Posted Wed Dec 5, 2012, 10:17am Subject: Re: French Press Grinder for $200 - $550
I own a LIDO and a Virtuoso/Essato. Both are perfect matches for what you are looking for. Grinding with the LIDO takes an extra 30 seconds in the morning, but is more affordable. The Virtuoso on the other hand turns out a beautiful grind at a higher price. You also have to weigh the potential for failure in the electronics (as with any electronic appliance) versus the tank-quality of the LIDO.
I love waking up in the morning, pressing my Esatto's preset button, getting my 18g in the basket without thinking, and moving right to brewing. That said, one can easily grind with the LIDO while waiting for water to boil.
Either will keep you happy! I'd even venture to say that a Baratza Encore would be a fine choice as well.
It works better if you do. Although you could drip feed beans in while it ground, or just single dose with it set to a greater weight than you put in. I don't know why you'd do either though. Better to keep the hopper partially full, to get the convenience of the push button operation.
I don't think your airtight container will be doing very much if you keep opening it to get beans out though, so I'm not sure you'd see a big difference in aging between beans kept in the hopper and in a container. The hopper does a good job of keeping breezes and the like off of the beans, although it's obviously not sealed.
redkiosk Senior Member Joined: 13 May 2012 Posts: 156 Location: Chicago Metro Area Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Illy Francis-Francis X1 Grinder: Baratza Preciso w/ Esatto... Vac Pot: Someday, very intriguing Drip: Bunn Trifecta MB Roaster: A sure path to divorce!
Posted Wed Dec 5, 2012, 1:34pm Subject: Re: French Press Grinder for $200 - $550
I usually store a day's worth of beans in the hopper (4-6, 12 oz cups worth brewed with a Bunn Trifecta MB). I'm pretty good at eye-balling it now, but if I come up short, the Esatto tells me how much it has ground/weighed and I can drop a few extra beans in and hit the preset button again and it will stop at the preset weight. OR, I do some quick mental math and adjust the volume of water for a slightly less cup. (this is what I usually do, when finishing off one kind of coffee and then cleaning the grinder). If I'm a little over by a few beans, it just sits there until the next morning when I dump the day's beans in the hopper.
I guess, if you were worried about sealing the beans in the hopper, you could purchase a thin "O" ring (5" dia.) and snap it on the lip of the hopper lid OR create a small plunger type device, kinda' like a tamper with a seal, to place down over the beans.
Another plus to the Baratza Preciso, and the reason I purchased mine for use with the Trifecta MB, was that it has been documented to produce the least amount of fines at the coarse settings than any of their other grinders, including the Vario.
Take care!
Jim
The pathologically precise are annoying, but right!
busteddread Senior Member Joined: 4 Dec 2012 Posts: 5 Location: FL Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Wed Dec 5, 2012, 5:30pm Subject: Re: French Press Grinder for $200 - $550
I grind, on average, probably around 50 grams of beans for my 1L French Press. What kind of time and energy expenditure are required from the Lido for this amount?
emradguy Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1,698 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto II Grinder: MacapM4T, Macap M4, OE Lido,... Drip: Espro press; Aeropress Roaster: internet
Posted Wed Dec 5, 2012, 8:41pm Subject: Re: French Press Grinder for $200 - $550
lol on the kJ!
but, yeah, you'll have it ground faster than it takes you to heat up the water. the grinding is not hard at all. the first few times you use the Lido, it'll feel a little jerky and seem like a pain, but after several uses it gets much smoother and it really doesn't take all that much effort
busteddread Senior Member Joined: 4 Dec 2012 Posts: 5 Location: FL Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 4:32pm Subject: Re: French Press Grinder for $200 - $550
I've just gone ahead and ordered a Virtuoso. It's a bit of a compromise but, in my lucid moments, I realize it should accomplish what I want it to. If I become more ambitious (e.g., espresso, but unlikely), I'll graduate to a different grinder.
I ended up being quite tempted by the Lido even though it was not a part of my original conception. Several posters argued in a quite informed and impassioned way for its consideration. Ultimately, I thought its capacity might be limiting if I ever had to "crank" for more than myself or adjust it for a different brewing method. However, when my old, soon-to-be backup grinder expires, I'm leaning towards purchasing a Lido as part of my workplace and/or traveling kit.
Thanks for all the advice, including someone who, in a nice way, told me to "get a grip on reality" and someone else who introduced me to the kilojoule (could be useful to know some day).
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