I researched grain mills for a long time, including European websites in German, where there is a much greater market for grain mills than in the USA. I wanted a better way to make flour than the vitamix, which although it makes very fine flour, has several drawbacks. Namely, it's very loud, the flour gets hot, and all of the grain won't make flour because some of it falls below the blender-type blades. The flour comes out with some whole grains, some broken bits, some course flour, and of course very fine flour, which has gotten quite hot. By sifting twice, with different sized sieves, I could tediously separate the bread-baking flour from the 'cream of wheat' bits and the larger pieces. I could get increasingly higher percentages of fine flour by leaving the grain in the vitamix for longer periods of time, but the flour gets hotter and hotter, and I don't want to lose the natural nutrition of the fresh grains. One of the biggest disadvantages is the lack of ability to grind less than about a cup and a fourth of grains, the minimum amount which has to be inside in order to get contact with the blades.
So I was looking for specific things a new grain mill had to accomplish. At first, I looked at the new generation of impact mills, which operate like the vitamix, except with the advantage of a screen, I presume, which lets the fine flour out while keeping the larger bits inside for more high speed bashing. Even though I don't like the sound of vacuum cleaners, disposals, and high speed equipment, I was almost ready to order one when I decided to look more closely at the stone grinders, even if only for the sake of doing my research thoroughly.
The European websites I viewed listed dozens of models of electric stone grinders. They even offer electric flakers [for homemade rolled oats, for your very own muesli!] as well as combi mills and flakers in the same unit. The point is, the Germans and Austrians must know a lot more about grain mills than I do, so I kept reading. And I admit, I still had some questions when I ordered the Wolfgang mill, but now I have the answers!
For starters, the wolfgang mill beats all my expectations. It makes extremely fine flour almost instantly. The motor is very substantial [it uses an industrial motor] and runs, I should say purrs, ever so quietly. When you put grain in the top, be sure to have a container ready. Instantly, fine flour is coming out, and I don't mean a dribble. The volume seams to double. The instructions tell you to turn it on, rotate the hopper to the left until you just hear the stones touch each other [sort of a chattering sound]. Back off to the right just a bit, and you have found the minimum clearance for the grinding. As the humidity, temperature, and use of the grinder will [theoretically] affect this clearance, you can always adjust it to make sure you're going to get the very finest flour imaginable [I made silky flour from spelt, kamut, barley, millet, and teff.] The barley corns were the noisiest, not unlike popcorn going off in a small container. Softer grains make almost no sound at all, just a sort of puff as they exit the hopper.
You can make a spoonful of flour if you want to. Everything is the exact same size. And the flour is cool. The mill is self-cleaning. There is a little sweeper brush that goes around, sweeping the flour out to the hopper. If you ever think the stones need cleaning [they are not really stones, it's ceramic and carborundum, much harder than stones], you can grind some rice or even take the hopper off and take out the top stone. [The bottom stone seams to be permanently attached, but it would be easy to clean even so.]
Now for the creme de la creme. I was going to also buy a flaker for making muesli, but I don't have to, because this mill makes the very best muesli I have ever tasted. [OK, I make my own yogurt, too.] I turned the hopper counterclockwise about 90 degrees, you can keep turning it for even larger bits, but this is where the oats come out as if they were 'slivered.' May not be the same as rolled [commercial rolled oats are steamed], but the taste, texture, and nutrition is way better. So far I have also made muesli out of spelt and millet mixed with oats [which I learned from the European websites] and I love it.
So I have been making my own bread since '75, and I never had it so good. I have 13 different grains for bread and muesli. Every batch is different. No recipes. I couldn't be happier. If there is a better mill than the wolfgang, I don't need it. This one gets used every day [stays on the counter] because right after dinner, I mix some grains for muesli, grind them on the 'muesli' setting, put them in a bowl, pour yogurt on top, cover the bowl w/ a salad plate, put it in the fridge, and then try to forget about the long wait until time for breakfast.
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Tribest Grain MillProduct Description: German-engineered and German-made, the Wolfgang s low, 13.25profile fits easily into any kitchen, yet its larger-than-life performance rivals that of even its largest competitors. With an astonishing 3.5 oz/minute grinding capacity for even the finest flours, its ultra-hard ceramic and corundum millstones make fast work of even the toughest grains. Powered by an industrial-strength motor, it will provide maximum service to you and your loved ones for many years to come. Elegantly housed in a magnificent beech wood cabinet, it looks as good as it performs and will inspire conversation as well as cooking. Features: -Solid beech treated casing with natural vegetable oil -Grinding capacity of 3.5 oz/min -Funnel capacity(wheat) of 2.2 lbs -Grinding mechanism is made of ceramic/corundum (infinitely adjustable) -Millstone is 3 5/16 inches -Motor Performance of 360W -Average use while grinding is 230W -Height for bowl underneath is 5.5 inches -3 year guarantee -Warranty valid only for orders shipped within US; not applicable to Canadian orders -Overall dimensions: 13.25H x 6W x 6D
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This isn't worth the time it took to order it, and I'll be returning it for a refund.
