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.

  • @sqwEnglish
    3•9 months ago

    the encore’s not great for dialing in espresso. with the budget you mentioned, look at espresso-focused manual grinders. the 1zpressos appear to be fairly well-regarded in that arena.

      • @idkwhatimdoing@sh.itjust.works
        2•9 months ago

        1ZPresso is amazing, just got the K-ultra a few months ago and it is my most consistent grinder, but hand grinding at espresso sizes is HARD. I’d run an experiment with your timemore and set it to near its finest grind and try to crank through 18-20g beans. You’ll be able to do it for sure, but just make sure it’s something you want to do every morning.

        (Just for context, I’m a fairly fit guy used to hand grinding, but I have to get into position, hold the grinder against my leg, and lean over it to maximize torque in order to comfortably grind for espresso. I was shocked how different it was from even a fine pour over grind).

        That said, if you have an electric screwdriver or a drill that can do super low RPMs, you can attach 1ZPresso grinders to those and basically make them electric/automatic.

        • ѕєχυαℓ ρσℓутσρєOP
          2•9 months ago

          I do 14-15 grams on 5 clicks on my grinder most days. It’s a little annoying, but nothing that I can’t manage. For the electric drill case, how do I attach it? Are there guides online?

          • @idkwhatimdoing@sh.itjust.works
            2•9 months 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@sh.itjust.works
                2•9 months 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)