Not only that but, despite this incredibly long and detailed explanation, making your coffee better is really easy. Any one of these changes will make an improvement. Do all of them and you might never bother going out for coffee again.

1. Use whole bean coffee and grind it yourself. A good grinder doesn't have to be expensive.
   
2. Get a good drip maker. Cheap ones don't always hit the right temperature. I've had this one for years, and it gives me a great pot of coffee even from grocery store beans.
   
3. Make sure you're using the correct amount of coffee. A coffee scoop is 2 tablespoons. Use one scoop per cup. If you like your coffee bold (like I do), use one slightly rounded scoop per cup, and if you're making more than 6 cups, toss in one more.
   
4. If your tap water tastes funky, so will the coffee you make with it. Run it through a brita filter or something first.
   
5. This sounds snobby but bear with me - buy your coffee from a local roaster. It's really not much more expensive. Dunkin Donuts wants $9/lb, my local roaster has some varieties for $10-11/lb. It will be fresher and taste better.
   
   For 1 and 2, I'll admit that buying $110 in equipment just for your coffee is a lot, but both the drip maker and the grinder will last you for years and years and will give you better coffee the whole time. If it saves you from buying just one cup of coffee per week, it pays itself off in a year.
   
   The others cost very little, and will make an improvement immediately.

This question comes up all the time. You really can't get a proper espresso machine, and moreso a proper espresso setup (grinder) for under 200 dollars. I'll give you some easy and horrific recommendations though because it seems that's what you're looking for.

I highly recommend the mypressi. If that's not your thing then look up an espresso machine on amazon and choose it based on price, rating, how it looks. It's not going to make real espresso, but whatever. As for your grinder, I recommend anything cheap which will grind fine grounds. This might work.

This all goes against how I view and see espresso, but oh well. This may work for you.

Looks like one of Mr. Coffee's models, but rebranded. I've taken this thing apart before - it's a false burr grinder, and should be avoided. If you're tight on cash, give one of the Hario or Porlex hand grinders a shot.

Well here's the thing about coffee, it's finicky stuff. Much moreso than most Americans would give it credit for. Automatic machines like you have can deliver quality coffee, but unless the one you have cost $200 or more, it won't really be up to the task of making cafe quality coffee. If you want coffee of the same quality (or even better) you'd find at a cafe, you're going to have to know a couple things. Don't worry, I'll tl;dr this with a few specifics at the end, but right now I'm going to go over the things that affect how coffee tastes:

Bean quality: probably the most esoteric and taste-dependent part of coffee, it's not much worth getting into grading, processing, etc, just suffice it to say that folger's is definitely not using top-rate beans and they're mixing robusta (high caffeine, very bitter) in with arabica (moderate caffeine, much better flavor), whereas a decent coffee shop is using 100% arabica

Freshness: Coffee goes stale quick and the flavors dull within about three weeks, a month tops after roasting. Those mass market beans are months old by the time you get them off the shelf. The good news is that there's almost definitely a roaster near you who sells decent beans that are nice and fresh roasted. The bad news is that the cheapest decent coffee you'll find is ~$10/lb most places.

Grind: piggybacking on my last point, coffee, even when sealed in those cans, goes stale VERY fast after being ground (like, within an hour), so buy whole bean and grind it yourself right before brewing

Grind consistency: if the grind isn't uniform, the coffee won't extract evenly and will taste off. The normal blade grinders you think of when you think "coffee grinder" won't work, you'll need a burr grinder, whether hand crank or electric. Doesn't have to be fancy but it does have to be a burr grinder

Brew ratio: coffee will optimally be brewed (for most methods) with 16 or 17g of water (a fat tablespoon) for each gram of coffee. You can guestimate it but digital kitchen scales that read in grams can be had for dirt cheap on amazon. IME people who don't know about brewing coffee tend to use way too little coffee for the amount they brew. This extracts too much from the grounds and makes it watery and bitter

Brew time: each method has its own ideal brew time but for most, like pourover or french press, ~4 minutes is optimal

Water temperature: Coffee should ideally be brewed between 195-205Fthis is where the vast majority of home drip machines fail, the reason that /r/coffee approved drip machines start off at like $200 is that they have big, heavy copper heaters that can reach ideal brew temp, most drip machines have crummy weak heating coils that end up brewing at lower temperatures and making the coffee taste flat and sour.

TL;DR

I know this seems overwhelming, so I'll give you a nice, easy starter kit and instructions how to use it to get you started. And I know you said your bank account was getting crushed, so I'll make this nice and wallet-friendly

For a grinder, go with either this manual one which has the advantage of being really cheap and producing decent grinds, but will take some effort to grind your coffee (2-3 minutes) and setting the grind size can be a pain, or if you want to spend a little bit more and get an electric, go for this one, it's not the greatest in the world but for a starting point it works ok and it's darn cheap.

You can either keep brewing with your auto drip or, if you're still not satisfied, get a french press. They're crazy easy to use (weigh coffee, put in press. Place press on scale and tare. Pour in water. wait four minutes. drink), and they can be had for damn cheap

Then find someone who roasts coffee near you, get some beans, and enjoy!

Anyway sorry to bombard you with the wall of text but coffee's a complicated thing and we're hobbyists (and snobs) around here. Hope that helps! Feel free to ask more questions

EDIT: forgot to add in Todd Carmichael's awesome instruction video for the french press.

If you can spend a little more, try to get a burr grinder, it will make a huge difference, I got my first on used for $50, but I've seen them as low as $30. For the price I'd say either this or this these will be good enough unless you want to try espresso.

You can also get goodish beans at a grocery store. I recomend Peet's. Or you can order very good beans online from companies like stumptown, verve, or counterculture coffee.

Your next upgrade should probably be an aeropress, but if you've been on /r/coffee for more than 5 minutes you know that.

Coffee grinder because I want to make the best cup possible.


C'mon... Gimme. I don't have anything specific. For RR.

You guys are awesome. Thank you for the contest.

That sounds a lot like my budget burr grinder: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic-Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0

It leaves fine particles on every setting, but does a pretty decent job for the price.

How good would either of these be for grinding coffee?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MD0HDKG/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T6EJS0/

The cone/funnel of my Mr. Coffee BVMC-BMH23 Automatic Burr Mill Grinder split in half this morning when I went to move it and dumped beans all over my counter, stove and floor.

Has anyone else had trouble with Mr. Coffee products? Is it worth the hassle of trying to get them to replace it (it's only ~2 years old)? I had a Cuisinart grinder break ~5 years ago and trying to get them to replace it ended up being more trouble than it was worth.

It's going to vary a lot based on what exactly you want from it, but here's what I've got for you <$100:

• Good
  
• Decent
  
• Acceptable

I thought I was lazy too, but it isn't too bad pressing the button and dumping the grinds in the filter. I think we have this one.

Do you own a burr coffee grinder? The grind is a key factor in the espresso. If you don't have a good grinder there are a few cheap grinders that I would personally recommend putting some of your budget into.

~40$ burr grinder on amazon Amazon also as a few decent espresso makers around 100 bucks as well which would fit into your budget perfectly.

> Don't shop on price alone. There are some bad $80 - $100 grinders out there

Of course! We know that we should use review sites before purchasing our coffee gear :)
coffeegeek.com, consumersearch.com, amazon, home-barista. Post if you have any other favorite review sites.

So regarding the price of grinders, when I was researching mine I found a number of VERY affordable ones like, Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill, for about $40. This is roughly half the price of Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder at $85.

WHY are these models half as much? A number of reviews mentioned the plastic burrs which give lower quality grinds (less consistent sized grounds) then the more expensive models. Some other downsides were: plastic wears out faster and that these cheaper models have a shorter lifespan or at least seem to break way sooner than they should. Obviously with any manufactured product, YMMV.

My point in recommending a price range for a grinder was that if the price is too good to be true, it probably is!

Thanks! That kettle is exactly what I'm looking for. Now, would something like this Mr Coffee Burr Grinder be a decent option (I'm totally ignorant on this, so it's an honest question)?

I have this grinder and I really like it: Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder with 18 Custom Grinds, Silver, BMH23-RB-1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T6EJS0?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

It’s a little pricey, but I never could get a good grind from my cheaper blade grinders.

I have been making small batches of cold brew with my french press overnight. I like being able to prep it around dinner and just wake up to coffee.

"After water boils, leave alone to cool for indeterminate amount of time, based on patience (no more than 3 minutes)."

I believe target brewing temperature is ~195-200 F (depending on the roast). Boiling temperature is 212 F, so allowing the water to cool for 3 minutes is going to result is a temperature much less than ideal. From a boil, I usually let the water cool 30 seconds then pour over grounds in my French Press. I would recommend a burr grinder as well :)

Here is the grinder I use and don't have any gripes whatsoever with it: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic-Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0

edit: clarification

I would advise you to stay clear of any blade grinders because of their lack of consistency. With your budget in mind I would say look at the low end burr grinders like cuisinart or [mr.coffee](http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic- Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1393740073&sr=1-3), they may not be ideal but ideal doesn't seem like what you are looking for. I can't speak for either of these products because I have never used them, but I would say that spending a little extra will be worth it in the long run incase you decide to further your coffee arsenal in the future. Hope this helps!

I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic-Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0 and it works pretty well. It can be a bit messy, but the grind is good.

I can totally relate.

Back when I had my Mr. Coffee Automatic Grinder, I used some rice to clean the innards. It got most of the old clumpy coffee out, but little did I know that a crap ton of rice still remained hidden within the grinder. Unknowingly, I used the grinder for a fresh cup of coffee... and holy balls did it taste nasty.

I use a Mr. Coffee Adjustable Burr Grinder and love it.

I got one of these and have been very happy with it.

My very favorite panda tea mug that I got at World Market last year. I use it for all my tea, and I am taking it to college with me, yay tea :)

The Burr Grinder I want to get when I have money to spend on that. For now, my coffee beans will be used in a spice grinder-pseudo coffee grinder. I hope the pepper taste gets drowned out by coffee essence...

Of all the silly nonsense, this is the stupidest tea party I've ever been to in all my life.

EDIT: Ginger Peach Tea

Wow, thank you for pointing out those fake reviews. Would you be able to tell me what makes the Encore worth $100 more than this burr grinder?

Thanks for the advice! I noticed those hand-operated grinders, are they consistent, and can you control how fine the grind is? I know Hario is a good brand, but I was looking at something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T6EJS0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p79_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1574GEEZ1DWV7PH860SD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

Do you think this would be any good?

And yes, maybe I'll take some of it to the coffee shop to have them grind it.

As for coffee:water ratio, I'm still trying it out. There's a shop I went to that I liked a lot, and their ratio was 380/25. Not having a scale though, I'm just going with trial and error. The scoop I have is approx. 7g each scoop, so I'm just doing 3 of those, grinding it, and brewing it in a standard mug, which I fill to almost the top.

The more I'm looking into it though, the more I'm thinking it's gotta be the grind.

I'll keep that in mind. I ordered a cheap one with good reviews, can't remember the name now. I can edit when it arrives. It's not top of the line by any means, but it beats grinding by hand for 45 minutes to pull a shot.

EDIT: It's this one. An inexpensive one, not fantastic, but it has decent reviews. It's not a typical conical grinder, and some of the construction is plastic and seems less than sturdy. I'll have to see how it performs. Maybe when I get my next paycheck I can grab a refurb Maestro. Thanks for the tip!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T6EJS0/

For me, fine grind and good beans made all the difference. As for espresso machine, I have been using older version of this machine for years. As for the grinder, I had to hack this Mr Coffee burr grinder to make it finer (a hack similar to this). If you don't want to mess with the machine, better to get a good grinder. As for the beans, I have tried a lot of things form Starbucks brand to 100% Kona coffee beans. So far, the best tasting ones were freshly roasted beans from a local coffee company (roasted 1-2 weeks before I purchase). If you have good fresh beans, finely ground, then I wouldn't worry about getting an expensive machine too much because they won't magically enhance the taste.

If you're not doing espresso, have a look at this automatic burr: https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-Automatic-Grinder-Custom/dp/B004T6EJS0

Yes, there are issues, but it's an automatic burr for $30. Also, Mr. Coffee's warranty service is pretty good. Mine failed in the first couple months, and they sent me out a brand new one that has been fine ever since.

Well, I've got a pretty nice set up at the house. I've got this burr grinder that can hold an entire bag of beans. I set it on coarse at the 6 cup mark for my french press. That's the typical way I make coffee. Sometimes, I will pour it over ice and add sweetened condensed milk for a modified vietnamese coffee. I found that /r/coffee has some good insites too.

What about burr grinders like these?

http://www.amazon.com/Secura-Automatic-Electric-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B012F9QGW4/

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic-Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0/

There is a Mr Coffee that’s $40 that I’ve had pretty decent results with. The noise is awful though. Probably not great for superior control of fines for espresso.

Ok I'm looking into getting an electric grinder, what's the difference with a burr grinder specifically? I was thinking of cheaping out and getting this Krups one but I could extend that budget for this Mr. Coffee burr grinder if the quality is going to be much better.

I'm learning to use my new v60. I was wondering if r/coffee could tell me how inconsistent this grind is and whether it's too small or too large.

edit: now that I'm at my computer. The grinder is a mr coffee, I believe its this one(http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic-Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0).

Wallmart. Seriously, I got mine there. Otherwise, there's this.

For 35 bucks, it performs really well. I haven't tried it for a super fine grind, as I don't do espressos or anything, but I guess if you have espresso maker money, you have nice burr grinder money.

EDIT: Oh, forewarning, its LOUD. but thats what happens when you buy a cheap grinder, I guess.

I had an Aeropress and wasn't a big fan of it. I returned it 2 or 3 days after buying it.

Right now i'm using a [Moka Pot] (https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-6-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso-Maker/dp/B000CNY6UK) + Ikea Milk Frother + Mr. Coffee Burr Grinder

I would just buy pre-ground espresso (Lavazza/Bustelo/Illy) but I had the grinder already. Anyway, for the ~$50 i spent on all of this i feel like i get a pretty good latte out of it. If you do get a moka pot be aware that the "cups" refers to demitasse cups as in shots. So a 6 cup would be for 2 people and a 3 cup would be for 1 person

I'll probably get downvoted to oblivion for this, but I got this 5 years when I first started to REALLY get in to coffee. Now, it's far from the best, but for the price, it performs well. That said, I want to upgrade, but it just won't die. I've started to submerge it in water to clean it hoping I kill it, but nope, it still lives. My only complaint is that it can be static-y and grinds can cling to it making it somewhat messy at times.

I just got a french press as a gift. I decided I want to give grinding my own beans a try. When we moved into my house the old owners left behind [this cheap blade grinder] (https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-Electric-Settings-IDS77/dp/B000BRLXUI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498241629&sr=8-2&keywords=mr.+coffee+grinder). I used it this morning and was not impressed. I'm not looking to spend a lot on a burr grinder.

My question is: For someone who is only going to be doing a coarse grind for a french press will this Mr. Coffee Burr Grinder be good enough? I know a lot of the aficionados will shoot it down (I've done enough googling and reddit searching to know that). However, I'm just a guy with a french press that wants a nice cup of coffee. A lot of the reviews I read focus on its struggles with a fine grind, but I don't need that right now. I just want something that will grind better than a blade and will help make a good cup of coffee (better than pre-ground in a drip for example). I know there are cheap mechanical options, but my problem with those is most only seem to hold one or two cups at a time. I'd rather be able to grind the full 4 cups my press can make at once.

EDIT: Or if someone has tips on to make better use of the blade grinder until I can save up for one of the ~$100 grinders people recommend.

Cheap Burr Grinder:

I usually buy my coffee beans from Sprouts and use their grinder, except a while ago it's been grinding way too uneven and coarse and they haven't replaced it.

I don't have the money for expensive burr grinder.

These are some i've been looking at

ty

https://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Professional-Electric-Grinder-Selection/dp/B0161Q2RUM

(I can get the Cuisine art one for $35 from a local store new) https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK


https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-Automatic-Grinder-BMH23-RB-1/dp/B004T6EJS0

3-Cup Chemex // Aerobie Aeropress

Mini Ceramic Conical Burr Mill // Electric Burr Grinder (Faster than manual, but inferior grind quality and life)

Immersion Water Boiler // 1 Liter Gooseneck Kettle

/r/Coffee — Join Us.

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T6EJS0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-JeuDb8J64F0B

I got it at Target, on sale for $22. It's great for the price.

Settle down, /r/coffee is a place for civil discussion. Menschmaschine5 was just pointing out that burr grinders aren't the same. I read your post the same way, that the OP could just go out and buy anything labeled as a burr grinder to replace his blade grinder. Menschmaschine5 is not trying to instigate an argument, he's trying to get a discussion going, which is what we are here for.

Sure the OP will get something better than his blade grinder with any burr grinder but I never would recommend to just go out and buy anything sold as a burr grinder. Not all burr grinders are created equal and I'm sure the OP would be end up disappointed if they went out and bought a cheap Mr. Coffee burr grinder.

I am talking about this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-Automatic-Grinder-Custom/dp/B004T6EJS0

It's definitely not the best, but for $40, it does a pretty decent job and doesn't burn the grounds, which is the most important IMO

I have the Oster Burr Grinder and it's not life changing but it's better than a blade grinder :) http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004T6EJS0/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr1_1?qid=1416160938&sr=8-1-fkmr1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

I disagree with the other poster. I'd suggest getting a good enough grinder and blow as much on the espresso machine as possible. Every extra dollar you can drop on the espresso machine will pay off (at least in tiers). I'd suggest holding on for another $100 in the budget so you can drop $450 on the espresso machine and drop the other $50 on a cheap burr grinder that you can upgrade later on in your adventures.

For super-cheap but well worth the money, I'd actually suggest the Mr. Coffee automatic burr grinder. I produces a surprisingly consistent grind for a meager $40.

For an intermediate option, the Capresso 560.01 Infinity conical burr grinder at a fair $80 is your best bet. It will produce a greatly consistent grind without overly heating the beans and last a long time.

What about these two?
1 2

Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder - $40 This is a decent burr grinder. I would use this if you want to freshly grind your coffee and use a typical drip machine. I have no experience with it as an espresso grinder and I would not recommend using it with a french press.