An amusing replica of old time coffee grinders. I ran into the real deal at a thrift shop a few days after I received the Norpro. It's a pretty authentic replica except for the ceramic grinder. The old time grinder, of course, has vastly superior build (it would have to just to survive intact to the present day).
When it came time to buy a new coffee grinder , I took one look at the electric coffee grinders and just shuddered and said no. My ancient grinder would not grind beans evenly unless I shook the whole unit as I pressed the on button. It was so loud I didn't want to use it in the morning. So I went with the manual .
Watch out for all the little parts. I almost returned it before I ran one last check through all the packaging materials and found the final knob buried in a corner.
The grinder works very well. The improvement in flavor over blade grinders is distinctly noticeable. I haven't tried to fine tune the grind yet since fiddling with the adjustment is annoying but the grind looks and tastes great in my coffee press. Not experiencing any urgent need to experiment.
It's easy to overload the grinder. The reservoir for the beans is much larger than the little drawer that holds the ground coffee.
Yes, it does take time to grind enough beans for 1-2 cups of coffee. However, it takes even longer for my water to boil. I just keep reminding myself: this is a great time to stop and smell the coffee.
Do I regret the difficulty making more than 2 cups of coffee at a time? Much less than I expected. The improvement in coffee flavor is so significant, I'm happier drinking less coffee. Better to have 1-2 cups of happiness than 3-4 cups of bitter disappointment.
The grinding action is reasonably easy. So far, it hasn't kicked off any of my carpal tunnel issues. You are better off going at a medium pace; grinding faster doesn't help much because gravity doesn't feed beans in fast enough. Grinding at a steady pace, there is no need to shake or tap the unit, the beans feed in smoothly..
You can't possibly grind fast enough to overheat the coffee.
The wood for the grinder is the weakest element of the build. It looks great but it's cheap, lightweight wood. It won't survive frequent washing or other forms of abuse. I just accept that and tap the drawer clean after each use.
What to do if you have guests? Err...., put them to work? They might find it amusing....
Overall, this is a very low cost option for a burr grinder. Unlike many burr grinders, it will produce grounds coarse enough for a french press.
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