Retro Manual Grinder

Description

A box grinder in the old shape: a hardwood body, a cast crank on top and a small drawer underneath that catches the grounds. The burrs are stainless steel rather than the soft cast iron the originals used, so the grind holds its setting instead of drifting coarser through a bag of beans.

Adjustment is the nut under the crank — a quarter turn tighter for espresso, two turns looser for a French press. There are no numbers on it, which takes about a week to get used to and then stops mattering.

Thirty grams a fill, roughly ninety seconds for two cups. The drawer is the part people buy it for: it pulls out with one finger and holds a full dose without spilling on the counter. Wipe the burrs with a dry brush, never with water.