All that glitters. . .
"This purchase has been an education in all things coffee. Like many here I was taken in by the stunning construction of this grinder, assuming that because it’s cast iron and Italian-made it must also turn out a consistent grind. Not so, apparently, between the jiggly shaft and subpar (if tempered steel) burr among other things…If you simply enjoy cowboy coffee and perhaps French press and have the bench space for this beauty then by all means buy it; but for my fellow budding coffee snobs who like our pour overs (or just better drip coffee) and want to branch into espresso or other experimentations, move on and keep looking. There are better, smaller and even less pricey manual grinders out there, made by companies who do coffee and only coffee (in particular a German make reminiscent of “Hogan’s Heroes”). I would think that someone could take the aesthetic of this mill grinder and combine it with updated construction and functionality, but until then we apparently must choose between a vintage look and a good cup of coffee, and I’m choosing the latter."












