I was curious if anyone here collects antique coffee grinders? I started with small ones. Arcade and spong. Now have double wheel mills. I can post pics if interested .
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I was curious if anyone here collects antique coffee grinders? I started with small ones. Arcade and spong. Now have double wheel mills. I can post pics if interested .
Used to; but they and the espresso machines lurked and smiled from every nook and shelf of my small dwelling place. They were lots cheaper than owning and flying small aircraft as a hobby. So i sold them and started accumulating razors and things that go with them...
Wonder why I ever thought the coffee equipment was taking up too much room!:thinking:
~Richard
Lol. Razors are smaller but I would not say cheaper . Easy to have 300 razors. I also collect antiques kerosene lamps and heaters.
I think you'd have to be a really sick guy to collect coffee grinders. :thinking:
I have 5 of them ...... like any normal person ..... :o .... 4 vintage Zassenhaus, and one modern Kitchen Aid electric. :beer2:
Please don't ask about Hunter cast iron ceiling fans ............ :p
Lol. Antique hunter fans?
I think I have 7 double wheel grinders. I just recently was luck to get a no 18 star coffee grinder. It's over 5 ft tall. Store model type. I heard they were just display but I highly doubt it. If true there would be more and in better shape if that was the case.
Funny you mention it. A coffee import guy just moved into town. I been seeing pallets of bags rolling into his warehouse and wondering. I have to get more bang for my buck than I am getting out of my everyday Starbucks habit. 12 cups of Mr. coffee then a Starbuck run everyday should afford me a better tasting habit. Although I would miss my Carmel Frapp for lunch. I suppose I could do without the sugar but if I quit drinking caffeine I would dehydrate and die in a week.
I had one when I lived out past the hydro lines. It was a while ago, I have no idea what it was or more importantly where it went. It was wall mounted with a crank handle and a little drawer that the grounds fell into. It was very fast. I miss it.
I would not say I collect them but i also have several old kerosene lamps, a couple were my great grand parents and the others were around from the same I was living past the hydro era.
It is always interesting to hear about an item you didn't really think about collecting before. I don't collect coffee grinders, or drink coffee for that matter.:p My parents have a really old wood grinder with the turn handle on top and a drawer in the bottom. I'm not sure if it is in working condition though.
Do you use any of them regularly, or are they just display pieces?
I use one regularly and restoring the others to useable condition
We had a small commercial, hand operated coffee grinder in the neighborhood grocery store that I grew up in in Chicago. Stopped using it once pre-ground coffee became readily available. Was still there, somewhere, in the store when my folks sold the store in 1956. Wish they had taken it with them 'cause I'd have it now (the only sentimental, old stuff lover in the family.)
Useful and accurate information on grinders in one place:
orphanespresso.com/500-Grinders
I worked with, sold to, and bought from, these folks for about 6 years. They changed direction about three years back to manufacture hand grinders to better standards:Orphan Espresso Manual Coffee Grinders
~Richard
Lets see some pics nick.Have never owned one but some are beautiful machines.
This is a star no 18 coffee mill. This what I plan to restore mine too
Attachment 200973
This is a star coffee mill no 7. All original .
Attachment 200974
Attachment 200975
Fairbanks
Zassenhaus ;
Attachment 200980Attachment 200981
Zounds Zimmy, zats znice!
Zank you Zer .......... :rofl2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
I bought my girlfriend one of the narrow ones you have.
I love fresh ground coffee! Doesn't have to be anything exotic, but it's sure good fresh! I was always curious about how good one of the antique ones would work. Do any of you guys still use them?
They call those 'knee grinders' because of the concave sides. You can sit with the grinder held between the knees for stability while grinding. I've used all of them that are in the photos, and the one at the top, on the left, known as the Brilliant, is the best of the bunch AFAIC. Prized by Zass collectors judging by ebay results. All are very good at what they do IME. Oddly enough, the double door model is not much larger in capacity than the others shown. Just really cool to have. There are two others that I would like to acquire from a collecting point of view, a side handle grinder, and a really old open hopper model. I'm done with acquiring grinders though.Quote:
Originally Posted by nicknbleeding
Yup, and I just bought my last razor!Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Have a couple of those,use them for grinding pepper and spices.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
I've read that Zassenhaus made spice grinders, but I'm not sure if they are any different in design. I've focused on the coffee grinders. One suggestion I've read and followed, when buying a used grinder.Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
Grind dry rice in it for a hopper or two, to carry out any residue left in the grinder. Old coffee, spices, whatever.
For coffee drinkers a hand grinder is good to have in case of power loss. Ten years ago when I lost power for 10 days once, and 12 days another time, due to storms, I was really glad to have my hand grinder and butane camp stove.
Parboiled rice like the Uncle Ben's Converted. Regular is too hard and not good for the grinders.
We do not have a lot of power outages but every time we have one I swear I will get, a manual coffee grinder, a headlamp, and a large emergency lamp....still haven't gotten any of the three.....for coffee during one power outage I had to use a Japanese mortar and pestle (suribachi) to grind beans....it worked but made a hell of a mess.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Over 15 or 20 years I collected dozens of coffeemakers (mostly old vacpots) and one Mazzer Mini. End of collection now except new burrs every 500-lbs. Power fails? I am OK with tea but Mrs. Moo is doomed. (Really should get a Zass to insure her survival.)
I honor the restoration of antique grinders.
I rarely use the "Empire Red" KitchenAid grinder -- so noisy! -- but the Zassenhaus gets used every morning (don't want to disturb the neighbors in the pre-dawn hours). I bought both of them on eBay: the Zassenhaus, first, later on, the KitchenAid. I admit to preferring the Zassenhaus.
Attachment 201068
For years, I home roasted coffee; last year, I called it quits; now I only drink Eight O'Clock, and prefer their Colombian Peaks.
I have about 1/2 a dozen head lamps so could possibly reduce your deficit by 33.3r percent :)Quote:
Originally Posted by WW243
we also have a turkish pepper/ spice grinder that I could use in a pinch I suppose then for heat I can just use my mapp Gas torch. Though as most power outages round my way are from storms or bushfire I have a 50/50 of not needing the torch.
1/2 dozen head lamps! Sounds like they may have had a job origin.....thanks Ed for the offer, I'll eventually purchase the emergency stuff...probably the next time I have to fabricate a coat hanger holder for my mini maglite to read in bed at night.Quote:
Originally Posted by edhewitt
How very dare you sir. i will have you know that i purchased at least 1/6 of them :)Quote:
Originally Posted by WW243
