Anyone Here Using this Coffee Grinder?


 
Thanks for the review. It affirms my impression of what a quality piece this is at such a bargain price
 
My only concern at this point is the longevity of the motor and mechanism driving the burrs and how long the burrs will actually last (ie. quality of the metal). Time will tell I guess. They have another 51 step model on Amazon US focused more for espresso grinding, but it does not appear to be available in Canada or I would give it a try.
 
At the price they sell it, heck, if it lasts 2 or 3 years I'll just buy another LOL, Although they did give a 2 year warranty
 
I put the filter basket on a scale with a filter hit the tare, and then pour 70 grams of beans from the bag into the filter. I dump the beans in the grinder, stir with a few drops of water, grind it up, moisten the filter, then dump the ground coffee in and it's ready to brew.
 
DanHoo said:
I put the filter basket on a scale with a filter hit the tare, and then pour 70 grams of beans from the bag into the filter. I dump the beans in the grinder, stir with a few drops of water, grind it up, moisten the filter, then dump the ground coffee in and it's ready to brew.
Click to expand...
This is similar to the process I use except I'm using a scoop that measures 10-12 grams of beans. 7 scoops into the grinder's bean hopper.
It's very consistent and the results are very enjoyable 😉.
 
While I am experimenting with the best grind settings I am currently grinding one batch at a time. I.E. 69 grams of beans into the hopper then grind and brew. Also am looking at how well the burrs are actually doing their job. I.E., I noticed with the OXO (especially on the dark roast San Francisco coffee I bought through Costco) which tend to be a little more "oily". The OXO was simply "packing up" the burrs. Literally the beans were packed into the burr teeth so what followed was not so much "ground" but "smashed". While this unit no sign of "packing". Everything is simply "ground" properly.
Another thing someone put some thought into. When you remove the bean hopper on this Shardor 2 spring loaded shutters close up the bottom so if you took it off with beans in it. They stay in the hopper.
Honestly impressed for a $59 device. Maybe I should buy another one......................LOL
 
LMichaels said:
While I am experimenting with the best grind settings I am currently grinding one batch at a time. I.E. 69 grams of beans into the hopper then grind and brew. Also am looking at how well the burrs are actually doing their job. I.E., I noticed with the OXO (especially on the dark roast San Francisco coffee I bought through Costco) which tend to be a little more "oily". The OXO was simply "packing up" the burrs. Literally the beans were packed into the burr teeth so what followed was not so much "ground" but "smashed". While this unit no sign of "packing". Everything is simply "ground" properly.
Another thing someone put some thought into. When you remove the bean hopper on this Shardor 2 spring loaded shutters close up the bottom so if you took it off with beans in it. They stay in the hopper.
Honestly impressed for a $59 device. Maybe I should buy another one......................LOL
Click to expand...
I think you're observation regarding the burrs is spot on. I think that many of these newer grinders coming from China are using decent quality burrs and they have mastered how to produce very good quality ones that only a few of the usual suspects used in the past...i.e. Baratza, Capresso, Oxo Delonghi,...the only ones that coffee nerds and kitchen gear review articles focused on. It's hard to find reviews on these newer models other than Amazon user reviews. But there's likely quite a few that are as good if not better than the so-called name brands.
 
So I am experimenting a little with grind level on my current selection of coffee (which I will be using for quite some time as it was so good and so well priced I stocked up) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058E62SC/?tag=tvwb-20 Costco was selling this 3lbs for $10. I thought it was too good to be true, tried one bag and I think I now have 8 or so bags. And the price? Go to confession good price.
Anyway I'm experimenting with grind size on the Moccamaster and their own branded filters. So this question mostly applies to those of you with the Moccamaster. Do you strive to get your grind size to where you end up with a "hole" in the middle of the pile? All grounds are well wetted but I noticed that result since moving on from the OXO. Which really was not "grinding" anymore I discovered but packing up and "smashing" the beans. This new Shardor has opened up a totally different world of flavors.
So just trynna figure out if I have my grind optimized or not?
 
LMichaels said:
So I am experimenting a little with grind level on my current selection of coffee (which I will be using for quite some time as it was so good and so well priced I stocked up) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058E62SC/?tag=tvwb-20 Costco was selling this 3lbs for $10. I thought it was too good to be true, tried one bag and I think I now have 8 or so bags. And the price? Go to confession good price.
Anyway I'm experimenting with grind size on the Moccamaster and their own branded filters. So this question mostly applies to those of you with the Moccamaster. Do you strive to get your grind size to where you end up with a "hole" in the middle of the pile? All grounds are well wetted but I noticed that result since moving on from the OXO. Which really was not "grinding" anymore I discovered but packing up and "smashing" the beans. This new Shardor has opened up a totally different world of flavors.
So just trynna figure out if I have my grind optimized or not?
Click to expand...
I tried a bag of that SF Bay Coffee Company French Roast...I found it so-so....good, not great. I may have bought the last bag because local Costco no longer has it. They do have Kirkland Signature French Roast which is so-so...Likely the same beans in a different bag. It is $9.00 for 2 lbs...decently priced.
I go for a medium-medium coarse grind on both grinders in both houses.
I would compare it to coarse sand or that Sugar in the Raw sugar granules.
I do not get that "hole" that you described. I find the grounds are always evenly saturated. I occasionally interrupt the brew cycle about a third of the way through for 30 seconds to allow for the so-called "bloom"...which very well may be voodoo as I don't notice any real flavor difference.
Also, Moccamaster has at least two different shower heads...a dimpled one and a flat or flush one. Mine are both flat with 9 holes and the hot water disperses randomly and with varied force.
 
I will have to look but I think I have the dimpled one. I do like dark roasts a lot. But not "burnt" tasting which is the taste/aroma I get from Starbucks. Finding dark roast is a royal PIA around here. Sam's used to have a variety (as did Costco) now all I see is med roasts. And they just don't "cut it" for my tastes
 
LMichaels said:
I will have to look but I think I have the dimpled one. I do like dark roasts a lot. But not "burnt" tasting which is the taste/aroma I get from Starbucks. Finding dark roast is a royal PIA around here. Sam's used to have a variety (as did Costco) now all I see is med roasts. And they just don't "cut it" for my tastes
Click to expand...
I prefer dark roast too. Our Costco regularly stocks the Mayorga Cafe Cubano and, (to a lesser extent), Peet's Major Dickason's. Both are a tad pricey. The Cafe Cubano is on sale right now. I took a chance on the SF Bay dark roast, (when it was on sale), and thought it was very good, but it's not always available. The Kirkland 100% Colombian dark roast is pretty good. Not great, but very good. I'm, with you on the Starbucks...I can't get past the burnt.
To keep it OT, I haven't noticed any issues with any of the above, (even the oily beans), with the OXO. I use a coarse grind, (10), for the Chemex. It's been a while since I've used the press, but I'm thinking that I use a similar grind for it. Since a recent trip to New Orleans, I've been adding a scoop, or two, of Cafe Du Monde coffee w/chicory, to the ground coffee. Currently, it's 3 scoops of Cafe Cubano, and two scoops of the Cafe Du Monde. That probably sounds disgusting to the coffee connoisseurs, but I really like the combo.
 
Rick P said:
I prefer dark roast too. Our Costco regularly stocks the Mayorga Cafe Cubano and, (to a lesser extent), Peet's Major Dickason's. Both are a tad pricey. The Cafe Cubano is on sale right now. I took a chance on the SF Bay dark roast, (when it was on sale), and thought it was very good, but it's not always available. The Kirkland 100% Colombian dark roast is pretty good. Not great, but very good. I'm, with you on the Starbucks...I can't get past the burnt.
To keep it OT, I haven't noticed any issues with any of the above, (even the oily beans), with the OXO. I use a coarse grind, (10), for the Chemex. It's been a while since I've used the press, but I'm thinking that I use a similar grind for it. Since a recent trip to New Orleans, I've been adding a scoop, or two, of Cafe Du Monde coffee w/chicory, to the ground coffee. Currently, it's 3 scoops of Cafe Cubano, and two scoops of the Cafe Du Monde. That probably sounds disgusting to the coffee connoisseurs, but I really like the combo.
Click to expand...
I'm a fan of the Peets Major Dickasons...its worth $9/lb to me...picked a few bags up a month ago for $12/bag. The Mayorga Cubano roast is very good. Have a bag on deck in the beach house. The Kirkland Colombian Supremo is my overall go to. It's consistently good. Never had a bad bag yet.
I agree about Starbucks too. I did try the Kirkland Signature roasted by Starbucks...it was acceptable but not great.
 
I think the OXO (at least with the SF Bay coffee) on the finer grind needed by the Moccamaster just packs up. When it happens I noticed the grinds take on a totally different "texture". You can actually have them pack together like wet sand would. Whereas what comes out of the Shardor is actually "granular". So now the coffee is more aromatic and richer tasting. I never saw this "packing" issue with other coffee beans. Only the SF Bay. Can't say why. I'll lay odds too the packing of the burrs is one reason I was having so many "fines" and so much mess thrown around.
Anyway, back to enjoying my coffee again :D
 
OK, so had a weird thing on the new grinder. A couple things I should preface this with. On the OXO there are shutters on the bottom of the bean hopper so you can remove it without "spilling the beans". You have to manually close them. On the Shardor, there are also shutters but they close automatically as soon as you twist the hopper to "unlock" it. Again allowing you to remove a full hopper and not spill the beans. Well I only discovered the shutters on the Shardor when I decided to give the burrs their first cleaning.
So this AM I begin grinding a batch and during my grind an E01 begins flashing. So now I am puzzled and a little "upset" especially since giving this a glowing review on Amazon. So, I check for what this means. Means it sensed beans were not flowing into the burrs correctly. So, I am staring at the thing and realized the hopper is not "square" to the machine base. I look and sure enough, it was not fully locked on, causing the shutters to be partially closed. Gave it a slight twist, it "clicked" right on and all was copasetic again.
 
LMichaels said:
OK, so had a weird thing on the new grinder. A couple things I should preface this with. On the OXO there are shutters on the bottom of the bean hopper so you can remove it without "spilling the beans". You have to manually close them. On the Shardor, there are also shutters but they close automatically as soon as you twist the hopper to "unlock" it. Again allowing you to remove a full hopper and not spill the beans. Well I only discovered the shutters on the Shardor when I decided to give the burrs their first cleaning.
So this AM I begin grinding a batch and during my grind an E01 begins flashing. So now I am puzzled and a little "upset" especially since giving this a glowing review on Amazon. So, I check for what this means. Means it sensed beans were not flowing into the burrs correctly. So, I am staring at the thing and realized the hopper is not "square" to the machine base. I look and sure enough, it was not fully locked on, causing the shutters to be partially closed. Gave it a slight twist, it "clicked" right on and all was copasetic again.
Click to expand...
Sounds like user error of a pretty high tech grinder😉
 
Joe Anshien said:
Ok - Could not resist the $15 coupon as it was just sitting in my Amazon cart. I am in*4*1. I guess I'll be going to Costco for some beans this week;-)
Click to expand...
If you're accustomed to PR style coffee, give the Kirkland Colombian Supremo a try...at about $6/ lb....it's consistently good coffee. How do you brew?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top