I've long stated that I think the most important piece of equipment that any coffee nut can own is a high quality grinder...
A long time ago in a coffee galaxy, far, far away... our first coffee machine was a combination pump machine and coffee grinder. The grinder was truly awful. I struggled with this combi machine for a few years before finally deciding to buy a good grinder, a Mazzer Mini Electronic. This grinder purchase was a significant upgrade for our household espresso and it really opened my eyes to the importance of the grinder. The Mazzer produced excellent coffee grounds and the espresso was beautiful (even if our pump machine was still less than ideal). The only problem with the Mazzer was that it dosed inconsistently. It was a pretty typical grinder for the day, medium-sized hopper where one could dose a small bag of beans, and grind volume was determined by a timer. I set about weighing numerous timed grinds and the amount in the portafilter was very inconsistent. I then moved to a single dosing regimen using grinders which were designed for that process and my morning espresso routine became extremely consistent.
Due to this experience with grinders, I felt that the sale of grinders was an important service to offer to Garage Roasters customers. The key grinder characteristics required:
- Excellent build quality
- Single dosing design
- Well-aligned burrs
- Low coffee retention
- Wonderful quality coffee grounds and resultant espresso
I'm very happy to say that after an extensive search I've managed to find and sell what I believe to be the best value grinder on the market, the Turin DF54, which satisfies all of the above criteria. This piece of coffee equipment represents great value. I wish I'd had access to something like this early in my espresso journey. The espresso it produces is wonderful especially given the price of the grinder. Over the past year we've recommended Turin grinders to customers (including my brother-in-law) and they're all extremely happy with their purchases.
I'll progressively introduce additional members of the Turin grinder family in the coming months. Watch this space.
To buy the Turin DF 54 coffee grinder click here.
To read about flat whites and extract chilling click here
To read about the Hario Skerton Pro hand grinder click here