Having experienced the cranky way of grinding coffee beans made me itch for an electric burr grinder. Somehow spending several minutes and elbow grease on a manual grinder is too much work and triggers too much thinking on whether another shot is necessary after grinding just enough for the earlier shot. Even that sentence was a mouthful!
So I’ve been researching the types of electric grinders that are affordable and I mean affordable. It turns out, there are not many offered here in KL. And as I was at The Curve last Saturday looking for an outlet for Coffex coffee, I saw two Italian made electric grinders which cost RM1500. Whoa! So I settled for what I was initially looking for, Coffex SuperBar Espresso Beans.
Then I browsed Harvey Norman store at Ikano Power Center nearby. I was delighted to see a DeLonghi DCG59 Retro Burr grinder. The price, RM299, as expected. But OMG! Should I take it home today? Can I bear several days more to survey other places for better options? This is just another impulse purchase that I can’t afford!
There was another brand, Krupps and it costs RM245 but it doesn’t look quite nice.
Oh, what the heck. It’s Saturday and I’ve got the night and the whole weekend to play with it. And so I took DeLonghi home.
I got home and immediately tested the product. I set it to espresso grind and to my disappointment, the ground was still too coarse. And that was as fine as it could go! Damn! How much do I have to pay to get a reliable grinder? Crap! I spent almost 300 Malaysian bucks on something that sucks!
Calm down. Calm down. How can I make this better? This is something I can work with. This is a piece of plastic with no complex electronics and metal bits. Well, discounting the motor that is. After opening the beans container, examining the blades and studying how grind setting is adjusted, I was determined to perform a plastic surgery on this biatch.
I cut the stopper stub that functions as a maximum point that the beans container can be twisted to get the finest ground. But it could only get so far. There was a safety switch located in a groove that prevented it from operating beyond the manufactured setting. This called for another modification; to bypass that switch by shortening it and cover the hole in the grove with a thin metal strip so that it permanently pushes the switch to the ‘ON’ position.
The amateur procedure turned out okay and now I’m experimenting with the best modified setting. An extended play.
Phew! There was a moment, after cutting the safety switch short, that it just wouldn't turn on! I thought I lost it! But all was good after I figured that it needed a bypass. Nearly gave me a heart attack there.
The following are sentences taken from the manufacturer’s product description. Inserted in blue is what I think.
-BURR-TYPE GRINDING WHEEL produces a uniform ground texture for consistent results every time.
Actual-Too much powder produced. The finest grind setting is still too coarse for espresso machines. I had to tweak it to get finer grounds. I cut away the setting stub/stopper so that the two blades are closer. How ever this caused another problem; the safety switch does not allow operation in this ‘overtwist’ position. Solution; permanently pressing the switch to ‘ON’ position with thin but stiff material; I used a thin copper plate.
-RETRO STYLED COFFEE GRINDER beautifully accents any kitchen decor.
Actual-Agreed. Definitely adds to kitchen details. Looks pretty and elegant.
-DUAL SAFE SYSTEM A De’Longhi exclusive, this system is equipped with an automatic safety device that shuts down the grinding wheels if either the ground coffee or bean container is removed.
Actual-After my modification, this becomes a single safe system. The only system left working is the ground coffee container’s safety switch. Before, both the beans and the ground container has to be properly installed/attached before the grinder is operational. Now, it operates even when the beans container is not in place since the switch is permanently at ‘ON’.
-TABLESPOON TIMER an easy-to-use system that lets you grind only what you need for the number of cups you’re brewing.
Actual-The timer is time based. The timing depends on the grind setting; the finer setting requires slightly more time to get the same amount of coarse grinds
-GRIND SELECTOR WITH 8 SETTINGS Allows you to choose a precise grind setting from coarse (for percolators and coffee urns), to medium (for drip coffee makers), to fine (for espresso makers) to extra fine…to suit your personal taste. With 8 settings, you can select the perfect grind for any type of brewing process.
Actual-Precise this grinder is NOT. It works well for drip and French press. Eight is not enough! Not nearly enough for espresso machines. Only with further modifications can you get good espresso type grounds.
-SELF-CONTAINED CORD STORAGE Easy rewind knob keeps cord out of the way when not in use.
Actual-This feature is good for storage. Otherwise, why would you bother rewinding cord in and out for everyday use? Just leave it in the damned plug!
-3.5-OUNCE (100 GRAM) GROUND COFFEE CONTAINER Allows for convenient dispensing, measuring and storing of ground coffee. And the removable sealed lid keeps grounds fresh.
Actual-Good design but too much static! Powder deposits at the outlet and cleaning is necessary. Keeping the grounds defeats the purpose of a quick grinder.
-DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN ITALY
Actual-Still room for engineering improvement, a critical one I must add.
Overall : I use this to get ground coffee when I want it quick. This electric burr grinder heats up ground coffee due to friction and high rotation speed. It is also very noisy. It could be designed to spin slower with maintained power. If I have time and elbow grease I will use the hand cranked mill in a heartbeat because it consistently gives uniform ground texture. And it doesn’t heat up and produce oily powder deposits.
No comments:
Post a Comment