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My Vintage Manual Coffee Grinder
By Edward Ard,
Pastry chef and coffee enthusiast
Edward's cool vintage manual coffee grinder
This grinder looks like something that Abraham Lincoln would have had on hand to make his freshly ground coffee back in the 19th century.
The little pull out drawer that holds about 3/4oz (21gr), is the perfect size for a nice big mug full of coffee. On a medium grind setting, it takes at least 200 turns of the wheel to fully process the beans. The little knob on top of the unit pulls up and twists to adjust grind settings from fine to very coarse.
For the best results, you will need to determine the proper turning speed. The finer your grind setting, the slower you should turn the wheel. If you turn the wheel too fast, the beans will just dance around on top of the burs and not settle into the turning grooves. The coarser the grind setting, the faster you can turn the wheel and the sooner your beans will be processed.
To hear the crunching and grinding of the beans while you turn the wheel is an experience in its own right. I sometimes slow the turning just to hear the beans crackle and crunch, individually under the pressure of the grinding burs.
It’s good to know that when the power goes out, I can still grind my favorite bean with ease, using this little manual grinder. It’s also small enough to take on a camping trip!
I recommend that anyone who uses an electric grinder, to also consider having one of these, as an occasional alternative method of grinding coffee beans.
Please note: This manual grinder can produce a fine espresso grind or even the finest "turkish" grind. But, if your cranking hand lacks endurance, it would be better to use an electric grinder…..