Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill-Original, Black

UPDATE 1/4/17: After two years of so, this grinder is still holding up like a champ! I'm actually using it a lot more because I'm using this to grind my cold brew. Because cold brews use more coffee beans, this grinder is getting more exercise every week!Why spend over $200-$300 on a burr grinder to grind coffee for yourself when you can get nearly the same results with this $33 Hario manual coffee grinder? Personally, I don't really know but if you had the money, I guess you really wouldn't care in the first place. If you are looking for one of the cheapest yet best way to grind your coffee beans each morning, look no further than the Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill. The results you'd get with this manual grinder can rival that of machines that costs double to triple the amount of this utility and in some cases, I am willing to bet those machines will lose in a grind off competition (results of grind, not speed).Pros:- This is perfect for those one to two cuppers like myself. I actually wanted to get a cheap electronic grinder and there are even some that are cheaper than this manual grinder! However, I think it was ridiculous to get one just for myself since no one else needs it.- A burr grinder like this beats a blade grinder. From my knowledge, a blade grinder simply just "chops/hacks" up your coffee beans into tiny pieces. The results you'd get by using this method might not be consistent every time. A burr grinder on the other hand does not simply chop but actually "crushes" your beans. You'd get a much more consistent result. Also, because this manual grinder is powered by your hands and not an electric motor, there is less heat generated when you crush the beans. The hotter it gets when you crush/chop the beans actually decreases the quality of your cup of coffee.- This grinder is not hard at all to grind. Please do not listen to the user reviews that claim this grinder is slow at grinding. I believe I can get a cup's worth of grinds in less than a minute or so and I didn't have to turn on super saiyan mode to do it. Although of course, the finer your grind, the more time will be needed. What I found odd was that your hand that actually cranks the handle round and round does not get tired. Instead, the hand that you hold the grinder actually gets tired! This is because you'd have to grip the grinder pretty tight in order for it not to wobble when you turn the handle. To be exact, it's your forearm that gets tired. So if you are right handed like me, then you would most likely hold the grinder with your left hand and it is your left forearm that would get tired. The fact that it has a cover helps a whole lot. I find it easier to slightly tilt the grinder while cranking away and the cover prevents the beans from flying out. While you can grind from a straight position and from a flat surface, I find that it's much harder to do it this way.- Switching between grind levels is extremely easy as you simply hold the center of the handle with your thumb and twist the nut at the bottom of the grinder either left or right. To grind fine, you'd turn it right. For a coarse grind, you'd go left. Once you find the right combination for your drip and espresso, you'd just have to remember how many "clicks" you'd have to go for each one starting from the tightest position (rightmost position). For example, I use three clicks for my espresso grind. For my french press, I use 9 clicks. All I have to remember is which position I last set the grinder to. If its espresso, then I'd obviously just twist it to the left for 6 clicks (3+6=9) for my french press. To go back to an espresso grind, I'd twist it to the right for 6 clicks (9-6=3). It's that simple.- The grind consistency you'd get from this grinder is very, very good. When it comes to espresso grinds, I am extremely pleased with this device. At 3 clicks, the grind is almost to a powder level and very fluffy in consistency. I can't imagine how the grinds will look like at just 1 click! Since everyone treats their coffee beans differently, you'd obviously have to play around with the settings a bit to get what you'd want. If you want absolutely control over your grinds, this is perfect for you perfectionists out there.- Due to its small form factor, you can bring this with you wherever you go and still be able to enjoy fresh coffee every morning! Also, the noise level is at an extreme minimum. You can safely grind coffee in the morning without your neighbors thinking world war III just started.Cons:- The only con I can think of is the clean up process. While it's not extremely hard to do, it can be a hassle. The good news is that you can take this grinder completely apart. Each part is washable. For a good heads up video, simply search on Youtube for "Hario Mini Mill" and there is an awesome instructional video by Hario themselves showing you how to take apart as well as putting the unit back together piece by piece. The ceramic burr is a bit harder to clean because coffee grinds just cling to it, especially if you do a fine grind. Therefore, a simple "rinse" under the water isn't going to help at all. You'd need to actually soak it in hot water with some mild detergent to remove it. All the other parts you can easily rinse with water to clean if you wish. Personally, I'm not diligent enough to take apart this grinder for a wash after each grind. I'd probably do it each week or so.As you can see, the amount of pro's clearly outweigh the con's. As long as this device holds up and doesn't break, I'd be a very happy guy. As long as you understand the audience this coffee grinder is meant for and if you find yourself fitting in that audience, you should come away satisfied as well.

I purchased this particular grinder specifically because I wanted to grind beans finer than my electric burr grinder produces for making espresso. I make one shot at a time so I'm not grinding a lot of coffee, typically less than would ordinarily be considered one serving. This grinds it fast and to perfection every time.I had an older wooden box manual grinder that I was using for this purpose, but it was large and sat on the counter, which means while I was grinding the coffee I had to stand in one place and hold the wooden box down on the counter top while I ground. What attracted me to this product was the fact that I can stand and walk around, or sit down at the kitchen table and read news while I grind - I'm not tethered to one spot in the kitchen. I like that aspect of it quite a bit, actually. Both hands end up getting involved in the grinding process which actually makes it easier than using a countertop model. Plus, with countertop grinders you have to move your arm in circles parallel to the countertop which isn't particularly ergonomic. With this grinder you can grind on an angle, whatever is most comfortable for you, as you stand, sit, or meander about your kitchen grinding.The grinder itself works great for producing very fine grinds. I can overdo it if not careful and create such a fine grind that my espresso maker can't muster enough pressure to push through them! Typically it takes about the same amount of time my machine takes to warm up to grind the beans, so waiting time is not an issue.There's two reasons I did not give it five stars. I've had a few issues with the crank handle getting stuck on top. Nothing I couldn't eventually work loose with a little bit of up & down motion to finally free it, but this causes me concern because the handle has to be removed to fill it, so if it truly ever gets stuck, the grinder will be unusable.The other reason has to do with design. This grinder is intended to be held in one hand while grinding coffee, so why does it have a slick surface? The black upper part has a light surface texture to it, but nothing that helps with your grip. I've found that the grinder will sometimes spin around in my hand when I'm using it if I'm not giving it a really good squeeze. Some sort of knurling, or a handle, or even a rougher surface, would have made this much easier to grip. Certainly a smooth surface isn't a smart choice for something that is intended to be hand held when used in this way. I actually cut a small piece of rubber counter shelf matting which I wrap around it to help grip it while grinding. Maybe I just have a weak grip. (Edit: a month later and now I'm used to it, I grip mostly the top half of the grinder, which has some texture, and the slippage problems have disappeared. I've revised my rating accordingly)I have not needed to adjust it for different size grinds, so I cannot comment on that feature. The method for changing the size of the grind seems a little awkward, but I suppose once you get used to it you'll be fine.Bottom line, the quality of my espresso has improved dramatically since I started using this. Nice strong full flavored body with a rich sweet crema floating on top. Well worth the effort.I'm adding an edit to this review. If you're into precision dosing of the portafilter on your espresso machine, this grinder is for you. The small barrel of the bottom half of the grinder fits perfectly into a standard portafilter. I put my portafilter over the barrel, then invert. The grinds are centered in the middle of the basket, no spillage, and my tamp does the rest. Every other grinder I've ever used had issues with dosing portafilters, lots of spillage and uneven distribution, but this grinder centers the grinds every time with nary a grain wasted. I love it.