The 1Zpresso JX is a premium coffee hand grinder from Taiwanese coffee accessory company 1Zpresso. The JX absolutely delivers when it comes to quality of grind and flavours, has room for improvement in some areas such as ergonomics, and if you’re really unlucky, will possibly lead you to be without a coffee grinder for a few days due to some manufacturing shortcomings.
In July 2019, I pressed Buy Now on Amazon to order myself a brand new 1Zpresso JX. Living in Germany and ordering from the US store, as was the only easy option at the time, I managed to snag myself a really good deal during the Black Friday sales for just USD $125.63 (including shipping) to Germany.
Jump forward to 2021 and the price would see me parting with USD $181.29 to get it sent to Germany at the normal retail price. You can still buy the grinder directly from 1Zpresso’s webshop for USD $129, which has been rebuilt to tailor to the international market, but after including shipping and customs costs you’re still looking at a fairly similar price.
Since then, I’ve used this grinder almost daily (except for when disaster struck) and by now I feel like I’ve got a solid grip (more on those requirements soon) of what really is a fantastic piece of coffee gear for what I paid. What I can’t comment on is whether 1Zpresso has upped their game when it comes to build quality of specific components in the time since I’ve owned this grinder.
Who are 1Zpresso?
1Zpresso opened their doors back in 2016 in Taiwan and when scrolling through their facebook feed, it’s an interesting historical record of where the company started, how they slowly professionalised their operation, and eventually shifting their target market away from Taiwan and into the primarily english-speaking market.
(Side note: It’s good to see they’ve focused a bit more on their marketing messaging these days, as there’s a slightly odd Diana Krall video that they shared back in early 2017, inspiring people to enjoy their Saturday with a cup of coffee. Hey, you gotta see what sticks, right?)
It’s also a snapshot of the evolution of their business model, starting in hand pressed coffee makers with the 1Zpresso Y3, to finding booming success in the coffee grinder market. In March 2017 1Zpresso shared their first grinder, the “Xcup”, to what seems like very little fanfare, especially given that their first iteration of grinder looked suspiciously like a Porlex Slim which are notorious for poor grind quality and usability.
But in June 2017, 1Zpresso teased their redesigned hand grinder which still resembles the offerings they use today, and almost immediately their community response started rapidly growing.
Taiwan has always been a hub for quality coffee gear, and when word spread about a coffee grinder with a unibody, self-aligning design, and with an easy adjustment system, it wasn’t long before the name 1Zpresso started getting around and keen users from all around the world started to import them, myself included.
Since then, 1Zpresso has established themselves as a huge entity in the hand coffee grinder scene, with ten different grinders for multiple styles of coffee brewing, each fulfilling a different niche, and very successfully at that.
Before I get into the grinder itself, it’s important to remember that my model comes from 2018, and was the first iteration of the JX as far as I can tell. If there’s been any design changes to fix the flaws of it since then, then that’s definitely a good thing, but with any grinder at this price you should go into your purchase expecting it to last for many years.
On to the review!
What’s great about the 1Zpresso JX?
Speed
The JX is equipped with 48mm stainless steel burrs that are fast. I can grind 18 grams of espresso in approximately 30 seconds. Going a bit coarser than that for pour over and you’re entering into the sub 20 second range. The reason it’s so fast is due to the capacity of the burrs, which are larger than most hand grinders equipped with 38mm burrs.
However, that speed comes at a cost. As you’re grinding more coffee per rotation, you’re going to need to exert more force. Lucky for me, I am an avid rock-climber and that grip strength really does help, especially for lighter beans. Passing the grinder to my partner to test and she certainly struggles a bit more, but it’s not impossible, and could be also due to familiarity with the technique of hand grinding coffee.
Grind quality
I have to be dead honest here: I think the 1Zpresso JX delivers a better grind quality than the Lido E. I love my Lido E (I hate adjusting it for different grinds), but out of the box it still has room for improvement for its alignment and realigning it is not the easiest exercise in the world.
The JX is aligned by design, and the quality shows. For the same brews with both grinders, I get more clarity and brightness with the JX, especially for pourover, and for espresso I really find it hard to distinguish. That being said, grinding for espresso on the JX is far easier and faster than with the Lido E. Where the Lido E really shines is its stepless adjustment, so dialling in a coffee is theoretically far more approachable.
Having worked with Mazzer Roburs and Konys, Mahlkönig EK43s and K30s, and testing a variety of other grinders in between, I think for what you’re paying for the JX, it’s a really good deal for the resulting flavour and clarity in the cup.
Adjustability
The JX has a fantastic grind adjustment design that has since become the defacto standard for the industry. Madebyknock had previously developed a similar dial design on the top of their grinder, but 1Zpresso took the under burr dial adjustment design used by many cheaper grinders and refined it to create a simple, repeatable adjustment that held fast across many different grind sizes.
I can easily note my grind size for espresso on the numbered dial, click it up to a pourover, then back to espresso and I am guaranteed to be exactly where I started. I keep a handy notepad of different grind sizes next to my brewing station and it hasn’t failed me yet for getting my grind exactly where I want. Top marks for consistent adjustability!
What’s ok about the 1Zpresso JX?
Usability
Given that the 1Zpresso JX uses 48mm burrs, the width of the grinder means you’ll need some big hands, or a strong grip when grinding your beans. The JX comes equipped with a handy rubber cover around where you’ll mostly be holding it, so it’s not as if it’s just spinning in your hands as your grind.
Having tested a friend’s Timemore C2 recently, I was blown away by just how easy that grinder was to hold firm due to its rough metal design, and by how smooth the grinding action was. The JX will be certainly tougher to wrangle than some competitors like the C2. It even feels bigger in the hand than the Lido E.
Build quality
Now it’s important to note that since buying the first iteration of the JX, the design of the catch cup has changed to a metal variation. In the first version I purchased, the catch cup was glass, and screwing glass into a metal thread inevitably leads to breakages.
Within about two months of being careful with it, I had a cracked thread and knew I’d need to look into buying a spare soon. Again, this is not an issue with the newer models.
However, once upgrading to a metal catch cup, I find that it doesn’t not sit 100% securely when screwed in, so I find I need to have my hand partially gripped around the catch cup too to keep it in place sometimes. Your model may vary, and it is a minor gripe, but with two metal threads as the connection, it is understandable that there’s a lack of friction to hold it securely.
One other thing is the handle, specifically the wooden ball that is attached. I’ve been in the middle of grinding and had it fly off a few times, which is then easily rectified by simply squeezing it back on. However, the more times it happens, the more easily it will come off.
How many times has it happened? Probably three since 2019. To counter this, I focus on making sure I don’t pull up when grinding, instead trying to keep a nice even rotation through the grind.
Adjustability (again)
The grind adjustment, while very consistent and repeatable, leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to fine-tuning your coffee. For pourover I think you’ll not feel like you need more adjustment, but for espresso, the steps are fairly big.
Each step for me ends up at about a seven/eight second difference in shot time for my standard 2:1 ratio shot. This is definitely not enough adjustment levels when it comes to espresso. Since the introduction of the JX Pro to the market, I’d say if you’re going for espresso, steer clear of the JX when the Pro is available.
What’s bad about the 1Zpresso JX?
Build quality (specifically of the handle)
Almost a year to the day, when grinding some lightly home-roasted beans that were admittedly quite dense, I had a catastrophic failure of the handle. During operation, it had snapped completely off the cap where it connects to the grinder.
After standing half-asleep and supremely uncaffeinated for a second, I looked down at the two pieces of grinder in either hand, and was more than a little pissed off. Thank god I had my Lido E as a backup.
The thin metal rod serving as the crank for the grinder had succumbed under the pressure of the light-roasted beans, and meant that I was without my grinder, with no way to operate it.
I immediately took some photos, and noted that the inside of the rod was a different material from the coating, leading me to believe that the inside of the handle was not made to withstand the required torques of coffee grinding.
Within an hour I had an amazing team member helping me on their facebook account, who offered to replace the handle free of charge. I also took the opportunity to order myself a new metal catch cup too, and the cost, shipped to Germany from Taiwan, came to USD $13.
I have to say that I was really impressed with their support, as just over 48 hours after organising the shipping with the 1Zpresso team, I had brewed my next shot with the grinder. 1Zpresso definitely scores top marks for their customer service, but that definitely left me concerned with the future durability of the grinder.
Final thoughts on the 1Zpresso JX
Since buying the grinder in 2019, the 1Zpresso JX has been great, especially for the price I paid for it.
Given that their operation is far smoother for the international customers to engage with now, you shouldn’t have any problems ordering directly from 1Zpresso for USD $129 plus shipping, and for that price I can definitely recommend the JX as your next dedicated pourover grinder, but don’t think that it can’t easily produce high-quality espresso shots when needed.
Really aiming for espresso and pourover? Spend the little bit extra and get the JX Pro which gives more adjustability at a fair price, meaning you’ll have a far better time dialling in your espresso. Plus you’ll easily be able to get your pourover kicks when needed. Beyond that, 1Zpresso recommends some of their more premium grinder like the JE Plus, but at USD $239, you’re entering into another echelon of hand coffee grinders.
Despite that, I still use the JX as my primary espresso driver because of the speed for grinding espresso. I counter the lack of grinding steps by upping or lowering my coffee dose, which isn’t ideal, but works well enough for now, at least until my Arco Grinder by Goat Story arrives!
Finally, I hope they’ve improved on the durability of the handle, but since replacing it and grinding lots of light-roasted beans since then, I’ve had no issues. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
And that’s it! A review of the 1Zpresso JX manual coffee grinder, from a happy owner who’s been using it almost daily for the last 2 years. It’s a great piece of kit with a few points to consider before purchase, but when it comes to creating fantastic coffee for a very reasonable price, then you’ll be a happy you made the choice with the JX.
Also bought a JX? Let me know below and feel free to share your thoughts on it!
Thanks for stopping by.
In 2019 I reached out to Asser from coffeechronicler.com to see his thoughts on the JX and he recommended me to get it, which I have to thank him for, as it’s been a great addition to my coffee arsenal since then. Coincidentally, his blog actually inspired me to start GreenestBean.com! You should definitely go check out his blog for more awesome coffee content.