This is just what I was about to post about. I just returned from Taiwan, and one of my favorite acquisitions was a new grinder, a miniature version of the industrial Fei-yin (Flying Eagle) grinder (see photo 1). The price was right, ranging from ~$70 for a mainland Chinese made knock-off to ~$220 from a brand-name department store. I went for the Taiwanese-made ("Made Well in Taiwan") grinder for $100 from a professional supply shop. When I home to the U.S. the other day, I whipped out the tools and removed the front dial to look at the burrs, and was very disappointed to find this (see photo 2). The burrs are roughly molded. Photo 3 is an over-exposed picture of the machine-mounted side of the burrs. Now I see what the difference is between $100 and >$500.The dial has 20 settings, labeled from 1-10. I found that 4 was way to coarse for siphon, so I dialed it down to 1.5. That is perfect for my Hario with cloth filter. I doubt this will work for espresso in my Francis!Francis!, though. Bummer!
So here is a new question: Could I replace these burrs with machined, sharp burrs that will cut the bean and not just smash it? Does it really matter in the long run?
In the end, I am still happy, because this baby looks good on the counter, and the hum it makes is quiet and makes me think I am in a Taiwanese coffee shop whenever I hear it.
