If you're willing to go for that much money I would suggest did you take a look at it
this one–it's the one I bought and I'm very pleased with it. It will give you all the adjustments you need for anything from espresso to press grind. I think it's an excellent starter grinder which will carry you for a good period of time. It's also delivering, for all practical purposes, zero retention, which makes measuring your bean dosage much less guesswork. Baratza also has a one step down, less expensive, model which is also a good investment. But if you can make the price of the one I've suggested I strongly believe you can't go wrong.
And now a bit about my Boston adventure.
So, I'm cruising down Newbury street (which is Boston's version of Fifth Avenue in New York… a very high end shopping street) looking for parking. I finally find a space about 1 1/2 blocks from my destination. I get out of my car and staggered–wobble–stumble–waddle down the street to my destination. I ask the friendly "barista" to point out a dark roast on the shelf. She is babbling about the beans they have and how wonderful they are. She hands me a bag and I checked it for the roast date. It says "Best Used By Jun 20, 2017". Yes, that's not a typo, it says
2017!
Obviously, I figure an error has been made. So I ask her about the date and with a straight face she says "roasted beans are fine for up to one year after the roast date." Not believing my ears I ask her to repeat that. Someone else enters the scene, apparently the owner of the shop. She has heard our conversation and reiterates that roasted beans are fine for up to one year after roasting. I gently and sweetly suggest that after one year the beans are fine for the garbage can. In fact, after two weeks the garbage can is a good place to store them. At which point both people turn away from me and walk away. Following suit, I turned away from them and walk out of the shop.
So now I've schlepped into Boston and have nothing to show for it. As I am staggering–wobbling–stumbling–waddling back to my car I noticed another coffee shop. What the hell, all I have to do his get down a steep flight of stone steps to check this out... why not. So I go into the shop and I ask the barista to help me pick out a dark roast blend. It turns out that this is really nice guy and he tells me that they only do medium roasts with their beans. Nice of him to be that honest but he's even nicer than that. He tells me that about a block up there is another coffee shop that has fresh roasted beans and that they have several very good dark roast blends. He even goes so far as to recommend one of the blends that he says he has tried and enjoyed. I thank him effusively as he's been very helpful in recommending another shop without even having made a sale.
So, I stagger–wobble–stumble–waddle another block to the recommended shop. They have a wonderful selection and I pick a dark roast blend of Bahia, Brazil and La Paz, Honduras farmed beans. And, oh joy, they were roasted only three days ago.
I am now going to put the kettle on and make myself a cup of what the shop calls it's Commonwealth Blend.
I will return shortly with a brief, it totally unhelpful, report.
