I've been quite busy lately, but I've been wanting to share this topic for a long time. I’ve been using a pour-over coffee machine for about two years and now I’m finally writing to share my experience with it. Although I rarely write about grinders, so I’ll put on my helmet before I start.
Comandante C40 grinder coffee flavor performance
After about a year and a half of use, I think this grinder is well worth it. If you want to get it right in one step, it's definitely worth a try.
The flavor of this grinder is very "clean, clear, just the right level, not too much, not too little." I usually use it to brew most of my coffee beans, because I think the flavor it brews is very stable, clean, and meets the taste I want. It doesn’t have too much fine powder/residual powder, and I mostly use its recommended hand grinding degree of 23-27. The ground coffee powder will not be too clogged. According to my experience, use "V60, 101 cone type" or "155 flat bottom filter cup", 20 grams of coffee powder, and normally add water in steps 1-3. Most of the time, it is maintained at 2 :00-2:30 seconds, the flow rate is very good, the fault tolerance rate is also acceptable, and it is very stable.
The flavor expression of the Comandante C40 grinder is why I like using it
Since I started using this hand-brewed coffee machine, up to now, the probability of it appearing is more than 70%. I think the flavor it brings out is very clean, but not too thin, and has a very good layering, which is in line with my taste. So why it is sought after all over the world may be one of the factors. The clear flavor allows you to taste the flavor of each coffee bean, which is unbiased and can be presented authentically.
So basically the above is the reason why I really like using it.
As a manual coffee grinder, is it durable?
Another important point is that it is very durable. Sometimes I even remove the cutter head to clean it. The cutter head has not broken even after 2 years of use. I think the quality control of German manufacturing is very good, because I tried other brands of grinders when I first started, from the cheapest ceramic cutterhead to now. A good cutterhead design can reduce a lot of trouble. And it is easy to disassemble, clean and maintain. Sometimes other brands of grinders, no matter which model they are, may break after you use them for a year. I am not talking about grinding too fine or raw beans. , but when the grinding is shallow to deep, the number of uses is not many, the price is about a thousand yuan, and the cutter head is broken after less than 50 uses. So I think that's something you also need to consider because of the consumables purchase cost.
Disadvantages of the Comandante C40 grinder
The feel of using it will be worse
If the above are its advantages, then I will talk about its disadvantages. The first point I think is that it feels relatively poor. If you are a newbie, you may find it very difficult to grind beans during the first dozen or twenty times you use it because it is relatively large. If your hands are thin, it may be difficult for you to grind beans. Grabbing it, and even more difficult if you have sweaty hands. So it also comes with some elastic bands to increase friction and make grinding beans easier for you. Of course, once you are familiar with the beginning, you will actually feel that it is very good later.
Heavier weight, needs familiarity to use with confidence
The second factor that might put people off is its weight. In fact, this is similar to the previous reason. When you hold it, if you don't hold it firmly, you may have to try a few times to get it firmly. Also, when grinding beans for the first time, you need to find the center of gravity and be familiar with the grinder. It will make it easier for you to operate.
Basically, the above two points are what I heard the most, and they are also what I practiced when I first used it. Later, you will find that you will actually like it very much. I can't think of other big problems for the time being.
Is it an expensive choice if newcomers enter the specialty coffee circle?
Of course, if you are new to the game, you can choose it in the second or third part. It may be a little expensive to start with hand-brew coffee/specialty coffee at the beginning, but you have to think about it, if you can get it right in one step within 1-2 years, after you have it, you can buy one less thing and don’t have to buy it again. For other grinders, compared to buying them all the time, the purpose is to get better coffee quality. Spending HK$2,000-2,500 at the beginning may be a worthwhile "investment".
Summary and thoughts on the Comandante C40 grinder in the end
If you want a more detailed flavor analysis, I'll open another thread when I get a chance. To put it simply for now, the above are my general thoughts. Recently, I am also waiting for the C60 grinder to go on sale. If there is a chance, I will order one to try or do a group purchase. I’ll try to keep an eye on it this week (laughs).
As for the C40, I think all the questions that need to be answered have been answered. Of course, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me or leave a message below and I will try my best to reply. One more thing I almost forgot to mention is that I should add C40 to the coffee equipment rental series to facilitate comparison and allow you to try it out before making a decision. Details should be announced next week.
The equipment introduced this time: Comandante C40 grinder
About coffee equipment rental page:Rental | COMANDANTE C40 MK4 Manual Coffee Grinder | Coffee Stage coffee stage (shopifypreview.com)
