Kitchen & Housewares Capresso 565.03 Infinity Burr Grinder, Polished Chrome
- Capresso Infinity Coffee Grinder - ChromeThe grind produced are really even in particle size. The grinding-range is large. The crapresso produces from very coarse grinds for french press to powderish grind suitable for espresso. However, there is only two settings down in the espresso-range, and that is too few for the capresso to be used as an espresso-grinder.
Watch out when removing the hopper! The plastic edges can break!
The round/ellipsical design is great and especially in the chrome version, the grinder is aesthetically pleasing.
All in all, this is a very usuable grinder for fast and easy high-quality grinding of coffee for french press, drip and similar applications.
Rating:
- Does an excellent job, annoying to cleanI decided to upgrade from a blade to a burr grinder after upgrading my espresso machine to a semi-automatic pump style. The old grinder was adequate, but I found it finicky to consistently get the same (very fine) grind from one time to the next. It was a matter of timing, knowing how often to turn it off, etc.
The new grinder solves that problem, because you directly set the fineness of the grind. The conical burrs, slow rate of revolution and heavy base make for a perfectly consistent, and very quiet grind. I find it easy to use, and it doesn't strew grounds around the counter-top so freely as my blade grinder.
Drawbacks: First, it took me a while to get used to how to align the bean container with the base to attach it properly. Second, and more seriously, it is rather difficult to clean, something which I, as a dark roast user, need to do frequently. The blades disassemble readily, and the pieces that separate are easy to brush clean. Even the passage from grinding area to removable cup, which the manual is very particular about the need to clean, is not hard to brush out. However, after all that there is a residue around the lower blade. The only way I have figured out to clean this out is to turn the whole base upside down and brush it in that position. This is where that nice, heavy base which contributes to the unusual stability and quiet gets to be really annoying.
Overall: I am very happy with this grinder, because it's effective, consistent, quiet and easy to set up. As I get more proficient at the cleaning routine, I expect I'll like it even more.
By the way, having seen this in the polished and brushed chrome, I strongly prefer the polished -- the brushed looks almost like it could be plastic. You do have to be willing to put up with or clean off fingerprints, of course. The black plastic looks fine; I don't know if it is as solid (heavy), which, as above, would cut both ways.
Rating:
- Very good grinder!I bought this to replace my venerable (and now busted) Braun grinder, which I loved & used heavily for years without problem.
In contrast to the Braun, this Capressa is a sturdy, well-built piece of machinery. It produces excellent grinds, is hard to overheat, and is very efficient: what took my Braun 1:40 to grind, is completed in scarcely :30 by the Capressa.
Static is *always* a problem w/ ANY grinder; however, the Capressa's design minimises this natural side-effect - clean-up is never an issue.
The chief deficiency in this product is its manual, which is entirely too busy explaining that one should not bathe with their grinder & should not attempt to catch the blades with their fingers while grinding...a better use for the manual would be to explain the calibrations on the grind dial: my first time out (and having read the manual), I turned the dial to '8' as I have an 8-cup french press; it took a call to Capressa's customer service to learn that the numbers on the grind knob DO reflect the number of cups - but they're *8-ounce* cups, not the 4-ounce cups assumed by the french press. Some fiddling resulting in a '3' grind being perfect for my usual beans and my 32-ounce FP.
The only reason I do not give 5 stars is because I can imagine a better product (however, I can't *find* one).
If I had it to do over again, the only thing I might have done different would have been to get the brushed chrome, rather than the polished, but that's just a matter of esthetics. All-in-all, I'm very pleased with the purchase, and with the coffee - the quality of both easily justify the price.
*IF* you love great coffee, that is.
Rating:
- Clogs! I seem to be the only one with this problem looking at the other reviews, but with even slightly oily beans this thing will clog quickly and repeatedly on anything other than a coarse grind. It is quick and easy to disassemble, but makes a huge mess and the only way to completely unclog it seems to be with compressed air. My cheap $30 burr grinders never had this problem, but it made about twice as much noise, now I am wishing I had kept one because they actually worked reliably and this one doesn't in the least. It works well with less oily beans and you can even grind directly into the portafilter if it is small enough (mine barely fit) but that makes kind of a mess and you have to clean inside there if you want to put the hopper back in. Seemed to grind plenty fine for espresso if you have dry enough beans, but the settings are not very consistent so there is some trial and error. All and all I would pass on this one, unless you just want something cheap and quiet to grind normal drip coffee.
Rating:
- Great GrinderA very consistent grinder if you know how to turn it on. I grind only for one pot at a time. The power knob starts the motor and a mechanical timer. As soon as you begin to turn the knob, the grinder starts, but the timer doesn't count down until you release the knob. So, quickly turn and release the knob. If you grind for more than a pot at a time, this isn't a problem. This grinder is a big improvement over my old "propellor" grinder. Can't compare with other brands, since I've never used 'em.