Porlex Mini II Hand Grinder Review

While somewhat dated now, the Porlex Mini II is a classic when it comes to affordable hand grinders for the road. This is one of those grinders that can quite literally fit inside your Aeropress and as such is ideal for the hiker/hitchhiker/traveller/explorer.

For many years the Porlex Mini II was our go to hand grinder to introduce people into the world of specialty coffee. While the market has expanded significantly and positively in the last few years, the Porlex Mini II remains an affordable, portable, well-made coffee grinder.

Especially for the uninitiated looking to move beyond preground coffee without breaking the bank, the Porlex Mini II remains a viable option.

This article is dealing with the new and upgraded Porlex II as oposed to the original Porlex Mini.

Porlex Mini II Review

Grind Consistency

The single most important question to ask of any grinder is what is the grind consistency like? The short answer to why this is the case is that if a grinder has poor grind consistency it will produce a wide spread of particle sizes (ie some really small pieces and some really big pieces). This will mean that some of the particles will under-extract producing sour tastes and others will over-extract producing bitter notes. If you want to really geek out see our article about grinding here. Basically good grind consistency equals delicious coffee, and bad grind consistency equals horrid coffee. 

So how does the Porlex Mini II perform? And the answer is, well for its price. Although the grind consistency is not incredible, it performs well for its price point. The spring-loaded ceramic conical burrs are of a high quality and produce a fairly consistent particle size, especially for medium-fine, medium, and medium-coarse grind sizes. As with most other hand grinders, it does struggle both with very fine and very coarse settings. This makes it ideal for most manual brewing methods such as Pour Over, Aeropress, and Moka Pot. We would not recommend this grinder for espresso.

A few years ago the Porlex Mini II was probably more highly sought after for its grind quality. Now with the rise of 1Zpresso and other cheap but brilliant hand grinders, the Porlex is more sought after for its portability.

So great grind consistency, tick. 

Build Quality

The Porlex Mini II also rates well for build quality compared to other similarly priced grinders. The grinder is entirely made in the Porlex factory in Kagoshima, Japan, and is made to last. The body of the grinder is stainless steel which makes it highly durable and means you can chuck it in your pack or bag without having to worry about it breaking or incurring damage. As mentioned above, the Porlex uses a set of high-quality ceramic burrs which seem to last well even with heavy usage. There is also some BPA-free plastic in the interior of the grinder.

In addition, if any parts do break or just suffer general wear and tear, replacements are easy to get and can be easily installed. The vast majority of users have found the Porlex II to last well and many are still using their original Porlex many years down the track. 

Usability 

As with most hand grinders, the Porlex Mini II Coffee Grinder is very simple to both operate and change grind settings. To grind you simply remove the cap, pour in the desired amount of beans, replace the cap, place the hand crank on, and grind away until you can feel no more resistance. 

The Porlex uses a winged nut to switch between grind settings. So if you remove the grinds container and look at the burrs from below you will see a winged nut which can be turned clockwise for finer grinds and anticlockwise for coarser grinds. Each time you turn the nut you will hear a little click which indicates a change in grind settings. So it uses an unmarked grind adjustment system with around 12 grind settings from very fine to very coarse. 

We recommend the following are a good place to start with your Porlex: 

Overall the 12 grind settings will be more than enough to deal with most manual brewing methods. As mentioned above, however, we wouldn’t recommend the Porlex for the careful grind adjustment required for espresso. 

In terms of actually using the Porlex, it performs well but does take a while. The compact size of the grinder does mean smaller burrs which in turn means more elbow grease. But that is really part and parcel of using a hand grinder. When used rightly there is little slippage and it grinds well. It also comes with a handy rubber sleeve into which you can place the handle when not in use which is a helpful feature.

We also recommend a brief clean after every use as well as a more thorough clean every month or so. Even just using a toothbrush to clean and wipe down the grinder after each use will help ensure the best performance and longevity. 

Portability 

Probably the single greatest strength and weakness of this grinder is its size. It comes in at 47mm wide by 130mm tall and about 8 ounces weight. This makes it one of the smallest grinders out there. As mentioned earlier it is even small enough to fit into an Aeropress! This makes it really THE hand grinder for those who are often on the road or on the trail.

However, the downside is a small grinding capacity. On average the Porlex can grind a maximum of 20g of beans at a time. This equates to between one and two cups of coffee depending on the brewing ratio used. So it should easily be enough for one Aeropress or a small pour over but will take multiple goes (as well as far too much time grinding!) to do any larger brews. So more than sufficient for those brewing just for themselves or themselves plus one, but less than ideal for brewing bigger batches.

If the size is an off-putter, then the Mini also does have a big brother the Porlex JP-30 which has the same burrs and construction but a larger 30g capacity. 

Takeaway: Who is the Porlex Mini II For?

So who is the Porlex Mini II coffee grinder for? Our answer is; the growing coffee lover who will often be brewing on the road or trail. 

The Porlex Mini II is a reliable introduction to the world of burr grinders. It is easy to use, good quality-to-price ratio, is highly portable, and is just a good overall grinder. Also somewhat obviously it really is designed for travel. The small bean capacity and compact size make this the ideal grinder for the coffee lover on the road. Because let’s be honest, the coffee quality you find in some places … 

If you are not sure if the Porlex Mini II is the right grinder for you, check out our guide to the best manual coffee grinders for some other options. We hope you have found this review informative and if you do have any questions feel free to post them below and we will get back to you.

Happy Buying!