Pickles helps me grind my coffee.
Recently, I upgraded my home grinder from a Mr. Coffee Electric Blade Grinder to the Hario Skerton Coffee Mill. The quality of the coffee I’m able to make for myself and my friends has increased exponentially.
The Good:
Price – For anyone on a budget, the price point of $40 for a burr grinder can’t be beat. If you have more money to spend on a grinder there are definitely better, more efficient options. But if, like me, your home brewing budget is limited (i.e. asking for coffee gear for Christmas), the Hario Skerton is the grinder for you. I would also go so far as to say that aside from improving your technique, buying a burr grinder is the best way to improve the quality in your cup.
Size/Portability – In NYC, or any small and cheap barista apartment, counter space in the kitchen is tight. The Hario Skerton has a very small foot print and fits nicely next to your coffee mugs in the cabinet. The Hario Skerton likes to travel. Toss it in your carry-on bag for your next trip home to Mom and Dad’s. Now you can bring “the best part of waking up” with you!
It can be a little tricky getting a good grip.
The Challenges:
Time/Physical investment – This is a HAND grinder. So yeah, you have to put a little muscle into it. If you are the type of person who can’t really deal with life before a certain amount of caffeine has entered your system, a hand grinder may not be the best option for you. Even if you can coast on fumes for the first few hours of the day, the Hario Skerton is a bit awkward to use. It’s definitely made me evaluate my morning cup from a new perspective: dose size and grind size. The bigger the dose and the finer the grind size, the more reluctant I am to reach for that brewer at the start of my day. That said, coffee is always (at least for me) a labor of love.
Fly away beans – As you reach the end of the dose you will find that bean particles like to jump out of the hopper (just like any burr grinder). Unfortunately the handle prohibits a lid on top of the hopper and I always find myself picking up a few bean particles from the floor. I’m thinking of making some sort of makeshift plastic wrap shield to keep this from happening especially since my Boston Terrier puppy, Pickles, likes to eat everything on the floor. She’s got enough energy without eating beans!
The Hario Skerton
Making adjustments to the grind – With the Hario Skerton adjusting the grind is very straight forward. It does take some experimentation at first. If you are brewing with the same method all the time, you can set it and forget it, but there’s no real way to mark different settings for different methods. As with any machine or appliance, over time you become more familiar with the ins and outs of the equipment and the Hario Skerton is no exception.
Overall:
For my money–all of $44 + shipping–the Hario Skerton is a great grinder. It’s a great piece of gear to add to your home brewing set-up. It also makes a great addition to your retail offerings. The regular whole bean customer who comes in once every two weeks to get a pound of beans ground for French Press is pretty much begging you to stock this grinder.
-Sarah Leslie