Multiple Brands - DF54 V3

DF54 v3 is a solid choice. A little over budget tho. I have the DF64 and it has been a phenomenal decision.

First thing, before anyone else says anything. Get a good grinder. Preferably an electric one, will be easy for you in the long term. DF54 is a good option, according to me (that is the cheapest). I doubt you want to roast coffee beans by yourself--that's a whole different ballgame. Better to get roasted beans from some good vendors. The rest depends on what kind of brews you plan to do? Some additional information would be helpful. French Press, V60, Espresso, Pour-over, Moka etc.? The equipment you need would depend on what kind of brew you want to make. If you're not sure, you can visit some good cafes near you (preferably small, indie types rather than something like Starbucks), and try different brews to see what you like. That will give you an idea about the kind of brew (and the beans) you can start with. You can also watch videos by coffee connoisseurs like James Hoffman, Lance Hedrick, Coffee Chronicles (underrated acc. to me) on YT to know more about coffee brewing! Hope it helps on your coffee journey.

There you go! You will need an espresso machine with a decent steaming wand. Lot of budget options--and some you can make it work for you with some workaround. Depends on your budget--I use a DeLonghi ECP33.21--extremely budget option, got it for around 10k, but it makes nice espressos with some temp-surfing. And with the wand workaround, it gives good microfoam for lattes. If you do not want the hassle of temp-surfing you can look at espresso machines with PID controller (technical term for a temperature controller--allows the espresso machine to set a temperature and hold it while brewing). The cheapest I've come across for that are the HiBrew models (Chinese), available through Fix Coffee. If you want non-Chinese machines, the cheapest with PID controller would be the Lelit Anna with PID (there's a non PID model as well)--available through Something's Brewing and Coffee.plus. The only issue is that it uses a non-standard portafilter size (57mm) so finding third-party accessories for it would be a pain. If you want to go with standard 58mm portafilter options, then you're looking at a whole lot of options like Lelit, Breville, Rancilio, Profitec (all brands, multiple models with each brand, with different feature set). Then there are tampers, WDT tools, portafilters, milk frothing jugs, and not to mention the most important thing--the beans themselves. It's a crazy world out there. My suggestion would be look at some James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick videos (and some from Tom's Coffee Corner, if you don't want to get too technical). Here's some links to start with: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb3IxAr4RCo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb3IxAr4RCo) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUc3lvF8mHM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUc3lvF8mHM) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwyNCbaQx0M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwyNCbaQx0M) Please note that these are baristas and specialists and some of their equipment would be quite fancy and expensive. But there are cheaper options available, and while expensive equipment can make good coffee, so can the cheaper ones (as these specialists themselves point out repeatedly). So don't be afraid to take the plunge if it seems too complex--it's a crazy, super crazy, but wonderfully rewarding hobby, especially if you enjoy coffee and the process of making it--nail down things one at a time, and you should be good to go.

I got it for around 27k from Fix Coffee. I think there's a discount code for first order (WELCOME10). With that, you can get it for around 26k. [https://fixcoffee.shop/products/df54-54mm-flat-burr-coffee-grinder](https://fixcoffee.shop/products/df54-54mm-flat-burr-coffee-grinder) If that's a bit steep, you can look at manual grinders. I would recommend 1ZPresso X-Ultra at the minimum: [https://fixcoffee.shop/products/1zpresso-x-ultra-manual-coffee-grinder](https://fixcoffee.shop/products/1zpresso-x-ultra-manual-coffee-grinder) Any electric grinders below DF54 are not good, I believe--and as most reviews will tell you. There's the Baratza Encore ESP. But that has mixed reviews. Any grinder you get, you want to make sure that you get one that is for Espresso (Espresso requires a finer grind than most other types of brews, and more importantly, the ability to finely adjust the grind size to get a good brew). P.S. - Not shilling for Fix Coffee here 😂 - but I've purchased a manual and electric grinder (DF54) from them--they were the cheapest, and provided good buying experience.

Where did you buy it. If you’re in the U.S. Cliff and Pebble has a 365 day return or upgrade policy that maxes out at a 20%restocking fee after 4 months of ownership, no restocking fee if you’re upgrading to a more expensive item. I ordered mine from them the other night using a 10% coupon code so I snagged a Black DF54 with Red Titanium burrs for $224.10

I have a DF54 version 3. No issues with static, 100 espresso shots so far. Metal Anti clamper with the square spout.

Light medium roasts? Df54 being flat burr will be the superior choice. Df54 does have red titanium burr upgrades that can be obtained https://www.grindlogic.com.au/products/df54-coffee-grinder?variant=52282420461752 and it's still under 500. There is also the filter burr set if you choose to go down that path.

Yea absolutely, you just won't have as much body/lingering taste compared to the filter burrs, but it's still tasty!

This is what I was thinking. I also have a DF54 for espresso and am considering a hand grinder for the very occasional pour over.

I actually haven’t taken my df54 apart or recalibrated it. I haven’t necessarily needed to. It’s been doing fantastic for pour over and my espresso needs. Of course when it starts to chirp or needs cleaning I will adjust as needed but for now I haven’t made any changes since it’s arrived.

If you typically buy fresh roasted small batch coffee, especially single origin, I think you should look for something with more clarity like the DF54. It will deliver a more uniform grind size which helps flesh out the flavor profile. If you want something easy to dial in with a wider sweet spot for grind setting then the Encore ESP is a great choice, especially for a beginner. Maybe even step up to the ESP Pro which has a digital display and a more upscale look and feel. Personally I think it’s worth the extra cost over the regular ESP. If you think you’ll be into espresso as a hobby, you’ll probably end up with both a conical and flat burr grinder anyway as they each have their pros and cons.

A little two-cents as someone who picked up an Opus a few months ago. Price was keeping me in that $200 range, so I was looking at the Opus, the Encore, and the DF54. Had an 1zpresso JX break and needed a replacement quickly that could multipurpose and was electric (was hoping to pick up a Flair for espresso at Christmas and was tired of years of hand grinding). I would say I’m on the higher end of intermediate rather than a beginner. I think the DF54 is, from the sounds of it, the best of those three grinders, but I’d read that there was some skepticism about customer support. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to fall down the rabbit hole of changing out burr sets for espresso and filter. Lance Hedrick actually has a video on the Opus where he blind tastes coffees against the Encore and is surprised to find he prefers the coffee from the Opus. That was probably what swayed me toward the Opus. I’ve also been happy with Fellow products—Stagg, Prismo, Carter mug—and their stuff was on sale when I needed to put in an order. The retention is unfortunate but not deal breaking for me. I take it apart and clean it once a week (it seems to want to hold on to around .5g of coffee no matter what). As others have mentioned it definitely doesn’t feel as high end, but that’s okay with me. I brew pour over, aeropress, and, most days, steep and release with a Clever and I’ve been getting very enjoyable cups of coffee.

I have a feeling they’re going to hate the DF54 if they had issues with the Ode’s build quality.

That's fair. From what I remember about briefly using a DF54, it was a nice grinder but the Ode 2 felt better to use. I also got my Ode 2 for $280 which probably made it seem like a much better value.