Looking for a great cup of coffee or espresso? Start here.
Written: Dec 20 '02 (Updated Dec 20 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: minimized static fly-away, easy to clean and use, consistent grinds
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: You know you crave the best tasting coffee. Use this unit to grind your own beans and taste the difference for yourself!
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| spaced's Full Review: Starbucks Barista Burr Grinder |
As I stress in other reviews of coffee brewing products, first you start with fresh, filtered water. Then you grind your beans moments before you brew your coffee. With this model (I'm a big Starbucks fan) you can have just that: coffee beans freshly ground to your machine of choice's specification. This unit is a Starbucks-branded Solis 166 burr grinder. If you didn't know, Solis makes the best "prosumer" grinder products on the market.
Anyhow, you have your pick of 14 different grind types, from espresso to french press. Just glide the coffee hopper over to your grind of choice and let 'er rip. With some practice, you can figure out exactly where to place the grind timer to grind the perfect amount of coffee beans to suit your particular purpose.
I don't have any problem with static electricity making the coffee grounds fly everywhere. Actually, in my experience this unit is an easy cleanup job. You'll have to understand that grinding coffee is inherently messy, but this machine minimizes your cleanup experience. I do think that I don't have much of a static problem because I prefer dark and rich coffees and, thusly, more oily coffee beans. When I'm done, I rinse the grind catcher and wipe the inner spout with a damp sponge. Then I run the sponge over the counter for a once-over to catch the few stray grounds. Total cleanup time: about 30 seconds. Easy. Every month or so I take a brush and clean out the grinding mechanism.
I use this unit with my Starbucks Barista espresso machine and my Starbucks Aroma drip coffeemaker. It matches perfectly! I love this machine because customer support is friendly and always available to help you out, which is really a strong selling point. Even though this unit comes with a 2 year warranty, it will last you much longer. You can get this unit for $99 on sale or $125 regular price, and it's a great investment or gift for any coffee lover.
If you're not into the Starbucks "corporate coffee" stigma, go with the Solis Maestro. It's nearly the same thing as the Starbucks model (the rebranded Solis 166) but without the Starbucks scene and slightly harder to find.
Can any administrators change my username to "coffee_fiend"? *grin*
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
spaced
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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