Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder vs Hario Mini Mill

- Temp-controlled electric kettle. Not a gooseneck, but I get around that by transferring the right volume of water to a small gooseneck measuring cup thing. Works for now.

170-180F is better. You'll soon discover what you like best. So for about $55 you can be all set to brew coffee that's better anything than you can get outside of a high-end coffee shop, at a fraction of the price. In the long term that's a bargain

(smooth music) - [Narrator] Freshly Ground coffee makes for a better cup of Joe. Coffee goes stale relatively quickly, so when you buy pre-ground bean...

If anything, I think the Major Dickason's doesn't taste as sweet as the Gaia pre-ground, but I cannot tell whether it's because of the difference between the coffees, or because the grinding makes the coffee worse. I bought a can of the Kirkland Decaf (48ozs at $13), and the big difference seems to be that the pre-ground stuff is much harder to push through the Aeropress than the self-grounded coffee. And honestly, if you took away the grinder and made me drink the kirkland decaf, except for the missing caffeine, I'm not sure I'd prefer the self-ground coffee. I'll keep the grinder, if only because a lot of variety of coffee beans don't come pre-ground, and I really don't feel like grinding it at the Costco grinders which don't ever seem to get cleaned

- Bolst’s hot curry powder (add to your deviled eggs or chicken salad and you’ll never go back)

I use it primarily for grinding turkish coffee (1 click) and for pour-over drip grind for individual cups (9 clicks). I don't think there's as cheap a grinder that does turkish fine, so there's no real comparison there. For one or two tiny cups, it takes as much time to grind the beans as it does for the water to heat in the ibrik, For regular drip coffee, I do notice a difference in odor and flavor with the Hario compared to the whirly. My wife however can't tell the difference, so be warned: no everyone finds burr grinders worth the trouble

If you don’t need a grinder for travel, I would highly recommend “buy once , cry once” on a good electric. You are looking at close to $200 US for the grinder and single dose hopper (not necessary, but I love having it, it also quiets the action).

I recently went for the Hario Mini Mill Pro (slightly fancier, metal body, probably the same on the inside). After all the research I could muster I came to the conclusion that the Hario is the best I could get at this price point, and even Hoffman was quite pleased with his. Can't say if the Rhino is good or not, haven't stumbled across it in my research.

We've had to work through a few challenges to get the grinder to work in a practical way for us, but overall it's been ok. I don't taste a noticeable difference in flavor between freshly ground and the bags we would pre-grind at Costco. Things to consider: *Every time you grind beans, you will have grinds that go everywhere- as you pour them into your coffee maker and as you put the bin back in place. It's extremely messy

* Clear acrylic (methyl methacrylate) bottom chamber allows checking the grounded coffee. * I like the handle hangs on the unit for storage. Cons: * Uneven grind for medium roasted beans (Full City). * Difficult (even impossible) to grind light roasted beans (American to City)

There is a little clean-up to do with the grounds in the receiving vessel, and around the base. But nothing that I wouldn't reasonably expect. Between what I'll save by avoiding high-priced coffee, and the more intangible benefit of grinding those beautiful beans on-the-spot, the cost is well worth it. I should say that I grind only for the plunge-pot and for drip, so nothing to say about espresso grind

I open the bag very carefully, about two fingers worth, enought to pore the beans out into the storage cup, and quickly reseal the bag. For me, the scecret to great tasting coffee every single day is to follow these steps, plus, having a single-serve coffee machine (Black and Decker's Brew 'n Go -- [URL REMOVED] is the way to go. I've been using this exact same machine for at least 10 years, I think. People always compliment the aroma from my coffee