Krups Expert Coffee Grinder, GVX2

Krups Expert Coffee Grinder, GVX2

Having recently bought a Gaggia Espresso machine I needed to get a grinder to prepare the beans to make the perfect coffee. I'd bought the espresso machine at Bluewater shopping centre and I knew that I'd want to get cracking as soon as I got home so there was no time to look around online to get the best deal. After realising that the only suitable Gaggia model would cost £150 I thought I'd nip into ...
...assistant I plumped for the Krups model, GVX2, at £39.95.

Before I talk about the Krups model, let me try and pass on that crash course and explain the finer points of grinding beans.
There are two key points to understand about coffee grinders, firstly is the coarseness of the coffee after grinding and secondly is the mechanism of grinding the beans. Different coffee machines need different grades of coarseness to achieve best ... more

Krups Expert Coffee Grinder, GVX2

Having recently bought a Gaggia Espresso machine I needed to get a grinder to prepare the beans to make the perfect coffee. I'd bought the espresso machine at Bluewater shopping centre and I knew that I'd want to get cracking as soon as I got home so there was no time to look around online to get the best deal. After realising that the only suitable Gaggia model would cost £150 I thought I'd nip into John Lewis to see what they had on offer.
The choice there was pretty good with models starting at about £20 running up to the Gaggia model. After being given a crash course in the matter of grinding beans by the very helpful assistant I plumped for the Krups model, GVX2, at £39.95.

Before I talk about the Krups model, let me try and pass on that crash course and explain the finer points of grinding beans.
There are two key points to understand about coffee grinders, firstly is the coarseness of the coffee after grinding and secondly is the mechanism of grinding the beans. Different coffee machines need different grades of coarseness to achieve best results. Filter machines allow water to drip slowly through the coffee and need a coarse grind. Espresso machines work by pumping hot water forcibly through the coffee in the filter head. The coffee therefore needs to be very finely ground. Cafetiere's require something in-between.
The next question is how the machine grinds the coffee. The choice here is between a blade (for chopping) or a burr (for grinding). A blade will repeatedly chop the coffee beans to produce thousands of unevenly sized grinds, the longer you chop the finer the blend becomes but it will never be uniform and this makes it unsuitable for espresso machines. A burr machine works like mill stones to grind the coffee to a preset size, this ensures that none of the bean quality is lost. This will produce the best results for espresso machines.

In the box~
In the box is the machine itself, cleaning brush and instructions. The burr is packed loose and should be washed before inserting. The instructions, printed in several languages, are clear and easy to follow. After the first reading I haven't needed to refer to them again.

Look and feel~
The unit is medium sized as coffee grinders go and has an attractive, contemporary look with a brushed steel facia and solid black plastic body. The bean hopper sits inside the machine while the clear plastic lid sits on top, adding an extra inch or two in height. On the front is the power button which includes a blue light to show when the unit is operating (although bearing in mind how noisy it is, this is a bit redundant) and the cup selector dial. On the left hand side is the grind selector dial. The ground coffee holder slides out to the front and is big enough (200g capacity) to hold over a dozen servings.
The machine has a good, solid feel to it that inspires confidence in its quality and durability.

In use~
The machine is very easy to use. The cup selector dial allows you to choose the number of servings you want to grind from 2 - 12 cups. This is useful as ground coffee will go stale quite quickly so you don't want to make more than you need. The fineness selector allows you to preset the coarseness of the grind from very fine (for espresso machines) through medium (for drip coffee) to coarse (for French press). In total there are 17 fineness settings so plenty of room for experimentation.
When grinding, the machine is quite noisy, but this is to be expected. It is fairly quick; taking about 15 seconds to grind 6 espresso settings. The coffee holder can be completely removed from the unit and has a removable lid making access to the coffee easy.
All accessible parts of the machine are easy to clean. The hopper lid can be removed which allows the hopper to be cleaned with a damp cloth. The burr can be completely detached, again making it a simple job to keep clean. The holder, made of clear plastic is equally easy to clean.
On the safety front, the machine will not run unless the hopper lid is properly in place.

Conclusion~
Despite being somewhat ignorant, in the beginning, of the art of making coffee I am confident that I have bought a good machine. The unit is well designed, with no wasted functionality and performs well enough to make me feel I will be using it for some time to come.
 

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