Cole and Mason Pepper Grinder Review

In this review, we will test Cole and Mason Derwent Pepper Mill, one of the best pepper mills on the market. You can easily find this product on Amazon for a fair price. The company has designed the pepper mill with a modern look in mind with a clear and sleek plastic interior. The transparent part of the design lets you know how much pepper you have left in it and shows you what the purpose of the mill is. There is no indication of the other mills besides a S or a P. One great feature of this mill is its a set fine adjustment setting on the bottom. Thanks to the feature, you won’t have to guess, which is the case with other pepper mills. Keep reading to find out more about this pepper grinder. We will discuss its design and all of its features.

Quick Summary of the Cole and Mason Derwent Pepper Mill Review

About the Cole and Mason

Founded in London in 1919, Cole and Mason became synonymous with high-quality, high-performing salt and pepper mills soon after. The company has existed for over 100 years and has a wide range of products such as specialty mills, spice racks and oil and vinegar pourers. During its long history, the company has won many awards for its products. In 2015, they won the award of CoolBrands status for 2015, an annual initiative to identify and pay tribute to the UK’s coolest brands, voted for by the public.

The company has launched the first acrylic mill, the award-winning Precision Grind mechanism and a full range of seasoning products. Today, they have a product for almost every need across herbs, spices, oils, kinds of vinegar, fresh ingredients and, of course, salt and pepper.

The Importance of a Pepper Mill

Understanding oxidation is necessary to understand the importance of a pepper mill in the kitchen. The oxidation of food happens when a chemical reaction with air occurs and nutrients and flavor change. You will rapidly change the flavor compound of the pepper when you expose it to more oxygen. For this reason, it is recommended that you grind a pepper before you use it in your recipe.

On the other hand, salt is not affected by oxidation. The control of the texture of the salt is the only reason you would want a salt mill. It can affect the texture of salt, depending on the size of the salt crystal.

The Design of the Cole and Mason Derwent Pepper Mill

Mechanism of the Pepper Grinding

The company has added the adjustment on the bottom, so the pepper adjustment setting is not done by a screw found on the top. For the most part, it was guesswork. The gap between the burr grinder changes as you select each setting. The larger the chunk, the wider the gap. This is a pretty simple design. For this reason, most of the mechanism is wrapped with plastic. On the other hand, traditional pepper mills are usually made of just metal or wood.

The company uses the lid to latch onto the metal rod because the mill is missing the screw to adjust the grind. The metal rod will rotate in unison when the lid is twisted. For this reason, Cole and Mason needed to design the lid so that it could always fit the rod. One of its downsides is its durability of it. We think that something like this may become loose as time passes. The worst scenario is that it won’t stay in place for long, and it may stop turning the mill.

Nevertheless, we think Cole and Mason’s solution is superior to Peugeot U Select Pepper mill’s. Peugeot’s product looks like a traditional pepper mill but has some issues. You can adjust their mill on both settings, so you must readjust both to get your preferred grind setting.

Adjustment of the Grind Setting

This might be a tricky part for some people. You will have to grab the center of the mill and twist that portion to adjust the setting on this mill. Make sure not to twist the bottom, and don’t try and force it too much because it may break if you go too far with it.

If you try to adjust the mill’s center portion and encounter a problem – it still won’t turn – we have a solution for the problem. This issue will occur when you go from a larger grind setting to a smaller one. Chunks of pepper mill tend to get stuck in between them. For this reason, it might be impossible to adjust it. The solution is quite simple – All you have to do is turn the mill upside down and grind a few peppers. By doing so, you will crush them, and you will be able to adjust them again. If you don’t turn it upside down, more pepper will get stuck.

How To Refill the Mill?

If you are using the mill for the first time, you may struggle with the refilling process. All you have to do is yank the top off. For some people, this may not be intuitive, and they might try to unscrew the bottom. It would be best if you did not do this because you might strip the thread.

Colors of the Pepper Grinder

Cole and Mason provide a variety of colors for the product, but they are just cosmetic things. It’s not a solid piece of gunmetal or copper, and all base skeletons are the same. For example, the cap will fit just fine if you have a copper version. Take a look underneath it, and you will see a plastic skeleton.

The Materials of the Mill’s Body

The body of the mill is made of plastic, not glass. Even though it does resemble glass well. Plastic is a good choice because it is more durable compared to glass. In addition, plastic is not as cold to the touch as glass. The choice of materials is great, but some people may prefer glass for its more luxurious feel. Plastic is often associated with cheapness, but make no mistake; the company uses a very thick piece of plastic on their product.

It is interesting to mention that the grinding mechanism is screwed onto the plastic body of the mill. It can be seen on the bottom, which was screwed with three screws. It also seems that the company has fused two pieces of plastic. If you look in the center, you can se a faint line on either side of it. It is safe to assume that it took one mold to make them.

Final Thoughts on the Fit and Finish of the Mill

Overall, the product’s fit, and finish is excellent. We would prefer that the company use less plastic, but as long as it is durable, we think it is acceptable. Another plus is the casing for the color, which is made of metal. We are not sure if it is actual copper, though. Nevertheless, we like that Cole and Madison didn’t use one of those cheap coatings like some other companies use.

Conclusion

This pepper grinder is a well-engineered product. We were impressed with how the company has incorporated the filling mechanism, the grind setting and the top into one. If you know how to use it, it is a great mill. On the other hand, some people may prefer glass instead of plastic body because they may find it to look and feel cheap. This mill also doesn’t have the aesthetic looks other traditional pepper mills have. However, Cole and Mason Derwent Pepper Mill are well-designed and perform well, which is important if you want a set and forget it. Unlike the traditional mills, it will give you consistent results every time you use it.

We recommend buying the Peugeot counterpart if you still want a more traditional mill. Their version looks handmade and uses a higher grade of materials. It looks better, as well.

Last update on 2024-04-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API