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.

Buy Capresso Coffee Burr Grinder Now

(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.

Want Capresso Coffee Burr Grinder Discount?

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.

Save 28% Off

Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker

Here is the review I wrote when I purchased this in February, 2005:

This review is based on a latte a day for about a month now.

-Customer service was great: one part got jammed during shipment (despite how extraordinarily well the manufacturer had it packed inside the box!). I called and a person answered the phone right away who helped me figure out the problem.

-Thus far, the espresso comes out hot with a great crema, and my milk is also nice and hot (from 120-160 Fahrenheit depending on how you want it) and well-frothed (meaning microfoam(!) not seafoam). With the frother it's essential to keep the full rubber head (meaning the fat part) submerged in the milk to get it hot (including the intake air vents on the side).

Bottom line: I am very impressed that this quality comes at such a great price.

And my current thoughts in January, 2012: this machine is still going strong. At one point it began to leak due to a clog in the espresso filter but unscrewing it and cleaning it solved that problem easily. This machine is one of my best purchases!

All I can say is WOW! My teenage daughters and I love espresso & designer lattes, This machine made it a BREEZE for us to give up all the overpriced designer cafes in our area. My brother is a coffee snob and spent literally thousands on a fully automated Capresso machine. You could buy a couple dozen of these Breville machines for the price of his.. and you know what? It's a few seconds more work but the coffee is JUST AS GOOD!

One of my daughters is visually impaired and she can work the machine and clean it with no problems.

Assembly was easy, cleanup is easy, and making three different beverages in seconds is a breeze, too. We have three completely different tastes so we've managed quite a few different drinks. I make sugar free soy lattes using Soy Slender and sugar free DaVinci flavors. We've frothed skim, 2%, whole and soy milks of every type. Even heavy whipping cream and half & half froth perfectly.

The only issue we had was that one time we tamped the espresso a little too firmly and nothing would come out. If you tamp lightly, you'll have no problem at all and the crema is absolutely superb!

As for the reviewer that said their espresso was watery, if you use a fine ground espresso, that definately won't be a problem. The two-serving filter makes a great double shot, but if you try to make more than that, I can see how you could end up with something watery. The drip tray does need emptying once in a while, but that's the same with every espresso maker I've ever used.

I DEFINATELY recommend this machine!!

Buy Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker Now

I know about coffee, espresso, steam machines, pump machines and all. This machine makes almost perfect espressos. This is due not to the quality of the machine but to the double wall filters that come with it. That being said, people who are thinking of buying this unit have to know that the same filters that produce the great crema they love will get clogged after 2 or three uses, and cleaning them will require a lot of work (unclogging the tiny holes with a pin, soaking the filters overnight in vinegar and/or running a lot of pressurizedboiling water through the empty filter), wasting a lot of unused coffee, and worst of all...wasting a lot of time to do all this (which hardly anyone has these days). I guess this problem would be solved if the pump was strong enough to push through the clogged filter, but that is not the case. When the pressurized water builds up, instead of going through the filter and coffee, it will go backwards and down to the reservoir in the bottom of the machine (picture trying fo inflate a balloon with a hole in it.) wasting tons of water in the process. Also, do not think that you can clean the filter after each use.....you cannot, because as I said earlier, the filter has two walls, the first one with a lot of tiny holes and the second one with a very small one. Whatever gets trapped within the two walls will likely stay, clogging the tiny holes and rendering the machine useless. Nothing will come out of the machine even with an empty filter!!!!!!!

In the end, the price seems good and the machine looks great but, and this is a huge BUT... you will end up drinking the most expensive cups of coffe (about $25/cup, not including all the wasted coffee, water and time) in your life after the machine stops producing coffee after 10 cups.

I read all the reviews here before buying, but since I really wanted this handsome machine, I ignored all the bad ones. Something most consumers do...they want something so bad their brain will soak up on all the good opinions and filter out the bad and dismiss them as "exceptions" Well, the exceptions are too many and the reason is always the same. Clogged filter...clogged machine....no coffee...big frustration.

I will try to return the machine and if I can't, I guess I will be another disatisfied customer whose only option is to write reviews like this.

Read Best Reviews of Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker Here

This is the second espresso machine I have owned, the first one was a professional one in my restaurant and made perfect coffee quickly!

This machine for a home espresso machine lacks nothing in it's ability to produce a great espresso other than the time required to do so. The crema it produces is thick and the steamer produces a reasonable, constant flow of steam making it possible to make perfect foam with your milk. The water storage allows space for more than enough water to make several cups and steam a large amount of milk. The drip tray is large enough to collect a good amount of dripage and the design is sleek and compact. The only thing I think that Breville could do to improve on this unit would be to include a timer to turn the machine on so that I can have espresso in the morning before I leave for work!

Want Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker Discount?

I've owned several machines over the last ten years, from the $49.00 'wait for the steam', a $4000 Venezia VAE-22, an 'all-in-one' $1000.00 Starbuck machine along with my current (broken) Starbuck Barista. None of the machines I've owned come close to the Cafe Roma ESP8XL for quality and design. From the water feed systems removable, cleanable, replaceable, easy to access water tank to the three tang filter holder, precision and functionality was first for the designers. The frothing system, the drip tray, the simple controls are all top notch and the cup warming plate is over the top! The pop-up button that shows you the level of the water in the drip tray is a really nice feature. By adding the stainless demitasse cups and saucers Breville created the best machine on the earth. For those that have problems with getting the grounds out of the filter I found a stainless steel Knockout tray with 49mm Tamper that matches the machine and is easy to clean. The first espresso I made was perfect, it took several cups in our stores Venezia VAE-22 to get everything right. Some of the other reviewers seem to have issues with the 'taste', part of learning how each machine functions is the issue. The filter on the ESP8XL is one of the easiest to maintain I've ever used and one of the reasons for the perfect Espresso.

Save 4% Off

Basket Coffee Filter (Set of 200)

White paper contains about 4,000 chemicals, some of which are added in the bleaching process. The way the FDA works is that all prior chemicals are grandfathered in, no proof of harmlessness required. So caveat emptor.

DO NOT BUY!! You get 200 filters. The package didn't say how many you get and there is a reason. These guys are crooks! For $15.63 (a bit more than twice the price) you could get EIGHT TIMES this amount. SHAME ON YOU!!!

Buy Basket Coffee Filter (Set of 200) Now

Aerolatte Deluxe Edition Milk Frother with Stand, Stainless Steel

** below is my original review but I just wanted to add a quick note that I'm still using this exact same milk frother today. It's been 5 years since I bought it **

--------------------------------------->

1st time, I didn't even know what I was doing but I was able to make high volume of nice foam (very fine and creamy) from Aerolatte. I own a Briel cappuccino maker with milk frother/steam wand. It steams milk well but require Barista level skill to make good froth! I also own a Bodum pump which requires way too much energy. Aerolatte is my most favorite tool to froth milk now. It works well with both cold or hot skim milk and very fast (10-15 seconds). Sorry about the video, that was my 1st time using it without prior practice. I can master it in less time now. Milk froth tastes a little airy (not as good as using steam wand) but still better than using hand-pump.

I must admit, when I first heard of these immersion frothers, I was very skeptical. I had tried many frothers, cappuccino machines with built in frothers (work great first 2 times, then they always clog) and plunger frothers (can you say carpal tunnel syndrome??) etc. After much time AND much effort, there was very little reward, almost no froth and much frustration, not to mention cleanup. I tried the plunger types repeatedly to the point where I was sure I'd have blisters. Did I mention having to disassemble & clean all the frother parts after? :o)

So began my quest for an easy, effective way to obtain cappuccino style froth for my morning java. I searched java junkie message boards and decided to give the Aerolatte a try. I couldn't have been more amazed and pleased.

This little gadget runs on 2 AA batteries (included) and comes with a metal counter stand so it's easily accessible. I unboxed it and gave it a whirl, seemed sturdy and surprisingly fast. Now for the coffee test. Hmmm. So I brewed a pot (french press) of strong coffee and poured a little half & half in my mug and let 'er rip. All I can say is AWESOME!! I was totally shocked at how quick and easy the Aerolatte whipped it into froth. Seriously, comparable to the froth from Starbucks. I couldn't believe it.

The instructions recommend skim or low fat milk, which also frothed up just as thick and rich. Wow!!!! When you are finished, run the unit under under the faucet or in a cup of water to clean. Incredibly cool that you create the froth right in your coffee mug. Simple as that, no extra equipment to clean.

Be brave, experiment a little. I prefer heating my mug with sugar & half & half in the microwave for 30 seconds, froth for about 30 seconds & pour in coffee. Voila Coffee house quality cappuccino and no pots or tubes to clean. Pretty spectacular!

Details: Gotta admit, the stand that arrived with mine is cool to look at, very high-tech, but poorly designed & a tad annoying as you need 2 hands to remove the frother or put it back in. Ok, but not ideal. Luckily, Aerolatte must have realized this, as they have since redesigned the stand & replaced with an even cooler (hopefully more functional) design.

The battery life is excellent (at least 4 weeks of daily use), however I would recommend investing in rechargeable batteries and charger, as the unit is much more efficient and faster with strong batteries.

My first Aerolatte burned out after a little over a year of heavy usage. I loved it so much I purchased another. The price is reasonable as my unit was packaged with the unit, stand and matching shaker for toppings (cinnamon, cocoa, etc)

Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed! Bravo Aerolatte

Buy Aerolatte Deluxe Edition Milk Frother with Stand, Stainless Steel Now

I bought this item in a store in Austin two years ago. I was regretting the purchase the moment I paid (I thought that $20 was too much for a milk frother, because all those cappuccino and espresso machines include a frother, but it never works as you expected, so, why this little thing was going to work better than those machines?). But then I tried it. I made a mess the first times but I loved it. Some weeks later, I went to a store to buy an old fashioned-Spanish style coffee maker. A perfect combination for my Aerolatte! I forgot about machines.

One sad day I found that the battery compartment was damaged. I thought that perhaps some water came in. I looked for another Aerolatte, which was difficult because I have not seen it in Mexico and I was not planning to visit USA soon. I found this item in Amazon, and I placed my order in October last year, when the cold and misty days make you desire a good cup of coffee or a well shaken hot chocolate... When I requested it I did not care about the problem with the batteries (I thought: "Well, I will keep it without the batteries"), so until I received it I noticed that this problem was corrected by placing the battery compartment at the top of the item (instead of on one side), and it also included a few extra technical features in order to avoid the water gets in, so I can keep it with the batteries inside all the time. The item was successfully redesigned. The stand is a plus (in my first purchase it did not come with a stand).

Recommendations:

a) Trust the instructions inside (very well written, not only grammatically speaking, but for a non expert coffee maker, like me);

b) Believe in the recipes included: yes, you will be able to make multicolor layered coffees;

c) It works better with non "low-fat" or "light" milks or products;

d) The hotter the milk, the better froth; and,

e) Change the batteries that come with the product, those are a nice courtesy, but don't have enough energy, and the Aerolatte works with strength. Low batteries cause that your froth goes away too soon.

I blindly recommend this product, I love it.

Read Best Reviews of Aerolatte Deluxe Edition Milk Frother with Stand, Stainless Steel Here

This is the third Aerolatte frother I have owned; the first two performed well, but eventually the switch gave out and the machine became unusable.

This version seems to be built out of heavier-duty metal, and it comes with a stand which looks nice on your counter. It would be even better if there were a way for the stand to be mounted on a wall, to get the frother off the counter.

I use rechargeable NiMH batteries in the frother, and they perform well for quite a few weeks, based on using the machine about 6 times a day to froth skim milk in a mug.

I have tried and bought other brands of frothers; in particular, I own two types of "Bonjour" brand products. They are much inferior, and the one that uses 4 AA batteries is useless for foaming milk in a mug, since it spatters milk all over your front. Nice when you're dressed up in shirt and tie, ready for the office!

Want Aerolatte Deluxe Edition Milk Frother with Stand, Stainless Steel Discount?

Our aerolatte was pressed into domestic service to make froth for about 6 cups of coffee daily and it stopped working after only three months. The email address on the aerolatte 5-year guarantee policy is no longer in use and their web site doesn't accept product complaints once the boxes have been filled in. Their fax number listed on the aerolatte web site didn't connect despite many attempts. We bought a product with a 5-year guarantee only to discover that the company CAN'T BE REACHED, except when placing an order!?! In light of such poor customer care, I advise against buying an aerolatte product. As a byline, in 2007 we had bought three no-name China frothers at a very low pricethey only lasted about 2 months each which is why we bought the "superior-original" aerolatte, which too, is JUNK.

Save 6% Off