it has a lot of flaws. Even on sale it isn't really worth the price based on performance. Look elsewhere if you're a coffee afficionado or even if you're just a regular coffee drinker. If you want something that looks good but doesn't work particularly well - enough to get by on - this may be the machine for you.

I was extremely disappointed with this coffee grinder. The coffee stuck to the inside of the lid while grinding, which covered it and made it impossible to see the ground coffee/ the stage of the grounds. Removing the lid to check the status of the coffee beans resulted in a big mess, grounds everywhere. Grounds also get stuck in the lid when putting it back on to grind the coffee more. The lever/piece on top you push down to grind was also flimsy! I definitely would not waste your time on this product.

The Cool Grind is easy to use, and it works great for us for both coffee beans and spices like dried rosemary, lavender, flax seed and cardamom. The best part is the way it unlocks the aroma and flavor when you grind.

This looks great but not that great for grinding spices. Good for Coffee grinding only.