I’m pretty new to the world of coffee, at least to caring about it, anyway. I’ve been drinking drip coffee from pre-ground beans for years but wanted to start getting more into it. I picked up a moka pot and have loved it so far, but I’m stuck either using pre-ground or a blade grinder. I mostly do my coffee around 5:30 in the morning, a few hours before my infant daughter and wife are awake, and don’t want to risk waking them so I was thinking manual. I also don’t have tons of money to spend right now, since most of my money goes toward my daughter. My absolute cap would be $200 CAD but the cheaper the better honestly, as long as it isn’t really bad. I saw the Timemore S3 was very highly reviewed, and I can find it for around $180 CAD right now, so that’s what I was thinking, but I’ve only started doing research yesterday so I’m probably missing a thousand good models. Does anyone have any suggestions for models or blog posts or anything to look at? I’d really appreciate any help. The grinder would be used mostly for moka pot but I do also have a French press (mostly for my wife) and the aforementioned drip coffee machine that I’d like to be able to use the grinder for too. Espresso is off the table due to finances so I don’t need something that can go that finely ground.
Look for a used grinder on craigslist, buynothing groups, etc. for a better deal on a “more serious” grinder.
I bought a Baratza Encore base model from someone who was moving on to espresso, and it’s been great!
It’s a popular machine, with repairability with readily available parts, and even some aftermarket burrs, is a great feature of the Encore.
I have a baratza model that’s effectively the predecessor to the encore, and it’s completely compatible with all the encore parts.
I bought it over 10 years ago from a thrift store, and I’ve replaced the burrs, the burr carrier, the grind adjustment, and the gearbox. I’d still be using it daily if I hadn’t started making espresso.