Bodum Bistro Burr Electric Coffee Grinder - Black

This grinder is perfect for making french roaster thick chunky grinds, or espresso grinds very fine. You control that more than other non manual machines. It is compact and the charging cord wraps around in the base. I've had it going on about 10 years strong now. The only downside is you can only grind for about 3 cups of espresso at a time. Upside is that your grind is always fresh. Love this machine!

AVOID if you like coffee

I have been making coffee using a coffee press and whole bean coffee for over 10 years. I had been using a Braun burr grinder and regular Starbucks beans until I moved and had to leave the Braun behind.I was given a Bodum Bistro as a gift for Christmas. After two months of being consistently robbed and deprived of my coffee enjoyment, I finally threw the Bodum out today. I didn't give it, recycle it, or even scrap it. I fed it down the trash tube so that the resources and labor that went into making it can never be recovered to taint another commodity.The machine somehow destroys coffee beans' ability to turn into coffee. The "coffee press" setting on the device is a lie: it just chops beans in 2 or 3. In any setting, the machine crushes the beans, causing ... MoreI have been making coffee using a coffee press and whole bean coffee for over 10 years. I had been using a Braun burr grinder and regular Starbucks beans until I moved and had to leave the Braun behind.I was given a Bodum Bistro as a gift for Christmas. After two months of being consistently robbed and deprived of my coffee enjoyment, I finally threw the Bodum out today. I didn't give it, recycle it, or even scrap it. I fed it down the trash tube so that the resources and labor that went into making it can never be recovered to taint another commodity.The machine somehow destroys coffee beans' ability to turn into coffee. The "coffee press" setting on the device is a lie: it just chops beans in 2 or 3. In any setting, the machine crushes the beans, causing flakes, rather than actually cutting and grinding them. You have go down to near "medium" where the grind becomes acceptable for a press. The problem is, at that level of grind, the extraction is okay, but the body of the drink is closer to caffeinated water. If you want a fuller body, the drink becomes so bitter that it even smells wrong.Save yourself the trouble. Don't buy this for yourself. Don't buy it as a gift. Don't pick it up if you see it by the side of the road.

Consistent Grind

I wanted to switch from a blade grinder to a conical burr grinder for more consistency in my grinds. This unit is great. Having the glass grounds container helps with the static issue many complain about with grinders that have a plastic container. The only issue I have that kept this unit from getting 5 stars was the "soft touch" plastic coating on the hopper lid and body of the grinder. It had deteriorated from new condition and was now quick sticky to touch. It makes no difference to me as I put the unit against the wall and don't need to touch it other than the control knobs and buttons which do not have this coating. So I only come into contact with the sticky issue when handling the coffee hopper lid. This is a trade off I feel fine about since the grinder is ... MoreI wanted to switch from a blade grinder to a conical burr grinder for more consistency in my grinds. This unit is great. Having the glass grounds container helps with the static issue many complain about with grinders that have a plastic container. The only issue I have that kept this unit from getting 5 stars was the "soft touch" plastic coating on the hopper lid and body of the grinder. It had deteriorated from new condition and was now quick sticky to touch. It makes no difference to me as I put the unit against the wall and don't need to touch it other than the control knobs and buttons which do not have this coating. So I only come into contact with the sticky issue when handling the coffee hopper lid. This is a trade off I feel fine about since the grinder is new and half the price of a "currently" new one.

Excellent grinder - does the job well

This is the second one of these grinders I've had. The burrs in my first one finally wore down after ten years of steady use. It still works, but the burrs are now dull enough that they won't take in the beans when set for an espresso grind.The only negative about the grinder is that the burrs are not sharpenable. But for the price of a grinder in which you can remove and sharpen the burrs, you could buy three or four of these. So I don't really see it as a negative, just the consequence of not spending $400-$500.I like the receptacle for the ground coffee; it is removeable, has a lid, and can be stored on your counter beside the espresso machine. It's glass, and not a cheap, ugly plastic bin. It looks nice and it's practical.The grind is simple and quick to ... MoreThis is the second one of these grinders I've had. The burrs in my first one finally wore down after ten years of steady use. It still works, but the burrs are now dull enough that they won't take in the beans when set for an espresso grind.The only negative about the grinder is that the burrs are not sharpenable. But for the price of a grinder in which you can remove and sharpen the burrs, you could buy three or four of these. So I don't really see it as a negative, just the consequence of not spending $400-$500.I like the receptacle for the ground coffee; it is removeable, has a lid, and can be stored on your counter beside the espresso machine. It's glass, and not a cheap, ugly plastic bin. It looks nice and it's practical.The grind is simple and quick to adjust in a half second, and has infinite adjustment. The hopper is huge; you can do many cups' worth at a time. It's quick and foolproof. Press the button, and you have ground coffee. No instructions and no fuss needed.It's also nice and compact, well-made and stylish enough for the likes of me.

Fast and Delicious coffee!!

I was so excited to get this Bodum Coffee Grinder! I am passionate when it comes to my coffee and espresso. I have purchased several different types of coffee grinders in the past, and I was never satisfied with the size of the grains to be used in my Italian espresso machine. I could never get it fine enough to filter out though my machine. But this Bodum grinder definitely did the job! I went out and bought special Italian espresso beans just to try this out! I was pleasantly surprised to see a delicious creamy foam on top of my cup of espresso. It was so easy to use as well! All I did was take it out of the packaging, screw the clear plastic tub that holds the beans on top of the machine, and plug it in! There was barely any effort at all in putting this ... MoreI was so excited to get this Bodum Coffee Grinder! I am passionate when it comes to my coffee and espresso. I have purchased several different types of coffee grinders in the past, and I was never satisfied with the size of the grains to be used in my Italian espresso machine. I could never get it fine enough to filter out though my machine. But this Bodum grinder definitely did the job! I went out and bought special Italian espresso beans just to try this out! I was pleasantly surprised to see a delicious creamy foam on top of my cup of espresso. It was so easy to use as well! All I did was take it out of the packaging, screw the clear plastic tub that holds the beans on top of the machine, and plug it in! There was barely any effort at all in putting this together. And after pouring in my beans, all I had to do was turn the knob to 5seconds and press the button. My perfectly ground espresso poured out into the glass container ready to use. The entire process from box to delicious ground espresso had to be less than a minute. There is so much to love about this. I honestly only have one complaint. Which is because it does tend to dribble out remaining coffee grinds out all over the bottom tray when you don’t have the glass cup inserted underneath it. It does get kinda messy but maybe that’s just operator error. Overall, I find this definitely worth the money. It is very functional and efficient, as well as very very aesthetically pleasing. I love the design of it and how it looks on my counter. Highly recommend!!

I've had mine for 10 months now: still super

I bought this grinder in December 2020 and it is still going strong, grinding evenly and making far better coffee than any blade grinder ever could. For the $$ it is a super value. It can be a bit messy after some time, but if you lean the grinder one way or another before pulling the carafe that holds the grounds out, the last residual bits will fall out and it will remain much cleaner. Can't say that I remember to do that, though. It's before I've had my coffee, after all...Still, for the money this is a fabulous grinder. For espresso I will probably need to upgrade to an espresso grinder, but with drip, French press, or Aeropress etc (we use ours mostly with Aeropress) it makes a huge difference. The Aeropress already makes great coffee and we use quality beans ... MoreI bought this grinder in December 2020 and it is still going strong, grinding evenly and making far better coffee than any blade grinder ever could. For the $$ it is a super value. It can be a bit messy after some time, but if you lean the grinder one way or another before pulling the carafe that holds the grounds out, the last residual bits will fall out and it will remain much cleaner. Can't say that I remember to do that, though. It's before I've had my coffee, after all...Still, for the money this is a fabulous grinder. For espresso I will probably need to upgrade to an espresso grinder, but with drip, French press, or Aeropress etc (we use ours mostly with Aeropress) it makes a huge difference. The Aeropress already makes great coffee and we use quality beans like Stumptown or a local roaster, but after buying this grinder we did notice a marked improvement in the quality of the coffee. This is superb with the Areopress - I use it close to, but not quite at, the finest setting. The grind is quite quick, even, and the machine is super simple to set up, refill, and operate. I don't find it too loud, personally.Bottom line: if you're making due with a blade grinder, this will be a huge, affordable improvement. And this is a coffee grinder, not an espresso grinder - though it does do much better on the fine grind side of things and will get you reasonably close - especially if you're just working with a cheaper, pressurized portafilter machine. If you're upgrading to a prosumer espresso machine, you will probably want a grinder capable of going a bit finer than this one. Paired with an Aeropress, correct temp water, and good beans, well, that's truly a hard set up to beat for how delicious the coffee is for the $$. Definitely recommend.

Incredible grinder, messy counter, easy solution

Got this grinder as a gift, and it worked beautifully as described. Perfect, except the mess it makes on the counter when emptying the gounds in the glass collector to my coffee jar. Then I realized this was due to the static electricity generated from the high speed grinder. After trying a couple of methods of splashing fine drops of water to the insides of the glass collector I hit upon a compeletly simple method. I just take a big breath and gently blow air into the glass collector a couple of times. Then after putting the rubber lid on, I blow air again through the hole in lid before I started the grinding. The small of moisture from the breathed out air is enough to just moisten the glass and neutralize the static electricity. After the grinding, I blow another ... MoreGot this grinder as a gift, and it worked beautifully as described. Perfect, except the mess it makes on the counter when emptying the gounds in the glass collector to my coffee jar. Then I realized this was due to the static electricity generated from the high speed grinder. After trying a couple of methods of splashing fine drops of water to the insides of the glass collector I hit upon a compeletly simple method. I just take a big breath and gently blow air into the glass collector a couple of times. Then after putting the rubber lid on, I blow air again through the hole in lid before I started the grinding. The small of moisture from the breathed out air is enough to just moisten the glass and neutralize the static electricity. After the grinding, I blow another breath through the hole before I take off the lid. This may sound a bit crude and unsanitary, but the coffee is for my own personal use, and the grinds are used up within days. You can't believe how this reduces the mess to nearly zero. Now I completely love this grinder.

Motor failed after occasional use

This product failed on me after 11 months of only occasional use. I'm quite disappointed. (Let's see how well they honor their 2-year warranty policy. I'll update my post later.) It was a solid, if basic, grinder while it lasted. On the plus side, it grinds beans without the deafening sound that I'd experienced with other grinders. The capacity of the glass container accommodates a decent amount of the resulting ground coffee, but the motor is weak; the manual states that you must wait *5 minutes* between each 20-second grinding operation. So, grinding beans for more than one day is a time-consuming operation. (This also hints that the manufacturer was aware of the vulnerability of the electric motor to failure. I found out first-hand!)

Perfect Grind

I love the taste of fresh coffee, and the Bodum Bistro Electric Coffee Grinder helps me achieve that freshness every time. This superior coffee maker gives me the perfect grind every time. The grinder itself is compact and has lots of features. The modern black and red design fits nicely into my décor and is something I do not mind keeping out on my counter top. The large plastic hopper is easy to fill and attaches and removes effortlessly. Cleaning it thoroughly can be a little challenging, but I used a brush to get into the bottom and it worked well. Once I have the hopper locked into place, I can choose the setting of how I would like the burr grinder to crush the beans. This grinder has twelve settings to choose from, from French Press to Espresso. The lid of ... MoreI love the taste of fresh coffee, and the Bodum Bistro Electric Coffee Grinder helps me achieve that freshness every time. This superior coffee maker gives me the perfect grind every time. The grinder itself is compact and has lots of features. The modern black and red design fits nicely into my décor and is something I do not mind keeping out on my counter top. The large plastic hopper is easy to fill and attaches and removes effortlessly. Cleaning it thoroughly can be a little challenging, but I used a brush to get into the bottom and it worked well. Once I have the hopper locked into place, I can choose the setting of how I would like the burr grinder to crush the beans. This grinder has twelve settings to choose from, from French Press to Espresso. The lid of the hopper has an easy to read chart that will help you set your grind as well as the amount of time to crush your beans. Once you have decided what kind of grind you like, simply press the on/off button. The grinder is a little loud, but grinds my beans perfectly. I found that the medium grind is very consistent and the one I like to use most often. Once your beans are ground, the coffee will be deposited into the glass canister located at the bottom. I like the clear glass canister. It has a nice grip strip so that it is easy to hold as well as a removable lid. The canister is easy to clean and is dishwasher safe. This grinder is a quality grinder that is well-made and does a great job of providing consistently ground beans.

Pretty limited

I had been using a manual burr grinder and bought this to automate my morning routine a little. I would say that for what I was using it for-Chemex and Kalita pour overs, it was fine. But I noticed right away that my little manual burr grinder gave a more consistent grind than this one. Still, I could work with it and was able to make great coffee in the medium course range for a year and a half.I like the glass container. And I liked that I didn’t have to be overwhelmed with a zillion settings (more on that later).My disenchantment started when I began making cold brew-this would apply to any immersion methods in the course range. The find becomes very inconsistent at the high end, which is strange because Bodum specializes in immersion brewing.But it wasn’t ... MoreI had been using a manual burr grinder and bought this to automate my morning routine a little. I would say that for what I was using it for-Chemex and Kalita pour overs, it was fine. But I noticed right away that my little manual burr grinder gave a more consistent grind than this one. Still, I could work with it and was able to make great coffee in the medium course range for a year and a half.I like the glass container. And I liked that I didn’t have to be overwhelmed with a zillion settings (more on that later).My disenchantment started when I began making cold brew-this would apply to any immersion methods in the course range. The find becomes very inconsistent at the high end, which is strange because Bodum specializes in immersion brewing.But it wasn’t just the consistency-I really noticed how flimsy this thing is when you turn all the way to the most coarse setting. Sometimes the hopper actually fell off during the grind. Like it was shaken loose or something.And then it stopped working. I believe I was following the instructions, limiting to grinding to 20 seconds (usually less because most days I was grinding less than 30gm, which takes about 10-15 sec). I would grind my cold brew in 2-3 batches, resting between. But really doing course grinding is what seems to have done the damage. The motor was running, the burrs were turning if there was nothing in them, but as soon as a coffee bean hit the burrs, they jammed. A coffee bean-you know, what it is supposed to grind.A lot of reviews call this an “entry level” burr grinder, good for the price. Yes, it is significantly less expensive than most burrs. And if you are going to grind the same coffee the same way, somewhere in the drip/pour over range, day after day, then it is probably fine to save the money and get this.I have since bought a more expensive, higher quality, more versatile grinder and honestly wish I had just shelled out the bucks back when I bought this. We’ll see if the new one lasts significantly longer, but It sure is sturdier, and I get a more consistent grind across the whole range (excluding espresso but that’s a whole different thing). I am also appreciating the multiple settings because I drink a wide variety of coffees to get a wide range of taste experiences, and being able to optimize the grind for the roast/process/origin and brew method is a lot of fun.So if I could turn back the clock I would have saved the $100 and stuck with my manual burr grinder until I was ready to shell out $300 for something better.