I use a Brass Lehnartz Turkish mill - this style is very different than the wooden box mills. I wish these were common but they are not. Among similar brass mills the performance varies quite a bit - 50 to 70 years is a long time and these burrs are good for maybe 300 - 500 lb is my guess. At 5 lb a month these old mills would be shot in 3 years considering original wear or maybe a bit more than 5 years provided you could find one that has never been used...
OE Pharos if you are 100% positive about espresso sooner rather than later - Lido (it's more than capable for espresso) if if pour over is the current desire and espresso is a down the road maybe - best of both worlds is to end up with one of each...
Good luck!
(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?
CMIN Senior Member Joined: 14 Jun 2012 Posts: 561 Location: South FL Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Crossland CC1 Grinder: Baratza Preciso
Posted Sun Jun 24, 2012, 8:45pm Subject: Re:
I can say for the money the Hario Slim is really good, love it. Great for espresso, sorta experimented for drip but still playing around with the settings as I don't really drink drip much, except for right now waiting for my new espresso machine to come in. There's a few mods you can do to it, big thread on here, that seem to help more for coarser grinds. It's just my gf and I really right now so it's not much work if we want shots randomly, if you had others over or grinding larger amounts of grams, then yeh it may get old a little quick lol.
IMAWriter Senior Member Joined: 4 Jul 2002 Posts: 5,475 Location: Brentwood, TN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Nothing at the moment Grinder: Vario-W,Preciso-Esatto/KyM... Vac Pot: Adcraft SS, Yama 8 cup Drip: Brazen.Chemex, Hario, Clever... Roaster: Behmor 1600, CO/UFO combo
Posted Sun Jun 24, 2012, 10:30pm Subject: Re: On a budget - Hario Mini Mill Slim now or
Acumen Said:
So I decided to starting working on my coffee skills, and of course am starting with a grinder. I have done a lot of research and am still stuck on picking one. My daily brew has been store bought espresso grind, out of a stove top Bialetti, or more often a cheap drip machine, and I am happy drinking that. I have done some experimenting with pour overs and fresh roasted beans, but it just doesn't work well with my blade grinder, to the point where I prefer the cheap store espresso.
It may be some time before I can get a real espresso machine. In the meantime I would like to be able to at least make a good pour-over and Bialetti cup. As I understand it, the Mini Mill Slim is the least expensive, passable grinder, but would need to be upgraded when getting a machine. Something like the LIDO if I would be able to use it down the line for real espresso as well would be great, but I haven't found much about it being used in this way. I guess it is too new. The PHAROS is more then I would like to spend now, but would be a good upgrade option from the Hario if I don't get the LIDO
If I would need to upgrade again anyway, I would rather save the $ if I can get away with the Mini Mill for now. If the LIDO will perform well for all, I would rather get the higher quality now. I only mention hand grinders because I figure you get the same burr at half the price so for a budget it is going to be the best option.
For pour-over/drip, IMO a hand grinder such as a Lido is VASTLY superior to a mini mill...any mini-mill. That said, a Baratza Encore would be a fine solution for the present, and a good spare drip grinder in the future should you get the Lido. The Pharos can do all grinds, but Ibelieve it was made to be the ultimate manual espresso grinder.
Acumen Senior Member Joined: 24 Jun 2012 Posts: 5 Location: US Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Mon Jun 25, 2012, 6:00am Subject: Re:
Alright, I think I am going to go with the LIDO. The reality is I drink drip every day, and so I should maximize my drip experience. Since it will be able to handle espresso as well, it will enable me to start looking for and using a machine. Then I can add the PHAROS or an electric as budget allows, if I am tired of hand grinding, or when I am looking for shot improvement down the line. The LIDO is also just a very appealing object in general. I have a thing for over-engineered simplicity. I will also keep my eyes open for any and all brass Lehnartz.
+1 ... excellent choice. I use mine daily. I also have the Pharos and I can honestly say, they are two of the best quality grinders I have ever owned ... absolutely no regrets! Enjoy, and good brewing!!
Acumen Senior Member Joined: 24 Jun 2012 Posts: 5 Location: US Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sat Jul 14, 2012, 10:26am Subject: On a budget - Hario Mini Mill Slim now (+upgrade to PHAROS later) vs OE LIDO now
Hey, I wanted to update everybody. My LIDO arrived this morning, and it makes a d*mn good cup of coffee. I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to start experimenting now that I have a source of local fresh roasted beans and a quality grinder. Looking at the finer end of the grinds it can do, I think I will have no problem venturing into espresso, while having ultimate drip.
Posted Sat Jul 14, 2012, 2:04pm Subject: Re: On a budget - Hario Mini Mill Slim now vs OE LIDO now
Acumen Said:
Hey, I wanted to update everybody. My LIDO arrived this morning, and it makes a d*mn good cup of coffee. I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to start experimenting now that I have a source of local fresh roasted beans and a quality grinder. Looking at the finer end of the grinds it can do, I think I will have no problem venturing into espresso, while having ultimate drip.
Congrats on your new grinder! I use a Virtuoso at home and my LIDO goes everywhere else with me, although it spends most of its time in office. It's a top notch grinder. Enjoy it!
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