Capresso Coffee Burr Grinder

I love coffee, and it's kind of a hobby for me. I roast my own beans, and have collected a respectable amount of knowledge about how to make a barista-quality cup at home. I've owned a Capresso Infinity 560 for five years, and I purchased this particular model for a gift exchange. It seemed like a perfect fit: an excellent price for a burr grinder, within the price range of our gift exchange, and it's a brand I am familiar and happy with. This model, though, is not nearly as good as the 560, in my opinion, because of the quality of the grind. It grinds much more evenly than a blade, to be sure, but it creates a lot of "dust" as well. If you really want to get a quality grinder for a great price, I'd recommend the 560 instead. It's usually around $80, but it's well worth the extra money over the lifespan of the product. That being said, if you simply cannot afford that extra money and must choose between this and a blade grinder, this one is clearly the better choice.

I just bought this grinder as a Christmas present for my wife. It grinds quickly and well and is fairly quiet much better than our old blade grinder. The ability to store whole beans in the top dispenser and to store ground coffee in bottom dispenser in the refrigerator is also handy. From what I have considered, it seems to be one of best lower cost burr grinders available.

But as to the "mystery" in my title, actually there are two mysteries:

1) Sometimes when your look for burr grinders on Amazon, this model does not show up. Not sure why, but it might have something to do with the fact that it does not ship directly from Amazon. The supplier names have also changed within the past 2 weeks.

2) It is not listed as a model on the Capresso web site. I tried to register it on the site but cannot, since it is not in their drop-down list of products. In fact, the Capresso web site has no mention of this model (or anything looking like it) in their catalog of grinders, registration page, downloadable instruction manuals, or replacement parts page. Update: the Capresso company e-mailed me that they make this particular model only for Costco, though apparently others get them to resell on Amazon. That still does not seem like a good excuse for Capresso not listing this model on their web site.

The grinder generally works quite well (grinds evenly and as finely as one might want), though the whole beans sometimes get jammed in the top of the grinder. It's easy to clear, but then throws off the measurement of how many cups-worth of beans you wanted to grind. It seems to help if the beans are dried out a bit first, rather than dumped right into the grinder from the freezer when still moist.

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(APRIL 14, 2013 UPDATE)

I've been using this grinder for more than two years now, on an almost every-day basis, and the grinder is still going strong. Use it to grind beans for espresso, paper filter, and french press, and still works just as good as it did two years ago. One of the best purchases ever! I recommend it even more now.

(JANUARY 2011 REVIEW)

Apparently this model is made exclusively for COSTCO, and they were selling it for $30+tax. Found this randomly on the shelf @ my local COSTCO looks like they sell out really fast.

9 settings, and setting 9, which should be really course grind is barely course enough for paper filter. I assume that this is not the best grinder if you want a course grind for your French Press, but will be fine for a paper filter, or espresso machine. I do notice lots of "dust" but that's common, to some degree, with really expensive grinders as well. Static is NOT a problem. just tap the plastic container a little bit, and wait a few seconds before taking the container with the ground coffee out.

What it comes down to is that, if you're lucky enough to pick up one of these at COSTCO, you'll get a decent burr grinder for a great price, and it will allow you to grind your beans fresh.

Don't put your coffee (grinds or beans) in a fridge or freezer if you care about your coffee, taste, quality, etc.

Read Best Reviews of Capresso Coffee Burr Grinder Here

For anyone who does not grind their own coffee beans, you are missing out on really great coffee flavor. It's not that difficult. And for anyone who is using their Braun rotary-blade grinder for coffee beans, STOP. It overheats the beans and interferes with the taste of the coffee. I would not have known this and just assumed it was the way the coffee tasted but for the advice of The Coffee Genius, a friend who knows from coffee to the point of taking it that one step too far and roasting the green beans, instead of buying it pre-roasted. I love coffee, but am not married to it, so grinding is pretty much pushing my coffee envelope as far as it will push. But the difference between burr and rotary grinding is noticable. If you are going to go to the trouble, you might as well get the best taste.

As to the Capresso Coffee Burr Grinder, it works fine for me. The coarser grinds work well for my french press. I use a medium grind for the Keureg, the finest for espresso, and I overgrind on the espresso setting when I want it almost powdery for the little Ibrik. I don't know if that's the right thing to do, but it works for me and if the coffee grinding police show up, I'll lie. The Capresso will grind from 2 to 20 cups worth of beans, you can use the container for storage if you make too much. It's compact and, while not quiet, doesn't sound like a jet is taking off in the kitchen either. For $30 here(or $27 at Costco) and such a lovely improvement in your daily cuppa joe, this would be hard to beat.

If you like coffee, it's just better when you grind the beans yourself. I now buy in smaller quantities and more varieties, and am having a great time experimenting. The Capresso is is easy to operate and presents no problems that I have found. My only difficulty with the machine: my niece borrowed mine and won't give it back. There is a lesson here. Don't tell people why your coffee tastes so good. Just shrug and say "They've really changed the way they make instant, haven't they."

You do get a little bit of the ground coffee on the counter, as noted by some reviewers. This seems to go with the territory, if you ask me. The Braun made a little mess too...and sometimes that plastic cup on top would stick -and when you gave it a good yank, half the coffee went flying. Look, you're grinding coffee. So you get schmutz on the counter. So you wipe it off. We're not talking toxic spill here or calling in the men in hazmat suits. And the truth is, I make a mess no matter what I'm doing, so this did not come as a shock to my system. If Martha Stewart somehow stumbled into my kitchen as i was preparing food, she'd tie a rock around her neck and throw herself off a dock. When I peel an egg, the people next door are picking shell out of their hair for two days. In the grand scheme of things, the coffee grinder mess is one I can tolerate.

And finally, two tips: First, If ground coffee sticks to the plastic container, put the container on the counter and tap it with a spoon--the static or whatever releases. Second, don't throw coffee grounds (home ground or otherwise) down the sink or garbage disposal unless you are eager to contribute to your plumber's vacation fund. Save them up in a plastic bag (in the refrigerator, where nobody can see them) and sprinkle on your roses. (And don't keep coffee or coffee beans in the refrigerator, it dulls the flavor...that's three tips, but who's counting.)

Enjoy.

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I've owned cheap blade grinders in the past, and this is my first burr grinder. I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews of different grinders. I was originally looking for something in the $50-$75 range, but this grinder had better reviews than most of the other grinders in the higher price ranges. I am very happy with this grinder. I have had it for about a week now and have made fresh ground coffee every morning and have had no problems whatsoever.

It is not very noisy (not even half as noisy as a blender). I also really like the ability to store beans in the dish on top. I usually make a full 12 cup pot of coffee, so the first time I ground with this machine I set the little lever on the front to 12. It actually ground more coffee than what I would normally use for a full pot, and I like my coffee strong too. I changed the lever to 6, and that is the perfect amount of fresh ground coffee to make a full 12 cup pot. I also put the "fineness" dial on 4.5, which works really well for my Cuisinart drip coffee maker.

After reading tons of reviews of different grinders, and after buying this one and using it for a week, I can honestly say that at $33, this is probably one of the best coffee grinders you will find at that price point. Highly recommended.

**UPDATE 5-22-2012**

After owning this grinder for a month now and using it every day, I have had absolutely zero problems. It works like it should every single time. Very happy with this purchase.

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