If you’ve been reading my posts lately, you’ll know how serious I am about my coffee. A month ago, I was trying to figure out how to deal with “the last mile”, as it were, when it comes to coffee making on the road. Namely, I don’t like to buy pre-ground coffee but prefer to grind my own. And when I say ‘grind’, I mean grind, not blend (the flavours are much better, since more of the bean oil comes out in the process). I was looking for a grinder that didn’t need a power source.
I bought the Innoo portable grinder and OMG what a difference it makes! Now, I take it everywhere with me. Whenever I travel, I pack the Innoo grinder, my Osaka mesh coffee filter and a bag of beans, which means I get my coffee just the way I like it, so long as I have access to hot water. If you want to pack lighter, you could always take the Wacaco portable espresso maker.
First off, let me be honest and say that using the Innoo is a bit of a workout. When you fill it to the top with beans and move the settings dial to grind the coffee into a fine powder suitable for espresso makers, it will take 1-2 minutes to grind all the beans (depending upon how fast you turn the handle).
Because the Innoo is tall and slim, the circumference isn’t large, which means that gripping it with one hand and turning the other with the handle will be tiring. That’s because you have to grip the Innoo tightly when it catches on a bean and stop it spinning in your hand. This can be fatiguing. I often take a short break, while I’m doing it. Alternatively, I do it sitting down and rest the Innoo on my leg, which makes things easier.
The Inoo breaks down into three components: (1) the bean container, (2) the grinds container, and (3) the handle. The bean container has a knob on the bottom of it that allows you to set the distance of the burrs in order to determine how finely ground you want your coffee to be.
The knob for adjusting how coarse or fine to grind
Some might say that ‘working for your coffee’ makes it taste better (psychologically). Perhaps. But I have no doubt that using this Burr grinder makes my coffee taste better.
I found a nice Tupperware container that fits the Innoo perfectly when it’s broken down for packing.
There are other portable burr coffee grinders on the market, so if the Innoo Tech is out of stock, I’m assuming the others will do a similarly good job.
Here is a similar alternative:
Leave a Reply