Shardor 35 Level Anti-static Conical Burr Coffee Grinder Review

Shardor 35 Level Anti-static Conical Burr Coffee Grinder Review

Buy it at Amazon: Shardor 35 Level Anti-static Conical Burr Coffee Grinder [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Versatile machine for all coffee brewing methods. Consistent, uniform grounds sizes.

You’ll receive the coffee grinder and an instruction manual. When fully assembled, the unit measures 11 inches tall, 5 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. It weighs about 4.5 lbs without any beans in it. The grinder consists or three main parts: the removable coffee grounds container, the hopper on top which can be unlocked by turning it counter clockwise then lifting straight up, and the main body of the unit. The hopper has a clear, plastic body and drop-in lid. On the underside of the lid you’ll find a 1 Tablespoon coffee scoop and cleaning brush neatly stored and attached with clips, though they can be a little tricky to line up and put back. In the middle of the hopper is a guide cone, which directs the beans on top towards the walls of the hopper which are then funneled down the center into the burr grinder. Note along the bottom ring there is a narrow lock tab and a wide lock tab on the opposite side for proper alignment and installation on the main body. The lid simply drops back into place and does not lock or snap in tightly.

The grounds collection cup is dark but translucent, so you can see the contents without exposing your grounds to too much light which can degrade quality and flavor over time. The lid is made of a hard black plastic, but the plug in the middle is silicone rubber, to prevent oxidation and spoilage of your freshly ground coffee. The lid simply pops off with a slight tug and is not completely airtight, so you won’t want to store your grounds in here for long periods of time. The interior of the cup is anti-static, making it easier to clean since the grounds won’t cling to it. There’s a max fill line on the container which is marked at about 1.5 cups by volume. When replacing the lid it simply snaps back on.

The main body of the grinder is made of a lightweight black plastic with silver chrome trim. It has a two-prong 3 foot long attached power cord. On top, you’ll find the conical burr grinder which has two portions. The upper burr teeth can be removed for cleaning and this is the conical burr. When replacing the upper teeth, be sure to align the dot with the line here at the back of the machine. To install the bean hopper, align the line at the back of the machine with the narrow locking tab on the neck of the hopper. When aligned properly, the small arrow on the hopper will line up with the unlock symbol on the right-hand side of the machine. Then gently turn the arrow towards the front of the machine to select a grind size. You’ll notice gradations for grind size marked 1 through 35 around the base of the hopper, and these sections are labeled for appropriate brewing style suited for size of the grounds, from very coarse grounds for French press, medium grounds for Drip or pour over coffee makers, and fine grounds for espresso. In front of the hopper, the button with the power symbol starts operation of the machine, and the silver dial points to the dosage or quantity of grounds you want to end up with, provided enough beans are in the hopper. These are set in increments of 2, ostensibly to tell you how many cups of coffee you can make with the grounds, though it’s more of an approximation of quantity based on a set amount of time the grinder runs for. When set to off, the grinder will not run if the power button is pressed.

The silicone flap on the grounds container should be opened when placing under the grind head, so that the grounds can drop right into it without removing the lid, helping to prevent grounds from getting everywhere. Note that with the rubber flap closed, the container can still fit under the grind head for storage, however, it’s a pretty tight fit and stray grounds may deposit on top of the lid after use. Plus, I don’t recommend this because it’s easy to forget to open the flap before your next grind and that could end in a big mess. Before first use, I recommend washing all the plastic parts of the hopper and grounds cup in warm soapy water. After several uses, you may want to clean out the grinding chamber to prevent clogging. With the machine unplugged, remove the upper burr teeth, Then use the included brush found under the lid in the hopper to sweep any stray grounds into the center so that they drop through the opening underneath. You can also wipe the interior with a dry clean cloth, but avoid using soap or water inside the machine.

Note that the max capacity of the hopper is about 1.5 cups of beans, but I only like to put the amount of bean that I'll be grinding into the machine rather than store them in the grinder. The grinder is a bit loud, almost like running a blender, which isn’t surprising given the power of the motor and the fact that it’s crushing hard beans. The beans automatically drop into the grinding chamber as they are used up. The 2 dose setting runs for about 18 seconds and the amount of grounds you end up with is proportional to the grind size: the larger the grounds, to more volume it produces for that dosage. For me, a 15 grind size was very close to the size grounds and texture of store bought coffee, but you can play around with the different settings to find the grind size that works best for you. It’s all down to your personal taste and results will vary based on your beans, how much water you brew with, and your coffee maker. If you didn’t use all your grounds, you can cover and store them for a couple days, but if storing for longer, you should consider storing them in an air tight container. The left over grounds in the cup can easily by wiped out with a dry cloth.

Before changing grind size, for example, from drip coffee to espresso, it’s a good practice to empty out the grind chamber first by running it until it is empty. This will prevent you from having inconsistently sized grounds which could be problematic for some coffee machines. When used at the 1 grind size, I found that despite using the two cup setting, I actually ended up with only 12 grams of powder, which is only enough for a single espresso shot. Also, after distributing the powder and tamping, it was clear to me that the grounds were too fine as they compressed a lot and the espresso machine wasn't able to push enough water through it. I acheived much better results using the 6 grind setting.

Overall, I really like this coffee grinder. You can grind your favorite beans to suit multiple brewing styles with consistent even results and uniform grind size, from extra fine to extra coarse. Whether you’re making coffee in the morning or pulling espresso shots, you can easily adjust the machine to find the perfect size grind for your brewing method.

Buy it at Amazon: Shardor 35 Level Anti-static Conical Burr Coffee Grinder [Affiliate Link]

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