Cool old Bialetti coffee grinder

Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Peanut Head
Saw this and had to have it! Yes, it's a blade grinder and not a burr. But it has a powerful motor and intelligently designed blades that make quick work of the beans without heating them up. They refer to it as a "roll-mix" design.

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Only suitable for filtered drip, though. Heating isn't the only flaw of whirly-blades. The grounds have MUCH less surface area and don't brew as well.
 
rnorton said:
Only suitable for filtered drip, though. Heating isn't the only flaw of whirly-blades. The grounds have MUCH less surface area and don't brew as well.
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Well, the best grinder I've ever owned is an old hand crank burr grinder.
It can be a bit of a chore to use, but is well worth the effort.
It can make it coarse for French Presses or as fine as powder for Espresso machines.

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Crank grinders can be great. Especially the Zassenhaus ones.

You don't want powder for espresso. Powder is for Turkish/Greek/Arabic coffee. The proper espresso grind is just a bit finer than table sugar. Just fine enough so that when you invert the portafilter after tamping, it doesn't all fall out.
 
Well, this newer Eye-talian whirly-bird DOES look cool, at least. :D :thmbsp: Celt, if I ever run across another Zassenhaus at a good price, I'll buy it for you, then you can swap me some beans or something for it.. :yes: I've had a few hand-crankers that were pretty decent, but the Zass just kills the others. Especially with the cranking power needed, to grind the beans, that really surprised me.
 
spaceman said:
Well, this newer Eye-talian whirly-bird DOES look cool, at least. :D :thmbsp: Celt, if I ever run across another Zassenhaus at a good price, I'll buy it for you, then you can swap me some beans or something for it.. :yes: I've had a few hand-crankers that were pretty decent, but the Zass just kills the others. Especially with the cranking power needed, to grind the beans, that really surprised me.
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It'll have to be a used one because Zassenhaus, after at least 80 years of building fine grinders, has stopped making them.
 
rnorton said:
It'll have to be a used one because Zassenhaus, after at least 80 years of building fine grinders, has stopped making them.
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Yep, that's why I said "if" I find another one. ;) Folks who have them, won't easily let them go. And what he really wants, is one made in the 1950s or earlier, so estate sales might be the place to watch. Or antique stores. :scratch2:
 
Love the design, but hate the effect on coffee. We use our old Krups whirly-blade to grind nuts for baking - makes quick work of almonds and walnuts.
 
This does a much better job than the Braun and Krups whirly-blade types. Those heat up the beans and make uneven grinds. This one does not. The grind comes out as consistent as my burr grinder, albeit with one set grind that is perfect for drip filtered coffee.
 
That is pretty cool.

I have a couple of basic burr grinders, one of them at the cabin, and a Braun blade grinder which is only for spices. My favourite grinder is my wall mounted Spong (thrift store $15, 15 years ago). I just do French press at home and it works great for that.

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I have an ancient Zassenhaus that I've owned for years. Never have used it. I'll have to clean it up and try it sometime.
 
Sam Cogley said:
I have an ancient Zassenhaus that I've owned for years. Never have used it. I'll have to clean it up and try it sometime.
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Run a little white rice through it, before any coffee beans, to clean it (just in case). I got that little trick from rnorton, & it works great. :thmbsp:
 
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