Porlex Mini

Equipment notes

The Porlex Mini is a compact manual grinder from Porlex, a Japanese ceramics specialist that began in Osaka in 1978. It sets a conical ceramic burr inside a low-static stainless steel body, grinds by turning the handle, and uses a clicked, stepped adjustment. It is the smallest and shortest in the range, established as a small-capacity travel mill. The ceramic burr resists heat and will not rust, and the stainless body reduces static cling. Ceramic, though, cuts less crisply than steel and adds fines at fine settings, and the conical geometry also leans toward body. Grind size is set in audible clicks that make positions easy to reproduce, but the original Mini has play in the outer burr that widens particle spread at the very fine espresso range. It works well across pour-over, AeroPress, and French press. It fits travelers trimming their kit, AeroPress users grinding a cup or two on demand, and beginners after a quiet portable mill.