KitchenAid BCG111ER Blade Coffee Grinder - Empire Red, 4 oz

Got this grinder yesterday - in use today. THE big improvment for me is the deep cup which holds the beans. Vendor claims it holds from level 4 (min) to 12 (max) of beans that will on average deliver 4-12 cups of coffee. After some use I can vouch for this. For optimal flavor, the experts insist you consume promptly after grinding. But, I like the convenience of grinding 8-12 cups worth early in the day, transfer to a handy jar, and we live off that for the rest of day. Flavor is good the whole time. Everything about this grinder is solid and well made, unlike others I have used. And, it's the quietest blade grinder I have ever used. It has that feel of a machine that will last a long time. I wont say more for now, but intend to return to update my review a month from now when I expect to know more.... Dec 13, 2020 UPDATE. I've been using this coffee grinder for at least a month now, and can confirm that the KitchenAid Grinder (BCG111ER) exceeds all my hopes and expectations, best grinder of the many I've had in the past several decades. Best features = (1) excellent control over the extent of grind (from fine to coarse). At max bean fill (that will make at least 12 cups), if you hold the lid down (i.e., turn the grinder on) for 20-25 seconds you get a fine grind suitable all the way to espresso. [Note - for espresso you may need to go longer than 25 seconds (with a full grinder cup) depending on your espresso machine and the nature of the beans. The vendor cautions that excessive grind time may over heat the grinder. As a test, I went up to 29 seconds without over heating my machine.] Between 15 to 20 seconds will give you a coarser grind suitable for example for a french press (mine works best at 16 seconds). Remember, I determined these grinder times required to get my desired grind (coarse to fine) WITH THE GRINDER CUP FILLED TO MAXIMUM WITH COFFEE BEANS. If you put fewer beans in the grinder cup, required time to get a particular grind will be reduced. (2) Consistency of grind - For a given quantity of beans and a set grind time I get very much the same grind output every time. (3) Small foot print. This KitchenAid grinder takes up very little space on your counter top. (4) Sturdy build that makes below average noise, and feels solid with a pleasing heft to it.To get the performance you want, you should go through a bench-marking process similar to what I did so you can consistently get the extent of grind you prefer (coarse to fine). You really need a timer for this. And, for ease of use, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the outer (clear plastic) cap and the stainess steel inner cup which holds the beans. Notice that the outer cap connects to the grinder body with two small plastic pins that extend down from this cap and fit into two corresponding holes in the grinder body. These pins have to fit into their holes or you can not push the cap down far enough to start the grinder motor. This is a safety feature. God forbid that a child could somehow start the ginder. And, for someone who is sometimes a bit rough with their equipment, this 'pin in the hole' design may also present a slight chance of breaking one of the plastic pins. In that event, you will need another plastic cap and I don't know if KitchenAid sells replacement parts.Another safety feature is having the cutting blade built into the steel cup which holds the beans. If the cup is not inserted into the grinder body, it might be possilbe to start the motor (I didn't try this), but only the driver shaft would spin harmlessly, there being no blade to engage. There are indentations on the cup which must be aligned with an obvious mark on the grinder body. To accomplish this, insert the cup with the indentation aligned. It wont fit in! Good, that's another safety feature. While gently urging the cup to insert downward, rotate the cup counter clockwise. After a half inch or so, the cup will readily drop down to the 'engagement level'. At this lower level, rotate the cup back in a clockwise move until that cup indentation is aligned as desired. The fit is snug, another reflection of the grinder's sturdy build.

So easy to use and super easy to clean. It works great, an attractive red color, and doesn't take up much counter space. (It does make noise--however, that is to be expected). Great value, and I use it on the daily. Highly recommend.

PROs: clean and attractive design, separate attachment for grinds from the base, simple to use, low noiseCONs: accumulates dust in the base, attachments can be tricky to remove from the baseKitchenAid does design very well, and that's where this particular grinder excels most. Most coffee grinders I'd rather hide away in a cabinet, but this one is a nice addition to the counter. The sharp red color is sleek (I prefer the Empire Red over the Onyx) and the design is mostly intuitive. One nice feature is you can purchase additional spice grinder attachments to keep them free of your coffee.I like that the coffee container is a separate cup/attachment rather than a solid piece built into the base. Grind the coffee, twist the cup a quarter rotation to unlock it from the base, and remove it to dump into your coffee filter. The removable cups also allow you to swap them out, and also makes clean up much easier than something like the Krups grinder. The one drawback here is that the coffee dust can get into the base of the unit and that is fairly annoying to clean. I don't know how waterproof the base is, but usually a damp cloth can help clean out that dust when it accumulates.One minor annoyance is that the attachments can sort of become "stuck" and if you turn them too hard trying to get it unstuck, it can cause your coffee grinds to spill over the edges once it frees up. If I have a hard time getting the cup removed, I will usually just dump the grinds by picking up the entire grinder and pouring it in, and then freeing the cup once it has been emptied. This doesn't happen very often, and I suspect it has to do with the oils from the coffee beans getting stuck in the base locking mechanism.That said, overall this is a great coffee grinder and I've purchased several of them for friends and family.

I've used this grinder several times a week for a month or so and have been very impressed. For several years, I had used a blade grinder from another prestige brand, but when the last one failed shortly after the warranty, it was time to try something different. Thus far, the KitchenAid BCG111ER has proven to be an excellent choice and an excellent value.The grind consistency is by far the best I have ever gotten from a blade grinder. I'm aware of all the hype regarding burr grinders, but my experience with them says they are too much of a PIA to clean, and I have never found the finished coffee to be better when burr ground. Maybe my taste buds are just not sufficiently sophisticated. The KitchenAid instructions provide recommended grind times for various brewing methods, and I have found them to be worthwhile guidance. I religiously follow their times when I grind and recommend doing so.The top of the grinding bowl is sharp and could have been finished better. The lid also rattles when sitting idly in place, but when it is pushed down to grind, all the pieces fit snugly and works effortlessly. Both of those issues are minor and I am happy to overlook them. Finally, it cleans up easily and stores nicely out of the way. In a nutshell, it's everything I want from a coffee grinder at a great price. I highly recommend it.

I use it about 5 times a week to grind up beans for strong coffee. It never fails. If it wears out, I'll buy another one.Warning- I'm not a coffee snob. I grind up the beans, dump them into a large blender pitcher; add hot water and stir. I let it sit for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then I pour it through a fine plastic coffee strainer with no paper filter. Makes strong tasty coffee. Works for me. I don't need the obsessive expensive coffee prep machines.