Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

Just recently, I learned about the health benefits of having two cups of coffee a day. I wanted to turn my coffee drinking into a meditative process and focus on healing. For many reasons, I decided that I would drink coffee made with a French Press. When I began my research into coffee grinders, I quickly discovered an entire world. I found Eletric Burr Grinders starting at about $40.00 and up. I really wanted to hand grind my beans so I continued my research. I quickly discovered two reasonably priced hand grinders and was ready to buy either the Hario Skerton or Kyocera Ceramic Burr Hand Grinder (About $40). I then did a google search and found out the both the Hario Skerton and Kyocera were excellent for grinding coffee beans very fine (for expresso) but were not as good for Coarse Grinding ( Recommended for French Press). After some additional research I found the Porlex and discovered an excellent hand Coffee Grinder. The outside oontainer is very well made, the grinding is consistent and only takes a few minutes to grind enough beans for one or two cups of coffee. If you are grinding beans for more than two (12 ounce cups of Coffee) you might find this is not the best grinder.

The grinding is quick, quiet, and the resulting coffee is beyond excellent. I am very happy that I found this Hand Coffee Grinder and that is has enriched my coffee drinking experience.

Enjoy,

David

Works OK for fine grind, but not for coarse -produces inconsistent grind. Very well made. Small -fits inside the plunger of my AeroPress, which helps to keep it all in the AeroPress's pouch. Very comfortable to hold. Holds only one serving (about 2-3 measuring spoons), which takes about 160 cranks. Not bad at all, no need to keep opening and looking if you are done: you feel very well when there is no more resistence to cranking.

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I bought this to relieve my office-mates of the noise pollution created by an electric grinder. It is much smaller than I expected (about 4 inches tall and an inch and a half wide). The stainless steel casing and top makes for a very sturdy feel. It has enough room for about 3-4 tablespoons of coffee beans in the top (probably enough for two 10oz cups of coffee). For one cup, I put about one and a half tablespoons in there and it takes about 50 seconds of medium intensity grinding to finish). The grinding process itself is fairly easy no real workout here, just some low-level resistance. The adjustment screw clicks as you tighten or loosen it so it is easy to calculate how tight you want it for certain purposes I stick to 8 clicks from the tightest position for my single-serve drip coffee maker.

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UPDATE: The handle design is horrible, after 6 months of daily use the handle doesn't stay on the grinder and flies off every single damn morning, and eats a star shaped chunk from your hand, is it really a mental stretch to design a removable handle that has a set screw??!!! you know, so you don't keep ripping skin into your coffee as the handle comes off mid turn??!! Would not purchase again. grinding and watching the handle fly, scraping your knuckles along the way, replacing the handle, grinding some more and watching the handle fly is NOT the kind of morning anyone wants to deal with.

Worst handle design ever.

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This is the best portable grinder out there, the people that say they cannot use them must be trying to grind using their feet.

To the buyer that says you need constant downward pressure, what are you grinding? Coffee or diamonds?

It just needs to be turned, I have used mine for while now and have seen zero problems, I make 2 3 cups a day using it.

Easy to carry, easy to throw in a case to travel, Ceramic grinder that should last forever with care.

It really is only for one person though, does not make quite enough for 2, but thats fine for me.

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Gaggia Titanium

I bought this product and loved it totally...

Appearance: 4/5

Value: 4/5

Performance: 5/5

Functionality: 5/5

Noise: 3/5

Coffee: 4/5

Included Equipment: 5/5

Overall, this was an amazing buy, the steam wand does drip slightly and the descaling program takes a long while when it needs it but its an excellent coffee and all round drinks machine!

Toastess TFC-2T 450-Watt Personal-Size Coffeemaker with Thermal Travel Mug

Do you live alone? Are you the only coffee drinker in the house? Do large portions of your coffee go down the drain? Then this is perfect. I gave it a 4 because I really do not like the mug, but that is another thing, you can use any mug. Measure the water with the alternate mug, pour it in, put the coffee in the little wire basket and flip it on. You have coffee in about 5 minutes. Great of office, dorm rooms, bachelors/ettes and lonely guys like me!

this is a sweet coffee maker for a dorm room. it is small [this is a plus, as coffe makers arent allowed in my dorm!], and has a cup WITH A LID [great to take to class]. one full cup is ready in 2-3 mins!! it is sort of noisy, thats my only complaint. and the black color makes it harder to clean when dirty. else, is great! imagine all the money saved instead of buying coffee twice a day from starbucks!!

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There are so many little engineering considerations put into this little coffee maker: The little handle to remove the filter basket (well done); the spout automatically returns to it's proper placement after filling water reservoir; and the sleek design. Forget the plastic travel mug except for maybe adding the water, and I use my own trusty mug in it's place for sipping coffee. The one flaw that is glaring is that there is no automatic shutoff when the coffee is brewed. That is definitely a safety hazard. It's no good saying, you'll always check to see it's turned off, because you won't. I would happily pay a few dollars more if an automatic shutoff were included. As for the Black and Decker counterpart that's no good at all. In fact, many stores refuse to carry the thing because of all the returns. So, this is the best bet for the time being and we'll hope Toastess fixes the shut off problem. For those of you who hate old coffee and really just want a nice freshly brewed cuppa at a reasonable price, this is a good thing.

Read Best Reviews of Toastess TFC-2T 450-Watt Personal-Size Coffeemaker with Thermal Travel Mug Here

I've had this coffee maker for about 6 months now. This is exactly what I wanted. A way to make good coffee, the strength I like, but only 1 cup. You must use regular ground coffee, then you can make it as strong as you'd like. The cup is odd shaped with a handle that doesn't fit in my car cup holder, so I use it as a sort of cafe and pour it into another mug (which it fills) and rinse this one out for the next day's coffee. It has it's own filter so no more paper ones. It's just what I wanted and needed. Money WELL spent!

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Works well for making one or two cups on the boat with a 700W inverter. Two scoops of Starbucks French Roast and you're good to go. Use a small filter modified to fit the basket to simplify cleaning

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Bodum Chambord 3 cup French Press Coffee Maker, 12 oz., Chrome

Even if you find an espresso machine alluring, in the meantime, you can't beat coffee made with this elegant and perfectly functional press pot. It's simply the easiest and best way to extract maximum flavor from your finest beans (use a uniform grind slightly coarser than automatic drip). Some people even prefer it to espresso. It's durable, easy to clean, and doesn't require electricity.

One reviewer claimed they put the grounds and the water in the pot, immediately pushed the plunger and waited 10 minutes. However, they will get much better results if they wait 2-4 minutes (depending upon the coarseness of the grind) before plunging the coffee, and then drink it right away. I wouldn't even let the coffee rest, plunged, in the pot for ten minutes, as it will become over-extracted.

As for the reviewer that whined about truth in advertising, all I can say is "Duh". They themselves pointed out that the pot does make three espresso cups' worth of brew. And if they watch what they are doing next time, instead of just trying to pour 12 oz. of hot water into something, they can avoid future unpleasant experiences. I actually make coffee for two "cappuccinos" with this model. If you don't like your coffee as strong, you can simply add a little hot water to your cup after you have poured your coffee (like an Americano).

My sister bought this press for the house. This one works real well-perfect for those coffee press users. Bodum is also a well known brand of coffee press, so you don't have to worry about a flimsy product. Also if it breaks, Bodum is pretty good with spare parts. As a comsumer, I always recommend you shop around for the best price.

When using a coffee press, or any other coffee machine, make sure you FRESHLY grind your coffee for optimal taste. I recommend all serious coffee drinkers to invest in a good burr grinder-you really can taste the differnce. Also for a coffee press the ginds must be large and coarse in thickness, otherwise your pressed coffee will taste lousy-do not use automatic drip sized grinds. I also recommend a quality dark/French roast when using a press.

Please note that this press makes 3 French-sized cups of coffee. In Paris cafes, you're served coffee in a press with a "bowl sized" cup half filled with steamed milk (Cafe Au Lait).

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The person who chastised everyone's reading skills below, insisting that this is a "3-STEP (as in add grounds, add water, press) not 3-CUP" press, is incorrect, and apparently did not her/himself read the title (which does indeed say "3-CUP", NOT "3-STEP). It IS a "3-cup" press -however, if you look around at the descriptions of various french presses found here, you will find that they all define a "cup" as 4 ounces. So, no, this 3-cup press, which is 12 ounces, is not going to brew enough coffee for 3 *mugs*. (And the 8-cup presses, which are 32 ounces, are not going to brew enough for 8 mugs.) The ones referred to as "3-cup" will brew about roughly mug's worth of coffee. This particular press is at least as good as any other I've used, which is to say very good!

Read Best Reviews of Bodum Chambord 3 cup French Press Coffee Maker, 12 oz., Chrome Here

I purchased this as a 1-person coffeemaker because the other 2 coffee drinkers around here complained that I made coffee too strong. Although this is a 3-cup press (each cup = 4 oz, European standards, I suppose) it's really perfect for just one mug. I can almost fill my 14 oz travel mug, and I only ever drink one cup in the morning, so capacity is perfect for me. If you drink lots of mugs, don't get this!

I got one of these in a discount store for only a few dollars, which was a great bargain! Following the suggestion of 3 tablespoons of coarsely ground beans with 12 oz H2O, my coffee comes out as strong as I like it. There's sediment, but that doesn't bother me. Reminds me of Turkish coffee. Clean-up is a little more involved than with a drip maker, but I like the press coffee better, so that doesn't bother me either. The only thing that can truly bother me about coffee is when it isn't strong enough.

Of course, the coffee cools quite quickly if you leave it in the press too long, so I just pour it into the vacuum mug right away, where it stays at temp much longer.

Also, as a control freak, this brewing method is appealing because it allows me to boil the water to the exact temp it needs to be (yes, I use a thermometer. I did say I was a freak). I love this method of brewing coffee, but clean-up and sediment might not be OK with everyone.

Considering the price I paid, I give this 5 stars. It happens to match my coffee needs exactly.

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Alas, like so many other products, this one has become cheap and shoddy. I bought my first Bodum french press almost 20 years ago. It lasted that long with regular use, made good coffee, and became much loved in my house. A few weeks ago I bought a replacement -same company, same size, same model -and much to my disappointment, this thing is a piece of junk. The metal parts are flimsy and about half the time the grinds slip past the filter, as well as the ridiculous plastic filter at the top. I'm throwing it away. It is that useless.

Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System - Powered by Keurig

This unit replaces a Keurig mini that I now us for travel. It makes a flavorful, hot cup of coffee. I have been a Keurig fan for three years. I purchased this machine in Feb. 2010 from BB&B. Like other readers, I have had a few pump problems when there seemed to be an air lock in the pump and water would not flow into the heating chamber. The instruction booklet tells you to turn it off and unplug the unit, then restart. I have found that when I refill the water tank I just need to make sure it is properly seated and tap it to make sure the water is getting into the hose that pumps it into the heating chamber. I also use the hot water feature the first "brew" after refilling the tank to make sure the pump is pulling water. (The easiest solution to the pump "problem" is to not take the water chamber off of the base and just refill it with a pitcher as needed.) I did some online research and found that this pump problem was suppose to have been fixed since I purchased my machine. I might have returned this machine for the newer "fixed" model if the BB&B where I purchased it had not closed. I love the coffee from this machine and have had no further pump issues since employing the solutions noted above.

As many others here, I have evolved from a Keurig system. So for those thinking about buying a Keurig, please fully read all the reviews you can. If it wasnt for me being the only coffee drinker in the house, I wouldnt require a single cup brewing system. So for those looking into buying Keurig brewing system, consider the Cuisinart. It is licensed to be manufactured by Keurig, bu appears to be much better quality. I had my first Keurig go out with within 6 months. Then my second stopped functioning properly after less than 45-days. Same issue as another review, the Keurig Platinum began brewing small, random sized amounts of coffee and would also get confused on how much to brew and when to stop. Found out once it was returned to the store, the unit was recalled (for defective water pumps). Which also meant ALL the stores in town were ALL sold out...as they were all returned to the vendor.

Now, my buddy convinced me to get the Cuisinart. I have owned many Cuisinart kitchen utensils, but never anything electric. So I was skeptical to say the least. But at the same time I had to replace my last 2 Keurigs. So why not.

Now, 2 months later, a whole lot of coffee (125 servings +) and it is working great! I can only hope that Cuisinart has a more reliable vendor for there water pumps than Keurig. As that seems to be the big issue with all Keurig machines.

The Good:

-Power Switch is on the side of the machine (compared to the back of the machine on Keurigs)

-Water Tank Size

-Replaceable Charcoal Water filter

-FREE, reusable Keurig coffee filter

-Quiet

-Reliable (so far)....what a concept

-More cup size options

-"Rinse" button

-Pre-set water temps

-Auto On/Off

-Read-Out display clearly states "Not Ready" and "Ready"

-"Hot Water" button will dispense a full cup of hot water (which ever size you have selected will be dispensed in hot water)

The Bad:

-Power Switch is on the side of the machine....PUT IT ON THE FRONT ALREADY!

-Large footprint

-"Low Water Level" flashing blue LEDs are annoying. Its a clear water tank, I can see its low/empty

-Bottom catch/drip tray doesnt stay in place very well

-If you place a K-Cup inside the unit before its "Ready" (see above in The Good), it will not recognize the K-Cup once it is ready to brew. So you must lift and close the access lid one more time to allow it to brew. Not very time saving.

-"Hot Water" button will dispense a full cup of hot water; so if your machine is used primarily for coffee, you will have random loose chunks of old coffee grounds floating around in your cup of hot water since its inevitable to NOT get coffee grounds on the unit.

-Parts are not necessarily dishwasher safe. So I suggest hand washing periodically.

I will try to remember to give a 6-month review on the quality.

*****FOLLOW UP*****

08/01/2010 (175+ K-Cups)

Sadly, this follow-up is not what I had hoped. But, maybe it needs to be de-scaled/cleaned? Anyway, here is the new "problem"....(tsk tsk tsk)

The Setup: The machine, after brewing a cup will "prime" the system by sucking in what I would consider about 1/2 of the water necessary to brew a cup into the system itself. I would think this is done to heat the water inside the system, so the water temperature stays at a more consistent/constant temperature. This makes sense considering the machine has pre-set water temp setting and it must be quite difficult to keep the water exiting the system at a constant temperature.

The Fail: After brewing only one cup, the system triggers the prime function and sucks in how ever many ounces it needs. But, it doesnt suck in any water. The machine makes all the appropriate noises, but the water level inside the tank stays the same and it wont stop! This function normally takes about 3-5 seconds to complete. 10+ seconds later, it still has not achieved anything (poor little water pump)! That will be the number one killer of a water pump is dry-cycling. Argh!!!

So the solution so far is to shut off the unit, turn it back on and viola! It works! Now every time the unit does not have enough water inside, it will always prime itself by pumping in the appropriate amount of water. So this causes the water pump to work 2-3x more than most coffee pots. Maybe its over working the pump?

*Clean/De-Scale the unit: This is recommended every month or so. I have chosen NOT to do it since I use bottled (distilled) water 100% of the time along with the little charcoal filter that comes with it. I dont want to go waste 3 bottles of water cleaning out a system that should be perfectly clean anyway! I would assume the clean/de-scale is meant for people who have good tasting tap water (which we do not have in Las Vegas).

Maybe the charcoal filter is "clogged" and not allowing water to seep through as quickly? Who knows...

Ill update if anything else goes wrong!

*****FOLLOW UP*****

8/28/10

Problem continues as posted above. I have de-scaled the system, but it didn't help. The entire system was perfectly clean and de-scaling did not dislodge anything. Ive come to now realize this isn't really a problem as much as it is an inconvenience. You must cycle the system off/on to make it work. I let it sit a few night ago for about 3 minutes, and it never remedied itself. =0(

*****FOLLOW UP*****

11/27/10 (Unit #2)

Finally had to replace it! The machine has gradually become slower, noisier and overall horribly inefficient. The machine would take forever to heat up, multiple attempts to suck water into the machine from the reservoir and then began dispensing water back into the reservoir and not brewing coffee. Last 5 days before the machine was finally returned for a new unit, brewing coffee was painful and time consuming. Took 3-4 cycles to brew a single 12oz cup. Got it replaced and got a new one last night. Amazingly, this machine really got worn out fast. The new one its a whole lot quieter, faster and some simple things like the on/off switch works a lot easier and other issues.

*****FOLLOW UP*****

03/05/2011 (Unit #3)

The water pump again took a crap on me. The unit and pump had once again slowly gotten noisier and slower. This time (the past few weeks) the unit took about 10 seconds of wait time to simply begin brewing. Just as a reminder. I am the only person using the unit. The unit runs about 1.15 servings a day on average. Pretty crappy reliability. But...more "free" coffee and a new Keurig "Make Your Own" filter. Im up to 3 now!

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I have both Keurig and Cuisinart K cup machines...

About me... I am an embedded systems design engineer and know about control systems and such.

Food processing products should only use parts ( components ) in the water / control systems internal to the coffee maker that are "fit for purpose" as designed to be use with WATER.. as a coffee maker uses water.

I have opened several of my failed Keurig and Cusinart K cup machines and found that they are using an AUTOMOTIVE Market Pneumatic Solenoid Valve made in China.. part number SH-V0829...Google this number if you want to check and see this. It is designed for auto seat cushon inflation and has a built in LEAK RATE of 1CC/Min at 4 PSI for air compresser unloading used in seat cushon inflation systems. It is NOT WATER PROOF and DRIPS inside the coffee makers in the transformer and the air pump near the bottom getting the electric motor wet and make it smoke.. My coffee maker was way too young to smoke .. hahha just a joke..

The folk that make this coffee maker IN CHINA think most folk are too stupid to find out about their use of cheep and unfit for purpose components inside their coffee maker. I have attached a DOOR and Hinge on the back of one of my coffee makers that I keep repaired personally.. and buy the replacement control solenoids on ebay to keep my coffee maker working.... THIS SUCKS..... I was ripped off...

I did not pay for a rusty solenoid that leaks water inside my $250.00 coffee machine. When I call Keurig... they do talk some but avoid the topic of this solenoid.. just reading a standard reply statement... When I talk to Cuisinart.. they have nothing to say but want my $10 for shipping a replacement unit... also with the same defective solenoid inside of the same type and part number...

I want to like my coffee maker.... but I do not like being treated like a fool ...

My old Mr Coffee has very nice insides... good design.. and lasted a long time... I am wanting to see Mr Coffee make a K cup that I would like... Cuisinart and Keurig are only about making money .. and not delivering INTERNAL quality of their product with this machine.. They come from the SAME China factory...and they are made using non water proof no O ring air only pneumatic solenoid valves... The part numbers are on the side of the solenoid if you care to open up your machine and look... Do not have it plugged in if you do.. safety first..

I hope you like having RUSTY water in your hot water for making tea and coffee.... the solenoid does rust internally as it is only for air usage...not made for water exposure...

I have photos and also plan to use this experince in a control system class I teach at a University as an example of poor ethics in business manufacturing...

I need not say how MAD I am over this discovery .....and the lack of interest from the folks that make this product..

Barnum and Bailey.. a sucker is born every minute... that must be their motto..

I must be a sucker... THAT SUCKS

Read Best Reviews of Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System - Powered by Keurig Here

I have been using a Keurig Platinum Machine for about a year now and had to replace it 2 times. Once for both hot and cold water draining out of the bottom of the unit and the second for making expresso size cups when I asked for the 11.25 oz. cup. I returned the Keurig and got this Brand New Cuisinart about 3 weeks ago. It works great, the water container is larger and the max cup size is 12oz. I get great cups of coffee and the machine works beautifully. I use regular tap water with the charcoal filters and the coffee taste is super. So far this machine is the best I have had and I think Cuisinart makes a superior product every time. You can make your own Kcups since Cuisinart has included one in the side of the machine for your delight at no extra cost.

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My wife and I began the "single serving" coffee maker quest 4 years ago. We went cheap at first, purchasing a Black & Decker unit for $56...what a disaster!!! Water all over the place and extremely disappointing flavor results. So we decided to quit messing...I do mean MESSING...around and got ourselves the Bunn "My Cafe'" for $350. We were satisfied with the results despite the noises it produced, but found that again, the inconsistency of the results due to varying fineness of the grind between different brands. Too course, it was weak, too fine, the machine had a heck of a time pushing through the water so you had to perform two cycles to get the amount of coffee we desired, plus it put a strain on the pump and discharge line. Well after a year or so, the inline check valve on the discharge line split...leaking water all inside the machine and all over the counter. We decided to get another one since overall we liked the results....and it worked fine, right up to the date we got the Cuisinart SS-700. The deciding factor was we were seeing that Pods were going the way of the Betamax...getting scarce, and expensive online (shipping etc). So I started making my own pods with the "Perfect Pod Maker"....what a pain in the %#*! It was time to make the

switch to the Keurig system! Friends of ours had gotten the basic model Keurig maker a year ago, we weren't particularly impressed with the flavor, plus the noise was horrid. So I did my research and found that the Cuisinart model consistently review positively, and one independent testing outfit said it was flat out the BEST...period. So we took the leap.

First off, it looks impressive! But as I found out, that impressiveness went way beyond it's looks. The initial set up was straight forward and effortless. Even setting up the clock/automatic functions was a piece of cake. My first actual test of it's coffee making abilities was with using the included My K-Cup reusable filter with the coffee I was using to make my own pods with.....ASTOUNDING!!!! 1000% difference in flavor. Plus the noise level was extremely low, it went through the cycle effortlessly. So I said, "okay, what will the pre-packaged cups do?" I was blown away! Fantastic flavor, the temperature was spot on, and virtually no mess. I have since brewed a dozen different flavors/brands, and each one becomes my new favorite....SOLD!!!

I have gone through this long, drawn out review to indicate that I have seen all the rest/best....folks, you CANNOT GO WRONG with this machine. It is the rare combination of not only looking great...my wife LOVES that part, but we both are giddy about the results it produces. And it does so not sounding like a 747. I think what separates this unit from the others is the brewing temperature. All I know is that we are both rediscovering the pure pleasures of a good cup of coffee that is hassle free to make, from a unit that is pleasing to the eye. Take it from someone who has been on all sides of this "single server" equation... the Cuisinart SS-700 will bring you great coffee pleasure...end of sentence!!

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