Crew Review: Bodum Bistro Grinder

[Gangway1111]

I purchased this for $75 to use with my new Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso/Cappuccino Machine ($80) that is pressurized, I was wondering if you have heard of this espresso maker and if you would be willing to do a video of it?

thanks, Gangway :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Gangway1111 We don't carry Mr. Coffee products so sadly don't have in info to impart - Kat

[Gangway1111]

@SeattleCoffeeGear

You might want to take a look at it, it looks similar to products you carry, it uses a pressurized portafilter ( I cant spell that, sorry). It functions more like the machine in this video than a $40 krups I have had it and the bodum for a month now and I think it is worth a look.

Thank you for responding, I look forward to more videos.

Gangway :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Gangway1111 We haven't been able to source them in the past, that's all, but we will keep our eye open for them :) - Kat

[Shortpull]

I have had fantastic success using my Bodum Bistro for grinding espresso on my Francis Francis X1espresso machine. It grinds so finely that I have to back to grind off of the maximum espresso setting, otherwise the shots can barely pull through the grind. I was almost convince not to buy the machine based on this review, saw another review on Aromacup, got it, used it and am ecstatic! You might want to reassess this grinder.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Shortpull Thanks for sharing this! We are discontinuing this grinder so won't be doing further reviews, but thanks for giving your experience so other researchers will have something to work from. - Kat

[eXtinct512]

will this grinder work well with the gaggia classic ?

[xSunnyD79x]

i just got this grinder for my espresso machine and it works fine on the normal drip coffee setting, but if i go any finer then that the machine won't work? is it something im doing wrong or is the machine defective?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@xSunnyD79x Hmmmmm - are you adjusting it more finely as the grinder is running? If not you could be compacting beans and that is why it doesn't work. That's the only thing I could think of - otherwise, may be defective - Kat

[arjanknulst]

i have a saeco nina plus machine. is this grinder suitable for that machine?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@arjanknulst I don't believe so; if I recall correctly, that machine doesn't have a pressurized portafilter and this will only work with espresso machines that have those types of handles or baskets. - Kat

[GalTrack]

Hi! Many thanks for the review. However, I have the following question: I grew coffee using a French press hence I would like to have a consistent coarse grind. Would you recommend this grinder for such a goal, or is the Hario Mini Mill (or another grinder) better?

Keep up the good job at SeattleCoffeeGear!

GalTrack

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@GalTrack This is probably better suited for press pot, so this would be a good choice for your purposes -- although it's not super, super consistent, it's better than others in this class. - Kat

[gabeslover]

Just got my lime green ; ) Bodum Bistro Grinder in today!! It worked great with my pressurized portafilter. It has a very consistant grind. Thought it would be too fine of a grind for my Delonghi EC155 but it worked out fine. It's super cute and small! And also very easy to clean.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@gabeslover Awesome! Glad to hear it's working well for you :) :) - Kat

[gabeslover]

Thanks ladies for reviewing this Grinder!! Going to get it!! : )

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@gabeslover You're welcome! Hope you enjoy it :) - Kat

[gabeslover]

@SeattleCoffeeGear One question... I'm looking at a machine like the Francis Francis x5. Do you think that this grinder would be able to grind fine enough for it?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@gabeslover I'm not sure, actually; If the x5 has a pressurized portafilter, yes...if not, then no. - Kat

[renaulth2009]

I bought one of these grinders over the weekend, and it works fine with my pressurized portafilter'ed Philips Saeco, but watching your video, I noticed that my grind isn't as fine as what Gail spread out on her hand. I have it on the finest setting. Could it be the type of beans?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@renaulth2009 It could be; also that all grinders are a little bit different so your model's burrs might be calibrated differently than the test model we used. Not sure if you can really alter this on these grinders, though - Kat

[22ihs]

Do I understand you correctly, Is this grinder not grinding fine enough for a stove top Italian espresso maker?

I want a simple grinder that grinds that finely.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@22ihs I don't believe it will grind fine enough for that, yes. Check out the Capresso Infinity -- goes fine enough, not great consistency, however -- or the Baratza Virtuoso or Breville Smart Grinder - Kat

[maha77]

cant believe you wouldn't carry the colors, i love them and think they are fantastic, i am tempted to buy one just for the lime color

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@maha77 To each their own!! We don't tend to sell many of Bodum's colored items; we brought in a ton of cups and other items and the only ones that sell are black. So we gotta stick with what we can move :) - Kat

[camachoaviles]

Hi, greetings from Ecuador! I'll buy these grinder, but i need to know: the espresso made with these grinded coffe is good?? Thankyou!!

P.D: Sorry for my english!!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@camachoaviles This isn't a great espresso grinder; only if you're using a pressurized portafilter, otherwise it doesn't go fine enough for traditional espresso extraction. - Kat

[aurorabreeze]

Thank you. Just got 1 of these.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@aurorabreeze Cool! How are you liking it? - Kat

[slakjdfjiarfo]

... Looked like. Curiosity aside I ran them back through on espresso setting. You'll have to jigger it around while it's grinding cause the grinds don't float into burrs like beans do. I found this out accidentally not wanting to waste beans. I'm sure alot depends if it will improve your shots like the machine your using for one.

[slakjdfjiarfo]

@TimHowardll - I've been all over the forums and haven't seen a single post about someone running grinds twice. So I think it's premature to conclude it's a bad thing. Granted better off buying a better grinder in the first place but my funds are limited. Being new to espresso world I've learned to not follow "golden rules" but to experiment. What's right for one is not for the other. Give it a shot, best of luck to ya.

I ran whole bean on French press setting just see how it looked like. Curi

[TimHowardII]

This still a cruiser-liner-load better than Sunbeam EM0480!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TimHowardII Haha -- I'll take your word for it ;) - Kat

[TimHowardII]

You should check out the complaint videos for EM0480. I have a EM0450, but they both have the same problem because they are both designed similarly (EM0450 have on on-off timer switch). Setting 1 still gives you grinds that can only work with a French press, or worse.  It turns out the burr and the gears aren't set very well. I replaced the grinder and it strangely produces grinds finer than a pre-ground packet of coffee. Hit-and-miss thing this.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TimHowardII That's crazy! I have never tested any of their gear so am not really sure if it's an issue across the board. Strange that it should be so volatile though. - Kat

[slakjdfjiarfo]

Ordered a French press so I checked out the gring quality for the lowest setting. I'm skeptical this will do the job. So I put that batch of grounds back through on highest espresso setting and it pumped out the flufiest grind I've ever felt. The shot was better then Anything I've had. For now on, it's a double pass through for me. Others should try it.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@slakjdfjiarfo Wow -- I haven't heard of people passing grinds through twice! Cool idea -- and that it works :) - Kat

[TimHowardII]

@slakjdfjiarfo I thought it was an ill-advised idea. But how is that done?

[slakjdfjiarfo]

I'm amazed how different of a taste one gets with a burr compared to blade. Grind really does make a difference. So for under $200 bucks I'm making what Starbucks only hopes they could make. Now if I ever get a top of line machine I can only imagine. For now I'm sipping on latte bliss.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@slakjdfjiarfo It is pretty impressive!! A grinder makes all the difference in coffee, glad you are making some great coffee right now :D - Kat

[slakjdfjiarfo]

Just bought one at Starbucks for $80. I have delonghi bar32. I am amazed at the taste I'm getting now wi

[raislak]

@SeattleCoffeeGear - Kat so is the Mukka Cappuccino maker one that does or doesn't work with this? My two needs are for the Keurig (via Solo Cup) and the Mukka.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@raislak Yeah, I don't think it would work well for a stovetop, doesn't get fine enough. - Kat

[raislak]

So in reference to the three part vid you did on grinders, would this make the cut? Enjoy the humor and frankness of these vids

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@raislak This is a great drip/press pot grinder; not going to be a good one for espresso. - Kat

[Dantius2009]

I love Bodum products, especially the double-walled glasses. But this thing looks ugly! :)

[vyapada]

Are you going to use it to grind orange creamsicle flavoured coffee? ;P

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@vyapada Do you really want me to answer this question? ;) - Kat

[vyapada]

@SeattleCoffeeGear ;)

[TheLeftHand77]

If it's not suitable for espresso, per se, why not test it for various drip & immersion methods? You could do another tasting of various methods, e.g. chemex, hario, mellitta, clever, moka pot, vac pot, press pot, etc, and compare the cups to a bench mark —such as a Mahlkonig Guatemala Lab grinder.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheLeftHand77 It will work fine for all those applications, which is why we're going to carry it. Probably won't do all that testing, however :) - Kat

[klarinetta]

I would like it to be the same Orange as their other products like the Bean french press because this one is more creamy and not as bright as on the Bean.

[klarinetta]

@klarinetta I have a Solis Scala aka Starbucks Barista grinder(the one with 13 settings not the one with 40 settings called Baratza Starbucks Barista). Out of the box very little static and less than you had here. But now 10 months later and about on average 50grams a day of grinding and I have now a bit static with coarser grinding and some grinds tend to stick to the bottom in the corners mostly on medium to fine setting. Other than that I really like it for medium fine up to coarse grind

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@klarinetta Yeah, I believe that is the the Maestro that they have in the US, which is a great coarse grinder. - Kat

[klarinetta]

@SeattleCoffeeGear I can't post website address here so if you google for pictures of Starbucks Barista grinder you get picture #4 that looks like Maestro but is grey and then you get at pictures #3 and 7 ones that are like the one that I own(#3 has pictures and small dots for grind setting the #7 has only black larger dots for grind setting and is like mine).

[wagzel]

@klarinetta "I have now a bit static " try putting your grinder on a mouse pad, I've had success with that

[klarinetta]

@wagzel Thanks I will try that. The problem does though not annoy me yet. I also heard that putting rag towel around the outside of the bean hoper and ground tray helps.

[ashtri21]

@wagzel OR you can simply rub the glass with a piece of cloth :).

[hivliner]

Hey,,love your vids!!keep em coming pls:)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@hivliner Thank you! We're trying :) - Kat