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Customer
Reviews
Customer Review
#1
"Serious about your coffee? Need
to really grind espresso? Tired of toy
grinders? Get this one.
This is not a toy. It weighs maybe 10 pounds,
and is solid metal through and through. If
you've seen a KitchenAid blender, then you have
some idea of the construction -- it's what
you'd expect given that. Uses removable glass
hopper and bin, top-rack dishwasher OK, if you
dare. The grounds do NOT cling. Very little
mess at all.
I have one qualm about the lower bin -- it
could stand to be heavier glass. KitchenAid,
take note.
On its maximum setting it grinds beans for my
espresso machine as well as Starbucks does it
for me. This way I can buy in bulk, and still
have my coffee taste fresh.
I've tried the cheap grinders, which aren't
adequate for anything. I've tried the $80
grinders, which are OK for drip, but haven't a
hope of a fine or superfine grind. Then there's
this one. It stands alone."
- Actual review from
Amazon.com
Customer Review #2
"As the title states,
this is a serious coffee mill, and not
for someone who is in a hurry or lacks patience
when it comes to making a good pot of
coffee.
Unlike all other grinders I've ever owned (and
I've owned a lot of grinders of all
sizes, shapes and prices!) this KitchenAid mill
is enormous, taking up as much counter
space as my coffee maker alone does. Aside from
being so big, it's also very heavy, made as it
is from die-cast metal, and not plastic. The
hopper for placing beans to be ground, as well
as the receptacle for receiving the ground
coffee are each glass, and not plastic, adding
somewhat to the weight as well.
That being said, this grinder is also fairly
expensive - usually $199.95 at numerous
retailers, but I was fortunate to find mine for
$179.95 - still a considerably higher price
than I've ever paid for a coffee grinder. While
the quality of construction appears first rate,
it's too early to say whether this unit will
last that much longer than others I've owned,
but it seems a good likelihood it will.
Sooo, is it worth the extra money (and
counterspace)? In a word, yes, and a very
enthusiastic "yes" at that. Other coffee mills
are available for a good deal less money, but
have a common annoyance: static generated by
the grinding of the burrs, which causes ground
coffee to stick to the plastic receptacle,
parts of the mill itself, and just about
anything else the receptacle comes in contact
with, including the operator's fingers and
hands. In short, the static electricity makes a
mess each and every time these mills are
used that's a genuine annoyance to have to deal
with, and why I stopped using several
models.
Mills grind coffee more consistently than the
"chopper," or "blade" type grinders, and that's
certainly true of this KitchenAid unit. It's
biggest difference is that, while some static
is generated, which results in a slight spill
of ground coffee onto the bottom of the unit
when the glass receptacle is removed, that
which has to be cleaned up is a far cry from
the mess less costly mills with plastic
components create. The glass receptacle of this
KitchenAid unit has a much wider opening which
allows for far easier removal of the ground
coffee than the narrower openings of less
costly grinders. It has no separate top to be
removed, and so that's another piece not to
have to bother with cleaning up.
Griding is easy: place the desired amount of
beans into the glass hoppper, put the glass
bottom receptacle in place, adjust the grind
setting on the front of the unit to that
desired, and then flip the toggle switch "On."
There's no timer, so one must leave the unit
"on" until the griding's finished. Once
finished, remove the bottom receptacle (thank
goodness, without the annoying spray of ground
coffee other mills generate) and deposit that
into your coffee maker. Some ground coffee does
stick to the glass, but not enough to be
concerned about, and a quick rinse is all it
takes to clean it off. As the receptacle's
opening is wide, cleaning is very easy.
There are 15 grind settings from "coarse" for
French-press coffee makers, to "fine" for
espresso. I've found the settings adequate for
my uses (drip coffee, and espresso too), but if
the settings aren't adequate (not fine, or
coarse enough) there are instructions as to how
to adjust the burrs to one's personal
preferences.
The owner's manual offers a good deal of advice
as to the various settings for making coffee,
particularly using a grind that's either too
coarse or too fine for the type of coffee being
brewed. Most users should find this information
useful. I've always believed that the type of
grind, and the manner in which it's
generated, affect the taste of coffee.
Judging by the wonderful flavor of coffee I've
brewed now, using beans ground in this
KitchenAid mill, I'd have to say that such a
belief has a good deal of validity: the coffee
is strong, but not bitter, and very
flavorful..."
- Actual review from Epinions.com
Customer Review #3
"This review is
targeted specifically at the budding barista
who likes to experiment and fine-tune their
process to achieve the best possible espresso.
I won't bother reiterating what others have
already said about receptacle glass, bean feed,
static, lack of timer, documentation, etc. I
thoroughly read the manual and adjusted this
machine for espresso grinding per the
instructions.
Bottom Line: Amateur baristas will be
frustrated with the inaccuracy, inconsistency,
and minimal adjustability of this machine.
Quite simply, the KitchenAid Pro Line Burr
Coffee Grinder was not designed for the
"espresso perfectionist". For everybody else,
this is a very nice product and a reasonably
good value.
PROs:
-Solid and appealing industrial design (that
famous KitchenAid look, feel, and user
interface)
-Good build quality & high quality
components
-Easy to clean
-Adjustment dial has a solid commercial
feel
CONs:
-Inconsistent grind quality is inadequate for
espresso. Impossible to get a fine enough
overall grind and the range of resulting
particle sizes is far too broad, i.e. too many
fines combined with too many large particles
regardless of grind setting.
-Grind adjustment is "stepped" (predetermined
click-stops used to set space between burrs)
and imprecise which makes fine adjustments
impossible.
-Impractical for grinding directly into a
portafilter.
-Made in China. "
- Actual review from Amazon.com
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