HG-1 hand grinder (sometimes styled “HG-1 Grinder” or “HG-1 Hand Grinder”) — it’s a high-end, manual (i.e. hand-crank) espresso grinder with premium construction and burrs.
The HG-1 was one of the original “heirloom” manual espresso grinders produced by Weber Workshops / Craig Lyn Design Studio.
Links:
Its name “HG” presumably stands for “Hand Grinder.”
It’s no longer actively produced (it’s been succeeded by later models), but many aspects of its design live on in newer versions (e.g. the HG-2)
The HG-1 is geared toward serious coffee enthusiasts who want control, precision, and durability, at the cost of more manual effort.
It's a beautiful piece of art. More than just a grinder.
I use it for Classic Espresso (never filter) as it generates lots of fines
The burr edges are treated with a TiN (titanium nitride), food-safe coating to extend life and reduce wear.
Diameter: Ø 83 mm (3 1⁄4 inches)
Phase: three phase
The larger number of cores allows cutting at multiple angular positions which should reduce vibration and improve speed.
The base tool steel is hardened; coatings like TiN help reduce wear rate,
so effective lifespan might be many hundreds to thousands of kg of beans.
Mazzer website;
Frame is milled from 20 mm thick 6061 T6 aluminum plates, sandblasted and anodized for durability.
Contains hardened spiral mitered steel gears on stainless shafts linking a 15 mm flywheel to the burrs.
CNC milled burr housing / gear housing; uses sealed bearings.
Portion of design is “user serviceable” with standard parts.
The gear wheel spins forever when the hopper is empty.
The design aims for low retention and a “direct path” for grounds: once ground, coffee falls straight down (gravity) rather than being channeled or flung around internally. This reduces clumping, friction, and heat.
Upper funnel lifts off to expose top burrs for cleaning.
- Lower funnel attaches magnetically (rare earth magnets) and is twist-removable, facilitating access to bottom burrs.
- Design intends that cleaning is fast (seconds rather than hours) so users are more likely to keep it clean.
Micro-stepped adjustment: by lifting a locking ring and rotating the burr mount. Each etched mark corresponds to ~0.013 mm (13μ) vertical travel between burrs (i.e. fine adjustment capability).
It’s quite heavy: ~ 29 lbs (≈13 kg) for the 2020 version (per Craig Lyn listing)
craiglyn.com
- Very tall: because of the flywheel lever, clearance above it is needed (they recommend at least ~6 in / ~15 cm above the flywheel handle).
- Needs solid, stable mounting or placement (it’s not a lightweight grinder you just plonk on any counter
I find that grinding about 5g at a time is much easier and quicker overall than trying to grind 18g at once.
the “straight drop / low retention path” design of the HG-1 complements the burr geometry: once beans are cut, they drop directly, minimizing friction, minimizing static or “hang up.
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How do I know if I have replaced the burrs correctly?
Once the burrs have been changed, open the grinding collar 5 notches away from the point of contact of the burrs (found when the motor is off) and grinding 5/6 g of coffee, in order to check that the operation has been successfully completed and to ensure that the burrs are parallel. The resulting ground coffee should have similar characteristics to talcum powder, i.e. a very fine homogeneous particle (be careful not to grind too much coffee at this adjustment point because you risk clogging up the burrs). After this check has been completed, the appliance can be adjusted to the espresso grain size.
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Pros / strengths:
Outstanding burr size for a hand grinder — Using 83 mm burrs gives it a performance edge in uniformity and stability, especially for espresso. Many hand grinders use much smaller burrs.
— The gravity / straight-drop design reduces ground retention and internal friction, which helps consistency and reduces waste.
Durable construction & serviceability — The robust metal construction, use of standard parts, sealed bearings, and a user-friendly design for servicing make it a grinder built to last.
Ease of daily cleaning — The quick release of funnels and burr access make cleaning manageable and encourage regular maintenance.
Of course there are some Cons, trade-offs & challenges with a grinder such as this.
The first is you need some manual effort & time — Because it's hand-cranked and using large burrs slowly, grinding 18 g or so takes ~25–30 seconds by some user reports. That requires physical effort and consistency of hand motion. It's definitely not my everyday grinder. More my Sunday morning one when I'm not in a rush.
The Magic Tumbler is gorgeous.
It's out of production & there is limited availability — Since the HG-1 is no longer in production, getting a new unit is difficult; many existing ones are in the resale / secondhand market. and thus the
Cost is great — Even secondhand, these grinders tend to command high prices due to their specialty niche.
Learning curve & consistency — As with most manual grinders, achieving consistency (equal pressure, steady pace, avoiding stalling) takes practice. The instructions warn about “hopping” or stalling if motion is uneven.
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Grinder adjustments for Espresso:
Many grinders have a 30-micron increment that can be too coarse for dialing in espresso.
In general, the lower the the microns per click, the better your grinder will be for espresso.
By increasing the threads on the adjustment axle, we can increase the number of available adjustment settings thus making it easier to achieve the very precise grind sizes needed for espresso.
A good grinder adjustment for espresso is a step size that's between 5 and 15 microns per click to allow for precise dialing in the shot. Though some grinders are stepless, offering infinite adjustment. The best adjustment size depends on the specific grinder and the sensitivity of your espresso setup, as a single click can significantly affect your shot time and flavor.
Examples of Grinder Adjustments
Kinu M47: each full revolution having 50 divisions,
resulting in a precision of approximately 5 microns per click
1-Zpresso Jmax: 8.8 microns per click
1-Zpresso J-Ultra : 8 microns / click
1-Zpresso JE-Plus & JX-Pro : 12.5 microns / click
Comandante C40: 25-30 microns per click
Comandante C40 with Red Clix: 15 microns per click
HG-1 by Weber Workshops : 13 microns per click
Pietro by Fiorenzato : 15 microns/click
Timemore C3 (standard not the ESP version): 83 microns per click
Timemore C3 ESP: 23 microns per click
Timemore C5: 31 microns per click
Timemore C5 ESP: 15 microns per click
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