My grinder died on day 3 of a 5 day bean subscription and I drank gas station coffee for the first time in 2 years
So last Monday my hand grinder just locked up mid batch, like the burr seized and nothing I did would free it, and I had 4 bags of fresh beans from a roaster in Asheville sitting on my counter going stale. I ended up at a Speedway at 6am buying their house blend in a paper cup, and honestly it was so bad I dumped half of it in the parking lot. Here is where I want to hear from you all: part of me says a real coffee person should always have a backup grinder or at least a blade one in a drawer for emergencies, and the other part says that sounds like an excuse to buy more gear I do not need. My brother says just pre grind at the roaster every time you buy, which feels like giving up. I went 3 whole days on bad gas station and office pod coffee and my mornings were wrecked. What is your honest take, do you keep a cheap backup grinder around or do you just grind fresh at the store and hope for the best?