Capresso 555.01 Burr Grinder Select, Black
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Capresso 555.01 Burr Grinder Select, Black
Customer Review: 2 Years of use and going strong!
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading some of the negative reviews I decided to stand up for this great little machine. I bought mine from Amazon over 2 years ago (mine is model 555) and have been very satisfied with it for several reasons. I like to brew using different methods, though primarily pump espresso, and the grind has always been perfect for the process used. The grind is consistent and my coffee is always perfect. I have been grinding my own beans for over 20 years and used several different grinders, but this is unequivocally the best I have used. I only have problems with static when the humidity is too low, but have found this easy to overcome. The only problem I have had is the plastic receptacle recently cracked, but this was easily and inexpensively replaced by Capresso. As for the noise, grinders are noisy - no getting around it. But really, who cares? It only lasts a few seconds.
Bottom-line: if you want consistently even grind and variety, this is a great grinder.
UPDATE: June 2010
I still use this same grinder almost daily. It consistently grinds perfect coffee. I have been putting it through the rigors for over 6 years. What more could I ask? I surely received my money's worth. I even upgraded it to 5 stars, regardless of the receptacle replacement. How rare to spend so little money and get so much use from a product.
Customer Review: Excellent grinder!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great grinder. If you want to grind your own beans for coffee (it's the way to go!) a burr grinder is what you want, and this one is a good choice. You can choose to use the top attachment, which you fill with beans (they trickle down into the grinder, which automatically shuts off when it's done) or you can just put some set amount of beans on top of the grinder, put the lid on, and let it grind until it's done.The big feature I like about this grinder is that it has lots of different settings. I use a French Press to make my coffee, and the cheap, 1-setting coffee grinder I bought was grinding my beans WAY too thin, resulting in lots of sludge and grit in the bottom of my coffee cup. With this grinder, I can choose a really coarse grind, so my press filters out all the coffee grounds and leaves me with an entire cup of coffee, all of which is liquid.
This thing might seem a bit pricey, but it's worth it, just so you don't have to buy a new $20 coffee grinder every year or so.
In their reviews, some people have said this grinder is messy. Well, it IS grinding coffee beans. You're going to have a lot of powder. The grinder comes with a little brush to clean out the hard-to-reach bits, but you should probably buy a bigger one. A small price to pay for a grinder that can do so much, I say.
Customer Review: Happy with purchase despite other reviews
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading some of the other reviews on noise and mess, I was a bit hesitant to purchase this burr grinder.However, I've had it for two weeks and am generally happy with its performance. A few observations:
(1) The instructions ask you to grind some test beans on all fineness settings to insure the burr wheel is adjusting appropriately. I bought some cheap beans, and ran it through its paces. You do need to make certain that the removable upper burr is locked in place before grinding. It did a good job from coarse (french press) to fine (espresso). I make my daily coffee in a french press, and have been impressed with the reduction in fine "coffee silt" that my old grinder used to produce even at the coarse setting.
(2) This device was considerably quieter (and the noise wasn't as high-pitched) than my old Krupps grinder (cylindrical shape with spinning blade on top).
(3) The number of escaping grounds is no higher than my Krupps grinder, nor have I encountered the "static cling" problem.
Overall I'm pleased. Personally, I don't find the portion control dispenser all that useful. If I had to do it over again, I'd buy the similar (and cheaper) model which omits the portion control do-dad.
Customer Review: pretty darned great grinder for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had this grinder for about three weeks, now. It is a great buy for the money. Initially, I had a bit of a hard time trying to find the right fineness for my machine but once I did that was all she wrote. I don't think I've ever had a better cup of espresso. I had my doubts about the grinder making a difference but let me tell you, this is the best thing I have purchased in a long time. I do have to admit that it takes a little bit of maintenance to have to keep it clean and free of debris in the opening where the coffee comes out of but that only makes you keep it longer because it forces you to take better care of it.
One not so great thing is the little skimpy brush that it comes with. It does a poor job of cleaning the coffee off so go and invest a couple of buck in a brush or even a can of air from the office stores to blow the specks away from the opening and you are good to go. Yeah, there are static, especially around here in Tahoe area but it's nothing compared to the kind of coffee this grinder can put out. Oh, and the crema is just so "creamy". It's fantastic.
The only reason it got a 4 star rating is due to the brush and nothing else. Otherwise, it would have been a 5.
Customer Review: From a Satisfied Customer...
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading complaints of the mess the 551.01 grinder made for some people, I decided to go with the latest Capresso model hoping that lessons were learned from past mistakes. I was happy to find that coffee grounds are deposited neatly into a removeable containter. The 555.01 produces consistantly even grounds with 17 adjustable settings for fineness. The portion container is a handy feature that allows one to grind for the exact number of cups of coffee only (espresso drinkers will have to experiment to get proper amounts). For those wanting to mix different beans together, the portion container can be detached to feed beans directly into the grinder. Despite this convenience, I found myself grinding more beans for future use because of the hassle of cleaning the machine. The portion container and grinder wheel can easily be removed and washed, but the base unit has to be scrubbed and wiped down separately so the electrical parts aren't exposed to water. Capresso, however, had the thoughtfulness to include a small brush to clean the grounds spout with. Many will also find the grinder to be rather loud, but noise is not a factor for me.