Pulled a double shot with a dead grinder, survived on a brick and a hammer
Was at my buddy's place in Austin trying to make espresso for a small get together. His grinder gave up mid-bean, motor just hummed. I had a bag of dark roast and no backup. So I put the beans in a zip lock, wrapped it in a kitchen towel, and used a hammer to crack them into rough chunks. Took about 20 minutes for enough to fill the portafilter. Shot ran a bit fast, but the flavor was surprisingly okay. Has anyone else had to MacGyver a grind in a pinch? What's your weirdest workaround?
That hammer job probably crushed the beans so uneven you got a mix of powder and whole chunks, which is why it ran fast and tasted thin. A blade grinder from a thrift store would beat bashing your beans with tools every time.