JavaPresse Manual Coffee Bean Grinder with Adjustable Settings – Patented Conical Burr Grinder for Coffee Beans, Stainless Steel Burr Coffee Grinder for Aeropress, Drip Coffee, Espresso, French Press

About 4 months ago, my wife bought us an espresso maker for our anniversary. After seeing prices upwards of $100 for every electric burr grinder out there, we decided to go with this little guy instead. Now, after having two of these grinders and making espressos every day (no that is not a joke, and yes, we like our coffee), there are four big takeaways: 0) First off, this thing grinds quite well, which it should since that’s is sole job (but see #2). Espresso absolutely tastes noticeably different between this and an electric blade grinder. If you want espresso, you need a non-blade grinder of some sort, for certain. 1) This device is … SLOOOOOW … at grinding espresso for two people. It is quite fast if you want a French press (takes us about a minute), but if you want grinds small enough for several shots of espresso, be prepared to elbow grease it for 5-10 minutes. While this is typically a non-issue (you simply grind while talking, or watching the news, etc.), we have days where 5-10 minute grind sessions are just not possible and others were it just seems like my time should be better spent elsewhere (like walking the dog, or helping my kids). If you are a rush out the door type of morning person or have large family commitments, heads up! 1A) My friend has an electric grinder; he makes us espresso every time we go over. It takes about 5 minutes for four of us to have cups in hands. My family visited, and it was a solid 20 minutes before four of us had an espresso in hand. This is absolutely, without question, a personal use device only, at least for fine grounds. 2) Customer service for this company is BEYOND PHENOMENAL. Our first grinder just seemed off, but being espresso newbs we weren’t quite sure. After explaining how it was grinding, they instantly said “nope, that’s not supposed to happen” and shipped us a new grinder express. It was quick, it was polite, it was easy. Great, great, great service. 3) So the new grinder arrives, and as noted it grinds beautifully! The problem: the bottom half of the grinder (the storage container) slips off quite easily, as in, if you don’t hang onto it while grinding it falls off. The fix was simple: just switch the bottom with our defective grinder. Regardless, my experience at this point, coupled with the thousands of reviews saying just how great their costumer service is, leads me to believe that the company does not have a great quality control unit and instead relies on great customer service. THAT IS FINE. If you’re going to treat people like kings and queens when we contact you with defects, by all means, use that as your business model. This remains a buyer beware situation, but quite possibly the nicest one you will ever find yourself it. So why 4 stars? Because after 4 months, I think the drawbacks are noticeable enough to call this a very good, but not great product. People need to be aware that you will spend a good chunk of time and energy grinding, and probably spend time and energy making sure your product is actually up to standard. Bottom line: I would definitely recommend this, warts and all, based on the price and quality grinds. Just don’t kid yourself about the warts.Read more

I don’t normally leave reviews of products I buy on Amazon, but there’s a specific reason why I am writing a review for this product that you’ll find out about shortly. In the meantime, here’s a brief list of pros vs cons on this product! Pros: -Works great for the Aeropress using a somewhat “fine” course setting with the conical burr just about touching the inside burrs -While it does take a full 1-2 minutes to grind an Aeropress scoop worth of beans, it requires very minimal effort -Built-in window is a nice add-on -Relatively easy to clean -Oddly enough, it fits perfectly into the hollow part of the Aeropress plunger for easy transportation Cons: -This product is basically the same design as all the other hand grinders available on Amazon, with the same inherent design flaws -As with all hand grinders, the grind you get for your coffee is never 100% consistent -Plastic piece that sits inside the conical burr is very prone to breakage *****SEE BELOW***** Okay, now for the important part! While I cannot speak for the other companies that sell basically the same product, JavaPresse sets themselves apart for their PHENOMENAL customer service! The aforementioned plastic piece inside the conical burr on mine broke after only two months of multiple grinds per day usage. After contacting JavaPresse about my broken burr using their website, I received an email back from them in literally ten to fifteen minutes asking for my address to send me a whole replacement grinder. The person who responded also told me they were going to be releasing an upgraded burr with a nylon insert that would be available within the week. I responded with my address, thanked them for their prompt service and also asked them to alert me when the upgraded burr was available. In response not only did they send me a whole new grinder, but they had just received these upgraded burrs and sent them to me as well!!!! To say I was blown away by the immediate, prompt, and efficient response to my issues with this product is an understatement. Its not often you see or hear of customer service like this anymore!Read more