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RY213
05-15-2011, 04:33 PM
I am looking for a new coffee grinder since my old cuisinart blade grinder bit the dust a few days ago. I want to buy a burr grinder this time, and would like to spend approximately $100. Ive been to Bed Bath and Beyond, and Home Sense, the Bay and they dont have a great selection. I also looked in Phil and Sebastien, and their grinders were out of my price range. I read some reviews online that said the Starbucks brand burr grinders were decent for their price. Ive been in a few Starbucks and they did not carry any machines at all. Does anybody know a Starbucks that carries these, or any other stores that have a selection of grinders? Can anybody make any other recommendations?

Guillermo
05-15-2011, 05:33 PM
can you get starbucksstore.com to ship here? they seem to carry several different brands.

EDIT: and another place to check would be Williams-Sonoma in Chinook, although they usually have exorbitant prices on everything too.

RY213
05-15-2011, 05:51 PM
Thanks, I will check Williams Sonoma sometime this week.

Guillermo
05-15-2011, 06:37 PM
^^great, i did check the US site and they had a few there. their canadian site didn't list their products though. :(

Khyron
05-15-2011, 07:41 PM
Own an espresso machine or just doing french press?

This is a good entry level one for press:

http://www.espressotec.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=187&idcategory=88

If doing espresso you need to pony up more money.

Guillermo
05-15-2011, 07:49 PM
how is a burr grinder superior to a blade grinder? does it give a more even grind? i notice that my El Crapo blade grinder gives a really ununiform grind. :whipped:

jsn
05-15-2011, 08:47 PM
with blade grinders you end up with an uneven grind and you get fine dust mixed in. +1 for the maestro. I have the virtuoso which is one step up from the maestro. It can grind fine enough for espresso, but doesn't have as much fine tuning options as the more expensive ones.

Roarasaur
05-15-2011, 08:47 PM
Burr grinders grind the beans a little differently. It allows the beans the flow through a set grinders that are set at a fixed distance and all the beans come of the other end at relatively uniform grinds.

Blade grinders just spin and chop things up in the vessel, regardless of the size of the beans its chopping up so your left with the blades hitting the bigger and smaller size grounds, which leads to an uneven grind.

I've been looking at getting a burr grinder for a long time but its such a big investment. From the info that I came across in looking for a good grinder, it pays to invest a little more into it if you REALLY into coffee and want to keep your grinders for more than a few years. This Rancilio Rocky (doserless model) seems to be a good buy but costs $390.
http://www.zcafe.ca/site/Product.aspx?ID=271
It seems like a big cost but from what I've heard, people have had these machines for 15+ years. So, definitely a good investment. Also, Zcafe is a pretty good website with free shipping for $50+ orders. I'd use them if you were going to get a grinder. Mr cappuccino here in Calgary would have it but its overpriced.

RY213
05-15-2011, 09:12 PM
I think the Starbucks Burr grinder is actually a rebadged Baratza Maestro, thats why I was looking at that one in particular. Id love to spend more and get a really sweet grinder, like the ones at Phil and Seb in Marda Loop, but it not in my budget right now.

Id primarily be using the grinder to make french press, but I do have an espresso machine that I use once in a while...

Roarasaur
05-16-2011, 10:39 PM
I've heard good things about the Starbucks Burr grinder and I remember reading somewhere that it is a Maestro as well. It seems like a good model that is consistent and if its french press your after, it shouldnt be a problem.

If you looking for a lower priced grinder, make sure that it has some sort of non-static container that the grinds shoot into.

jsn
05-17-2011, 08:27 AM
for frenchpress that grinder should be perfectly fine. I don't think it grinds consistently enough for espresso though, and doesn't have enough fine tuning on it to get the right grind. It probably won't make a big difference for you if you're an occasional espresso drinker, but i know the coffee "enthusiasts" would be able to tell the difference and don't believe in a capable espresso grinder under $300. I was looking into it when I bought mine.

srdjan
05-17-2011, 08:42 AM
Don't know if you hav a costco membership but this one has good reviews
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10338549&search=burr&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BCCA&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=burr&Ntt=burr&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

Mitsu3000gt
05-17-2011, 10:09 AM
Originally posted by Khyron
Own an espresso machine or just doing french press?

This is a good entry level one for press:

http://www.espressotec.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=187&idcategory=88

If doing espresso you need to pony up more money.

+1, I did a bunch of research before settling on this one. It's awesome and has tons of good reviews by coffee people. It's very consistent, very adjustable, and built well. I'm very happy with mine and I've had it almost 4 years.

BlackArcher101
05-17-2011, 06:03 PM
I got my burr grinder from London Drugs. Very decent price too.

RY213
05-17-2011, 06:35 PM
Originally posted by srdjan
Don't know if you hav a costco membership but this one has good reviews
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10338549&search=burr&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BCCA&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=burr&Ntt=burr&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1


Thats one of the ones I have been looking at. Do you know how much these are at Costco?

aaronck
05-18-2011, 01:30 PM
Originally posted by RY213



Thats one of the ones I have been looking at. Do you know how much these are at Costco?

You can probably find out by clicking on the link...When I did I not only found out the price but I bought one, seems like a good grinder.

RY213
05-18-2011, 06:52 PM
Originally posted by aaronck


You can probably find out by clicking on the link...When I did I not only found out the price but I bought one, seems like a good grinder.

I went to Beacon Costco today and didnt see any grinders there. I may have to order online...

sillysod
05-24-2011, 10:17 PM
pretty much anything will do what you are looking for

clicky click (http://www.growadvice.com/thc1.htm)