Best Grinder in its price range.
Written: Oct 04 '00 (Updated Oct 04 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: quality parts inside and out, features step-gearing motor for consistent grinds, good warranty to back it up, should last years in your home.
Cons: grind selection choices are too narrow and don't take advantage of the machine's actual full grind ability from super powder fine to super coarse.
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| Coffee_Kid's Full Review: Starbucks Barista Burr Grinder |
First off, I'm an espresso and coffee purist. To see how much I love the bean, check out my website at www.coffeekid.com.
I own 5 grinders, including two preproduction units given to me for testing. They range from the lowest price unit in my stable (the Starbucks Barista grinder) right up to a $400 Mini Mazzer commercial espresso grinder. Some are in my office, some are at home. Some are used purely for espresso, others are used for grinding coffee for drip, press, and vacuum brewing.
With all that said, the Starbucks Barista grinder (also sold in a slightly modified version as the Solis 166 grinder) is my everyday grinder for non-espresso coffee. It sits right next to a $400 Mini Mazzer grinder in my kitchen. With my wide range of grinders at home and at work, why are these two the ones I use every day? Because they do the job.
The Starbucks Barista grinder has one major flaw with it, and one minor flaw, and I'll get those out of the way first. The major flaw is the machine has far too few "variations" allowed in the grind, as it ships and sells at Starbucks. It has about 12 selectable grind settings, and while the coarsest grind is fine for french press, the finest grind is not capable enough for a decent espresso machine, or at least an espresso machine that does not rely on some sort of "crema enhancer" or "pressurized filter" to brew a good shot. But the Starbucks Barista grinder is capable of grinding a much finer grind - if you hack or modify the selection wheel in the machine (note, I don't recommend doing this), you can grind even finer. Thankfully, the version sold under the Solis brand name (the company that actually makes this grinder), available at www.baratza.com, comes out of the box premodified to grind for the most demanding espresso machines. You sacrifice a bit of the coarsest settings, but not enough to run your french press pot of coffee.
The Starbucks branded version's finest grind setting is fine for Starbucks' line of espresso machines, as they don't rely nearly as much on a fine grind to produce what is, at least, a good looking shot. Good tasting is another story....
The minor flaw with the grinder is that is fairly noisy, at least by my standards. When you own grinders that you can't even tell are "on" when they are jugging away but no beans are inside (like the Rancilio Rocky or Mini Mazzer grinders), anything else is noisy. Mind you, the Starbies grinder is a lot less noise-poluting than say the Braun KM30 grinder, which is a veritable Who concert of noise.
With those two points out of the way, let's talk about why this grinder is the best in its class, and probably the best (and last) grinder 90% of the marketplace would ever have to buy.
First, there's the quality of the motor inside. It features a gear-step reduction system that will always grind at the same rpm, even if you're running out of beans, and there's less resistance in the grinding cones. Big plus, rarely seen on grinders in this price point. What does it mean for you? More consistent grinding, which translates into better cup of coffee or shot of espresso.
Next, this features conical burrs, which is arguably the best grinding mechanism design ever invented. Pull the burrs from the Starbucks unit and compare them to the mikeymouse grinding disks from a Braun KM30 grinder or that cheapie Delonghi burr grinder, and you'll see what I mean. What does this mean for you? It means more consistent grinding again, translating into better, fuller cups of coffee and espresso. But it also means longevity and durability - those grinding conical burrs make up a lot of this product's cost.
Next positive is the design, both from an aesthetic point and from a functionality point. Physically, this grinder is on the smaller side (again, compared to it's direct competitors), but can hold nearly a pound of beans in the hopper. The grinds catcher underneath is fit superbly well into the body of the grinder, and it features nice slender curves and a nice color scheme, and should match most kitchen decors well. The unit has a recessed cord storage area, and while light (it weighs about 3 lbs, where my Rocky grinder from Rancilio weighs 22lbs, and my Mini Mazzer weighs even more), it has rubber feet to keep it from sliding around much.
Rounding out the positives is Starbucks' warranty policy. A definite plus to buying this grinder. If it fails for almost any reason, and happens within the first year, in most circumstances, you can get an over the counter replacement of the unit at no cost to you, other than driving to the Starbucks. That means a lot to some people, myself included.
Okay, so price. I completely understand that $125 for a grinder ($89 for a refurbished, modified model from www.baratza.com if they have any) is a lot of money for most folks, especially when you can buy a wirley bird grinder (those blade grinders) for $15 or so (please, please.... if you love good coffee, do NOT buy one of those grinders - they don't grind, they pulverize the bean - destroying all the delicate aromatics in the process). For me, the Starbucks grinder is my cheapest one that I own. When I buy a product, I expect it to be a good product. Damned good. I try to avoid owning junk and mickeymouse stuff whereever I can.
And for me, the Starbucks grinder (or the modified Solis one) is worth every penny. It does the job, does it well, and will stand up to years and years of use (I use mine at least twice a day or more, grinding for a 12 cup drip machine, and I've had it for 2 years now). I like to think long term in my purchases, but also in terms of my return on my investment. The Starbies grinder gives me that return in two ways - first with its quality of construction and parts which will last a long time, and second with its quality of output - the grind is superb for most non-espresso uses I have for it - from vacuum brewing right down to the coarsest french press grind I want. I figure this grinder, in the course of maybe 5 or 7 years, will save me at least $300 or more. Why? Because before I bought this grinder, I was going through a Braun KM30 grinder about once a year. I went through three of them (two had failed motors, one the grinding disks wore out and were too expensive to replace). At $55 a pop, it simply isn't worth it.
If you are serious about your coffee and espresso, and you want a product that will last and look good doing it, consider this model. And if you have to choose between the Starbucks version or the modified Solis version (available all over the Net), go with the latter.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Coffee_Kid
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Location: Vancouver, BC
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Hey, I may be the CoffeeKid, but I have other interests as well... :-)
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