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Permalink Reply by Greg Aliff on March 1, 2010 at 10:10am

For pourovers/frenchpress/drip you could probably get away with using something from the Baratza line. They sell most of their products refurb. I have the Maestro for at home use, mainly chemex.

Might not be great for grinding entire bags of coffee for customers. You should probably sell them one of these grinders so they can learn to do it themselves at home instead.

http://www.baratza.com/refurb.php

Otherwise one of the huge loud boxes is probably going to be your best bet for high volume use.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Cockrell on March 1, 2010 at 12:19pm

I'd stick with the bunn - get one in red if you don't like the black. I like the grind better than the Grindmaster. I wouldn't look at the Baratzas for commerical/volume use - although I use a Virtuoso for small batches at home. Is there something about the Bunn you don't like?

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on March 1, 2010 at 1:46pm

Yes, yes, and Yes, Eric. I'm not sure how many questions you asked here but
we had some $'s when we built this shop/roastery/wine shop/ cafe/ coffee house. We bought our shop coffee grinder and Probat 5L from Jay at http://www.coffeetec.com/Default.asp
The grinder we got http://www.coffeetec.com/Mahlkoenig_VTA6S_Factory_Refurbished_p/10-...
was refurbished but not cheap. Can't say enough about a 3phase grinder vs. a single phase if your doing volume. Check out there other options if budget is critical Eric.
I totally understand what you mean by a huge gap between machines cost and quality wise. Others on this list can help you better with what to avoid. We bought a lifetime grinder with this Mahlkoenig. Like some sports cars this WILL hold it's resale value. Not that I plan on selling it though. 13 Steps, Turkish to marbles so to speak.
Good luck with your hunt.
JoeR
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Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Cockrell on March 1, 2010 at 4:29pm

Eric - I didn't suggest other grinders like the fine Mahlkoenig or the Ditting because they are higher end grinders. I thought you were looking for something in a lesser budget. I've been very pleased with mine for the $350 I paid for it used. Broke it down, cleaned it up, plugged it in and grinding away nicely. Perhaps your borrowed bunn or curtis is in need of a new set of burrs?? What type of volume are you putting out weekly??

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Permalink Reply by Jesse Bladyka on March 1, 2010 at 10:11pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/USED-Mahlkonig-EK-43-RETAIL-GRINDER-COFFEE_W0QQ...


I just did an ebay search, I have no idea who this is or what the history is, but we have one of these bad boy grinders and it is sweet. New burrs aren't cheap, and I"m sure it needs them, but it's a fast, accurate grinder. Our hopper is broken just like that one, gorilla glue. Otherwise, you can get a new Kenia for just under 1500. My experience is you get what you pay for, it hurts the wallet now, but your coffee will taste better for longer, and that makes you money.

Happy hunting.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on March 2, 2010 at 6:56am

Jesse, It will blow me away if someone from Matt's list here does not grab this up. We bought a refurb 220 3phase newer model for 2300.00 or more I don't do the purchasing. I was just told how much it cost going on 2 years ago and told to treat her like my first prom date.
If I had the $ I would not be writing this note and encouraging one of my BX comrades to snag this Sweet machine.
It would be mine for my next shop or customer.
Best bidding luck to someone.
Folks this is where the good deals start. I was tipped off from another Lister / member here on a ebay deal for my ambex 15 kilo. It was listed for hours only before I bought it.
Cheers,
Joseph

--
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.

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