Tag: hand grinder

Accessories

How To Travel With An AeroPress Like A Pro

If you’re getting ready for a trip but find yourself wondering how to travel with an AeroPress, you’re not alone.

One of the things that was immediately obvious when I first saw my friend’s AeroPress, was its portability. I could see the huge benefit in owning a coffee maker that you could bring with you pretty much anywhere.

My friend spoke about just that. He would bring it with him when he went camping, when he visited his parents, when he went to the office and when he went for cycling trips.

It was one of the things he loved the most about it, aside from making great coffee. Since owning my own, it’s also become one of the things that I love the most about it, too.

If you want to travel with an AeroPress, you could purchase an AeroPress travel kit or case, or the AeroPress Go which neatly packs away into a travel mug which you press your coffee into, or even the JavaJug.

There’s many options and there’s no right or wrong way of doing it. As with most things, it comes down to what your needs are.

Before you rush off to buy your travel setup, there’s a few factors to consider that will help determine which option will suit you best:

  • What items you need to bring
  • How much space you have
  • How much weight you can carry
  • How long your trip is

Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.

How to Travel With an AeroPress – Factors You Should Consider

Useful items

Your travel situation will greatly impact what you need to bring with you. Here’s a list of items that may be useful for you when you travel with your AeroPress:

You’re not going to need all of these things every single time you travel with your AeroPress, but some of them will help you greatly.

If you’re just visiting your parents locally, for instance, the AeroPress, a suitable hand grinder and a travel cap for storing beans would be enough.

You could even make it simpler by grinding the coffee beans before you go and bringing them in a herb pot. I’m sure you get the idea here.

One of the options for how to travel with an AeroPress, a container with some ground coffee inside with a plastic scoop.

Storage space

If you’re traveling in a way that restricts how much storage space you have, take a minute to think about what you really need to bring with you and why.

If you’re only going for a day or two, you might be better off bringing pre-ground coffee. If anything, you’ll appreciate your freshly ground coffee that much more when you return.

When storage is a real deal-breaker, you should seriously consider getting an AeroPress Go.

If you’ve already got an AeroPress, I don’t need to convince you about the benefits, such as it’s:

  • Compact,
  • Durable,
  • Fast,
  • Portable, and
  • Lightweight

Obviously, the AeroPress Go is all these things and more. It comes complete with its very own travel mug that you can press your coffee directly into, so that’s one less thing you need to bring.

Not only that, but it’s even more compact, as it can be packed away entirely into the travel mug, drastically decreasing the amount of storage space needed.

But if that doesn’t persuade you and you already own an AeroPress, you could instead look at the option of grabbing a JavaJug.

It’s a big coffee jug that you can press your AeroPress coffee into and also store your AeroPress inside of when you’re all done.

It’s not as compact as the AeroPress Go, but if you don’t need to be that compact, it’s a suitable option.

Another option is a travel kit. There’s plenty of kits available, each with a different style and size.

Think carefully about exactly how you plan to use it, making sure it can accommodate your AeroPress and other essentials.

Weight

Man sitting in an airport departure area with feet up resting on his luggage, looking out the window at a departing aeroplane.If you’re traveling internationally, the weight of individual items in your luggage can begin to really add up. The last thing you need is another heavy item to add to your list.

AeroPress to the rescue! As I stated earlier, being lightweight is one of the key benefits of the AeroPress. You should have no hesitation about bringing it with you overseas whatsoever.

You’ll want to use some sort of travel kit to avoid your coffee gear getting damaged or moving around in transit.

And if you’re going on more of a backpacking adventure, the AeroPress Go would be a clear winner here, taking up the least amount of space, but also providing a travel mug.

You should also have your own coffee hand grinder that compliments the AeroPress, as no pre-ground coffee will last a long trip. To find out which hand grinder is most suitable, see my recent article.

Length of trip

Every trip you take is different. Are you going for several days or longer? If so, will you need to bring a grinder that matches the benefits of the AeroPress?

If the freshness of ground coffee is less important to you, can you instead pre-grind your beans before you go and bring them in a compact storage container?

For some people, they can sacrifice their desire for freshly ground coffee in exchange for the extra space they will have. For others, it’s not an option.

If you really can’t go without freshly ground coffee, you can maximise the space you have by bringing a hand grinder that can fit inside your AeroPress.

You could also use a travel cap that seals over the end of the plunger tube to hold your coffee beans.

It won’t hold enough for a long trip, but it’s something. Perhaps it’s enough to keep you going until you can purchase some more coffee beans on your travels.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve got a clearer idea about what you may or may not need to bring with you when you travel and that I’ve provided some insight about how to travel with an AeroPress.

Have you tried out any of my suggestions? How did they work for you? Do you have something to recommend that I missed? Let me know in the comments below.

Stay caffeinated!

Coffee Grinder

Best Hand Coffee Grinder For AeroPress – My Top 5

If you’re looking for the best hand coffee grinder for AeroPress, there’s a wide variety of options available. But you don’t want just any hand coffee grinder, as they can range dramatically in price, size, quality and ability.

It’s also worth choosing a hand coffee grinder that will compliment the features of the AeroPress. In particular, it should be:

  • Compact
  • Durable
  • Fast
  • Portable
  • Lightweight

There’s a lot of great hand coffee grinders out there. But in this post, I’ll just be focusing on the ones that are most suitable for use with the AeroPress.

If you haven’t yet done any research on suitable hand coffee grinders, you can relax. I’ve done the research and now present to you my list of the best hand coffee grinders for AeroPress.

Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, and at no additional cost, I earn a commission if you buy which helps to maintain this website.

Features

So what do you need to look for when choosing a suitable hand coffee grinder for AeroPress? The appeal of the AeroPress itself relies on certain key features, aside from the great coffee that it makes.

Therefore, if you want the best hand coffee grinder for AeroPress, you should choose a grinder that compliments the features of the AeroPress. It should be portable, compact, light weight, fast and durable.

Now let’s take a look at each of these features as they relate to hand coffee grinders.

Portability

If you’re using an AeroPress already, I’m sure you appreciate how easily portable it is. You can take it with you anywhere: camping, the office, your friend’s house, interstate/overseas travel, and so on.

You’ll want an equally portable coffee grinder that can travel with you anywhere that you would normally bring your AeroPress.

Compact

Little space is taken up by the AeroPress when it’s not being used. Likewise, a small or compact coffee grinder will suit you well. Perhaps you can choose a coffee grinder that fits inside the AeroPress.

Lightweight

The AeroPress is one of the lightest coffee makers around. If you intend on doing any sort of travel with your coffee making setup, it’ll be best to choose a coffee grinder that’s not big and heavy.

Speed

Speed is one of the greatest features of the AeroPress. Make sure the coffee grinder you choose can produce a grind at the size you need within a similar one to two minute window.

You don’t want to be grinding away for five to ten minutes to make one or two coffees.

Durable

Similar to the AeroPress, owning a coffee grinder that can handle a bump here and there and not fall apart is necessary.

If you’re using it for home use, this may not be as much of a concern for you. But then again, if you plan to travel with your setup, this becomes essential.

More than likely, you’ll want a grinder that’s going to last.

A close up of one of my number one choice best hand coffee grinder for AeroPress, the Porlex Mini, disassembled with all the parts shown.
Porlex Mini hand grinder flickr photo by skinnydiver shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license

Best Hand Coffee Grinder for AeroPress Greatness Features

Now, we’re going to take a look at the JavaPresse, Vevok Chef, Hario Slim Pro, Timemore Chestnut C2 and Porlex Mini hand coffee grinders in detail.

JavaPresse

The JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder has some appeal in the eyes of AeroPress users, as it compliments most of the features of the AeroPress quite well.

It’s compact enough to fit neatly inside the AeroPress, which also makes it portable.

There are no visual cues as to what grind setting is selected, so if you’re likely to change the setting for different brewing, you’ll need to go to the finest setting first and then count the clicks as you get coarser.

There are 18 different grind settings available, giving you lots of control over your grind. The most suitable setting for the AeroPress is medium to medium fine (4 – 9 clicks).

However, because there are no visual cues, you need to remember how many clicks you have turned it from the finest position.

Overall, it operates at a decent speed and can grind 20 grams of coffee for AeroPress in about one minute.

 

However, some users have reported it taking between five and ten minutes to produce a grind for espresso as well as producing an inconsistent grind.

Due to its small size, it’s relatively lightweight, which also adds to the portable aspect.

There are mixed reports about how durable it is, but most reports suggest that it’s not as durable as expected and can have parts break after not too much use.

With that being said, their customer service is top-notch and there are many examples found online of people receiving whole replacement coffee grinders when theirs has broken.

Cleaning the JavaPresse is reportedly a minor issue for some people. The team at JavaPresse have put together a short video showing you exactly how to clean their coffee grinder.

You can watch it here or below.

Pros:

  • 18 different grind settings
  • Fits inside the AeroPress chamber for easy portability
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Great customer service

Cons:

  • Grind adjustment doesn’t have visual cue for settings
  • Grind receptacle attached to bottom of coffee grinder can sometimes fall off
  • Some reports of parts breaking after some use
  • Inconsistent grind quality
  • Some reports of difficulty cleaning

Vevok Chef

The Vevok Chef Manual Burr Coffee Grinder is a budget stainless steel burr coffee grinder, but is definitely great value for what you get, as it produces a consistent grind.

At 2 inches wide (with the handle removed), it fits inside the AeroPress, making it compact and portable.

It provides 6 different grind settings, with the recommended setting for AeroPress being about 2 – 3. You will need to hold the adjustment ring while grinding, as it does have a tendency to shift settings while grinding.

One grind (20g) is enough for one AeroPress coffee, however the glass receptacle can hold enough coffee for two grinds (48g).

 

Being a stainless steel burr grinder, its speed is quite fast and you should be able to get a finished grind under a minute.

Its overall weight is just under 1 lb, so it’s definitely lightweight.

It is durable as it has a stainless steel body, handle and burr. However, the glass receptacle at the bottom that catches the ground coffee can break.

Replacement glass receptacles for this coffee grinder are available for purchase on Amazon, but I’d recommend first reaching out to the seller, as there have been reports of them providing a replacement receptacle free-of-charge, and in some cases, two.

Pros:

  • Great value for a stainless steel burr coffee grinder
  • Consistent grind at all settings
  • Fast grind
  • Great customer service

Cons:

  • Grind setting can change while grinding
  • Glass receptacle could break

Hario Mini Slim, Pro, Black

This is a ceramic burr coffee grinder, but being made by a known brand like Hario, you can expect it to be decent.

The grind receptacle can hold about 30g of grounds and the hopper can hold about 40g of coffee beans.

There are no visual cues as to what grind setting is selected. This is a minor annoyance if you’re likely to change the setting for different brewing often.

You’ll need to go to the finest setting first and then count the clicks as you get coarser. AeroPress is good at around 4 – 9 clicks.

While the Hario Mini Slim Pro is compact, unfortunately, it’s not compact enough to fit inside the AeroPress.

This is mainly due to its wide-mouth hopper, which does however have the benefit of reducing the chance of spilling any beans.

 

It’s quite lightweight, weighing in at just under 1 pound, which contributes to its portability also.

Its speed is good, taking a couple of minutes to grind about 20g. This falls slightly outside the time range you’d be hoping for to match the AeroPress, but not necessarily a deal breaker.

There’s definite quality here and it seems as though it’s durable and built to last. However, many, many users have stated that the bottom receptacle has a tendency to separate from the grinder when being used.

One of the issues with this, is that the instructions state that you shouldn’t operate the coffee grinder if it’s not in the correct position.

This can be difficult to achieve while grinding and seems to be a common point of frustration among its users.

Pros:

  • Wide mouth hopper reduces beans spilling
  • Lightweight and portable – just under 1 pound
  • Decent speed – about 2 minutes for 20g

Cons:

  • Many reports of design flaws in regards to receptacle attachment
  • Receptacle may need to be held when grinding to stop it falling off
  • Grind adjustment doesn’t have visual cue for settings
  • Doesn’t fit inside the AeroPress

Timemore Chestnut C2

The Timemore Chestnut C2 is a quality coffee grinder at the bottom end of the premium price scale. All user reports suggest that it should receive more recognition than it gets for being such a great coffee grinder.

Apparently, all Timemore coffee grinders use the same internal parts and same stainless steel burrs, with the exception of titanium coated burrs available on some models.

The hopper can hold about 20g of beans and the bottom receptacle screws into the grinder, so no concerns about it accidentally falling off while grinding.

With a stainless steel burr, it’s definitely fast and made to last. The body is made from aluminium and is very durable.

There are no visual cues as to what grind setting is selected, so if you’re likely to change the setting for different brewing, you’ll need to go to the finest setting first and then count the clicks as you get coarser.

 

It’s very fast, with the ability to grind even turkish coffee quickly. However, some users suggest not even using it for espresso at all, with the risk of damaging the burrs on the finer settings.

The owner manual itself states not to grind below 6 clicks to protect the burr sharpness.

The speed for producing a grind for the AeroPress (around 15 -20 clicks) would definitely be under a minute.

It’s lightweight, weighing in at 1.58 lb, which makes it portable.

It’s quite slim and compact, but if you’re looking for a Timemore hand grinder that can fit inside the AeroPress chamber for easy travel, look at the or .

Pros:

  • Stainless steel burr grinder
  • Very consistent and fast grind
  • Great quality build
  • Overwhelmingly positive reviews

Cons:

  • Not recommended by some for espresso
  • Grind adjustment doesn’t have visual cue for settings

Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

The Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder is a ceramic burr grinder. However, it’s on the upper price range for the ceramic burr coffee grinders.

There are no visual cues as to what grind setting is selected, so if you’re likely to change the setting for different brewing, you’ll need to go to the finest setting first and then count the clicks as you get coarser.

For AeroPress, you’d want to go to about 10 clicks.

The speed seems good. Most AeroPress users report being able to produce a good grind within a minute or two.

This is a tiny coffee grinder and definitely the most compact of the coffee grinders being reviewed here. It easily fits inside the AeroPress. Being as tiny as it is, it can hold about 24g of coffee beans.

 

Weighing in at just 8 oz, it’s the most lightweight by far. Because of this, it’s also portable and perfect for travel.

There was an updated model released about 2017 to resolve an issue with the grinder handle coming off while grinding, which does seem to have resolved this issue.

It’s made in Japan, so you can expect it to be well made, although there are mixed reports about its durability.

If this concerns you, it comes with a 7 year warranty (which is unfortunately not offered to purchases made via Amazon), but you may not even need it.

Some users report using it for more than 8 years without any issues at all. That sounds pretty durable to me.

Pros:

  • Made in Japan – expect good quality
  • Very compact and fits neatly inside the AeroPress
  • Very lightweight

Cons:

  • Grind adjustment doesn’t have visual cue for settings
  • Will only grind enough for one coffee at a time

Conclusion

Considering that we’re looking here for the best hand coffee grinder for AeroPress and not the best hand grinder overall, I can see that one grinder stands above the rest, but only slightly.

The  is the hand coffee grinder for AeroPress that compliments the features of the AeroPress the most and in my opinion is the most suitable choice here.

 

It was a close call between the Porlex Mini and the Timemore Chestnut C2, though, so if you were not completely sold on the Porlex Mini, I’d go for the .

Have you tried any of these grinders yourself? Have you got a different hand coffee grinder that you’d like to recommend for using with the AeroPress?

Let me know in the comments below. Stay caffeinated!

Camping, Coffee Grinder, Reviews

Best Coffee Grinder For Camping

There’s nothing more I enjoy doing in the warmer months than loading the car with all the necessary camping gear and driving for a few hours with the kids to one of our favourite camping destinations.

It’s great to just get away from everything and spend some quality time with the family and friends as well.

No doubt you’ll be bringing some coffee with you when you go camping.

The best option is always to grind your beans fresh, because you’ll appreciate the aroma from the fresh grind, as well as the taste, compared to pre-ground coffee beans (or instant coffee, but who drinks instant, right?).

There’s many possible options for coffee grinders, but what’s the best coffee grinder for camping? Let’s take a look.

A hand coffee grinder for camping with some coffee beans

Best cheap coffee grinder for camping

Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, and at no additional cost, I earn a commission if you buy which helps to maintain this website.

World Barista Champion (2007) James Hoffman knows a thing or two about coffee and reviewed a handful of hand coffee grinders.

You can watch the full video here or below.

It’s definitely worth watching the video to get a better understanding of why each grinder received the score that it did.

Here’s the scores that he gave each grinder for price, build, portability, usability and grind quality.

At the time of writing this, the Henry Charles coffee grinder is unavailable for purchase from Amazon, so I haven’t included it on this list.

It’s worth mentioning that although the Porlex Mini got the highest score, it also has the smallest capacity.

Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning, as you may be looking for a larger capacity coffee grinder.

The best premium coffee grinder for camping

If you enjoyed James’ video above, but would like to get a coffee grinder that’s better quality and don’t mind spending a bit extra for it, he reviewed a few more premium hand coffee grinders.

He even carried over the winning Porlex Mini from the last video to see how it compares to the more premium models.

The coffee grinders reviewed in this video are:

In the end, James’ pick was the Kinu M47, but he stresses several times that it’s very expensive.

What makes a coffee grinder suitable for camping?

Woman sitting at campsite with a cup of coffee

There’s various factors to consider when trying to find a suitable coffee grinder for camping, such as:

  • size,
  • easy to take apart and store,
  • durability,
  • electric or manual,
  • capacity,
  • brewing method and
  • consistency of grind.

We’ll quickly look at each of these points and why you should consider each of them before making a purchase.

Size

You’ll want something that is small and compact. When you’re camping, space is a big issue and any space that you can save is worth saving.

Choosing a coffee grinder that is compact will save room in your car for other belongings. There’s a variety of small coffee grinders available, but they may not all fit the category of best coffee grinder for camping.

Easy to take apart and store

It’s important to make sure that you can easily take apart your coffee grinder and store it in a way that will see that it doesn’t get damaged.

For instance, most hand coffee grinders will allow you to remove the handle, so it can be stored quite easily.

Durability

Considering you’ll be packing the coffee grinder into your car with a lot of your other gear and it may get pretty full, durability should also be looked at.

Avoid choosing a coffee grinder that has any parts that can easily be broken or seem fragile.

Electric or manual

Unless you go camping with a powered caravan or you have some solar panels to use for an electric coffee grinder, you’ll want a manual coffee grinder.

You might hear these referred to as “manual coffee grinders”, “hand coffee grinders”, or even “hand crank coffee grinders” – they’re all the same thing.

Hand coffee grinders are also likely to be more compact and easier to take apart than electric coffee grinders.

Capacity

This one’s more up to you. Coffee grinders come with various grinding capacities, so you’ll need to think about your specific needs.

Do you want to be making a large grind for a few people, or is it going to be just for yourself?

Again, thinking about the size of the coffee grinder, in my opinion, the more compact the better.

Grind size

Are you going to be using the coffee grinder for various brewing methods or just one?

If it’s for various methods, you’ll want a coffee grinder that can be easily adjusted for different grinds to suit the different brewing methods.

When I go camping, I bring my AeroPress coffee maker. Read my review to find out more about the AeroPress.

Consistency of grind

While this may not be directly applicable to camping, you should always consider choosing a coffee grinder that gives a consistent grind.

Overall, it will produce a better brew and a more enjoyable cup of coffee for you.

Conclusion

The best coffee grinder for you may not be the best coffee grinder for someone else. Everybody is going to have different needs when choosing the right coffee grinder.

Hopefully I’ve been able to show you enough options to help you make an informed decision.

Have you tried any of these coffee grinders yourself or have I left out a coffee grinder for camping that you’d like to recommend? Let me know in the comments below.

Stay caffeinated!