Comandante C40 Hand Grinder - Roadshow & Lottery

[Bassguy]

Used it again today, same beans, same tech, but I closed the burrs by 5 clicks. No more boulders, same-ish fines, still kind of meh taste? I might brew these beans with the LIDO tomorrow to see if it's just the NEWB roasting the beans and not the grinder.
My impression so far stands, it grinds pretty fast and is easy to adjust, providing you know how many clicks you like. I estimate I am about 20 to 40 clicks away from closed. Just a guess.

[Bassguy]

It's the beans. I haven't learned how to adjust for a drastically colder outside temp when roasting.
Yesterday I used the LIDO using the same tech and beans, and counted nearly 100 turns. A small improvement over the C40, still bland.
Today I used the C40 with the same tech and beans, counting 50 turns. This thing is fast!
I'm sipping it now and it's comparable to the LIDO brew yesterday.
If I wanted to get crazy with it I'd spend more time exploring all the brew methods I have (Aeropress, CCD, Impress and Eva Solo) but I do really like my LIDO. I'll be happy with it for long time I think and don't see the need to replace it. However if I ever go on tour again, I'll likely get a c40 for the road. Thanks for the opportunity to play with it!
On to the next guy!

[BoldJava]

Ray is next.  He is so infatuated with that bucket of chrome he won't even be able to spin the Commandante.

[Ray T]

Comandante arrived today, so far I love it.

Ray is next.  He is so infatuated with that bucket of chrome he won't even be able to spin the Commandante.

Yep I looked at it the whole time I was roasting on the Hottop and Behmor today 
Any word on your deal?

[sonnyhad]

What? You still roast on them ol roasters?

[sonnyhad]

Where are we with the Commandant? Its hard to be last, I tell ya!

[Ray T]

Milo has it, now you just have to hope he doesn't like it much 

[sonnyhad]

Thanks Ray!
How you coming with that new roaster? There's many of us on here withroaster envy, that's for sure!

[milowebailey]

Milo has it, now you just have to hope he doesn't like it much 

The grinder didn't show up before we came up to the cabin for the holidays.  I'll be home on Thursday and then dig into the grinder.

Stay tuned.

[Ray T]

Hopefully someone told Milo he was to try it not store it,we all know what happened to Tex"s Sono 

[milowebailey]

Hopefully someone told Milo he was to try it not store it,we all know what happened to Tex"s Sono 

Someone has the sono story backwards...

I did spend the day yesterday playing with the Comandante.  Like all Able products, I'm mostly impressed.  Sexy grinder, great for pourovers, but I could not get a fine enough grind for espresso.... close, but no cigar.  It seems to be mis-aligned a little bit so this could be the reason for it not grinding fine enough..... the burrs rub on one side so I didn't dare adjust any finer.  I don't know if it's the plastic insides or if there is a way to align the burrs better.  Wish I had more time to tinker with it.

I also think it needs just a little bigger container to hold the ground coffee in case you want to make more than 2 cups.....

The wood handle was great, but the slick sides of the grinder body were not easy to grip.

The adjustments were easy to make...

Overall this grinder would look great in my office... easy to fly under the radar it's so officey.....

who's next?

[sonnyhad]

Scareyourpassenger is next, i sent him my address to finish it out. Haven't heard a thing in a week.

[ScareYourPassenger]

Well, I gave the grinder a shot this morning. I sacrificed some beans to dial it in and loaded it up with some beans that Milo had packed with it. I am not sure what it was but it had such a nice sweet and complex citrus smell when ground. Unfortunately, I think the grinder ruined it. At a setting that I thought would be great for the Chemex Kone pour over,  I got about 80% of the ground coffee that had a great shape and size while the rest was fines. In the cup it get the grit and I have never has so much sediment at the bottom of the Chemex when using my Precisio.

On the plus side, it is a well built grinder and I love the materials chosen. The size is great for travel, the handle is comfortable and it seems like a better option compared to the mini porlex that I owned before.

I will dial it in finer, and lower the temp of the water a bit and see if the sediment improves.

[ScareYourPassenger]

Better results and more consistent with a finer setting. Still not as good as the precisio or lido but a decent first attempt on this with great construction and design elements such as the built in popper stopper, magnetic handle attachment and wood covered body.

Also, it seemed the wrong size for my hand to be comfortable but others may be fine.

Packed up and ready to go out today.

[ecc]

Just in case you are wondering. The Mazzer hoppers are a perfect fit for this grinder..

Awesome