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November 10, 2023

the coffee pulse newsletter

Issue 012

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Happy Friday, Mark!

In the last issue of the Coffee Pulse Newsletter, the talk was about consumer grinder history in the past 20 years, the lowering price point of quality, and the introduction of two new sub categories of grinders: manual and single dose espresso grinders. 

Although the espresso-centric single-dose grinder market is growing, with many more options available, they may not be suitable for everyone. Indeed, they’re for the very few who either only drink espresso in the home, or those who have no issues owning two coffee grinders: one for espresso, and one for other brew methods.

Fortunately, we’ve seen good innovation and expanded choice in the consumer multi-purpose grinder arena in that same time span. For the vast majority of consumers seeking better coffee in the home, this category is the one they’ll gravitate the most to.

So, what exactly is a multipurpose coffee grinder?

It is a grinder that can handle chopping and slicing of coffee beans fine enough for modern espresso, but does equally well with other brew method requirements. This includes grinding for moka pot (350-550 micron, or μm particle sizes), AeroPress (400-650μm), pour-over (550-850μm), Chemex and no-bypass (750-1000μm), and press pot coffee (>1200μm).

The multipurpose grinder should produce that majority of its grind output within those target ranges too. This means if you set the grinder for a pour over grind, some 70% or more of what is actually ground falls within the target μm range.

In addition, a good modern day multipurpose grinder should easily change between grind sizes. It should be able to grind for small and large batches, up to 80-100g or more for full 12 cup auto drip brewers (though some exceptions would also suit). It should be reasonably fast and quiet.

Some 20 years ago, there was truly just one consumer grinder under $300 that could (barely) perform all of this: the $225 Baratza Virtuoso. Where Baratza’s earlier efforts (the Maestro and Encore) struggled with grinds at both ends of the spectrum (espresso and press pot), the Virtuoso could squeeze out a decent espresso grind, and an even better press pot grind. It delivered a similar quality to quasi-commercial grinders costing $1,500 or more, like Ditting models.

The original Baratza Virtuoso, released in 2005. A game changer of a grinder.

If you didn’t mind spending $500 or more on a grinder, you had a few more options around ten years ago, but they were all from Baratza. Their Vario line (here's our original review on it), based on flat burrs, was (and still is) fantastic for the entire range of grinding needs, but the grinder clocked in at $450 for the base model, and $100 more for the built in scale version. Next came Baratza’s Forte lineup, at near $1,000, but rated for full blown commercial use.

It wasn’t until 2014 that a few more entries started to fit the budget multipurpose grinder arena. Breville’s Smart Grinder Pro debuted that year and offered a lot for the $150-$175 launch price. Breville also had their Dose Control Pro grinder, at $150 or less. It lacked some features, but could handle the entire range of grinds needed for multipurpose grinder.

Baratza upgraded their Virtuoso grinder with new burrs (called the M2) better suited for espresso, while keeping the $230 price point. Consumers discovered they could buy Baratza’s M2 burrs for around $40, and retrofit them into $135 Encore grinders, delivering similar performance to the Virtuoso, all for under $175. By 2017, we started to see more capable grinders in the under $200 price point, including OXO’s grinder with scale and even Technivorm started selling a grinder.

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Just a few years ago, we started to see a rather large leap in offerings in the true multipurpose grinder market at budget price points, one that continues to grow to this day.

It was the introduction of the Fellow Ode that really kicked things off. The Ode wasn’t a really good grinder, to be fair. But it was a new player in the sub $300 space, and showed other manufacturers that a demand existed there. It also is a quasi-single dose grinder, mainly because it has a very small hopper. Fellow dramatically improved the Ode with the Gen 2 model released in the last year.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro continues to be in the marketplace, and to this day, no other grinder has matched its overall featureset. It is by no means the best grinder out there, but it’s pretty good at nearly everything it does and it still sits under $200. 

Baratza introduced the Encore ESP, also just under $200, and the improvements on the espresso side have dramatically improved the grinder’s overall usability for the consumer looking for a high quality budget entry. A special nod goes to the launch recently of the Baratza Virtuoso+. While it is outside this new $200 entry point range, at $250, it offers a lot of great features and a great grind at all settings.

Speaking of grinders slightly out of the budget price range, I also should bring up the Wilfa Uniform grinder. At $299, it has one of the best grind outputs I’ve tested under $1,000. I just wish it wasn’t so darned slow. Technically a single dose grinder, it can handle up to 90g in one grind session for your biggest auto drip batch. It also excels at espresso grinding, and its press pot grind is very uniform.

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The Wilfa Uniform is a barely known grinder in N. America; it has fantastic grind output.

This year, Fellow launched the Opus, a sub $200 grinder designed to do everything from espresso to press pot. Initial reviews are mixed, but they all say it's better than the original Ode grinder, so that's something to consider. The Opus is also quasi-single dose but you can easily grind enough for a full sized auto drip brewer. We’re about to put one to the test ourselves, and will report on it in a later Issue of the Coffee Pulse.

It doesn’t end there. Turin is bringing in two grinders at the $200 price point that amaze for the full metal bodies, excellent burr sets, and overall performance.

I talked about the SK40 from Turin in the last Coffee Pulse issue, but the Turin SD40 also deserves highlighting. It is a single dose grinder, something normally not considered as a multipurpose device. But it also has a stepped grind adjustment that can easily fly between espresso grinds and press pot grinds, and be very accurate when you go back to espresso again. It is fast, has a small footprint, is quiet and performs almost as well as a $900+ Niche Zero. 

The Turin SK40 (black, left) and SD40 (white, right) side by side. Small, powerful, great output.

It surely is a great time to be a consumer in pursuit of the highest quality home coffee preparation, all while on a budget. The offerings in the under $200 multipurpose grinder market have easily quadrupled in just the past four years, with more coming down the pipe in 2024 and beyond. In the past, serious coffee nerds would have to consider a $500 espresso grinder and a $200 “brew” grinder to get top shelf results in the home. Today, any of the grinders listed above are up to the task.

As for whether they are the “best” or not, in most cases no they are not. If you are willing to spend the money, you can find better espresso grinders, better brew grinders, and better multipurpose grinders. Spend $3,000 on a Mahlkonig EK43 and you’ll have an amazing grinder along with an empty bank account, and a spouse questioning your spending priorities.

But here’s the real deal: these entry point grinders put out a quality grind, one with even distribution patterns, repeatable grind particle sizes and limited fines, all at good grinding speeds, up to 2.5g/second or faster.

Bottom line on them all is that they contribute to a better tasting cup of coffee.

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