Comandante Grinder Assessment

A handful of things get me by means of the intensive journey my day job requires. I typically enterprise by land or sea to distant outposts, the place one among my favourite comforts of society—a very good cup of espresso—is a tall order. However with a bag of contemporary beans and the Comandante C40 MK4 hand grinder, I’m assured I’ll outdo any barista which will or could not exist inside 100, possibly even 1,000 miles. 

I’ve additionally been on the espresso beat for the higher a part of a decade and examined extra burr grinders than I care to recall. Nevertheless, the C40 MK4 hand espresso grinder is the one I’ve been drawn to essentially the most: It’s served me on a number of continents and by no means fallen out of order. It’s lived on my kitchen countertop beside my espresso machine, French press, and moka pot for a number of years now, and I don’t envision it going wherever quickly.

Why the Comandante Handheld Espresso Grinder Is Superior

Should you fancy the most effective cup of espresso accessible to humanity, make no mistake about it: Other than getting your arms on the freshest beans you may, there’s nothing like a very good burr grinder. In any case, a espresso grinder is simply pretty much as good as its burrs. (On the danger of being offensive, I say that blade grinders don’t rely.) 

So, hear me out: Should you’re not prepared to spend over $500 on a espresso grinder, take into account investing within the handheld Comandante C40 MK4. 

It’s a spendy little ditty, to make certain, but it surely incorporates high quality elements, with out the flowery electronics and enormous footprint of a countertop grinder. Certain, it’s slower. You’ll get a little bit of an upper-body exercise, and making greater than a few cups of espresso is a tall order, however we’re speaking about java match for royalty, in spite of everything. And the rationale espresso brewed from the Comandante is so nice comes all the way down to the burrs.

If you’re grinding espresso, consistency is essential. Regardless of how contemporary the beans are or what your brewing methodology is, the grounds must be even. That is decided by the burrs, or the milling contraption throughout the grinder. The extra finely, exactly machined the burrs are, the extra even your grounds shall be. Missing bells and whistles, the Comandante dedicates the majority of its engineering to the burrs—on this case, high-alloyed, high-nitrogen chrome steel that gained’t lose its edges until you attempt actually exhausting to destroy it. 

These high-quality burrs guarantee evenly floor espresso. Too many “fines,” or minuscule, powdery grinds, and you find yourself with over-extracted sludge that imparts an unwelcome bitterness. Too many “boulders,” or massive particles, and also you get an under-extracted brew that doesn’t do the job both. In our check of handheld espresso grinders (and with my very own utilization), the C40 MK4 outperformed each different grinder when making 600/800-micron grounds for pour-over espresso.

This brings us to a different advantage of a small, simply adjustable handheld grinder: Whilst you won’t churn out half a dozen espressos in a jiffy, it’s simple to are likely to this grinder and its burrs. It’s ill-advised to regulate a grinder between wonderful and coarse settings, as, considerably like a bicycle’s gears being modified too quick, it might knock issues out of whack. With the Comandante, it’s slightly simpler to regulate shifting between grind settings, due to an ergonomic grind-setting dial embossed with instructions: counterclockwise for coarser grounds, clockwise for finer ones. (A tip for espresso fanatics: Take into account the Pink Clix, a secondary axle that doubles the roughly 40 manufacturing unit settings, in case you wish to dial in your wonderful grounds extra precisely.)

The Comandante can also be simple to wash—which it’s best to do with any burr grinder infrequently. Simply flip the dial counterclockwise till it pops off, and also you’ll have immediate entry to the burrs. Additional, electrical machines are likely to get scorching, which heats the espresso beans as they grind and might result in inconsistencies in measurement.

Being 2.4 inches by 6.3 inches (and about 1.5 kilos), it’s additionally small and transportable, so I can take it on the street. It’s simple to dial within the grind measurement, and, inside one or two check brews, have an ideal cup of joe out of something from a French press pitcher to a moka pot, whether or not in a luxurious lodge or an Airbnb, or over an open fireplace alongside some distant shoreline. I take deep solace in that. It’s the little issues.

FAQs

How do I do know if my grinder burrs are worn out?

The simplest method to inform in case your burrs are worn out (or at the least require inspection and/or cleansing) is that if your grinder begins to underperform, turning out inconsistent grounds.

Why We’re the Consultants

• Owen Burke is a author who has reported on espresso, kitchenware, outside gear, boats, the surroundings, and extra.
• He’s been on the espresso beat for the higher a part of a decade and examined dozens of espresso grinders. 
• He makes use of the Comandante C40 MK4 for the whole lot from moka pot to French press espresso at house, afield, and generally afloat.