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57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quite Happy With It, December 15, 2002
This review is from: Braun KMM30 Coffee/Espresso Mill, White (Kitchen)
This is a very nice piece of equipment. I guess how you will react to it depends on your attitude about coffee. If you're a real coffee fan on a budget, you'll love it. If the idea of grinding coffee fresh is new to you and you're not sure it's worth it, you might find this one too much trouble -- start with one of those little chopper mills (the ones with exposed blades like a blender).My favorite feature is that the grind is *really* adjustable, which wasn't the case with the conventional Krups grinder that served me for many years. My wife likes French press coffee (very coarse) and I like an extra-fine drip. For years, she's been making do with "sorta coarse" and I've been making do with "kinda fine," but now she gets coarse and I get fine (I use the coarsest espresso setting). As for faults, yes, it's a little messy, although it's not like it spews coffee grounds on your ceiling. I keep mine on a paper plate on the counter, which contains the debris just fine. The noise is considerably less than either conventional grinders or chopper-type mills -- it's loud, but you won't wake everyone in the house unless they're very light sleepers. And of course the setting on the side doesn't = the number of cups -- how big is a coffee cup anyway? Assuming you make coffee in the same pot every day, you'll quickly figure out the right amount of beans and the right twist on the knob. My last Krups machine lasted 15 years. This one seems well built as well.
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reliable Work Horse - One of Best in Its Price Range, January 2, 2007
This review is from: Braun KMM30 Coffee/Espresso Mill, White (Kitchen)
The Braun KMMM30 is a very reliable grinder. My Braun coffee grinder after a year of use is still working great and has never jamed on me unlike some others. The grind is consistant. I don't think that there is a better coffee grinder in its price range. The only negative is that if you pull off the side coffee ground holder for cleaning, a very small amount of the grounds spill out onto the counter from the exposed hole where the grounds exit into the hopper on the upper side.
Some coffee snobs say the espresso grind from this Braun is not quit fine enough for their high end $500+ espresso machines such as the non-presurized finicky Rancilio Silvia. However, my Braun produced a nice espresso grade powder for my everyday pressurized espresso machine when I wanted it. This Braun coffee grinder will produce satisfactory results for most of the more predictable and less finicky everyday pressurized espresso machines.
Espresso geeks with high end non-pressurized more finicky home espresso machines such as the high quality Rancilio Silvia or Solis SL70 may want to consider a more elegant and finer coffee grinder such as the Capresso Infinity, Solis Maestro, or Kitchenaid Pro-Line and such. However, I sent back my much touted bean jamming Solis Maestro and am quit happy with this Braun grinder instead. The everyday coffee drinker (or espresso drinker with an everyday pressurized espresso machine) will probably love this reliable yet reasonably priced grinder.
Pros: A very reliable "Can Do" Coffee Grinder, one of the best in its very affordable price range.
Con: A little messy pulling out side feeding ground coffee holder for cleaning (however, the lid on the ground holder can be removed for easy access of the grounds with the included spoon. Yes it is a little noisy but not that bad at all.
Note: Although there is no pulse grinding button, you can simply move the timer slightly and hold it until you have ground what you want then let it go and it will turn off instantly.
Alternate buying suggestions: If you don't mind spending twice as much for a more refined coffee grinder, the Capresso Infinity, Kitchenaid Pro-Line, and Solis Maestro are good machines. The Kitchenaid and Solis however are known to have the beans get caught in the hopper occasionally requiring you to shake the grinder or poke the beans to resume the grinding. Also, both the heavy duy Rancilio espresso machine and the lower priced pressurized but still good Solis SL70 put out great high end espresso and can also be purchased at an even lower price as refurbished-factory returns. Unless you are a coffee geek or just make lattes, etc, lower priced espresso machines will do fine. The Delonghi Bar32 makes a nice espresso machine with a stainless boiler and porta filter (no aluminum). It is one of the few stainess lower priced espresso machines around. The Capresso Espresso pro is a good espresso machine and says all stainless but has an aluminum porta filter although the filter cup is stainless. However, if you are in the Capresso Espresso Pro price range, you may want to look at the Solis SL70 instead.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad little grinder, January 22, 2002
This review is from: Braun KMM30 Coffee/Espresso Mill, White (Kitchen)
I'm not a big fan of the grind in the cup models. Too difficult to get a decent espresso grind without getting a purely pulverized bottom layer. I think this model, which I have owned and used for over 5 years now, has passed the test. I have read all of the reviews for this and similar items, and I feel that I have definately got my money's worth out of it and then some.People have already commented on the shortcomings. The machine grinds on the fine side, which works well with a gold cone, vaccuum seal or french press. I own all 3 types and everyone comments on how good the coffee is. The static can be a bit of a problem, but like one reviewer wrote, let it set for about 1 minute and it will be pretty much gone. A wipe on the counter with a sponge and all the mess made (minimal) will be gone. I don't clean this unit very often (once every 4-5 months or so) and I haven't noticied any ill affects on the taste of the coffee. That may help reduce the level of static. I do tend toward the dark, oily roasts. One complaint that I really haven't seen anywhere is the penchant for the coffee to build up in the chute when grinding a fair amount. Kind of a pain as you have to turn it off, clean out the chute (easy enough), and grind more. I have found that shaking the unit while grinding helps alleviate this and helps the beans fall into the grinder (they sometimes stick to each other if really oily). On the positive. This is a sturdy unit. It has lasted 5 years. It does grind from coarse to fine, and does a fair job on the coarse side, a wonderful job on the fine (which on the dial is medium and on). the cleanup is minimal, and the mess when grinding is pretty much non-existent (not until you open the grinder container do you get a little mess). I would give it a five star rating if they could improve on the chute buildup issue. Maybe make a lever that can be used from the outside to pass any backup. All in all, I am satisfied with this grinder.
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