Hi everyone. I recently bought a Breville Bambino. It’s my first espresso machine, and I’m quite happy with it. I love the fact that it has a thermoblock which means that I don’t have to wait for the water to turn on before I can enjoy my coffee. I’ve been able to pull some good shots with it, but the exact same technique sometimes gives me inconsistent results. I’m thinking it’s my grinder.

I have a Timemore C3 manual grinder. It’s great for most other brewing methods e.g. aeropress, V60, French press etc. But I don’t think it’s the best for espresso. I borrowed a Baratza Encore from a friend and it gave me more consistent results.

Now, I do like the Encore, and would buy a new one, but I looked at this chart and it looks like it doesn’t go too low in terms of grind size. Do you guys think that it might cause problems when I upgrade my machine in the future?

Also, if you have any other suggestions for grinders, let me know. I’m willing to spend around $200 on it right now. (I guess I can go up to $300 if it’s worth the extra $100.)

Thanks for taking your time to read this. I really appreciate it.

  • idkwhatimdoing
    2·
    1 year ago

    Nice, sounds like you’re definitely a candidate for manual espresso grinding, in which case that’s what I’d go for. You’ll definitely have a hard/impossible time finding anything anything as precise and consistent as 1ZPresso’s esspresso-focused grinders at that price or looking at electric grinders.

    Any drill/screwdriver with a 6.35mm socket (the widely standard size) can be attached to the same spot that the standard handle slides onto. That piece on the grinder is actually shaped like a standard hex bit, so it should fit just like any of the screwdriving heads would.

      • idkwhatimdoing
        2·
        1 year ago

        Of course. Honestly wish these were out when I got my espresso grinder, as a 1Z and a drill is probably better than anything under $1k when it comes to grind quality alone (perhaps not user experience, but the drill helps)