President's Choice Burr Grinder

[CharityCase]

Saw it in Loblaw's for $29.95 and wondered if any has had experience with it yet. It has multiple grind settings and a small hopper on the top for beans. The price is competitive but how does it hold up vs. similiar machines in that range (the small KithenAids for instance)?

[Anna N]

I looked at it too and said NO! It does not look sturdy enough to handle coffee beans for any length of time. I had a Braun until it died and now have a DeLonghi and the Braun was far, far better. I am hoping the DeLonghi will soon expire and I can get a Braun - it's much more expensive than the PC grinder but worth it in my experience. I'd be interested to hear if anyone did buy the PC one and what they think of it, though.

[Mayhaw Man]

I have one of these and it works perfectly. I only grind very small amounts for drip coffee, though a friend has one just like this, but a slightly older model, and she grinds for espresso in her Solis and it works really well for that. Very consistent and very dependable. It is a good option, imo, for someone who is only grinding small amounts of coffee for immediate use.

Though neither of us, come to think of it, ever change the settings. For some reason I would think that if you were making changes all of the time that it would not be nearly as nice a unit. We both just have the thing set where we like it and it seems to work like a champ.

Yes, I know. Reccomending inexpensive coffee equipment here is asking for trouble and derision, but, well, until I have a maker that costs over a thousand bucks, I'm good with this. It's dependable and makes the same, exact thing everytime. That's really all I want.

[ohev'ochel]

I looked at it too and said NO!  It does not look sturdy enough to handle coffee beans for any length of time.  I had a Braun until it died and now have a DeLonghi and the Braun was far, far better.  I am hoping the DeLonghi will soon expire and I can get a Braun - it's much more expensive than the PC grinder but worth it in my experience.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone did buy the PC one and what they think of it, though.

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I have 2 and both are Braun. One has been relegated to use for grinding spices only and 12 years later it is STILL grinding its little heart away fine. The other is for coffee only and works as well as it did the day I bought it.

The only shortcoming is that it is not a burr grinder which I want, want, want -- more so to have control over the type of grind I need, especially for espresso. There are many on the market and haven't made any decisions yet but have my eyes on one which is way too expensive. IMO the Italian ones look extremely well made. I'd rather wait and spend more for a quality machine than buy a cheapo version (though some of those "cheapos" work fine).

[CharityCase]

Umm, ok back on track then for a minute: This thread was meant to be about a low-priced Burr Grinder available at Loblaw's so I'd appreciate hearing from those who have actually purchased this bad boy:

http://www.presidentschoice.ca/HouseAndHom...rinder/catid/65

Or, if you have a burr grinder in the 30-50 CDN range that's acceptable. If you veer this topic off track may you suffer a folgers and skim-milk induced nightmare

[phaelon56]

In one of our favorite pinned topics - Best Coffee Grinder - what, where? - this very grinder gets discussed. The member who purchased it was gung-ho and felt favorably about it before and shortly after purchase but after several days of use quickly became dissatisfied....

President's Choice grinder comments

In the same thread another member comments favorably on the same Braun that Mayhaw Man has recommended here. The other "inexpensive" (that term being relative) burr grinder I've seen that gets fairly good reviews is the Bodum Antigua which can be found for about $75.

In the $30 and under category I stick to $20 blade grinders. You may have to stop mid-grind and shake it a bit to get better distribution and more even grind consistency but in general they're reliable and work well for their purpose - drip coffee. When it comes to French Press you'll want more consistency to the grind (unless you have a good sludge tolerance level).

And for espresso? If we're talking about espresso made with a decent espresso machine it's tough to find anything cheaper than the Solis Maestro (about $100 to $120) that willl really do the job well.

[Mano]

I bought one for my office and returned it the next day. Loud (but most burr grinders are, but not this loud), inconsistent grind and terrible static electricity problems (but many burr grinders have at least some SE problems if they have plastic parts.) It was cheaply made but looked nice.

FWIW, I'm sticking with my Kitchen Aid A9, which has been great for drip and Krups Moka Brew. At $99, it's easily three times the machine as the President's Choice.

(IIRC, it's the choice of the president of the He-man Woman-Hater's Club)

[phaelon56]

I forgot to mention that I once bought a Melitta "burr grinder" for $30 at a kitchen goods outlet store. Based on the description it sounds like the same machine as the PC model under discussion but with a different name badge. My intent had been to leave it at a GF's house for making drip coffee when I was there. It was so loud, staticy and produced so much heat, dust and powder (along with chunks!) that I returned it and got a $20 Kitchen Aid whirly blade unit that works fine.

[CharityCase]

I forgot to mention that I once bought a Melitta "burr grinder" for $30 at a kitchen goods outlet store. Based on the description it sounds like the same machine as the PC model under discussion but with a different name badge. My intent had been to leave it at a GF's house for making drip coffee when I was there. It was so loud, staticy and produced so much heat, dust and powder (along with chunks!) that I returned it and got a $20 Kitchen Aid whirly blade unit that works fine.

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Thanks y'all. I have no iea who makes the grainder under license to PC but I'd take a swipe at Salton or DeLonghi...whose appliances range from "sucky" to "disastrous" in my own kitchen.

I'll keep an eye out for those kitchen aid units...or if there's something better that's under $100. Had a look through CoffeeGeek and there's a few possibilities.

[jayt90]

The Kitchenaid A-9 is what I went to after returning the Loblaw's, which seemed similar to a Kenmore. I have been happy with the KA but it is messy on the counter, and dark glossy beans will require a clean up afterwards to get it feeding properly. One of our coffeegeeks suggested running barley through it, and that is a great idea. The more expensive KA is over $300. in my 'hood, but it seems to get better reviews. As you are in Ottawa, you can look at both KitchenAid models at the Bay Outfitters. I haven't seen the Bodum anywhere yet.

My lasting impression of the Loblaws is that was an assembly of plastic parts that worked well on arrival. but would soon become mis-aligned by stray grounds and start to spray coffee evrywhere.

The other comments about inconsistency are spot on.

Edited July 21, 2006 by jayt90 (log)

[CharityCase]

The Kitchenaid A-9 is what I went to after returning the Loblaw's, which seemed similar to a Kenmore. I have been happy with the KA but it is messy on the counter, and dark glossy beans will require a clean up afterwards to get it feeding properly. One of our coffeegeeks suggested running barley through it, and that is a great idea. The more expensive KA is over $300. in my 'hood, but it seems to get better reviews.  As you are in Ottawa, you can look at both KitchenAid models at the Bay Outfitters.  I haven't seen the Bodum anywhere yet.

My lasting impression of the Loblaws is that was an assembly of plastic parts that worked well on arrival. but would soon become mis-aligned by stray grounds and start to spray coffee evrywhere.

The other comments about inconsistency are spot on.

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Bay outfitters = home outfitters? There is also C.A. Paradis which is alot of fun to visit but expensive to shop at.