Jura-Capresso 560 Electric Burr Grinder

What have we come to when we worry about our coffee beans to the extent that a grinder can cost hundreds of dollars? I mean, is this really necessary?

I would argue that it is, and this grinder offers a good value, considering the quality of the ground coffee. It is moderately priced too.

The cheapest and best known grinder is called a blade grinder. It is shaped like a tall soup can, with a plastic cup on top to cover the ingredients you put into the cutting area. They generally have a push button that you hold down until you have ground things to your liking, then let go. It stops quickly when you let go. There are two blades, like a propeller, spinning very fast and cutting while they spin.

These work great for herbs, nuts, even very hard dry cheese. They are miniature food processors, and not meant for coffee at all.
Using one for coffee is a disaster.  If nothing else, removing that plastic cup on top makes a mess, since the ground coffee is now inside the grinder, near the blade. It's not in the plastic cup, unless you turn the whole thing over, tap it a few times, then remove the cup.

Cleaning it out entails sticking your finger or something into the blade area and trying to dislodge the remaining grounds. There will be a lot of powdery grounds.

Also, the amount of time needed to grind the beans in this type of device is hard to determine. If you don't hold the button long enough the coffee is too chunky. If you hold it too long the grind will be too powdery for drip coffee. And, within the cup itself the ground coffee won't be uniformly sized either.  What a mess-  forget it


Let's switch our thinking to a burr grinder now-- There are actually a couple of ways burr grinders may be built. One method is to have two plates parallel to each other, and direct the beans between the plates, and then automatically expel the ground coffee out of a chute into a container.

This type is known as a wheel grinder, and is exactly how grains were ground with stone wheels (stone ground wheat). In a coffee grinder they run fast, are loud, and produce a somewhat irregular ground coffee. They also create some heat, just like the 1st type of grinder I described, the blade grinder. In fact, heat is the enemy of grains too, causing some deterioration of the quality of the flour or meal.

The wheel grinders are the next most expensive, after the blade grinders. One reason they are not held in as high regard as the next type- the conical burr grinder is because the coffee grounds are not very uniform in size, and most likely contain quite a bit of fine powdery coffee. Another negative is that when grinding oily coffee beans they clog quite readily. The amount of noise can be extreme too.

Generally regarded as the  best grinders you can get are the conical burr grinders. The burr spins noticeably slower than the wheel model, which makes them quieter and less messy. They are not likely to clog, like the other kinds of grinders.

Unlike the wheel style of grinders, this conical type uses one grinder that is similar to the wheel, and one that is funnel shaped on top of the wheel grinder. When the beans enter they are literally funneled down and cut as finely as desired using slow speed. Also, the essential oils won't be harmed, and the ground coffee exits quickly, making it more likely that the final product will be uniform in size.

Now, let's get to the specifics of this model.  It uses the conical style burrs.

The Capresso 560 is a model that has been made for many years, essentially exactly the same. It is a proven design, gets uniformly good reviews, and I think it is quite excellent for the 'average' coffee drinker who appreciates good coffee.The noise level is quite low, and the design is very good for its purpose.

It has a clear hopper on top, with a tight fitting top where you put the whole beans. It is not air tight, and is completely open on the bottom, where the beans enter the grind mechanism area. I would not leave beans in there for more than a few days if I was concerned about the freshest beans. However, if you grind each day, then by all means just keep the hopper full.

When grinding, the coffee comes out of the spout opening fairly quickly. It falls straight down into the cup just under it, which slides into the body of the grinder. The rate of producing ground coffee will depend to some degree on how fine the grind is you select.

The fineness of the grind is selectable by turning the entire top container, and will allow a very large range of grind. In the front, below the container is the timer. It is manual, meaning that the farther you turn it the longer the grinder runs. It is not designed to be used as a switch to stop the grinder. If necessary to stop it quickly you should unplug the cord. Yes, this sounds unusual, and it is in my experience.
You will have to experiment a few times with different settings to see how much time you need. I simply turn it completely to the right and let it grind the maximum time.   Doing it this way the ground coffee will not overfill the cup underneath. 
If you don't remove the grounds after one complete turn though,  a second complete cycle will definitely grind more coffee than the cup can hold. I simply remove the cup and empty the grounds, then replace it and grind another full cycle.

The grounds container is also clear plastic, and as such there will be static, guaranteed.  That is the nature of a plastic cup. The amount of static will vary, but expect to have some. This results in some grounds ‘sticking' to the machine or the cup itself.  I sometimes wipe a damp dish cloth over it to reduce some static cling.

Cleaning the unit consists of turning the top beans container counter-clockwise, and removing it. This will allow you to then pull the top burr out and brush inside the mechanism to dislodge grounds or powder.
I recommend that you run the machine until empty before taking the burr out. If not there will be some uncut or partially cut beans in there.

The brush provided with it helps to clean the spout area where the grounds exit into the cup. I take the grounds cup off and wash it, along with the top burr assembly. The burrs are stainless, so washing it won't do any harm.

I have used only whole bean coffee for many years, and appreciate the full flavors that fresh ground coffee can offer.  That is why I have used a grinder for so long.  This is a solidly built high value item, and I expect many years of use.

If you have a membership to a shopping club (Costco, Sams) whole beans are readily available, and often very cheap, sometimes for shade grown, coop, fair trade coffee.

Check the difference in price at a coffee shop or high end grocery store against one of the clubs.  With access to good quality beans at good prices I enjoy my fresh beans without needing to get a second job.