KitchenAid BCG100 Electric Blades Grinder

Okay, so what am I doing trying out a blade grinder when I already own, and am happy with, a Capresso Infinity? Long story short; a friend wants to know what kind of inexpensive grinder to carry, but doesn't know a heck of a lot about them. He knows I do, gives me a couple to try out so that I can give him my feedback, and help him decide which would be the best to sell.

I am not going to go into a lot of detail with comparisons from one blade grinder to the next, as this review is for the KA blade grinder. The Braun and the Krups that I also tested were wholly unremarkable, and do not really merit consideration unless you really are on a budget, and you can find one for five bucks in a thrift store. The Kitchen Aid is a different story, however. I was even impressed enough to finally decide I should write a review on it here.

First of all, this is one hunka-hunka machine. It tips the scales at 2 lbs. 6 oz. This is nearly a pound more than this grinder's nearest competition, and about as heavy as many of the cheaper burr grinders. Where does all this weight come from? This bulky fella has a 200 watt motor, heavy duty stainless steel blade that is twice the thickness of those on other blade grinders, a stainless steel grinding bowl, and heavy duty plastic housing. Imagine a little Krups whirly mill; this is your grinder. Now, picture the KitchenAid; this is your grinder on steroids (rumor has it that the designers of this grinder will be testifying before a senate hearing on steroid use in appliances).

As a guy, I am always impressed with heft; if it's brawny, it's good. I hadn't even plugged this thing in yet, and I was already impressed with it. The stainless steel bowl, etched with measurement markings to aid in knowing how much you're grinding, is detachable for easy cleaning. You can even throw it in the dishwasher! The 4 oz. bowl is also designed with these two long vertical indentations that bulge out one on each side of the bowl to aid in keeping the coffee circulating down into the blades at a constant rate. This is intended to help the blades grind evenly, and as far as blade grinders go, it seems to do better than any others.

The clear polycarbonate top cover fits over the bowl, and pressing down on this activates the grinder. Here is what I really did not like about this grinder. The directions say not to 'pulse' the grinder. Okay, I'm the boss here, and I know that blade grinders don't work worth a darn unless you pulse them and shake them. Turns out that this is not a good idea with the KitchenAid. Once you push down on the cover, do not let up until you are reasonably sure that you have reached the grind consistency you want.
If you attempt to pulse the grinder, grinds will trickle down through the gap between the cover and the bowl. And shaking a nearly 2 1/2 pound grinder is just going to end up giving you a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Plus, if you lose your grip, you may end up giving someone a concussion, or worse.

Alright, so I have finally, and successfully determined the best method of using this little beast. Measure the beans I want, put them into the grinding bowl, place the top cover one, plug it in, and push down. The 200 watt motor doesn't struggle one bit with the full amount of beans. Peering down through the clear cover, I can see the beans being sucked down into a vortex, and bits and pieces being circulated back up, only to be sucked down again. This process is repeated until the blade has beaten the beans into little pieces. A gentle rocking back and forth doesn't hurt to make sure the beans are circulating properly at the beginning of the grinding. Once they have begun getting chopped up, just keep pushing down on the top cover.

I don't time my grind with a blade chopper. I just keep an eye on the grinds, and wait for them to be the size I want. I've got a pretty good eye for this, so I have never needed to count off the seconds. And the cover on this grinder makes it really easy to see the progress. Once I was done grinding, I removed the top cover, twisted the stainless steel bowl to remove it from the grinder base, and poured the grinds into my filter basket. As I was pouring, I kept an eye out for any big bits of beans that might not have gotten broken up. I was also able to judge how uniform the grind was; not near the uniformity of a really good conical burr grinder, but a lot better than any blade grinder I have ever used before. And the coffee that got pulverized to dust pretty much was left stuck to the bottom of the bowl, so did not empty into the filter basket with the rest of the coffee.

Okay, so here is a blade grinder that quickly beats the beans into submission, forcing them into little pieces that are fairly uniform and consistent in size. It didn't heat up the beans and ruin the flavor. After brewing a pot of coffee in my Farberware percolator, the coffee was, in taste and texture, indistinguishable from the coffee I had been making using my Infinity (I'm a little mad at my Infinity now, for having been matched by a blade grinder for this type of brewing). Bear in mind, I was also testing two other blade grinders here, and neither of them produced the same quality of brew; a little surprising for the Krups Fast Touch given its 200 watt motor.

I tested each blade grinder with different amounts of beans. Neither of the three, including the KitchenAid, were very adept when it came to grinding less than 4 coffee scoops of beans; a whole lotta shakin' going on. But, when it came to grinding to capacity, the KitchenAid clearly has the advantage with the larger 4 ounce grinding bowl. Like I said, less than four scoops of beans, and they do a lot of whacking and bouncing around in the bowl without always getting pulled down into the blade. So, just make more coffee, and pour what you don't drink into an insulated thermos for later.

Clean up for the KA was pretty simple. Twist the stainless steel bowl to remove it; brush small grounds off of the base; wash the bowl and top cover with warm soapy water; and the grinder is as clean as the day you bought it. I will admit, when it comes to ease of cleanup, I will always sacrifice a little bit of quality for this. If a grinder does a magnificent job, but is a major hassle to clean up after, it's not worth it to me.

While the Kitchen Aid is super easy to clean up after, it's still going to have severe limitations in its use. It is perfect for all kinds of drip, for percolators using a paper disk filter, and for really high quality presspots if you don't mind a bit of sludge. For stovetop moka pots, any kind of espresso machines, and possibly some vac pots, you need a good conical burr grinder. But for the average guy or gal who just wants a step up from pre ground canned coffee for their perc or drip, I honestly cannot think of a better grinder than this one.

My final word on this grinder. Obviously I cannot tell how long it would last with normal daily use. However, as someone who has spent a liftime working with electrical appliances and power tools, it just has that 'heft' that feels like it would last. The motor doesn't strain; all the parts fit together really well; it runs smoothly. As for how it is grinding coffee; if the only coffee I was ever going to make for the rest of my life was with my Farberware percolator and my Chemex, I would sell my $140 Infinity and keep this $30 grinder without hesitation.