ChefSofi Mortar and Pestle Sets - The Standard Gray Unpolished and the Black Polished 6 inch 2 Cup Sets

Nice workmanship — but I like the rough finish versus the polished graniteThe conditioning work is a PITA, but i’ve always wanted a nice mortar and pestle and the work is part of the price.POLISHED versus PLAIN:I bought both the polished and the plain one (ChefSofi granite), and after holding them in my hands I preferred the plain one (even though looking at them online I wanted the polished one). However after an hour of grinding rice (to condition it), I much preferred the plain (unpolished) one, because the polished pestle handle starts to feel slick (requiring you to squeeze it harder, which causes fatigue).. Maybe hand fatigue will not be an issue for grinding small amounts of spices (unless you have arthritis), but I like the plain one more, and I like the better grip on his pestle.COSMETIC QUIBBLES:POLISHED:Maybe it’s nothing, but the pestle of the polished one might suffer cosmetic damage over time, because the polished part of the pestle leans against the polished edge of the mortar..UN-POLISHED:See the picture.. After using it a while I noticed a darkening around the rim, which makes it look dirty.. It doesn’t bother me because I’m sure it’s either the oils from my hand, and/or the friction changing th appearance (I believe the rim only should have been polished.. would have solved this).I’ve seen many mortar and pestle‘s over the years, even though my knowledge is average, this appears to be the nicest I have seen. The machining inside does not have deep gouges rather more subtle manufacturing rings.. Deep gouges and rings to my sensibilities seem like sloppy manufacturing, unless there is a purpose I don’t know about (if you are making guacamole, or a want to do large volumes, then use considerably more course volcanic rock Molcajete‘s). I own a Molcajete and I like it for making guacamole, but there are numerous deep pores that would make it impossible to grind one cardamom seed for example (it would completely disappear).I also bought a different brand; - smaller marble mushroom style mortar and pestle, and to my surprise it was actually a fair amount of work to grind up one cardamom seed. I noticed the marble naturally has a smoother finish than granite, so I’m quite sure the granite will be the go-to kitchen tool even for one cardamom seed (the ChefSofi only has faint rings/groves that will not absorb the spice when grinding small amounts).Unless other granite colors are less functional than the black/green (I.e.: in case different colors have a different texture, idk)p — I would suggest the MANUFACTURER start making these out of different colors of granite, and only polishing the top rim area of the mortar (because the dirty/stained appearance mentioned above). At least stop polishing the pestle which makes it less functional.I find the unfinished granite pleasant to hold. Less is more with beautiful natural stone..

Bought 2 of them as a gift for my wife we love having them in the kitchen. Great quality product