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Capresso is Burrrrific!
Who knew that a cup of coffee could taste so much different just by burring the beans rather than grinding them? Not me! What a difference! I have found that Capresso products make morning coffee a delight. This product is easy to use, not messy or dusty and looks great on a countertop. motor bound up It worked very well at first. After about a year of use, only on Saturday and Sunday, the motor bound up. It's just a paperweight now. Good Grinder. Challenging to Clean Thoroughly Overall this is a good grinder. The unit itself is fairly quiet when compared to other burr grinders. I primarily use it to grind beans for a cone shaped filter, so I cannot attest to its abilities to get very fine grounds. The only problem that I have found is that clean-up can be a challenge. The design of the grinding area was not done for easy clean-up procedure. I will normally remove the bean canister, and give it a sharp smack with my hand over the coffee filter. Next step is to take the top part of the grinder unit (third image) and brush the grinds into a coffee filter. The base unit is the most difficult to clean (second image). I found that if I tilt the whole unit forward, and give the back of the unit a few whacks with the palm of my hand, it will dislodge quite a few grounds. The brush will not remove all of the grounds. There will be some caught up around the edges of the platform, under the platform, and under the conical burr piece itself. It is possible to pull that whole unit out, but installation is not easy as there are three springs and three ball bearings. The other problem with respect to clean-up is that I have turned the entire unit upside down over a sink to smack it with the palm of my hand in the hopes of cleaning it some more. Whenever I do that, it appears that the bean bin will not fit in like it should. The problem is that there is a channel towards the front of the area (3 O'Clock to 5 O'Clock) where the bean bin rests. You can somewhat see it in the second image. It tends to move out of position, and needs to be moved counter clockwise. As I stated in the beginning, overall it is a good grinder for the money. It does a very good job of grinding the beans. You just have to understand that clean-up can be a challenge. No-compromise grinder at an affordable price The Capresso delivers exactly what it promises: a commercial-grade, conical burr grinder at a very reasonable price. I previously owned a basic Krups burr grinder, which was reliable and a definite step up from a blade grinder. But the Capresso offers substantially better performance for not much more money. With the reduction gearing it is quieter, and the conical burrs deliver a more consistent grind. I generally use a stovetop espresso maker; if the grind isn't uniform there ends up being a lot of "dust" in the coffee. With the Capresso, there is very little dust. And after several months of daily use, it shows every sign of being a very durable machine. It's easy to clean as well. If you want a top-notch grinder and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars, the Capresso is a great choice. Like Starbucks I have been 'grinding' my coffee for years, having gone through two of those cheap blade 'grinders', which in reality are choppers. When it was obvious the consistency of the 'ground' coffee coming from my last chopper wasn't very consistent, I decided it was time for a new one. What I really like about Amazon is it's capacity to educate the consumer by allowing the consumer to view appraisals by other buyers. That's how I learned about the Capresso grinder. I have only had it a day, but it impressed me already. My $90 was not wasted. This thing is uptown. It does a beautiful job of creating a consistent ground coffee. I'm the only one who drinks coffee in our house. It kinda troubled me that I was buying some huge machine for $90 just for my puny one or two cups a day. IT WAS WORTH IT! I AM NOT DISAPPOINTED. The coffee has that rich taste, like Starbucks, that I could never get with the choppers. The only caveat I would include is the residue left on the removable grind wheel. It's enough for a third of a cup of coffee. But I'm assuming if I don't wipe it off each time, it'll be the first stuff out on the next grind. Noise wise, I'd guess it's half what the cheap chopper was. Five stars maybe a star over kill, but hey I like my coffee. | |
