Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinders
by Jura-Capresso
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List Price: Our Price: $84.99 Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinders
Customer Review: You won't find better quality for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start out be saying that Capresso's customer service has been top notch. I have had to call their number twice since getting my grinder. Once the burr got jammed into the grinder and I could not get it out. They talked me through how to release it. The other time the unit just stopped working. They had me sent it in to them (just the base), send me a UPS shipping label so I didn't have to pay a penny for shipping either way (computer RMA departments usually make you pay at least one way) and ended up shipping me an entirely new unit. I was expecting just the base to be replaced but they sent me a totally new unit still in the box with all of its pieces. So now I have a backup burr and the plastic pieces.
Next I wanted to explain to skeptics why you should pay for this instead of the a cheap blade grinder. There are several things to consider when brewing coffee. The freshness of the bean, grind size, how uniform the grind is, brewing method, etc. First, if you are buying preground coffee stop now. Do some research, find a bean you like and grind it yourself. Freshness matters. Exposure to air matters. If you wonder why the stuff at the coffee houses tastes so much better that is a major reason why. Next grind size having it be uniform. When you brew coffee you are basically doing the same thing that happens when you steep tea or throw spices or dry herbs into boiling water. You are extracting flavors, infusing them into the water. Think of brewing as steeping if you are a tea drinker. The finer the grind, the more surface area touching the hot water, the faster the flavor is extracted. If it is too fine of a grind you run the risk of giving off a bitter flavor, kind of like how tea from tea dust (often used in tea bags) is a bit bitter while tea from larger leaves is a bit smoother. If it is too coarse, the coffee will take a long time brew properly and in the process may give you flavors you don't want.
So you need a machine that can give you control over the size and make sure all of the grounds are uniform. If you are aiming for a coarse grind in a blade grinder, chances are some of the coffee on the bottom will get broken up far smaller and you may get a bitter flavor. Burr grinders give a far more uniform size. The 9 size settings means you control the size. I use a french press which requires a fairly coarse grind (too fine and the grounds would simply slip threw the screen). Someone else may want a finer grind for their espresso. Maybe your coffee is starting to get a bit older and is losing some of its flavor but isn't quite stale yet. You'd probably want a finer grind. This machine takes care of that.
So why this one? I already explained the customer service. And this one is fairly sturdy for the price, has quite a few different size settings so it will do just about anything a person would want for at home. It is fairly easy to clean up and does not take up much shelf space. If you are the kind of person that wants a real cup of espresso then you may want to go higher end. If you are someone that has always used preground coffee you will be surprised to see how much better it is by making that one change. If you have used a blade grinder, you'll be surprised how much easier it is to get a good grind from a burr. Using my old blade grinder (now known as my spice grinder) I had a method to get a decent grind. I would grind for 10 seconds while shaking pretty hard. Then I would pulse it a few times after tapping it down. With this machine I can measure out what I need (usually 1tbsp beans to 1C water) and let it do the work, come back a few seconds later and it is ready to go.
Make sure to clean it regularly. Burr grinders have a bit of an issue with static. The grounds can be hard to remove. Also don't store your beans in the top. Store them in your fridge in air tight containers (preferably not plastic since plastic absorbs flavors... including stale coffee flavors). You can store beans in the freezer but keep them in a spot where they won't be warming up every time you open the door. Generally if I'm ordering 1 lb of beans (about 4-6 weeks supply for me)I will store it in the fridge. Anything beyond the first pound I will put in the freezer. If you leave them at room temperature they may go stale or even rancid quickly. You may want to invest in a can of compressed air which you can probably find at an electronics store. Just make sure to stand outside and aim the machine away when you blow into it. I found that one out the hard way once.
Customer Review: I can taste the difference!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Capresso Infinity is an excellent grinder, especially at this price. (I bought the stainless steel model from Amazon for $99.99.)
There are a couple of what I consider obvious design flaws. As others have noted, there is a small recess at the top of the removable grinding burr where beans consistently get trapped. It's only one bean at a time that gets hung up and the bean is removed easily enough, but it's still a nuisance that could be easily remedied with a small plastic cap made to cover the recess. I would certainly be willing to pay a few dollars more for that fix.
The other obvious design flaw is with the electrical cord. The length of the cord is fine, it is a heavy duty cord, and the plug is nice and sturdy. The problem is with the way the cord leaves the machine. The cord is attached to the bottom of the grinder, up inside a recess. From there the cord moves freely and proceeds away from the back of the machine through a half-round cutout on the bottom edge of the machine casing. The problem is that if you lift the grinder off the counter, as I do to clean it after every use, the electrical cord moves away from the half-round cutout and is then easily pinched when you replace the grinder on your counter. I have had the grinder for just over two months and I can already see that the cord is wearing at the point where it gets pinched by the bottom of the machine's casing. So I would caution others to be careful about the position of the power cord whenever you set the machine down. (The cord wear that I have observed is probably more of a problem with the heavier stainless steel models.)
Other reviewers have said that they wash the removable burr with hot water. I do this too, though not with every use. This, however, presents another problem--one that I wouldn't necessarily call a design flaw, but one that should be noted. There are four cutouts in the ring of plastic on the top side of the removable burr; two are round and the other two are basically rectangular. These cutouts expose metal that is not stainless steel and will corrode. Therefore if you wash the removable grinder, you will want to be careful to thoroughly dry it afterward. I also recommend applying a tiny bit of machine oil to the four exposed metal points after drying. (I think you will also find that a toothbrush works pretty well for superficially cleaning both the fixed and removable grinding burrs.)
With these few problems noted, I would readily buy this grinder again. This grinder produces a very consistent, high-quality grind, and I can taste the difference over my old burr grinder even with drip coffee, which is what I usually drink. The taste difference alone wins me over. I have also found that I use fewer beans per cup because the higher quality grind results in much better flavor extraction. I would say that translates into money saved, but I end up making more coffee because it tastes so good!
One final observation is that the machine's grind setting was "tight" when I first began using it. At the outset I had to use a very coarse setting to get the grind I wanted for drip coffee, but the grind setting seemed to gradually loosen up over the first few weeks of use. After that the machine seemed to be perfectly calibrated. If you have a similar experience to mine at the first, I would suggest that you resist any impulse to make mechanical adjustments.
I give this grinder five stars despite the design flaws because the combination of performance, overall build quality, and value is to my knowledge unsurpassed. Best of all, the coffee I now make at home tastes at least as good as that served by the best coffee shop in town.
Customer Review: Worthy of Investment!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lets just say that I love coffee. I roast my own and know all the secrets to get a perfect cup of coffee. With that said, I am a coffee lover on a budget. So I really never had enough money to invest in a grinder that was actually great. This was finally my chance to get the most out of the coffee that I worship.
My first grinder was a Mr. Coffee blade grinder ($20)-- Just not consistent and did heat the coffee grounds, which does cause them to lose flavor. Too inconsistent for espresso and french press.
2nd Cuisinart Supremo ($30)--Large, noisy, only slightly more consistent, fair amount of coffee dust, does not grind espresso-fineness. BROKE IN 6 MONTHS.
3rd Herthware Supremo ($30)-- Compact, even noisier, even more inconsistent than a blade grinder, and large amounts of coffee dust. It did not get close to grinding fine enough for espresso and was terribly inconsistent for coarse grinds. Way too much sediment in my pressed coffee. Very messy.
Finally my Capresso Infinity 560 ($80)-- Fairly large, QUIET, extremely consistent, and NO coffee dust. I can't even compare the other ones to this because this grinder is infinitely better in every possible way. It does grind fine enough for my pump espresso maker (I actually use the third finest setting). The coarse grinding is extremely consistent also. Probably a tenth the sediment compared to the previous grinders, which allows me to enjoy more of my pressed coffee before getting to the mud. Its quiet indeed and is much more muffled compared to my previous grinders. It is much better made and is easy to clean, which makes it likely to last for years. For the price of the three previous grinders, I could have just bought this from the get go and been satisfied all along. Best of all I don't have to wipe up the coffee grounds that are sprayed everywhere.
The issue with the coffee grounds that remain in the chute can be cured by taping the side firmly to knock out the grounds. Also before you grind just give it another tap if you are paranoid about a few day old grounds. Look a tsp of day old grounds will not register in taste at all. But if you tap, you can avoid mixing coffees.
If you have a crema enhancing portafilter (which is nearly all espresso machines that are under 400), then this grinder will most definitely grind fine enough. At the finest grind setting, it appears to provide a fine powder that is definitely fine enough for turkish coffee. This means that it should even be fine enough for commercial-style portafilters. People forget that you have to apply about 40 pounds of pressure to tamp the grounds adequately. You need to balance fineness and tamp pressure.
This is the best coffee grinder for under $100. If have make coffee with other methods than a drip coffee maker, then I would strongly recommend getting this. I am as frugal as they come and even from a money saving stance, this will be more reliable and cheaper in the long run. I don't really see the need for spending more than this. This grinds perfectly for all applications. Even if you just have a drip coffee maker, you will enjoy better coffee, less mess, and quieter operation.
I am extremely satisfied with this purchase.
Customer Review: Nice burr grinder-Not so nice to clean!
Summary: 5 Stars
Have had my Model 565 for a month now. It makes my common Eight O'Clock coffee taste noticeably more complex. Custom roasts are supurb. I use the coarsest of the fine settings for my old fashioned Bunn coffee maker. When I first acquired my Bunn I noticed it took about 30% more coffee to get the strength I desired. Now with the Infinity burr grinder I now use less coffee than my old blade grinder. I'm guessing that the coffee is extracted better when burr ground.
The setup is easy, and the directions are quite clear on how to do everything. The biggest complaint on the ergonomics is that the hopper lid is so clear that I sometimes try to put coffee in the hopper without removing the lid.
Now the not so good.
This unit would have got 5 stars despite the cleaning hassles, if they would have put a simple on/off switch on this model. The twist timer is so counter-intuitive that I have already turned the timer backward by hand twice, simply because it is the logical way to turn it off, since the unit is turned on with this knob.
As countless others have said, cleaning is a hassle. It takes longer to clean than for the coffee to be brewed. Have not had static problems yet, but winter is coming. The best way I have found to get the leftovers out is to slap the sides and rear of the grinder. Then remove the top burr and collection cup, then turn it upside down over the sink, and slap it good a few times. I have a bag of coffee in the fridge that is stuff shook out during cleaning. In a month I have accumulated enough for a pot of coffee.
In summary I love the grind, it truly makes a difference over blade ground or preground coffee. Ahh, the price we pay in cleaning, to make our coffee taste better.
Update: 3-30-2010
Have used now for 5 months and still very pleased with the Model 565 Infinity grinder. I have the cleaning routine down to about 60-90 seconds. Beans with oil sheen definitly leave more residue behind. Drier beans leave behind very little. The quality and consistency of the grind if anything has improved. When I grind my red bag 8 O'Clock beans real fine, which is the second coursest of the extra fine settings, the coffee comes alive and is full of chocolate and wine flavors. To sum up my review, this is the best money I have spent for my coffee addiction.
Update: 10-26-2010
Now in use for a year. I have upgraded my 4 star rating to 5 stars. The grinder just plain works. Whatever grind you want it will deliver. I now have the cleaning routine down to just a 15 seconds. Still no static issues. I have ground common beans from 8 O'Clock to Old Bisbee Roasters custom roast, and have had no problems with dark oily beans causing problems. VERY PLEASED! Yes I did get used to the twist timer on/off switch.
Customer Review: What we'd been missing
Summary: 5 Stars
[4/29/2009 update: Everything I said below still holds. I have not experienced ANY of the flimsiness issues mentioned by some other reviewers. The bin stays in place, the hopper hasn't broken, the burr cap assembly is fine. I respect others' experiences, but it's almost like we're discussing completely different machines here.]
I recently had to "put down" my eight-year-old DeLonghi burr grinder, which had provided over three thousand batches of grinds for us over the years.
DeLonghi DCG4T Deluxe Coffee Grinder
What we had not realized over the past year was that a leak was developing in the grind chamber, and ground coffee was slowly being packed into the body of the machine--we unearthed over a pound of coffee from the beast!
The Capresso has been a revelation, reminding us why we go to all the trouble of seeking out whole beans and preparing them fresh every day. Strong, fresh, flavorful--it's as though we changed beans, not just grinders!
Specifics:
--Unpack the machine carefully. There is one item that has to be pushed through the polystyrene block. It has a big sticker reading "PUSH". Follow that instruction, and others in the package.
--Setting up the Capresso was very easy. Once you have beans in the top chamber, you shouldn't remove that chamber unless you've first emptied it again, from the top.
--The numbers on the timer dial correspond roughly to the number of medium-grind, standard coffee measures that the grinder will produce. (A standard coffee measure produces approx. 2 cups of coffee as gradated on most drip coffee makers.) We are experimenting, as the even grind we are now getting is producing much stronger coffee than our late lamented DeLonghi.
--The noise is what you'd expect. After all, you're using a strong motor to grind a hard bean between two steel wheels. But, the slow speed of the motor and the overall solid construction of this machine lessen the noise output compared to the old one.
The Capresso fits nicely in our limited counter space, and we're pleased with both the build quality and the output.
I will observe that it's not a product for people who use appliances without thought or understanding. If you are "all thumbs" or unconscious in the morning, you probably want a less vulnerable machine.
We're happy with it!