Posted Sat Jan 7, 2012, 11:40am Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
The box is fancy - it will look good on the retailer's shelf some where - not exactly plain and simple frustration free packaging here. The grinder comes with a grounds bin and two sizes of portafilter holders so they clearly intend for someone to enjoy espresso with this machine - I will test that part out.
(Click for larger image)
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
Posted Sat Jan 7, 2012, 3:05pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
The hopper is neat - the bottom has a spring loaded set of doors that close automatically when you remove the hopper to keep the beans from falling everywhere - I think the Breville Smart Grinder has this feature as well. I like the use of Allen head screws here and elsewhere on the grinder - someone can take this machine apart easily...
(Click for larger image)
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
Posted Sat Jan 7, 2012, 7:00pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
The grounds bin is nice - it fits into the portafilter fork too - the rubber hose hooks on the end of the grounds dispersion chute to dump the coffee into the portafilter.
(Click for larger image)
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
Posted Sat Jan 7, 2012, 7:29pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
Looking at that burr set, (hard to see from the photo) but I would be very careful to keep them from touching during grinding/running/adjusting. It looks like there is no flat 'landing' on those cutters.
Posted Sat Jan 7, 2012, 11:49pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
Frost Said:
Looking at that burr set, (hard to see from the photo) but I would be very careful to keep them from touching during grinding/running/adjusting. It looks like there is no flat 'landing' on those cutters.
alanfrew Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 596 Location: Melbourne Expertise: Professional
Posted Sun Jan 8, 2012, 4:20am Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
It's a rebadged current model Sunbeam EM0480, also being rebadged by Cimbali/Faema as a Casadio, see http://www.coffeeco.com.au/articles/host2011.html. Burrset is Baratza/Solis conical, changed from the Trespade/Lux conical in 2009, presumably for cost reasons. Practically the burrset makes zero difference to the performance as an espresso grinder, since the adjustment mechanism remains the same.
As with a lot of "made in China" equipment, these grinders are designed to have a 2 - 3 year lifespan, and except for the burrs are more or less unrepairable. You need to balance the cost against the expected service life, but while they're working they are good domestic espresso grinders.
Posted Sun Jan 8, 2012, 11:44am Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
alanfrew Said:
It's a rebadged current model Sunbeam EM0480, also being rebadged by Cimbali/Faema as a Casadio, see http://www.coffeeco.com.au/articles/host2011.html. Burrset is Baratza/Solis conical, changed from the Trespade/Lux conical in 2009, presumably for cost reasons. Practically the burrset makes zero difference to the performance as an espresso grinder, since the adjustment mechanism remains the same.
As with a lot of "made in China" equipment, these grinders are designed to have a 2 - 3 year lifespan, and except for the burrs are more or less unrepairable. You need to balance the cost against the expected service life, but while they're working they are good domestic espresso grinders.
Thanks for the input Alan - I found the information on the Sunbeam EM0480 for comparison thanks to your web site - the article describes a reasonable entry level grinder - at $100 USD Krups is hitting a very strong price point.
I was able to examine the spring system for the bean hopper with only an Allen wrench - no odd head on the screws which surprised me.
(Click for larger image)
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
shmulibaby Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2011 Posts: 44 Location: NYC Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: La Nuova Era Cuadra Grinder: Rossi RR45, Krups Conical Drip: Melitta single cup Roaster: Popcorn Popper
Posted Sun Jan 8, 2012, 2:24pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
Eric,
I'm looking forward to your comments once you've gotten the chance to use the grinder and pull some shots or brew some coffee. Also, one of the reviewers at Amazon had a big gripe with this grinder as it tended to jam because of coffee grinds getting trapped in many places. I wonder if you notice something similar. Lastly, if you happen to grind for drip/french press/aeropress/other, please let us know what you find in terms of consistency etc. I think this might have a good place for non-espresso grinders as well. TIA.
Posted Sun Jan 8, 2012, 6:39pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
shmulibaby Said:
Eric,
I'm looking forward to your comments once you've gotten the chance to use the grinder and pull some shots or brew some coffee. Also, one of the reviewers at Amazon had a big gripe with this grinder as it tended to jam because of coffee grinds getting trapped in many places. I wonder if you notice something similar. Lastly, if you happen to grind for drip/french press/aeropress/other, please let us know what you find in terms of consistency etc. I think this might have a good place for non-espresso grinders as well. TIA.
I will definitely get to that part of this first look, but first here is what I get for grind retention while prepping for that shot - grind retention is a big deal for a lot of folks:
(Click for larger image)
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
Posted Sun Jan 8, 2012, 8:29pm Subject: Re: Krups Conical Burr Grinder - First Look
It does make fluffy powder - this is the finest setting ground by the Krups Die Cast conical burr grinder into my Preciso's bin (same grounds weighed in the retention photo of my scale.
Looks like it is fine enough for espresso...
(Click for larger image)
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.