Zassenhaus Speyer 5.1-Inch Dark Stained Beech Pepper Mill

Super fast shipping given that it came from Germany. Seller emailed me twice to make sure grinder arrived, and that we were satisfied with the merchandise. We are very satisfied with the Zassenhaus mill — rather delighted, in fact. Thinking back over the years, finding a decent peppermill that actually works has been a years-long source of frustration. The last wooden grinder we had was ordered from a spice company 25 or more years ago for around $50, as I recall. It still works, but just barely; it is loose and goes out of adjustment easily, and the grind is unpredictable. We were pleased to find this mill after buying far too many unsatisfactory peppermills at various stores, from high end cooking supply stores to department stores. This new Zassenhaus is a precise machine, looks really nice and does the job well. Adjusting the controls on the bottom changes the grind, but we seldom do. It is larger than I thought it would be and has an adequate capacity pepper chamber. It's fairly easy for me to refill, and manual dexterity is not my strong suit. In these times of disposable junk from China, this is a nice change. We have a couple of grinders we bought at a local store that claimed to be from England (a hidden label inside box showed they were actually made in China) which are completely worthless at grinding pepper. I never seem to need to adjust the grind; kind of a set-it-and-forget-it thing. It probably grinds finer and coarser but evidently one grind is sufficient for our household. So I’m buying three more Zassenhaus grinders and hope they last a long time. These esthetically pleasing mills make an impressive gift, especially if you include a supply of fresh premium peppercorns. We order ours from TheSpiceHouse.com. The grinder with a larger twist knob top might be easier to use than the one with the pointy top and wooden ball, especially for people with arthritis or carpal tunnel conditions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this peppermill because it’s far better than any we have ever seen in stores, even at much higher prices.

This is one of the few items I'm willing to slap a full 5 stars on since it met or exceeded all my expectations. As others have extolled repeatedly, this thing smashes the competition in grinding speed and efficacy. I note sporadic complaints about small reservoir size, but it's actually about the same as most other similarly sized grinders, it's just that people don't realize they're actually consuming the pepper that much faster due to the grinding rate. To illustrate, I now have home recipes that call for 2 full tablespoons of fine (particle size ≃0.5㎜), freshly ground pepper. I challenge anyone to use a different grinder to produce that quantity within 5 minutes (without arms falling off). The materials and workmanship are solid, with hard ceramic for both parts of the grinding mechanism, hexagonal metal drive shaft, metal crank and screw-on cap, two thick plastic collars (inside) supporting and aligning the shaft, plastic coarseness control at the base, and wooden outer body and crank knob. After almost 1½ years of use, this grinder still works like new. A few tips: ・Because the mechanism is so effective, grinding will take considerable elbow grease, depending on what coarseness you set. Improve your leverage by holding the grinder body as close to the top as you can without touching the metal crank baseplate. ・The crank baseplate turns directly against the wood body, so don't tighten the top cap, just screw it down until it meets the slightest resistance. This will lower grinding friction and improve longevity. If you find the screw cap loosening over time, simply make a habit of screwing it back down before grinding. ・You probably won't be able to target your ground pepper very accurately. If you need to measure it or dispense it accurately, grind into a cup or saucer and shake/dump from there. ・To prevent steam and moisture from clogging up the grinding mechanism, do not grind directly over hot or cooking food. Grind into a cup or saucer and shake/dump from there. ・The loading opening is not big (maybe a little over 1 inch). To avoid peppercorns skittering across the counter, get (or make) a funnel that's either big enough to sit around the circumference of the entire opening, or small enough to slip between the drive shaft and the grinder body (but still big enough for any peppercorn). Use a finger to gently stir peppercorns in the funnel to keep them moving. Don't try to shake the funnel or the grinder, it won't end well. ・Since the drive shaft is hexagonal, if you desire ridiculous quantities of ground pepper for some reason, it is possible to go mad scientist and replace the crank with a drill (any one with a 3-jaw chuck should work).

After spending more time that I possibly should have deciding which pepper mill I wanted to spring for, I settled on this very unique looking Zassenhaus Speyer mill and almost a year down the road, I am very happy with my purchase. The quality of the mill's construction makes it feel as though it will not break anytime soon. The knob used for setting the coarseness/fineness of the ground pepper works smoothly and as outlined in the product description. The only part of the mill that looks like it could ever break is the adjustment knob which appears to be plastic. However, the knob does not feel flimsy or ill-fitting, just less Victorian-era indestructible than the rest of the mill. Honestly, I found a coarseness that I liked and rarely adjust the setting knob. The only other comment that I will make is that the mill grinding handle on top is fairly hard to turn. If you expect to hold the mill in one hand and use your other hand to grip the little wooden ball and turn the mill crank smoothly, you are definitely going to be disappointed. I normally use my thumb and forefinger to turn the crank next to the spindle where it attaches on the top of the mill's wooden housing. I don't believe that I am using inappropriate sized peppercorns that would cause the handle to be so hard to crank and I have used various brands and varieties of peppercorn since I bought the mill and they all grind the same way. Fortunately, I have no trouble using the mill myself, though I could see others possibly fighting with it. Despite this, I would buy this mill again in a heartbeat - it looks great, it is well-made and durable and ultimately delivers a very consistent grind.

The design is unique, the wood is beautiful, and the pepper is ground perfectly. The only thing is, the handle you turn to grind the pepper doesn't work very well. It's not terrible, but it's definitely not as easy as a regular pepper mill. It's easy to fill, but you can't put a lot of peppercorns in it (but it's a small mill, so I expected that). The grip is great, though.

Excellent grinder

One star for it’s lovely design and sturdy feel, but disappointed I received damaged and used product in a bubble mailer and nothing more to protect it. Did not purchase “used” Still has someone’s old pepper grinds inside. Get it together y’all.

Quality is such a lovely thing! When you're buying something that looks wooden, you just never know if the finish will be solid, designed to last through many grinds. It's great! Even better than the picture conveys. And the grind? Smooth. Just what I was looking for, as when recipes call for pepper, I always prefer fresh ground, which can take a while if you don't have a handle like this one.

We have had several pepper mills, and have had each and every one fail within a short enough time. Was looking for something that would 1) work properly, 2) be attractive and not be huge, 3) have coarse to fine grind. This pepper mill has been WONDERFUL!!! My husband has been using it daily and really loves the way it works! Nice fine grind, smooth and easy to use and change the coarseness, and nice to look at! Did not want a HUGE pepper mill sitting on the stove, and this is perfect!! To have a pepper mill that actually functions correctly and be smooth to use!? Fantastic!!! I would recommend this, and though it may not hold a huge amount of peppercorns, it is easy to fill and a pleasure to use.