DeLonghi Electric Coffee Mill / Grinder DC G4
Written: Jun 26 '02 (Updated May 11 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, simple operation.
Cons: Grind is too coarse for espresso. Seems a bit flimsy.
The Bottom Line: The DeLonghi Electric Coffee Mill / Grinder DC G4 does a poor job grinding beans for espresso. Try the Mr. Coffee BMX series (not yet avail on Epinions).
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| alexmd's Full Review: DeLonghi DCG4 Electric Burr Grinder |
UPDATE
5/11/2004 -- NEWS FLASH!!! I finally found an inexpensive burr mill grinder that performs well, even with ultra-fine settings. Unfortunately it does not yet have an Epinions listing but I will mention it here: the Mr. Coffee BMX5, one of the Mr. Coffee BMX Burr Mill Coffee Grinders. It is available at Costco for under $20.
Introduction:
True coffee lovers know that nothing beats fresh ground beans. Of the two most common ways to grind beans at home, the burr grinder generally produces a more desireable grind: beans are ground, ideally, to a uniform size by passing through a pair of metal (or other material) disks, one of which spins, the other remains fixed. The other commonly employed technique is a blade grinder, which works like a small blender. While you CAN produce great coffee using a blade grinder, it can be produced far more easily and in greater quantity with a good quality burr grinder. In addition, espresso lovers require a consistently fine grind for reliable results -- this consistency is almost impossible to reproduce with a blade grinder. Unfortunately, you can expect to pay more than two times the price of a blade grinder for this convenience and consistency.
Appearance and Availability
The DeLonghi Electric Coffee Mill / Grinder DC G4 is a low-priced burr grinder that is commonly available. I found mine at a warehouse club for around $25. The unit has a standard appearance: whole beans are stored in a hopper on the top of the unit, grounds are stored in a bin on the lower side of the unit. There is a knob that activates a mechanical timer switch to control the quantity of grounds. The DeLonghi comes with a 3-foot two-pronged polarized power cord that stores under the unit.
Function
To activate the unit, you turn the knob to a desired timer position. This position is supposed to correspond to a certain number of servings of coffee, but is very inaccurate. The first time I used it, I emptied the entire hopper by turning the timer half-way around.
To adjust the grind from fine to coarse, you turn the whole-bean hopper according to settings printed on the housing of the unit. This works like turning a screw and adjusts the spacing between the grinding disks. For full functionality, a burr grinder should be able to grind beans into a range from the fine powder required for espresso machines to the coarse pieces required for french press style coffee. THIS ADJUSTMENT IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL -- an espresso machine forces water through coffee powder by passing a small amount of water under significant pressure. Coarse grounds turn espresso into a watery mess. On the other end of the scale, french presses allow coffee grounds to steep for several minutes. They are then separated by a sieve-like screen. Too-fine grounds make for a gritty, overpowering cup of french-press coffee.
Unfortunately, the DeLonghi Electric Coffee Mill / Grinder DC G4 does a very poor job of grinding beans to grounds at either end of the size spectrum. Despite markings on its adjustment scale that clearly indicate "espresso" and "press" it comes close to neither. Instead it produces a narrow range of grounds that would probably do fine in a cone-type machine or a basket-type machine to produce drip coffee.
Since drip coffee is fairly forgiving, drip-coffee lovers can save a lot of money by buying a good-quality blade-type grinder to achieve the same results.
Summary
As a lover of espresso, The DeLonghi Electric Coffee Mill / Grinder DC G4 was a big disappointment. The inability to grind coffee to a fine espresso grind makes this unit completely useless to me. Although it produces coffee grounds that would suffice for drip-coffee, lovers of drip coffee would be better served by a good quality blade grinder.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
alexmd
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Member: Alexander
Location: North Carolina, USA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Medical Professional in NC, USA.
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