Krups 203-42 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder with Stainless-Steel blades, Black
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Krups 203-42 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder with Stainless-Steel blades, Black
Customer Review: Makes your ordinary coffee maker shine. Buy another for spices.
Summary: 5 Stars
Update:
I like this machine so much - it makes short work of beans or grinding spices. The only problem is, unless you're willing to super-clean the chamber, you don't want to be grinding coffee AND spices in the same machine.
So, since I cook a lot and like to start from scratch when possible, I just bought myself a second grinder. One will be exclusively for coffee, and the other will be for spices. Here's the spice grinder part of the review:
- When freshly ground pepper is called for, look no further. Saves wear on your peppermill especially if you need a tablespoon or similar quantity.
- Ground cumin is WAY better in salsas and guacamole, even more so than grinding your own coffee vs pre-ground coffee.
- Larger grinders throw spice powders all over the place and there's more surface to clean. This one, just wash the top and use a damp cloth for the metal chamber on the bottom.
- The speed and sharp blades, and possibly the smaller volume of air inside the chamber all contribute to fresher smelling spices. Larger machines distribute the aroma and air-rinse a lot of it off, I think. The "masala" coming out of the grinder has a much fresher smell than anything I've made in a grinder/chopper or Vita-mix grinder
- To fill or empty, be sure to start upside-down. When emptying, gentle taps will clear the spice off the blades
- Avoid the temptation to try parmesan blocks or bread in this. This machine was not designed for moistness at any level.
- Other ideas: Mustard powder, white peppercorn powder (great in soups), coriander-cumin mix (aromatic in many Indian dishes), nut meals (please roast dry first), fennel seed powder (a friend suggested a heavy pinch of this for an excellent pizza sauce)... the list goes on.
---------Original review ---------
After all my coffee machine researching (they go into the tens of thousands of $$) I ended up with a $15 Mr Coffee from a clearance sale. Then I got this grinder to go with the machine and started buying coffee in bean form. The results were amazing. Once you go fresh ground, you don't go back. Now about the grinder:
- I remain surprised how fast it turns beans into ground coffee
- For finer ground coffee, simply keep it on a few seconds longer
- The chamber size, blade, and RPM take down those beans near-instantly
- No clumps of ground coffee remain in niches, a big plus
- After grinding, flip the machine over and use the lid as the holder from which you scoop the ground coffee out
- Keep a brush around to dust out the stray grinds and keep it clean
- I tried using a grinder attachment on my blender for a while, but nothing beats this in versatility
Keep your beans in an opaque ceramic container at room temperature and buy only a week's (tops two weeks) supply, use this grinder and any old coffee machine, and get excellent coffee every morning.
Customer Review: Good value for the price, at a price
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but when I do drink coffee, I subscribe to the philosophy that coffee is best when the beans are freshly ground. I actually got this grinder mainly for grinding up spices, but also occasionally use it for coffee.
It's hard to miss with this grinder - it does exactly what you'd expect, is easy to clean and operate, has a small form-factor, seems to be well-made and is fairly inexpensive. If you just need to occasionally grind up some coffee or spices quickly, this is an ideal purchase. Now for the caveats....
First and most importantly, as with all blade-based grinders, there is no way to control the fineness of the grind (in that sense, this is more of a "chopper" than a "grinder"). If you want coarser or finer grinds, invest in a burr grinder (and pay quite a bit more, to get a decent one - the junk ones seem to start at about twice the cost of this device, and a passable one can easily cost $80 or more, with high-end burr grinders costing hundreds of dollars... you get what you pay for). You might be able to control how coarse or fine the grind is to a small degree by practicing and learning how long to grind different items, but the level of control and consistency is just not going to be there.
It's also not really great for grinding small quantities of spices - I tried grinding a few teaspoons of dried thyme and rosemary in it, and there was not much uniformity in the resulting mix. Perhaps if I needed to grind a lot more at once, it would have been better... again, an application where a burr grinder would have been the better option, most likely.
Second - invest in a small brush and use it after every grind to clean everything out in the grinding cup. The only washable piece is the lid, so it's important to clean everything out well, especially if you intend to multi-purpose it for coffee and spices like I do... Most people probably don't want coriander- or cumin-flavored coffee.
I have also found that even after cleaning with the brush, if I put the lid back on right away, it tends to retain the aroma of whatever I last ground, so after use, I leave the lid off for a couple hours, which seems to allow it to lose any odors. I guess the essential oil residues have time to break down and evaporate with the greater exposure to air. Probably not as big a deal if you only use it for coffee.
In summary, though, this is a perfect entry-level or low-end appliance. Given the price tag, it meets or exceeds my expectations by doing pretty much exactly what it advertises - it turns coffee beans and whole herbs and spices into coffee grounds and ground herbs and spices.
Customer Review: Dissappointing Performance, Excellent Price: 5 star blade grinder, 1 star coffee grinder
Summary: 2 Stars
I have used this product for 1 month. During the last month, I used this product 1-2 times per workday to grind whole coffee beans.
Pros:
-Works Fast
-Easy to operate
-Excellent price
-Easy clean up
-Minimal desk space
-Minimal mess while operating
Cons:
-Extremely inconsistent ground bean size (inherent flaw to this grinding method)
I have used a few blade grinders over the years. This is an excellent choice for a blade grinder. Well priced and, as far as blande grinders go, does a good job. As far as blade grinders go, it is 5-star in my book.
So, why the low score of 2? Well, the product is advertized as a "coffee grinder". As far as grinding coffee goes, it is abysmal. Although many will argue, and some from a pedagogical perspective, that blade grinders inherently provide inconsistent ground bean size. It is definitional of this methodology. Furthermore, there are multiple techniques to "minimize" this variation. (However, these techniques, including small batch short burst grinding with interspersed shaking, do not sufficiently compensate for the variation in bean size.) These arguments fall short of answering the question: does this product grind coffee well (which is its reason d'etre, given its name "Touch Coffee Grinder")? It does not. The inconsistency of grinding results in a few problems. First, increases the variability of taste between coffee brews. The extraction of flavor from a coffee bean varies based upon the bean size. Smaller grinds result in quicker extraction that is more complete (including some of the more bitter flavors), where as the larger grinds result in slower extraction that tends to be less complete. One can taste significant difference in the flavor of coffee depending upon the grind size. Furthermore, this grinder creates pulverized powdery coffee grinds which clogs up filters and further alters the taste of the coffee (and adds another variable to the brewing and taste of the coffee, thereby increasing the variability of taste between each brew.) These are my main concerns. There are more, but these are the highlights. I will purchase a burr grinder through Amazon and let you know what I find. Enjoy your coffee, and may it warm you during these cold winter months!!
Customer Review: What else do you want for $.01 per pot 'o joe?
Summary: 5 Stars
I (OK, we -- my wife loves coffee even more than I) have been using this grinder for more than 7 years now. At least a pot a day, year in and year out. No problems with blowing up, or any of the other problems mentioned. If you're unfortunate enough to get one that doesn't do what the vast majority of reviewers have said it will - grind beans for years and years - I hope you'll assume you got a (rare, it seems) bad copy, and try another one before giving up.As for the coffee, this little [U.S. currency with Andrew Jackson's portrait] gadget grinds from coarse to espresso, and all you have to do is a "one-mississippi, two-mississippi" until you get it down which mississippi gives you the coffee you want. Yes, blades will heat up the beans, but keeping the beans in the freezer mitigates that, and that's where you really oughta keep 'em anyway, for freshness' sake. As for coffee dust on the sides, I only get that anymore when I come home with a brand new can of Sumatra Lintong from Trader Joe's, and just won't wait for the beans to cool down! Otherwise, cold beans = no caked-on dust. As for getting grounds all over the counter, here's a little trick: when you're done grinding, turn it over (lid still on, please!) and give the whole thing a tap or two on the countertop. Bingo - lid now full of grounds, ready to carry to your coffee maker. (Speaking of... based in no small part on reviews here, we're getting a Braun KF187, and I can't wait to see if it really makes coffee as well as everyone raves. But I digress...)
We also bought a second one of these for spices, and recently even used it to bail us out of a no-confectioner's-sugar bind. Threw in some raw turbinado sugar, crossed fingers, gave it a whirl, and pressed on, MacGyver style...
To sum up, it's been a great little tool that has cost us less than a penny a day if you amortize the cost over 7+ years. I'll take it, and if it "blows up" tomorrow, I'll go buy another one in a heartbeat.
Customer Review: A very good design
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
It will grind coarse to fine dependent on the time you spend holding down the ON button.
It grinds quickly with a strong motor. I have had the older model 4 cup for over 15 years and it still works.
This model is slightly larger and can take more beans, likely for at least 8 cups.
It feels and sounds like the older model, so likely it will be very reliable ... my old 1980s bought model still works well. AC motors are far better than DC battery models: strong, powerful and reliable. Black is a good color, hides dirt better!
Cons:
The cord is far shorter than the original, and it can be a minor hassle if AC sockets are not in easy reach. The cord has no storage area but being shorter, is less in the way.
The grinder cover can be dishwashed, but the metal bowl cannot be removed. You'll need to clean out grounds with a spatula or brush, just like the older model. The bowl is not a tightest fit like the older model. There is a tiny gap between the plastic body and the bowl that could leak fine grinds, over time, into the housing that later gums up the motor.
Like many things plastic, the cover-lid will eventually break with use. Overtime, my older grinder lid edges chipped away. Recently, a crack appeared on the top, but not bad enough to leak grinds. It would be best if the lid were made of metal. Add a small glass window to see the grind, and the grinder could last forever. The wear on my old grinder cap is a reason for buying this new Krups grinder.
These are small prices to pay for a good product.
Perfection for this grinder? Change the following:
Removable dishwasher safe bowl
Metal lid with glass window
Stowage area with self retracting cord
It may cost more, but will last forever.