Baratza Maestro Conical Burr Coffee Grinder 8-oz.

• Model No.: G285
• Type of Grinder: Burr
• Settings: 40
• Capacity: 8-oz. Bean Hopper 5-oz. Grounds Bin
• Dimensions: 13x5x6-in.

Hard to clean - Other problems:
I've had this grinder about two years. So I've had a long experience with it. I use mostly Starbucks French Roast and Italian Roast and I grind it fairly fine even though I use a regular Mr. Coffee coffee maker. I like strong, flavorful coffee. And it will grind that. But the trouble is, it gets clogged up quickly --- often after one use. And cleaning it is a bear! I have to take a screw driver and get the coffee out of the top and a paper clip to go through the lower part. I will say that it's easy to get through to support and they're very nice and helpful. But they can't do the cleaning and fixing for you. And I don't have a local place that fixes these. It's very quiet. And one thing I love about it is that the container that accepts the coffee doesn't have much if any static. So it's clean as far as putting the coffee into the maker is concerned. If you prefer more course coffee, this might work great for you. But if you like fine coffee and, especially, espresso, forget it. I've read in several places that you can run some white rice through a grinder and clean it. I've not tried it yet but will. Perhaps that will make the job easier. For most hard-core coffee drinkers, I don't recommend this unit basically because of the fact it is so hard to clean. And it clogs quickly and often.

I love mine!!!:
I can't believe all the problems with clogging people are having!!! Mine worked excellent for over two years. It started to grind a little slowly (the burrs weren't "catching" the beans), so I recently replaced the inner and outer burrs and it's back to 100% again and going strong. I often grind beans that are roasted past full city and are slightly oily. I'd probably get the plus model with finer adjustment steps for grinding espresso, but other than that I'm very happy with it. One thing I noticed on mine is that there's a white plastic piece with fins on it that spins with the inner burr to push the coffee out. One of my fins is broken off. I'm thinking that may be the secret to why mine doesn't clog. This would cause a larger amount of ground coffee to be pushed out at one time once per revolution of the burr. It also might help lessen some excessive air current that keeps the coffee spinning instead of being pushed out of the machine or causes back pressure due to the small opening where the coffee comes out. Maybe the others just got stuck with a set of burrs that weren't machined quite right? I don't know... Mine works great though and I was very surprised to see all of these negative reviews. Parts and service are available from the manufacturer... (..) EDIT: I see now the newer models have a different motor than mine and the best model has a speed reduction control knob. The newer motors probably turn a little faster and cause the mill not to feed as well. Funny how an attempt to improve a product doesn't always work out...

Absolutely not for espresso; good for drip and french press:
I've owned this grinder for a year. I needed a cheap burr grinder with a good reputation, capable of properly grinding beans for espresso (a difficult task). At $99, the Maestro was the best choice to accompany my Starbucks Barista (manufactured by Saeco), bought locally through craigslist. I'm not crazy about the pressurized portafilter (nor are most espresso drinkers) but this is best I can do until I get out of grad school and can afford the Silvia. Procedure: I buy freshly roasted beans, grind them with the finest grind, preheat the portafilter, and tamp with an aftermarket aluminum tamper. The result: weak espresso that runs fast and lacks flavor and crema. In one year I have never pulled a good shot--just mediocre shots that are better in mixed than straight--and I can still taste the poor quality when mixed. To investigate, I broke one major rule and ground the beans ahead of time with Whole Food's commercial grinder in the store (ideally, you grind seconds before brewing--I brewed the next day). Next day, same routine. Results: delicious, near perfect shots, worth sipping and savoring. Dark red crema, slow pulls, complex flavor. I never pulled a shot like this before. Conclusion: I'll be grinding my beans in the store from now on. It wasn't the machine, it was the grinder. So don't buy the Maestro if you want good espresso, it WILL NOT do the job. ("minor" side note: for those interested in good drip and french press coffee, the Maestro is a great choice). To quote coffeegeek.com: "I can make a better shot of espresso with a $200 espresso machine and a $400 grinder than I can with a $2,000 espresso machine and no grinder (or a blade grinder)... and it's absolutely true."

Wonderful buying experience:
I did much research on-line for a conical burr coffee grinder and found that this one is very superior to the others. Our gift to our son-in-law was put to use on Christmas immediately and the resulting coffee was just perfect. Cleanup was a breeze each time and ready for the next use.

Excellent product and customer service:
Product performs better than I expected. The range of the size of the grind is consistant and has the ability to be widely varied from espresso grind to very course. The motor operation is quite, as grinding can go,and not obnoxious sounding. I love the product!