Krups Fast Touch Grinder Review

The Krups Fast Touch offers you the lowest price of all the coffee grinders we tested, which might be why it's one of the most popular buys in the market. It's simple. It's affordable. It gets the job done. It scores rather low in each of our criteria–noisy, messy, difficult to use, and makes okay coffee. But it's by no means the worst grinder we tested. It's a functional unit at a dirt-cheap price

Performance Comparison

Quality of Taste

The Krups makes an “okay” cup, scoring a 5 for quality of taste. In comparison to the KitchenAid Blade, the Krups had a somewhat fuller flavor in its drip brew but it was difficult to make a decent French press coffee with it. With lots of sediment in the cup the brew tasted dirty. Both blade grinders tied for their overall quality of taste.

Ease of Use

The Krups Fast Touch lives up to its name in its simple design but errs on the side of being too simple. The Krups earns a score of 5 for ease of use. The unit has a short cord that we had to fight with to find a place to plug it in, and is difficult to empty coffee from. The unit needs to be turned upside down (careful not to tug that cord!) and usually needs to be brushed out because coffee tends to stick inside. If anything, the Krups made us more appreciative of the features on the KitchenAid Blade, which has a longer cord and a removable and hand-washable grinding compartment.

Quietness

Like most blade grinders out there, the Krups makes quite a ruckus. While this does make it a bit quieter than some of the other blade grinders we tested (namely the Cuisinart Supreme ), it's still loud enough to offend sensitive ears and earn the wrath of any late sleepers with a bedroom near the kitchen.

Mess-Free Operation

Transferring coffee from the grinder to the brewer can be difficult. The Krups is just short of being the messiest grinder we tested, scoring a 2 for mess-free operation. After grinding, coffee is difficult and time consuming to brush out from the unit. You can save time and have a dingy smelling grinder with coffee residue inside of it, or try to be more thorough and end up getting coffee dust on the counter and on your hands—either way you lose. The other tested blade grinder, the KitchenAid (pictured below and right), scored an 8 with its removable and hand-washable grinding compartment.

Best Applications

The Krups Fast Touch is cheap. Really cheap. It is also quite small and portable, making it great for traveling and those that don't have much counter space. However, it doesn't make good coffee. This unit could work for someone looking for the lowest price and is willing to put more elbow grease into his or her morning routine.

Value

You totally get your money's worth when you buy this thing… because it's really cheap. For $20 you can't expect much from a grinder. It will grind coffee, but you'll need to do the rest. The Krups is worth its price, but the buyer should consider whether they are willing to fork out a few more pennies for something with greater value like the KitchenAid Blade, which could pay dividends in morning convenience. The KitchenAid (right) pops apart easily and makes transferring coffee to your brewer much easier than the Krups (left).

Conclusion