TIL that $60 grinder I bought off Facebook Marketplace had been grinding my beans unevenly for 6 months and ruined every pour over I made

I spent 6 months wondering why my coffee tasted sour or bitter no matter what I did, then a friend loaned me his $200 burr grinder and the difference was like night and day so now I'm kicking myself for being cheap how much do I really need to spend to get consistent grounds?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennybailey18d ago

Isn't it funny how we'll spend hours researching which $4 latte is worth it but then gamble on a $60 grinder like it's no big deal? It's like my friend who cheaps out on tires but will drive 20 miles to save 2 cents on gas.

faithpatel18d ago

Have you tried checking if your grinder's burrs are aligned properly? Most people don't realize that even cheap grinders can work okay if you calibrate them right.

blake_kelly1918d ago

Wait, are we talking about the same kind of cheap grinder though? I mean, my experience with budget burr grinders has been that the alignment is basically set from the factory and messing with it just makes things worse. Idk, maybe it's just me but I've tried shimming a couple of cheap ones and they ended up grinding super uneven no matter what I did. Usually the problem with those isn't the alignment anyway, it's more about the motor overheating or the burrs being made of cheap metal that dulls fast. I feel like people overestimate how much you can fix a cheap grinder without just spending the money on a better one.