InstaCuppa Manual Coffee Bean Grinder with Carry Pouch and Cleaning Brush,Pour Over Drip Coffee, Espresso, Moka Pot, Aeropress, Black Color

I have been using an Usha spice grinder (with a steel blade) to grind my coffee beans. I need a fine grind for my Aeropress and Moka Pot and my wife needs a coarse grind for her French Press. It's common knowledge that a blade grinder gives you a rather uneven grind and you have to work like a dog to get a grind half way decent. So while I initially thought that I will make do with the blade grinder, I finally realised that a burr grinder was the best option. I didn't want to spend much on Hario (and anyway, James Hoffman says that the difference between the budget grinders is not that much) so I went with this InstaCuppa. Why this one? Simple. These guys have always given me good quality stuff (I bought a milk frother for my mom and a cold brew pot for myself). I have a strong feeling that this one, like their other products are sourced from somewhere else but they do a very good job of curating and sourcing good quality. The thing is that, with many products that come from 'that somewhere else', appearances are similar but performance can change. And InstaCuppa does a good job of getting the better quality ones. The best thing about this grinder is that it comes with a one year replacement guarantee. That is a clincher. Enough background, let me give you the lowdown now.Build: The black matt finish looks nice but I know it will come off with age and cleaning. I wanted the steel one but it was out of stock. Anyway, I opened the top lid and the two sections, and I noticed fine metallic dust on the inside. From the manufacturing. So I definitely had to wash it before use. I disassembled it completely and washed everything with a brush and water. The rim edges are pretty sharp and when I tried to insert my finger to wash, I cut myself a bit. So be careful. These edges should definitely be smoothed or blunted. I also wanted to check the ceramic burrs as someone else said that their burr had a piece missing. Bu this one was fine. The inside plastic pieces all look fine but you can't really tell their quality by looking. I don't think there will be as much wear and tear on them. It's mostly going to be on the ceramic burrs.Quantity: I could get about 33gms of beans inside the top compartment. This is enough and a little more for a 6-cup moka pot but for less strong coffee drinkers and for smaller quantity than a big mugful, this 33gms will easily yield 2-3 medium cups of coffee.Grind size and the grinding process: First, you have to fiddle around with this grinder a little bit to understand its settings. Be gentle and firm. If you're too forceful or rough, you can easily damage it but with careful use, this looks like it can last. After washing and drying all the pieces, I assembled it carefully and tightened the burr nut to the maximum (which more or less closes the spaces between the male and female burrs) and then gently tried the grinding handle. It didn't move. Then I loosened the nut by three clicks (you will feel the clicks if you pay careful attention) and the handle moved a bit stiffly. Then I loosened it by two more clicks and now the handle moved more smoothly but with a slight resistance. I knew I could start grinding now. I filled the top compartment to the brim and took a couple of short breaks while grinding and it took me about 4m 50s. Did a Moka Pot grind first and it gave me a pretty good grind. How do I know? Because when I tried it, my pot filled up more than it usually does. And this is because of the grind being more uniform. (Note: It is natural for a hand grinder to halt suddenly or get a bit stuck. When it does, instead of forcefully starting from stop, turn the handle a bit backwards and then start again. This will not only give you a bit of momentum, it will also free that culprit bean a little bit. Remember, those are ceramic burrs inside and being too harsh or rough can break them.)I tried a few positions for the grinding process and the one that works best is where I hold it in such a way that my hand goes around the middle (where the two sections meet) and around the top lid while the entire ensemble is resting against my left thigh at a roughly 45 degree-angle. This angled position is the most ergonomic and the hold prevents the two sections from separating and the top lid from coming off.After the finer grind, I tried a coarse grind for the French Press. I turned the burr nut by two clicks and turns and it gave me a decent coarse grind but I now know that I will have to loosen it a little more for a more coarse grind closer to the classic French Press grind. It's all trial and error here as there are no indicators. You have to try and then remember and if like me, you have to grind for two different coffee makers then there will be a few small hits and misses. But overall, I am very happy with this one. Only time will tell how long it lasts. My only doubts are about the plastic parts. If they wear away or crack then it will be a problem. I just hope that the folks at InstaCuppa have the small spare parts as well.A very important update: After using it for close to 10 times, I noticed that it was not giving me the grind that i set it to and was giving me a grind that was more or less rather fine and not as per my experience with this grinder. Also the movement of the lever was jerky and it was also getting hot around the location of the burrs. I opened it and saw that coffee grounds had collected and were actually hampering almost every aspect, from grind size to lever turning. I did a quick disassembly and cleaned the coffee crud off with the brush that I bought along with it and it is now back to its original performance.

I bought this item as a gift for a friend. The feedback that I have got is that it is a great grinder:It can grid very fine - up to the talcum powder fineness for Turkish coffee.However, be prepared to spend 10minutes grinding to get about a tablespoon of grind.Removed one star - as the first one I got - we couldn't separate the bottom from the top, they were stuck so tight together, I had to get a replacement, and the replacement works just fine. (Was rather embarrassing giving a gift with a defect :-( )

It okay product. Quite handy if you are travelling and want to grind coffee on the go.Disclaimer: the company will pest you to death by sending you emails and to top things up, they didn't even provided the carry bag and the cleaning brush.

This is my 3rd insta cuppa product. 2 years of usage and I have no issues. Treat the grinder well and clean it regularly and it works well everytime. The size adjustable feature is great when you decide to use the coffee grinds for a filter press or to brew it semi crushes. Serves all purposes.

When i got the grinder in April , it was GREAT , best thing ever, but now after just 2 months of use , mind you i only use it for Cold Brew this grinder has given up. The blade slips and i cannot grind a single bean a process with a manual coffee grinder that used to take 15 mins , now takes almost 30 mins because the grinder just wont grind smoothly , i wasn't expective express quantity grinds but lasting only 2 months is unacceptable.Save your money get a Hario Ceramic Grinder , maybe it will last longer . Note - I have ordered it will update a review of that grinder when i get it.

The grinder is a very useful, after over an year of usage I lost the knob during travel. When I mailed InstaCuppa team they responded immediately and sent me the component.!!! Amazing service for a great product

It does the job but I always mess up with the grinding levels but it does not stop at 5 but it keeps on increasing the levels without any information. I always have to check the grind manually as to whether it looks good or do I need to tighten it more.

It does give you a good workout , currently the best one sold here, gives an accurate size of preferred ground coffee, quality is great