Whether you’re a fan of outdoor pursuits, a frequent traveler, or simply have a long commute for work, getting a coffee fix can be challenging. Perhaps you make do with instant coffee or pick up your caffeine hit from the gas station. However, there is another great solution.
This hands-on review details the Soulhand Portable Grinder Coffee Set – a portable coffee maker with a battery-powered burr grinder.
The device has a coffee grinder, pour-over dripper, and a thermal mug, and it’s all portable. So, you can grind coffee beans and brew pour-over coffee straight into the cup when you’re away from home. It promises to make high-quality coffee without the hassle. But does it deliver? Let’s take a closer look.
Soulhand Portable Coffee Grinder Review
Soulhand USB Electric 5 in 1 Travel Coffee Grinder Summary
Pros:
- It has an integrated adjustable burr grinder
- Powered by 1200AH lithium rechargeable batteries, supports USB charging
- Reusable metal mesh coffee filter
- Portable and compact, perfect for coffee lovers on the road
Cons:
- The electric grinder is not fast
Design
The machine has all you need to brew pour-over coffee, except for hot water. To brew pour-over, you need a kettle, grinder, coffee filter, and a mug, and this all-in-one coffee maker has all those things. So let’s go over each of those items.
Kettle
The water cup has a lid so it can operate as a drip kettle when brewing your coffee. The lid contains a hole to restrict the water flow, allowing for a slow drip akin to that achieved by a gooseneck kettle. After the brewing process is complete, you can place the lid on the thermal cup to keep your drink hot.
Battery Operated Coffee Grinder
The electric burr grinder is battery-operated, meaning you don’t need to bring a separate manual coffee grinder. We’ll go into greater detail on the grinder later.
Permanent Coffee Filter
When you’re grinding, the grounds fall straight into a cone-shaped permanent filter basket underneath the burrs. There’s no need for paper filters, and the filter has foldable wings so that you can place it on the mug.
Thermal Mug
The lower section of the machine is a stainless steel thermal coffee mug built to keep coffee hot.
It works in the same way as a domestic pour-over coffee maker with one key difference – there’s no need for additional equipment. Instead, you have all the tools you’ll need in one kit. That means you don’t need to take up precious space in your travel bag with extra items. The company also offers the coffee maker with a manual grinder for brewing fresh coffee directly into the mug.
Overall, the design is impressive – it’s neat and compact, and you can tell the manufacturers have put plenty of thought into ensuring it’s as easy to carry on the go as possible.
Build Quality
When you unbox the machine, you’ll notice immediately that’s it’s very sturdy. The device has a nice-looking case that has a carbon-fiber textured finish. This makes the machine easy to store and protects it from the inevitable knocks it will endure while you’re on the move.
There are two layers on the reusable stainless steel mesh filter. Meanwhile, the mug (which is vacuum insulated) is built from the same material. The lid tightly seals the mug, ensuring that there’s no leakage, even if you store the mug upside down.
Overall, this is a seriously well-built product, using sturdy materials with traveling and portability in mind.
Coffee Grinder Design And Quality
Grind Adjustment
The battery-operated grinder has a ceramic conical burr set and uses a stepped adjustment mechanism. To alter the grind size, you need to turn the knob beneath the burr set. Turn it counter-clockwise for a coarser grind size and clockwise for finer settings.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are fewer grind settings than you’ll find on most domestic coffee grinders. However, for a portable grinder that you’d mainly use for pour-over, those it does have are more than adequate.
Control
Operating the grinder is straightforward, with just one button at the top of the grinder motor. A blue light turns on when it’s in use, while a red light tells you when it’s time to charge the battery.
Speed
Because the grinder is battery-powered, it’s not as fast as other electric grinders. For example, it will grind 15 grams of beans to a medium coarseness in around three minutes. This doesn’t need to be an issue, though, as you can just leave it to grind while you do other things. In addition, it stops automatically when all the beans are ground, which helps increase the battery life. This is very handy for outdoor use.
Grind Quality
Because the machine has a ceramic conical burr set, the consistency is good for pour-over and far better than you’d achieve with blade grinders.
There isn’t a mark on the grind setting, so the best way to select your grind size is to turn the knob to the position for the finest size, then move it counter-clockwise, click by click, counting each. We use eight clicks for a medium grind for pour over. It can grind for Moka pot, Aeropress with the finer settings. At its coarsest setting, you can even grind for cold brew or French press.
Finally, if you just want a portable electric coffee grinder while traveling, you can disassemble it and take only the grinder with you.
Portability
Soulhand Portable coffee grinder has a compact size and only weighs two pounds – not bad for a machine that contains all you need, including a grinder and mug! Just put it together as one piece and place it in the travel case for easy portability.
Battery Performance
The rechargeable battery is 1200mAh, allowing the cordless coffee grinder to grind around seven to eight times from a full charge. So, even if you drink coffee relatively regularly, this will be more than adequate.
There is a USB cable, and you can expect it to charge in around three hours fully. If you use a power bank to charge your phone while traveling, you can charge the coffee maker with it. Similarly, if you have a USB charger in your vehicle, you can charge your coffee maker while you’re on the road, allowing you to brew freshly ground coffee when you reach your destination. Perfect!
Ease Of Use
In case you’re unfamiliar with pour-over coffee, it’s a manual brewing method.
Let’s detail how to brew pour-over. First, you grind your beans, then place the grounds in the filter, then pour water over the grounds using a gooseneck kettle and allow it to drip.
How to Use Soulhand Travel Coffee Grinder To Make Coffee
1.Twist the machine’s upper water container, pour in hot water, and attach the lid.
2.Twist off the grinder motor and add between 13 and 15 grams of coffee beans. It’s unlikely you’ll have a scale with you on your travels, but that’s OK – there is a measuring spoon in the kit that contains measuring marks.
3.Re-attach the motor and turn it to the “Lock” position. Press the start button to begin grinding. The blue light will come on when it begins.
4.Leave it to grind for around three minutes. The grinder will automatically stop when it’s finished.
5.Twist the filter basket off, open the side wings and position it on your mug.
6.Pour some hot water onto the grounds for blooming.
7.Continue pouring water into the grounds in a circular motion.
8.Leave the coffee to drip into the cup and enjoy! The mesh coffee filter is fine enough to block the small particles, so you can enjoy the last drop without tasting any ground coffee.
Finally, you can attach the lid to the thermal mug to avoid spillages and keep the coffee hot for longer.
As with any other pour-over, the process requires some patience. However, it is well worth it for beautiful, freshly-brewed coffee on the move.
Value For Money
The machine is inexpensive. You can buy a beginner hand grinder or a coffee dripper with filter papers for a similar price. However, you get an electric conical burr grinder, permanent filter, kettle, and stainless steel thermal mug with this set. Bargain!
So, even if you’re on a relatively small budget, the all-in-one coffee maker allows you to make freshly brewed coffee on your travels without breaking the bank.
USB Battery-powered Version
Manual Grinder Version
Our Verdict
This nifty device could well be the ideal, affordable portable coffee maker you’ve been looking for. Of course, there may well be other portable coffee grinders on the market that take your fancy, but we’re confident there’s nothing else out there quite like this all-in-one coffee machine. Now you just need to find a place for it in your travel bag with some coffee beans, and you’ll have all you need.
There are one of two drawbacks, namely the relatively slow speed of the grinder and the fact there are fewer grind settings than you’d find on some manual coffee grinders. However, in our opinion, these minor quibbles are easily offset by the many plus points the Soulhand has to offer, including its sturdy build, compact size, and light weight, ease of use, and neat design. Best of all, it makes consistent grounds for a beautiful pour-over coffee on the move.
If you’re a lover of the outdoors or crave freshly brewed coffee on your daily commute, it might just be time to ditch the instant coffee or gas station brews in favor of the Soulhand battery-powered all-in-one coffee grinder.
Soulhand was founded in 2016 and offers a wide range of coffee gear, including Kettles, coffee grinders, cold brewers and other coffee accessories on their official website.
