Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Grinder Review: Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

This is my third grinder - bought in the spring of 2014 as my main grinder to use at home. It got daily use for nearly 2 years, and is still going strong.

Pros:
  • Like the Hario Mini, this is small enough to grind directly into an Aeropress.
  • Fits nicely in your hand, and is tall enough to make it somewhat easier to grip between your thighs.
  • Nice crank arm length.
  • Outer body is all stainless steel, making it a durable choice for travel or everyday use.
  • Easy-to-adjust grind mechanism (see below) - you twist a little clicky bolt on the bottom of the top chamber.  
  • Slightly better-than-average grind consistency



Cons:
  • Crank arm flies off for some people, though I never found it a problem.
  • Like many small grinders, it is a little awkward to grind with it.
  • No way to "remember" your settings for different grinds, other than by counting clicks. Not a big deal if you don't plan to adjust it.
  • Only slightly-better-than average grind consistency, and given it's price point ($40-$70 depending on the direction the wind is blowing, but usually around $50-$60), I'd really like it to be better. 


See the white nut on the bottom? That's what you twist to adjust fineness.
Note: if you install it upside down, it doesn't click. 

As I said before, this was my every-day grinder for nearly two years. I was happy with it, but wanted to try out the monstrous Lido 2, which kind of blows the Porlex out of the water (as well it should, given how expensive the Lido is). Currently I have it set to a fine grind, for use with my only occasionally-used Aeropress.  It actually does a far more consistent grind when grinding in the finer ranges, but it's a bit of a workout to grind a couple of tablespoons of beans with it.

The upper chamber holds about 6 TBSP of beans.

I do recommend this one - pretty highly.




 

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