KONA Manual Coffee Grinder, Conical Burr Mill with Adjustable Setting, Best Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder for Aeropress, Drip Coffee, Espresso, French Press, Turkish Brew

I was a bit hesitant about ordering this grinder. The reviews that mentioned "5 minute" grind times were my biggest concern. Since I am only going to use it for French Press I decided to take a leap of faith and I am glad that I did. My previous grinder was the Cuisinart DBM-8. It was fast but there were a lot of fines in the ground coffee. That translated into sludge at the bottom of my cup. This grinder cut the fines by about 80%. There are a few but overall the grind in much more consistent. I set the burr adjustment nut so that it is even with the threaded shaft that it travels on. (See first picture.) That gives me a nice course grind for the French Press. I fill the hopper to the top of the four vanes and find it to be perfect for a 12 oz. / .35 liter Bodum Press. (See second picture.) My first time using the grinder took 1 minute and 35 seconds to complete. After several uses that time is now below 1 minute. I find it best to hold the grinder in my left hand and turn the handle with my right. I found that holding the bottom of the grinder on the counter was "counter productive". It takes approximately 75-80 revolutions of the handle to grind the aforementioned amount of beans. The unit is easy to disassemble and reassemble. There is minimal static cling unlike the Cuisinart with its plastic hopper. Which takes me to the last part of this review. Several people complained about the glass jar. It is a thick glass and unlikely to break unless you abuse it. My thought is that if you are so afraid you might break glass, it may be safer to pay someone else to make your coffee for you. Bottom line is this... I would buy this for a friend, I would buy it again if I "break it". It is a great tool for a fair price. everyone may not agree with me but I think it is a great value. 2 years and I still use it every day. It still hasn’t “broken” and it still grinds my coffee. I still love this thing!

I have been using this grinder for about a month now and it's great to use. I'm new to the whole coffee business and went from a blade grinder to this ceramic burr grinder and I've got to the say the difference in coffee taste is phenomenal. The grind sizes are pretty much consistent with each cup I brew, leading to a more consistent and delicious cup of coffee. I'd give this a 3.5 (if possible) but I'm rounding up because overall my experiences with it have been pleasant. My only gripes are that the glass container part came chipped on the screw/tread part, which is either bad packaging or bad handling, and the chip glass edge ends up sometimes scraping off some of the plastic top part's tread, so I have to be careful when screwing on the top part. Also, changing the grind size is not very intuitive and being a newbie to the coffee world, I don't know necessarily know what a coarse or fine grind size looks like. It becomes a process of trial and error to find the right grind size. Eventually I found my preferred grind size. Overall I really like it and it works really well!

I've tried two other manual coffee grinders in this price range and I had issues with both of them. The first was a hopper/jar burr grinder with an open top that would catch while grinding (causing beans to go flying everywhere) and it would often come unscrewed during use. The second was a metal cylindrical-style burr grinder that would also come apart during use since it didn't even screw together, and to make matters worse that grinder wouldn't ever produce an even grind. I haven't had any of the above problems with the KONA manual grinder. It's reasonably comfortable to hold in your hand while grinding and it doesn't come apart during use. The plastic lid stays put on top so I haven't spilled any beans while grinding them. It grinds the beans evenly and I haven't had any issues with an inconsistent grind so far. One of the biggest problems I have with these cheap burr grinders is that it can be difficult to know how fine the grind is set before you actually start grinding. Like the others, the KONA grinder doesn't have indicators on the dial to fix that issue. However, since the KONA has a clear bottom, you can try grinding a few beans at a time to inspect the grounds and make sure that the grind level is where you want it before you begin grinding a whole batch of beans. Since this is a fully manual grinder, it will take some time to grind your beans. I grind two tablespoons or so at a medium-fine grind and I've found this takes me less than a minute to accomplish. It's really not a big deal but it is something to be aware of if you really have to have your coffee ASAP. If that's the case, you'll probably want to look for an electric model. In all, this is a good grinder available for a reasonable price. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try a burr grinder but doesn't want to spend a fortune on one.

I'm a sporadic coffee drinker, but I do appreciate good coffee. This grinder is perfect for an occasional user. It is durable and gets the job done well. The ability to adjust the fineness of the grind is key for me, as I typically make my coffee with a French Press. Pros: It is easy to use, and it is very easy to take apart and clean. The hopper has enough capacity to make a full pot of coffee. Cons: Putting it back together can be a bit of a challenge to get all the pieces to fit into their proper places. There are not many, but it can be a challenge to get the ceramic ring to fit in properly. I wouldn't recommend it for a regular/heavy coffee drinker. However, if you're just looking for something to use infrequently or on social occasions this is a great buy for your money!

Edit: 7/17/2017 worked great until the plastic top split down the side last week. I only used it a few times per week so it didn't last very long under moderate use. Original review: This works great. I use this grinder for a french press and the course grind is exactly what I was looking for. Changing the coarseness of the grind is easy and a simple matter of turning a dial on the grinder. There's a clear plastic lid that sits on top of the grinder to keep beans from popping out while grinding. My only complaint is that the hopper is half the size it needs to be. If you want to fill the attached glass jar, you have to fill up the hopper a second time and grind again. Other than that minor detail, it's a great grinder.

Great little grinder. I do not use it for coffee as I am not a coffee drinker. I use this only to grind up my spices. I have a favorite Italian spice mix that I buy in bulk but I don’t like the big chunks of dried onions, tomatoes and seeds. This grinds the coarse, chunky dry mix into a fine powder that I store in a large shaker jar for me to use when adding to my homemade sauces. It was a bit hard to start the grinding process initially but once it got going it was easy to use. It is also fairly easy to hand wash the parts and store. I found it to be both inexpensive and absolutely perfect for my needs.

I meant that literally! My son who is 7 kept asking to help me grind the coffee beans and it was so easy & fun for him to use, he now helps me grind my daily batch! Easy, straight fwd product to use. The only two things i wish it had: 1) a lid to close the glass portion (sometimes i accidentally grind a tad bit more than i need, a lid for the glass jar would be perfect to store extra grinds til the next morning, 2) more specific directions on how to set the grind settings (fine vs course), i was sort of guessing what i shld "dial it to" on the adjustment nut, for french press. Like how many clicks should i turn? Once? Twice? Also, maybe a total user error on my part, but on my first try, it wasnt obvious that i need to turn the nut to counterclock wise, and NOT the grinder itself! I couldve damaged the burrs! I think that was my bad though, but just FYI in case anyone else makes that same mistake. Other than that, i think so far so good. I am also glad i picked this one vs a comparable brand in stainless steel with a lot more reviews & ratings; i liked that this was a glass container so i can "eye" the grinds being produced and how much im making. With a stainless steel container, you'd be grinding into a "blind" receptacle, if that makes any sense any all.

Solid construction. If you make very fine grind coffee, you will be grinding for a while. Medium grind (for pour over or stovetop espresso maker) goes more quickly. But it will still be several minutes for a single serving. Grinding requires clockwise cranking. The grinding upper chamber has four partitions. If your beans (or spices) are not evenly distributed, you will have less grinding surface and will make the job take longer. So it s good to keep an eye on this and give it a few vertical shakes if things are unbalanced. I haven't detected any real noticeable taste difference in coffee (Peet's French Roast, but my next supply I will try is Lavazza Super Crema) than what I get with my electric Krupps grinder, which gives me a single serving in about twenty seconds. I use unbleached paper filters in a drip cone. Reusable stainless filters are reported to produce a better taste and you don't have the waste. That is my next step. I think this would be an excellent tool for grinding spices. A small electric grinder does not do well with small quantities or uniform grinding. All told a good product and I am very satisfied.