professional look and operation.
having never tried anything in its price range however, (i'm a long-time barista and generally work with much more expensive equipment) i'm not sure if this grinder is better or worse than others in
as far as making a good grind for coffee it is the best we've owned and as good as the big grinders used in the professional places.
very professional looking (looks right at home next to my viking range -- that should tell you something).
while the breville espresso machine still doesn't quite live up to barista standards (we were 3 weeks in italy last summer - and it's just too hard for anything to compare), the grinder made a huge
w/ other c/b grinders, i find this product is very acceptable for the amateur barista.
i got this unit to grind chia seeds (the black ones which have hard shells) and it works wonderfully.
i have read that serious espresso folks prefer a finer grind than this can provide but i'm not a barista, not yet atleast, so i'm loving it so far.
i've been a barista for seven years -- this grinder functions nearly as well as the professional models i've used.
spice grinding: it works well enough for less oily seeds like cumin, but is a disaster for grinding dried ginger (much too hard) or cloves (too oily and clog up the grinding chamber).
the first i purchased for grinding seeds, ( flax, caraway, etc.), because my small whole grain mill was too much for small seeds and i really didn't want to use the same machine on my spices as i do
if you grind flavored coffees (or, in my case, fresh seed spices) and need to clean it, you might be a little frustrated.
the 18 grind-choice selections makes it easy to customize to your own taste but you won't get a professional result.
i bought this grinder for grinding flax seed , it did the grinding just ok but after few minutes it need resting, it is frustrating since the resting time seem to get longer and longer, kind of
it does everything you could possibly want a professional level grinder for.
you don't need to be an uber-guru-espresso-maker to benefit from this machine, but i imagine it would help.
the bottom line is that this unit is quiet, sturdy and attractive while making a great grind of coffee for our professional bunn coffee maker.
at $99, the maestro was the best choice to accompany my starbucks barista (manufactured by saeco), bought locally through craigslist.
i dropped in to find one of these as a gift for a fellow coffee connoisseur, and thought i would leave a review!
even if it only lasts for 2 years, you could afford to buy 30 of them for what a small professional grade burr grinder would cost and it's actually easier to live with than the pro grade grinder
thus far, i have ground chiles, seeds and even fresh lemongrass.
- flax seed
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