I am contemplating a grinder purchase. I drink either cold brewed, French press, and keueig on occasion, so everything I drink in a coarse grind. Is there any reason why I need an expensive grinder? It seems like the reason for a higher dollar grinder is for finely ground coffee, which is what I don't need. Thanks.
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It's more of a consistent grind size of the particle. Espresso is a little finicky with grind size. I use a French press almost exclusively but used a Moka Pot also. and having a consistent size for french press helps with better extraction of flavor/oils.
IMHO---YMMV
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Duane, a decent $30-50 BURR grinder will do the job just fine. No reason to go crazy expensive unless you get VERY serious about your coffee.

The crucial part, is getting a burr grinder.
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You would probably be fine with even a whirly blade grinder but I still like the burr. The Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder I have does a decent job across the board and doesn't break the bank. You can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond for $89.99 and BBB is always sending out 20% off coupons and that is how mine was acquired for around $75 after tax.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...p?SKU=14902422
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:-)

+1---Great Grinder!
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+2! Great grinder, LOVE mine.
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Kinda looked at the calypso and bodum bistro electric grinder thus far for a modest grinder.
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I have the Bodum grinder Duane. I use it mostly for a FP grind which it does well. I do get some fines inthe cup, but nothing that bad. It does pretty well too for a fine grind for my Moka pots.
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I decided to buy this one to see how it does. No more coffee than I drink, I opted to go the cheaper route.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ag=dealnewscom
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Wow, excellent price. I wish I'd seen that model when i was looking.
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Already ordered 7 bags of Seatle's Best Level 3 Whole Bean bags to test it out. Best coffee I've had outside of the Jamaican Blue Mountain I believe.
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:-) Are you serious??
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To me, it's the only coffee I've had that I can drink with the least amount of creamer/splenda. I don't drink much other stuff out there outside of Starbucks that I get from Sam's Club. I'm sure there are plenty of other great blends out there, but I just don't feel like paying a whole lot more for it.
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Ya, it's true, you get what you pay for.
Really good, fresh roasted coffee has SO much to offer. It is the most complex food on the planet, over 700 different flavors have been identified. Just for comparison, wine, about 180.
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and besides being fun, a roaster will pay for itself in a short time once you start paying half for green beans as you do for Seattle's Best roasted beans
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Honestly, I find a lot of coffee to be much too bitter for me to enjoy it, thus I have to load it up with enough creamer and splenda to really cover up the taste. With cold brewing, I've found that it's not nearly as bitter and is pretty much the only coffee I drink now. It's not as though I've tried numerous blends from some of the regular suppliers frequently recommended on this board. That said, the Seattle's Best has been the one I've encountered from a hot-brewed basis that I like with using the least amount of creamer/splenda. I'm down to just 1 of each and may just gradually work my way to drinking it black.

As far as fresh roasting, I've thought about it. I've heard a tiny bit about the modified popcorn popper for roasting at home. Doubtful I'll look into it until I'm done being a student in May.
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why on earth would you buy a burr grinder or roast your own if you use creamer and splenda???
you might as well save a lot of trouble and just buy this:
http://www.amazon.com/Nescafe-Instan...f=pd_sim_gro_1
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See if you can find a local roaster who has beans that have been roasted recently (like less than 7 days). Tell them exactly what you told us and see if they can recommend something for you. That way you can test it without going all in on all the equipment.

I haven't had seattles best but I can tell you that after having fresh coffee there is nothing else like it. I will still drink starbucks, mcdonalds or dunkin' if I must, but I won't like it. I can quite literally taste charcoal in the starbucks.
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I have a $30 black and decker?

It has fine, medium and coarse.

Consistand bean gring and the fine works for espresso grind too.
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I use a Krups grinder for my wife's drip as adjusting my Macap M4 from espresso to drip on a worm drive is a hassle. (more than 30 turns)
I think it was under $50.

Those grinders will do the job fine for drip and moka, but if you think it's ok for espresso, you're kidding yourself.
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