Unpopular opinion: my $20 thrift store grinder beats my friend's $400 machine

Last week I pulled shots at my buddy's place in Austin using his fancy Baratza setup, then came home and got a better crema with my rusty hand grinder from Goodwill. I think his burrs were just too clean or something, has anyone else noticed new gear isn't always an upgrade?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerr291mo agoMost Upvoted

wait, did you clean your grinder before you went over there? i feel like a lot of people don't realize that old grinders have seasoned burrs that actually grip the beans better. plus, sometimes new machines come with burrs that are just too sharp or polished and they slice through the beans instead of crushing them proper. i've had a vintage hand grinder for years and it makes way better espresso than my friend's new smart grinder. sometimes the old stuff just has more character and does the job better, even if it looks rough.

noah91721d ago

actually its not just about the season or burrs, its about the bearing tolerances. i got a vintage zass from the 60s and found out the shaft has play in it, which is actually good for espresso because it lets the burrs wobble a tiny bit under load and create micro adjustment. new grinders have super tight bearings that eliminate that wobble and you end up getting way more fine dust instead of actual particle distribution. theres a whole rabbit hole on the espresso forums about older grinders having intentional "gnash" built into the design. honestly i think most people overlook how much engineering went into those old things versus the cheap CNC style pieces you get now.

hart.ryan1mo ago

Wait you have a vintage hand grinder that you actually use for espresso? I didn't know those pre-2000 ones could even get fine enough for that, I thought they were all just for drip.