Krups Precision Plastic and Stainless Steel Flat Burr Grinder 12 Cup 110 Watts 12 Grind Settings, Drip, French Press, Espresso, Pour Over, Cold Brew Black

I just got this and used it for the first time, so this is only my first impression. I’ll try to come back and update this review after some more time and usage. I’ll list a few weirdnesses/problems, from my first use:

1. I selected 7 on the number-of-cups dial, as a cautious first try, to grind a batch of beans for making cold brew in an 8-cup French press. I poured in way more than enough beans in the intake hopper, or so I thought (I put in 2 very heaping tablespoons of beans per “cup”), and pressed the On button, assuming it would grind 7 cups’ worth of beans and stop with some still left in the hopper. I was surprised that it went through all the beans I’d put in the hopper, and was still going, when I had to shut it off because the hopper was empty.

This was way way more than what I usually use, to make a fairly strong batch of cold brew in my 8-cup French press (typically I use maybe 2 level-not-heaping tablespoons of beans per “cup). The grounds filled the French press more than halfway, just with the grounds, before adding any water! and this was with the # cups set to 7 not even 8, and with having shut it off after it ran out of beans to grind. So something seems way off, in its idea of how much per “cup” on its the number-of-cups dial? I scooped out half of the grounds from the French press, to approximate how much I usually use to make a reasonable batch of “8 cups” of cold brew. So I guess I’ll have to set the number of cups way down to something like half (maybe 4?), on the grinder, of the number of cups given on the side of the French press, next time (i.e. 8)?

[edited: used it again and set the number of cups to 6. This produced only a little more than I wanted, for the cold brew in the 8-cup French press (I scooped out the extra, enough to make a decently strong batch of hot brew in a separate 2-cup French press I have). Next time I’ll try setting it to 4 or 5 cups, and see if that matches my expectations, for how much I put in the 8-cup French press for a reasonably strong batch of cold crew.]

2. I set the coarseness to something near the maximum, as shown in the instructions, past #10 and into the “swoosh” icon, since I’m making cold brew. When I ran the grinder, most of the output was satisfactorily coarse, but there was some fine powder, stuck to the side of the output container. Not too much fine powder, just a few clumps, but still disappointing; when I use a manual burr grinder on a coarse setting, I don’t get any fine powder like this.

[edited: see uploaded photo of the output bin, showing some unwanted/unexpected very fine powder caked together near the top, above the expected/wanted coarse grind below]

3. The instructions are a little confusing. At first I wasn’t sure about the “removable upper burr”, if it was needed or not, or if was optional, since it could be removed like the brush that’s stuck in it? the instructions don’t say you need the upper burr to be in place. Only at the end, in the “Maintenance” section, does it mention this upper burr, where it says to remove it for cleaning (so I guessed that meant you DO need it in place for grinding, if it expects you to remove it for cleaning).

4. Cleanup is a little difficult, with the fine powder stuck to everything, even though I’d used the coarsest setting so I didn’t expect any such fine powder at all.

My previous grinding experience, for reference: as I mentioned, nowadays I’m making cold brew, in a French press. Years ago (when I was using an Aeropress which wants finer grinds) I inherited an electric blade grinder, which can only produce very fine grind since it keeps slicing the same beans/grinds over and over.

So once I began using the French press, and especially once I started making cold brew in it, I bought a manual ceramic burr grinder, a Kyocera (same as a Hario?) and used that for a while, OK but output is uneven, and there’s no lid, so it’s prone to spilling beans while I’m grinding, especially since sometimes it gets stuck on a bean in its craw and the handle jerks out of my hand, thereby rocking the whole thing so that some beans spill out. Then I got a Hario ceramic burr grinder, the high end super upgraded model with improved ceramic burr mechanism for more even output (?) and a lid to prevent beans from spilling out. Used that for a couple of years, until the ceramic burr got stuck on some beans and broke, the whole ceramic burr block split in half! Went back to the Kyocera for a while, again with no lid and uneven output. Then decided to try this electric Krupps burr grinder as a treat.

Good value and performance for our daily grind before we start our daily grind. This metal flat burr grinder was purchased to replace a disappointing Cuisinart conical burr grinder that died after about a year’s use. Significantly quieter in operation, which is definitely a morning-time bonus. Handy built in brush for cleaning the nooks and crannies of coffee dust, the hopper holds at least twenty cups worth of beans (though can grind max 12 cups at a time). Variable settings from espresso to drip to French press. Good value and quality for someone who appreciates a decent cup of fresh ground coffee but isn’t a total purist

It has bur grinders so it’s the ideal technology inside. it’s affordable, especially on sale, the bean canister is uv treated to keep them fresher longer, but most importantly, there is a dial for how much coffee you want to drink and one push operation for the perfect amount.

the guide inside will tell you a rough estimate for what grind setting you want but be sure to experiment within those areas given for the best cup for your particular brew method and machine

I’m using this to grind coffee for my AeroPress coffee maker. The finest setting gets the job done, though I think that it lets through more large particles (boulders) than my JavaPresse hand mill (conical burr grinder). I’m definitely feeling less back pressure as I press the plunger. But I’m not noticing any decrease in the quality of the brew. I haven’t tried it in our Mr. Coffee espresso maker, but I feel that it is just a little too coarse to do well in that. Espresso makers rely more on pressure for extraction than the AeroPress does. The machine is a little noisy, but not to the point where it’s going to wake the whole house (like my Cooks blade grinder does, I was taking it outside it was so loud). It’s certainly more quiet than steaming milk. I’ve only been using the “2” cup setting and noticed that since the portion size is time-based (which it is very quick compared to using my blade grinder and especially compared to the hand mill) the portion size changes depending upon the grind size. Finer grinds more slowly, so you get less coffee on the same portion setting. This actually worked to my advantage as the most coarse setting on “2” cups gave 28g of coffee. Why these almost never come with a “1” cup setting is beyond me. But the finest grind gave only 18g of coffee, which is perfect for a single cup from my AeroPress (though maybe a bit much for other methods). The machine disassembles easily enough, which is good for 2 reasons. First, I don’t store my beans in the hopper (and like to switch between regular and decaf) and there’s always a bean or two stuck in the burrs. And second, keep the little brush (they really need a holder for it on the side of the machine, I use it every grind), you will use it unless you want a bunch of grounds in the chute getting stale. Especially on the finest setting, the static generated means that the chute is always clogged with grounds that I sweep out so that they don’t contaminate the next morning’s grind. I do find some grinds flying from the static, but I don’t know that you can entirely get away from that (grinding generates static, especially for fine grinds). It hasn’t been much of a problem, though I expect it will be worse in the drier winter air. All in all, I’m happy with the grinder. The price was right, it saves a ton of hand grinding, and produces a cup of coffee that is pretty much indistinguishable from one made with much more effort.