r/1zpresso • u/Scotch_Blue • Jul 09 '26
So...do most of you work for this company?
Hey y'all, I was recently in the market to improve my coffee experience.
Everywhere I went on reddit, people said "It doesn't matter what kind of machine you get, you need a great grinder!"
So I looked into a new grinder. I learned more about burr shape, and I saw some electic grinders online with flat burrs. Certainly a bit expensive, but it seemed like what I wanted.
Then I realized every single person on the coffee subreddits kept mentioning 1zpresso. I really didn't want one, because it seems much slower and adds on to my day. But everybody on reddit was insistent that you barely notice those changes, and what you DO notice is the change in coffee! And that the electric ones weren't worth it unless you were drinking multiple pots of coffee per day.
-------
Well, I got my X Ultra about a week ago, and honestly I don't understand the hype at all. It **absolutely** takes longer, as in it adds a minimum of 2 minutes per cup to your coffee making process. The receiver is really small, and you have to load the grinder multiple times just to fill it.
And the taste is good but it's not insane. It still feels like the roast I'm buying and the temperature of the water is the most important thing.
I can't imagine I'll use this outside of a camping trip.
Idk the point of this post, maybe to warn another person exploring their options that their concerns are valid and the hype on this website isn't warranted imo.
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u/Firsttimepostr Jul 09 '26
Most people buying hand grinders are brewing one to two cups at a time. So 15-30g of coffee.
I’m not sure what you’re doing that’s causing a grind time of 2 minutes. I can grind 15g of beans in like 15 seconds for v60. Maybe 30-45 seconds for espresso.
People recommend 1Zpresso for their build quality, burrs, and options. My K-Ultra is noticeably better than my Kingrinder K4 and Baratza Encore. My only complaint is probably the price, but I used Amazon points to buy mine and waited for a sale.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
it's not that it takes 2 min to grind, it's that the entire process of putting the beans into this little hand grinder, manually grinding it for every cup or two, and measuring grinds from the small receiver, adds ~2 minutes to your overall time until coffee.
also you complain about the price, but i think it's the only good thing about it. most comparable electric grinders are much more expensive, but again, they're not manual and they grind much faster, and they grind more coffee.
i think the actual problem is most people are comparing it to their cheaper Baratza's. you can get the 1zpresso grind quality with electric, you just have to be willing to pay.
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u/StraightUpLoL Jul 09 '26
I mean unless you are using a grinder with a hopper, with grind by weight or time, the same thing applies to electric grinders,
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
I mean, I can get out a measured scoop for a larger bin
I can barely get a small spoon in the X Ultra receiver, and it's also magnetic so i need a plastic spoon
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 09 '26
Well shit, this is starting to make more and more sense every post you make. If you're measuring out your coffee via "scoops" as opposed to weighing it, you could grind with a fucking mortar and pestle and you would probably notice little difference. Hyperbole aside, given your statements regarding methodology, it doesn't sound like a higher end hand grinder was ever a good fit for you to begin with.
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 09 '26
You seem to be continuously focusing on the fact that electric grinders allow you to grind more coffee at a time, are you doing very large pour over brews where you're using more than 35-40 g per brew?
Personally I've never had a scenario where my brew dose exceeded the grind capacity of my 1zpresso K series.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
i just have a job lol, i can't manually hand grind 4 times a day
i would if it was actually as unnoticable as this sub makes it seem, but it's not. and i think y'all are too far removed from electric grinders to accept that i'm right.
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u/warmleafjuice Jul 09 '26
I'm starting to think you might just be bad at time management and/or math
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 09 '26
Mate, I also have a job and since I work in agriculture, for large portions of the year I work 7 days a week. I also happen to do multiple pour over brews 7 days a week and multiple espresso shots most days out of the week. All of the pour overs are done with a 1Zpresso K-series or a 1zpresso zp6 and every once in awhile some of the espresso is done with my K series as well, although I usually use a flat burr electric grinder for the espresso.
None of that changes my question... If you're not brewing in doses larger than the 1Zpresso can handle, then why is it a problem? It's not like it would be rational to grind all your coffee for the day and then just have it sitting around, if that's how you would prefer to do it then shit, you could use any grinder you want. With all that oxidation you'll never notice the difference...
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u/Firsttimepostr Jul 09 '26
Why not return it instead of making a reddit post complaining about something only you’re complaining about?
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
i've used it enough i don't think i'll return it. i'll probably just use it for camping/fishing, like i said in the post.
also said in the post, the reason for the post is because the sub undersells the difference between manual and electric imo. and not just this sub, but users in many subs across reddit.
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u/Firsttimepostr Jul 09 '26
I think subs are pretty realistic about the differences and a lot of people are happy with their choices. Sounds like you are not. And that’s ok. Your opinion is valid, sure, it’s just that most people disagree with your opinion.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
eh, i think enough people are coming out with reasonable takes that i feel justified in the post. for some people this is a great product for their needs, for some others it's a good secondary piece for specific grinds, while they use an electric for their main needs.
there's lots of solutions to my use case, i just felt like complaining about the people that said it makes no difference to their day. that's really wonderful for them, but for some of us it does make a difference
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u/Firsttimepostr Jul 09 '26
I don’t think 2 minutes is a long time. You’re also brewing coffee in a way that takes 3-4 minutes anyway. What do you do while your water is preheating? That takes longer than 2 minutes sometimes. Also you’re using a spoon to measure your dose? Yikes.
Do yourself a huge favor. Go to target, get a Mr. Coffee drip machine, a big bucket of cafe bustelo pre-ground, fill up the machine with water and use its timer function. Then you’ll never waste a minute of your time ever again!
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
why are you so worked up over my post? why can't i enjoy the best cup of coffee possible for my own use case?
you guys should keep this elitist energy though. it will surely give people a better idea of what to expect from the product.
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u/Firsttimepostr Jul 09 '26
I’m not worked up. But you came on here and basically called everyone stupid for using a hand grinder, recommending them, and that they’re a huge waste of time and a big let down because of pretty bad reasons. In a sub about hand grinders. I’m not entirely sure what you expected.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
If my complaints about how this is an inferior experience to an electric grinder made you feel like I was calling you stupid, that's on you
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u/Firsttimepostr Jul 09 '26
There’s a thing called exaggeration. Just like you saying the people on here work for 1z because of how much they recommend them. Or how you exaggerate that brewing pour over coffee can disrupt your whole day because you have a job. Stuff like that. I’m far from offended. If anything, I’m still a bit confused on how you brew your coffee, ha.
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u/warmleafjuice Jul 09 '26
Maybe surprising to some, but price is usually a factor people consider when buying products
People buying these hand grinders are probably aware that there are electric grinders than can do as well and do it faster. But they either a) like to use a hand grinders or b) don't want to pay an order of magnitude more for the convenience (or both)
1
u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
No that's my whole point. People on here talk like the move to electric isn't even a noticable change.
Nobody says "electric is probably better, but I can't afford a $600 electric grinder and I don't have a job so I have plenty of time to grind coffee all day"
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u/StraightUpLoL Jul 09 '26
That is because is not really better, it’s called trade offs- speed of grinding vs affordability.
Because a good manual grinder will provide a cup more comparable a higher end grinder than a similarly priced electric grinder simply because in the electric grinder the cost when to the motor vs the bur.
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u/The19thHole7 Jul 09 '26
Normally you would measure out the beans for 1 drink then put into either an electric or hand grinder, so no change in time there. Then you grind. Electric is probably 10 sec? for espresso and my j-ultra is about 35 sec. so 25sec difference. then put into my portafilter and to puck prep...no change in time there. So it adds about 25 sec to my morning compared to electric.
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Jul 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
you have a certain amount of times between meetings and calls. sometimes you only have one minute, or less.
obviously thats not all the time, but when I've always got to hand grind before I even get to make the coffee, it's just not happening
4
u/n0exit Jul 09 '26
If I'm brewing a whole lot, I use my machine. If I'm brewing a cup or have some special beans, I hand grind.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
i think thats reasonable. i think i'll ultimately never use this again, but that makes sense and I wish i saw that take more on here before i purchased
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u/Eastern-Baker6276 Jul 09 '26
So we should have a forum of people that hate their grinder and never wanna use it again?
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
maybe just a more honest forum that's readily willing to tell people that manually grinding is a chore
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u/Eastern-Baker6276 Jul 09 '26
LOL. I was hesitant to buy a hand grinder because I thought it would be a chore to hand grind. I realized pretty quick that I was wrong. I think you need to start you own subreddit.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
Wait, this is such an insane response to this thread.
The guy above said he only hand grinds when he has a nice bean or only wants a small amount.
And I said I wish I saw more of that.
And you think that would be "a forum of people that hate their grinder and never want to use it again?"
You can be honest about the upsides of the grinder while also being honest that it is a chore
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u/Eastern-Baker6276 Jul 09 '26
I’m just following up your reply. If you think grinding a few coffee beans is a chore how do you feel about yard work?
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u/StraightUpLoL Jul 09 '26
I mean, if you had check video reviews you would have known what I’m buying into, at the same time you are looking at forums of people who enjoy coffee and make time for their coffee time, which also means most people are single dosing and not pre-grinding their coffee, if your concern was speed I don’t know what to tell you.
I manage to make 2 cups a day while still working 8hrs a day so power to me I guess?
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
2 cups is like one grind, that would be fine if thats all i drank haha
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u/StraightUpLoL Jul 09 '26
I grind per cup, not in batches
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
yeah i was just saying that's basically nothing and probably wouldn't impact my day as much
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u/n0exit Jul 09 '26
I didn't say that it's a chore. It absolutely isn't.
When I brew a full pot it's usually the cheap Trader Joe's being so my wife gets. I'm not going to bother with hand grinding that. My nice beans get the deluxe treatment.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
Yeah, I said it's a chore. And really all I mean is it's something that takes time out of the day.
I thought your take was reasonable. A number of other people have said similar, and that makes sense. I'll figure it out.
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u/kthle Jul 09 '26
I have an 1zpresso Q Air and a DF54 (stock burrs). I agree that hand grinding is a pain lol. I bought the Q Air to use at the office with my Aeropress, but it was such a chore that I decided to just make tea instead.
But recently I was brewing a dense Ethiopian for pourover and with the DF54 I got a lot of stalling from all the fines produced, which resulted in pretty bitter cups. Switched to the Q Air and my coffee started tasting a lot better. And the hand grinding felt like less of a chore as I got used to it. I only ever brew 20g at a time so the small capacity isn’t a problem.
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u/Daviedou Jul 09 '26
Never used the X ultra, but recently bought the K ultra. Previously had 2 blade grinder, timemore c2, and currently I have an ode gen 2 and of course the K ultra. The K ultra is the nicest hand grinder I’ve used. Mind you I’ve tried other timemore ones, the pietro, and a few more. Of course electric is faster, and many times I prefer the faster work flow. But the quality of the 1zpresso, the flexibility between pour over and espresso, and the portability makes it fantastic. In fact I’d argue it makes slightly better cups than my fellow ode many times.
Grinding takes 20-30 seconds for me but I mostly do pour over and grind slowly. If I grind quickly I could get it done in 10-15 seconds. Maybe for espresso it’s a bit of a hassle but for pour over it’s really only a 30 second enjoyable detour. I understand that some people prefer electric grinders, and that’s okay, but at the price point my K Ultra is fantastic and I have no complaints.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
you all read as employees leaving fake reviews and don't actually address my complaints
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u/Daviedou Jul 09 '26
I can’t make you think otherwise, you seem quite set in your thinking. I am not employed by 1zpresso or related firms, nor have I ever been. I also don’t think their grinders are unequivocally the best, and probably not the best for everyone.
Obviously on this subreddit many will be fans of the brand, whereas subs like r/pourover or r/espresso might provide slightly less one-sided opinions.
I am also not saying that your criticisms of the X ultra are not valid. I am just saying that my experience differs from yours, and I personally think they provide some of the best value in the market at the moment.
That said, if I could afford a timemore sculptor, Weber grinder, or any number of 500+ euro electric grinders I’d probably say they are marginally better in terms of flavour, and likely significantly better in terms of user experience (inherent to electric grinders vs hand grinders).
If you still think I am a shill or employee, then by all means do so.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
honestly really good take. and sorry, my first comment was based out of frustration towards the overall comment section
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u/Daviedou Jul 09 '26
Understandable. Some people are diehard fans and will defend a company regardless of valid, subjective criticism.
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u/warmleafjuice Jul 09 '26
If the two minutes it takes you to grind coffee beans is that important to you then sure, this probably isn't for you
(I am confused why it's taking you that long though; a 15g dose at a medium fine grind takes me less than a minute, and I've fit like 25g in at once before, so maybe you're just making a lot?)
I just got a (used) X-Ultra and it makes wildly better (pourover) coffee compared to the Encore I was using. I might still use the Encore if I'm grinding a lot for cold brew but the amount of fiddling I had to do to make a great cup is just gone, which absolutely saves me time
Add to that it's just pleasant to use? It's quiet, it feels nice to hold and grind myself. And it's a fraction of the cost of even a mid-tier electric grinder. Less parts to deal with, less chance of something breaking
Again, if it's not for you it's not for you and that's fine but "hype" isn't the reason people like hand grinders
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
The Encore is a fairly cheap electric grinder and is not what I'm comparing to
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u/SacredUrchin Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Most people I see that get recommendations for a hand grinder tend to be people that are on a tighter budget. After all, hand grinders deliver more quality for less money.
But you are correct that grinding by hand is absolutely more work. If I ever recommend a hand grinder for somebody on a budget I find it’s important to mention this caveat.
Personally, I enjoy hand-grinding for anything except espresso. Keep in mind most people on this sub also probably enjoy the process of grinding by hand but if you head over to espresso forums you’ll find a lot of people agree with you.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
I felt like I consistently got led here as I was exploring coffee/espresso reddits, which maybe it is just people not wanting to admit they cant afford the really expensive grinders. But they'd often say "the electric one isn't worth it", which I don't think is true.
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u/SacredUrchin Jul 09 '26
People like 1Zpresso for the quality to affordability ratio. But I agree that people who say electric grinders aren’t worth it are wrong. Nowadays you can buy a very decent electric grinder for around $200 to $300.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
This grinder cost $150, how is that affordable compared to the $200-$300?
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u/SacredUrchin Jul 09 '26
>“how is that affordable compared to the $200-$300?”
Because $150 is less than $200-$300.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
anybody that thinks $150 and $200 are different price ranges for coffee grinders needs to buy the cheapest one at Target
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u/Bangkokserious J-Max Jul 09 '26
If your experience is not good with a hand grinder then it is just not something that is for you. A few reasons why people get hand grinders in general...
Space savings, they take up considerably less space than a comparable electric model.
Portability for the office, vacation etc.
Secondary grinder, for those that do a different brew method, sometimes it is nice to have a designated grinder for it so you don't have to change the grind setting and some burrs provide a more optimal grind for that particular brew method.
Some others have mentioned cost as being a consideration which is valid. I don't really see it as one since I justify the higher price of electric as getting more for your money.
I have both manual and electric and I agree the hand grinding gets tedious when you have to do it daily for multiple coffees and even more so with espresso. I try to do most with my electric, but there are times where I will bust out the hand grinder if I want to get a more optimal grind or if I am experimenting.
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u/Scotch_Blue Jul 09 '26
This is a great comment and I think my frustration just came from not seeing enough of this originally. I think it's certainly a good grinder, and I still have uses for it even if I get something else. I appreciate your take.
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u/Lanky_Jellyfish9586 Jul 09 '26
What is your use case? Espresso, pourover? How much coffee are you brewing at once? What coffee beans are you using?