I'm traveling for two months and forgot my beloved Japanese Porlex hand grinder at home. I didn't want to spend the $50+ bucks to buy a second one, so I thought I'd give this one a try based on its great reviews (and its being half the price). I've now brewed about 15 cups of coffee with it--right-side-up Aeropress, upside-down Aeropress, and pourover--using fresh Stumptown and Four Barrel beans and pure sweet mountain water, and I have to say, I'm disappointed. Having tinkered with every variable of water temperature, method, and grind setting trying to make this coffee taste like I know it should, the indisputable conclusion is that the grinder is just not up to snuff. A close examination of the grounds shows that, at medium, fine, and very fine settings, the grind is inconsistent--the classic "boulders and dust" effect that a common blade grinder will give. No matter what setting, big chunks and a superfine silt mingle with the table-salt-sized grounds I'm trying to achieve. This messes up the extraction and I've had to actually pour out a few cups of coffee that came out bitter and undrinkable.
Furthermore, this company makes some funny claims, like that "This is the ONLY product of its kind with a stainless steel handle (to replace the common plastic handles)." What are they talking about? Both my Rooster hand grinder and my Porlex grinder (whose design this grinder has clearly imitated) have strong stainless steel handles. And they grind the coffee properly. This is definitely NOT the best of its kind, and I may have to return it, suck it up, and double down on the trusty Porlex.
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