Rant: Spent $60 on a burr grinder and got dust instead of grounds

I finally got sick of pre-ground coffee from the store and bought a cheap burr grinder off Amazon for like $60. First bag of beans I ran through it came out looking like powder with chunks of bean mixed in. My pour over kept clogging and the coffee tasted bitter and muddy. Turns out the burrs were those fake ceramic ones that just crush the beans unevenly. I watched a few videos and realized I needed a real conical burr setup. Returned that thing and picked up a Baratza Encore used for $100 on Craigslist. Night and day difference. The grind is consistent and my morning cup actually tastes clean now. Anyone else get burned by a cheap grinder before figuring out the real deal?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucast8121d ago

Man that exact same thing happened to me with a $50 grinder off Amazon.

jenny_lane1221d ago

Used to think expensive tools were always a ripoff, but then I bought a cheap air compressor from Harbor Freight. Thing died after like 3 uses. Totally changed my mind after that, @lucast81. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for even if it stings.

olivia67021d ago

Come on now... there's something to be said for the cheap stuff too if you know what you're buying. I've got a Harbor Freight air compressor that's been kicking for 5 years now, no joke. Maybe you just got a lemon, @lucast81. Not saying all expensive tools are a rip off but sometimes people blame the price when they just got unlucky with a bad unit. And that Amazon grinder... could've been a bad batch or you pushed it too hard for what it was made for.