Coffee Grinders

Brian Sheridan · Feb 17, 2017

Who here has a vintage coffee bean grinder? Can you share of picture of it? I was thinking about getting one off of Ebay but wanted to see and hear recommendations from all of you. I'm guessing that most are the hand-cranked kind. Do those work well? Thanks for posting.

vitanola · Feb 17, 2017

The Arcade Crystal No. 3 or Crystal No. 4 are by far my favorite coffee mills. They are adjustable to any grind, and are quick and convenient to use.

The original Hobart KitchenAid A-9 electric grinder of 1939 is also easily available, and is a good grinder, though not quite as simple to use as the Arcade.

robrinay · May 4, 2017

I've got a vintage Peugeot hand crank grinder missing its lid but it still works. They made bikes and these before they turned to auto manufacture. Interestingly the sections of the grinder are attached by shortened bike wheel spokes. They have a great Art Deco look are adjustable and grind well although it takes me around 26 full turns to grind 1 measure - good exercise though! They grind slowly they don't overheat the coffee grounds as do some electric grinders so the flavour is good.

BobHufford · May 4, 2017

My daily grind ... it came from my wife's great-grandmother's small grocery store.

robrinay · May 5, 2017

I saw one similar to this on American Pickers - or possibly Pawn Stars?

Nobert · May 6, 2017

I had a hand-cranked grinder, but got rid of it, as it took me about ten minutes to grind a pot's worth of coffee. That's not the sort of thing I need to be doing before I've even had my coffee.

vitanola · May 6, 2017

Nobert said:
I had a hand-cranked grinder, but got rid of it, as it took me about ten minutes to grind a pot's worth of coffee. That's not the sort of thing I need to be doing before I've even had my coffee.

A cheap or poorly designed hand grinder is a vexation to the spirit in the morning, but a quality unit like the Arcade or Enterprise mills are no trouble to use at all,. Grinding coffee becomes a pleasant ritual, with the odor of the freshly ground beans heightening the anticipation of one's first heavenly cup.

Tig-lee · Oct 23, 2017

I have older zassenhaus that I use for larger amounts of coffee i.e. drip, french press etc. If on the other hand I'm pulling a shot of espresso I use the Orphan Espresso Lido 3. This hand grinder is efficient and extremely consistent which is considered the beginning of good coffee/espresso by many that think about this subject way too much

I'm definitely in that group! http://www.oehandgrinders.com/OE-Manual-Coffee-Grinders_c_1.html

Workhorse · Feb 25, 2018

Vitanola,

With your recommendation for either of those grinders, do have a certain model/size you recommend over others? Looking around, I see there are different numbered models #0, #3 etc. and I don't know how to tell the difference.

Also, how easy is it to find/source parts for them. I have found a couple Arcades that are missing the upper glass jar as well as the lower catch jar. there are lower catch jars available on Ebay but I haven't seen any uppers. You seem to know your way around these grinders so I figured I would ask for your input. Thank you in advance.

Ross-

vitanola · Mar 6, 2018

Workhorse said:
Vitanola,

With your recommendation for either of those grinders, do have a certain model/size you recommend over others? Looking around, I see there are different numbered models #0, #3 etc. and I don't know how to tell the difference.

Also, how easy is it to find/source parts for them. I have found a couple Arcades that are missing the upper glass jar as well as the lower catch jar. there are lower catch jars available on Ebay but I haven't seen any uppers. You seem to know your way around these grinders so I figured I would ask for your input. Thank you in advance.

Ross-

The upper glass jar is a bit difficult to find, for they did not survive as well as the cast iron.

Any of the hopper Arcade or Universal mills will work well. The No.1, X-ray, 25, 3, 2, etc. Just try to find one which is complete. Assembling one from parts often costs more in the long run.

3fingers · Mar 6, 2018

vitanola said:
The upper glass jar is a bit difficult to find, for they did not survive as well as the cast iron.

Any of the hopper Arcade or Universal mills will work well. The No.1, X-ray, 25, 3, 2, etc. Just try to find one which is complete. Assembling one from parts often costs more in the long run.

I have been attempting to acquire an Arcade from ePay for a while now. Every time I have neared success I have gotten sniped.

Nobert · Jan 19, 2020

Okay, I know the title of this thread is Cofee-Grinders, but I didn't feel like perusing the whole forum in search of a more appropriate thread, so:

Does anyone know a work-around for a Silex pot on which the rubber gasket has shrunk, so that it doesn't create a seal*? Can you just wrap electrical tape around it or something (I prefer aesthetic fixes, but I'l take strictly utilitarian)?

*If you're about to make a joke about marine mammals or post that clip from Horsefeathers, just know that I already thought of that.

GHT · Jan 19, 2020

vitanola said:
A cheap or poorly designed hand grinder is a vexation to the spirit in the morning, but a quality unit like the Arcade or Enterprise mills are no trouble to use at all,. Grinding coffee becomes a pleasant ritual, with the odor of the freshly ground beans heightening the anticipation of one's first heavenly cup.

And if you have never ground a Kenyan bean called peaberry, you have yet to smell the best coffee aromour yet.

vitanola · Jan 19, 2020

Nobert said:
Okay, I know the title of this thread is Cofee-Grinders, but I didn't feel like perusing the whole forum in search of a more appropriate thread, so:

Does anyone know a work-around for a Silex pot on which the rubber gasket has shrunk, so that it doesn't create a seal*? Can you just wrap electrical tape around it or something (I prefer aesthetic fixes, but I'l take strictly utilitarian)?

*If you're about to make a joke about marine mammals or post that clip from Horsefeathers, just know that I already thought of that.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-...936965?hash=item465cefe785:g:6moAAOSwf-VWbcSf

Nobert · Jan 19, 2020

vitanola said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-...936965?hash=item465cefe785:g:6moAAOSwf-VWbcSf

Thank you, I may look into that (although it's about what I paid for the coffee maker).

Edit: Whoops, wrong size, but I'll keep looking, now that I know they come up here and there. Thanks again.

M Hatman · Jul 6, 2022

Bump with my two A-9s....I just recently found the second KitchenAid A-9 Coffee Mill (white one)....this one was unbelievably like new...just some storage chipping to the chute lid....otherwise bright and clean!!

This one is late to post war and differs only slightly from my pre-war version (on left). The A-9 was made from 1938 (the 1938 has a completely different globe from either of these) to 1947.

tonyb · Jul 9, 2022

M Hatman said:
Bump with my two A-9s....I just recently found the second KitchenAid A-9 Coffee Mill (white one)....this one was unbelievably like new...just some storage chipping to the chute lid....otherwise bright and clean!!

This one is late to post war and differs only slightly from my pre-war version (on left). The A-9 was made from 1938 (the 1938 has a completely different globe from either of these) to 1947.
View attachment 436993

That’s pretty cool.

How well would they work for an espresso grind? I’m not in need of a grinder, seeing how there’s a good one built in to my espresso machine, but I dig vintage appliances and wouldn’t mind having one of those babes for that reason alone.

tonyb · Jul 9, 2022

I just noodled around online and I see that KitchenAid reintroduced the A-9 grinder at some point much more recently. It doesn’t take a particularly keen eye to distinguish the reproductions from the original. There are a few obvious changes to the design, but if one is still uncertain, know that if it says Hobart on it (Hobart sold the KitchenAid household appliances brand to Whirlpool in 1985) and it says Troy, OH, it’s the real deal.

photo2u · Jul 10, 2022

Mine is a beauty from the 80s. It is built in the Brasilia machine. Purchased it out of a hanger sale in 1988 for $125 dollars. After a nice cleaning and new heating element, the machine, to this moment, works like a champ.

tonyb · Jul 10, 2022

^^^^^
Twenty-four years is darned good for a home-duty espresso machine.

I take it that heating unit you refer to is a thermal block?

I voided the warranty (which was expired anyway) on mine by opening the case to install a steamer control knob to replace the original one, which was something of an Achilles heel on that model. (The aftermarket replacement is far superior.) I’ve also replaced what they call the “group gasket” a couple of times. But that doesn’t involve opening the case.

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