1Zpresso Q2 Review | Best Grab & Go Grinder For Aeropress

The demand for Manual coffee grinders has exceptionally increased in recent years. And this Taiwanese brand 1Zpresso is equally responsible for this hype. The 1Zpresso Q2 is a manual whole bean grinder with a comfortable grip and convenient grind adjustments.

The Q2 combines all the vital aspects of a good travel grinder. It’s small, lightweight, and conveniently fits in the plunger of your Aeropress while on the go. One can also disassemble the grinder easily without any tool requirements.

In this 1Zpresso Q2 review, I’ll tell you each and everything about this grinder that you need to know before making your decision. Stick with me 😉

Table of Contents

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About 1Zpresso

1Zpresso is a Taiwan-based company founded in 2017, which has since then taken the hand grind market by storm. The company was founded by a bunch of coffee enthusiasts based in Taiwan with engineering backgrounds. The brand has gained quite a lot of popularity in Asian as well as Western coffee markets in recent years.

What makes their grinders so remarkable is how well they’ve managed to strike a balance among quality, price, and customer satisfaction. The 1Zpresso’s overall build quality and grind consistency surpasses grinders that are much more expensive. So, you may not find these grinders cheap; they do pack a great value given their quality.

Moving on, the brand makes several coffee grinders of all shapes and sizes. A few of their most popular lines include;

J Series – large enough capacity for double espresso or pour-over
K Series – Set your suitable grind size for any type of brewing method
Q Series – Portable, compact, & adjusts flawlessly into an Aeropress plunger
E Series – Conical burrs that is very user-friendly

The company launched its Mini Q Grinder series a few years back with a primary focus to create small travel grinders for solo coffee geeks.

Quick Note: The “1” in 1Zpresso is pronounced “eee” in Chinese. Therefore 1Zpresso should be read as “Easypresso” instead of “One-Zed-Presso.”

The Q2 Design

The 1Zpresso Q2 is a beautiful and minimalistic coffee grinder. It has a premium aluminum alloy body that is both light and durable. It’s pretty dominant that the design inspiration for the Q2 came from the brand’s larger J Series models. The grinder owns an ergonomically-curved handle lever and a small wood-crank knob made of slightly textured faux wood. Even better, the knob is magnetic so that you may take it off for greater portability.

On the center of the body, you’ll also notice an anti-slip grip made of leather with the 1Zpresso logo on it. This grip is also available in several color choices. The hopper and the catcher cup capacity is 20 grams, which I believe is enough for making a nice cup of coffee. Thanks to the item’s well-machined threads, unscrewing various parts of the grinder is also a breeze. There’s almost no resistance at all when grinding.

There are two models with 1Zpresso Q2 available; a ‘pentagonal burr set’ (5 core) and a ‘heptagonal set’ (7 core). The Pentagonal burr is the standard shape for grinders. In comparison, the Heptagonal burrs have an exclusive edition that offers more effortless grinding.

Heptagonal and pentagonal burrs 1zpresso — ^{Source 1Zpresso}

For individuals who use Aeropress as their primary brewer, the good news is that the Mini Q fits right into the chamber. This is one great feature you’ll come to appreciate over time.

Burr Quality

To the best of my knowledge, 1Zpresso Q2 is one of the most consistent small coffee grinders that you can find online. It contains 38mm conical steel burrs which are sharper than ceramic burrs of the Hario Skerton, and some other grinders with a ceramic burr set.

1Zpresso Grinder Burr — _{^{Source Instagram}}

It’s also much quieter and less messy than most other grinders. It has a dual bearing system that enables it to run smoothly during grinding. This results in a more consistent particle size of the grounded beans.

All in all, the Mini Q is designed for an efficient, even grind. I particularly like the adjusted crank, which shows how 1zpresso had consumers like you and me in mind.

Grind Settings & Adjustment

The Mini Q contains a dial that you’ll see once you remove the catcher cup. It’s basically used to change the grind size.

Upon turning the adjustment dial to a complete clockwise, at a point, you’ll notice that the knob stopped rotating. This stopping point is known as the zero point. Interestingly, this zero point is never restricted to any particular number like ‘zero.’ It may alter anytime whenever you clean your grinder. To put it another way, the company hasn’t included this zero point to determine precise grind size. Rather it acts as a starting point and helps record your settings. To get finer grinds, turn the dial clockwise, and in order to get a coarser grind, turn it counter-clockwise.

1Zpresso grind settings and adjustment — ^{Source 1Zpresso}

Turning the knob will make a clicking sound at each increment. It’s pretty complex to count the clicks, but the number marks engraved help you recall the rotations you made. There are three clicks per number and 30 per complete rotation. Each click will move the needle by 0.75 mm.

Confused a bit? There’s no need to worry, as you’ll also receive a QR card that you may scan to download for your grind settings chart. These grind adjustments are as follows;

Espresso: #6-10 (18-30 clicks)
Moka pot: #13 (39 clicks – one rotation and number 3)
AeroPress: #15 (45 clicks)
Pour-Over: #18-22 (54-66 clicks)
French Press Coffee: #24 (72 clicks)
Cold Brew: #28 (84 clicks)

Here’s a quick video demonstration that can help you clarify more about grind settings and adjustment.

Grind Consistency & Speed

Other than the item aesthetics and grind settings, the thing you’ll love a lot about the grinder is its ‘grind consistency’ and ‘speed.’

First of all, the burrs that the Q2 possesses are very sharp. Wait, doesn’t that mean you’ll get a lot of finer grinds? That’s true, and that’s probably why Mini Q is the ideal grinder for Aeropress and Pour-overs.

To get the finest results with the grinder, I selected seven clicks from the zero point as per the grinding chart. It produced exceptionally fine grounds.

It’s worth pointing out that the Q2 is not designed with espresso in mind. So, for espresso lovers, one of their larger models, known as the 1Zpresso’s J-Max Manual Coffee Grinder, will work perfectly fine.

As for its speed, it’s almost similar to most great manual grinders out there. It’s pretty fast and will hardly take a minute to grind 20 grams of light roast coffee beans. It also offers smooth, non-resistant grinding because of its sharp burrs, ergonomic handle, wooden knobs, and dual-bearing stainless steel shaft.

Portability & Convenience

The Mini Q’s body fits snugly inside the AeroPress chamber, therefore making it the best grab-and-go kind of coffee grinder. The Q2 weighs about 409 grams, which is far lighter than other manual grinders made from sturdy steel and aluminum.

In terms of dimensions, the Q2 is 5.51in (13.8cm) tall with a diameter of 1.97in (4.6cm). The body’s small diameter offers comfortable gripping, while the faux wooden design aids in preventing slippage. In the meantime, you may also remove the handle to save even more space in your luggage. Inside the package, users will also receive a nice-looking fabric travel bag and a small brush. This bag is so spacious that you can even hold a small bag of coffee beans or a brewer into it.

The Mini Q strikes a good balance between comfort and performance. The combination of overall length, chamber capacity, and crank design of the grinder come together in such a way that you never get your hands tired, even if you use it all day long.

Cleaning Your Q2

Regularly cleaning your Q2 will help maintain its performance at an optimal level. Fortunately, it’s pretty effortless to dismantle the machine into pieces to clean it up.

First of all, unbolt the adjustment screw from the base. This will remove the burr and spring from the inner side of the grinder. After which, you can remove the outer part of the top by simply pulling it off. Once done, you can then effectively clean your coffee grinder with the brush supplied with the machine.

Here is an excellent video from the brand itself showing how to clean your 1Zpresso Q2 in the most efficient way. Make sure to keep the subtitles on:

As a quick note, brush away the dry grounds from hard-to-reach areas. If you notice any oily buildups during cleaning, just wipe them down using a dry paper towel, and you’ll get your grinder performing well as new.

Other Things To Know

Never use water to clean the grinder. Wiping down the grinder with a damp cloth may also damage it.
Read the instructions and refer to the grind settings reference guide before using the grinder.
The burr was adjusted and fixed in place by 1Zpresso’s team. Therefore, any sort of disassembly of the burr may result in grind inaccuracy and cause damage to the grinder.
As part of the anodization process, there may be some minor scratches on the surface of the aluminum. These are normal and not a thing to worry about enough.

Reasons To Buy

Fits Inside the Aeropress Chamber
Small enough to take anywhere
Sharp burrs produce a consistent grind
No electricity is required to operate
Smooth and quiet grinding
Well built and reasonably priced

Reasons To Avoid

Heavy for such a small product
Not good for espressos
Limited chamber capacity (<25g)
Can be tricky to operate for newbies

Why Buy A Manual Grinder?

One of the easiest ways to improve your coffee game is by buying a high-quality burr grinder. There are several advantages to investing in a hand grinder instead of an automatic one. The first advantage you’ll receive is the price. Hand grinders offer a lot more bang for your buck than electric coffee grinders. As there aren’t many parts associated with a hand grinder, most of your money is going into the quality and durability of the burrs.

Second, hand grinders are portable. They’re usually small and portable enough to fit into your suitcase, making them perfect for traveling. A hand grinder allows you not only to brew coffee but also to make a hobby, passion, or art out of it. You get the ultimate satisfaction in grinding your own beans by hand.

Final Notes

To sum up, the 1Zpresso Q2 is a great entry-level grinder specifically for Aeropress lovers. It comes with a beautiful aesthetic that’s well-built and produces consistent grind with its high-quality steel burrs.