Looking for a manual grain grinder that’s durable and made from premium quality materials, skillfully crafted, and professionally finished?
If so, then allow us to introduce the Country Living Grain Mill. Outstanding in its niche, the Country Living is built with rugged materials, superbly fitted components, and top-notch finishing details – a dream for those who value high quality!
At A Glance
Country Living Hand Grain Mill
Pluses…
- Extra large, 5-inch cast carbon steel burrs
- A large flywheel for easy turning
- Infinite texture adjustment produces fine flour to coarse meal
- Heavy duty ball-bearing construction for wobble-free operation
- Cast aluminum alloy body
- FDA-approved food grade powder coating finish
- Grooved flywheel can accommodate any V-belt for motorizing
- An excellent option for survivalists and off-the-grid environments
… And Minuses
- Can grind only dry grains and pulses, not wet or oily foods
- Flour production is slower than electric models
Here’s a closer look at the details:
Fine Flour to Cracked Grains
The Country Living mill grinds a wide variety of dry grains and legumes into fine baking flour, cereal textures, coarse meal, and even cracked grains.
Country Living Corn and Bean Auger
It’s equipped with a sturdy stainless-steel auger that processes small groats and legumes – and if you plan to grind larger legumes or corn, there’s an optional bean and corn auger, available from Amazon.
The large, stainless steel spiral of the bean auger easily feeds larger pieces into the grinding chamber without any noticeable change in resistance. Or, for better economy, you can purchase the bean auger together with the mill as a combo package.
Robust I-Beam Construction
The Country Living grinder, including the base, housing unit, and hopper, are made from a robust, cast aluminum alloy in an I-beam configuration for outstanding strength and longevity.
The alloy is then coated with a durable, food safe, and FDA-approved powder coating for a finish that’s attractive as well as chip and scratch resistant.
Country Living Grain Mill Clamp, available on Amazon
For stability, the base of this skookum grinder needs to be permanently affixed to a countertop or sturdy board with bolts. Or, for portability, you can purchase an optional double-post clamp made from strong 1/4-inch steel plating.
Free-Wheeling Flywheel
The large flywheel is constructed of hard-wearing cast iron, and fitted with a large and comfortable hardwood handle for easy turning.
Flywheels are easier to turn than hand cranks due to their kinetic energy and angular velocity (i.e. how quickly they rotate). And the further from the hub the wheel mass is, the higher its moment of inertia (momentum plus kinetic energy).
And as you can see from a quick look at the Country Living flywheel, it has a large, 12-inch diameter with a heavy iron rim – which translates into smooth and easy turning for the user, particularly with hard grains such as hard wheat or corn.
Country Living Power Bar Extension Handle, available on Amazon
To make turning the flywheel even easier, an optional power bar extension can be added that makes rotations up to 40 percent easier by increasing torque. The steel power bar is simply bolted to an arm on the flywheel, and uses the same handle.
The grooved flywheel has been designed to act as a V-belt pulley that can be used to motorize the unit, or to hook up to an exercise bicycle.
Country Living Grain Mill Motorization Kit, available on Amazon
For grinding large amounts of flour, the mechanically inclined can build and attach their own motor. But a much easier option is to purchase the Country Living geared-down motor kit – made with the same quality materials and attention to detail as the mill, it runs at a cool 60 RPM.
Large Precision Burrs
Compared to most other home flour grinders, the 5-inch burrs of the Country Living are huge!
Constructed of high-carbon steel, they can grind more flour than smaller burrs because of their greater area, and the large burr faces also aid in the ease of turning the flywheel. The large size also means a cooler grind, preserving important nutrients.
A large infinity adjustment knob calibrates the precision fit of the burr faces, and can be set to produce textures from fine baking flour to coarse meal or cracked grains with only one pass through the hopper.
Industrial Ball Bearings
Industrial grade ball bearings are another feature that reflects the superb quality of the Country Living mill.
To minimize burr wear and bearing strain, and to provide excellent stability, the two sealed ball bearings are precisely placed with a wide spread on the steel drive shaft – another reason operation is so smooth and easy.
Dimensions and Specs
The Country Living measures 13.5 x 12 x 10 inches, and weighs about 17.75 pounds. The flywheel diameter is 12.25 inches, and the hopper has a capacity of 4.5 cups of grain.
Made in the USA, it comes with a limited lifetime warranty and a one-year warranty for the grinding plates.
Care and Cleaning
Just like its operation, cleaning the Country Living flour grinder is quick and easy.
Simply remove the texture adjustment knob and outer burr to access the grinding chamber. Use a small pastry brush to clean flour from the burrs and chamber, or use a brief shot of compressed air to clean away flour.
On occasion, the grinding plates may need to be removed for washing in warm, soapy water. After cleaning and rinsing, dry thoroughly before reassembling.
Wipe down the frame and hopper with a damp cloth, then dry with a clean, soft cloth.
Techniques, Tips, and Tricks
The Country Living is not designed to grind wet or oily foods such as nuts, seeds, or coffee beans. Stick to dry grains and legumes for the best results, and invest in the corn and bean auger for milling larger foods.
Comparison to Similar Products
The WonderMill Junior Deluxe is another manual model that gets a lot of love from online shoppers. With two included sets of burrs, the Junior Deluxe can process dry grains for flour as well as oily seeds and nuts for butters.
WonderMill Junior Deluxe Hand Grain Mill, available on Amazon
But, it uses a hand crank instead of a flywheel and the burrs are much smaller, so it does require more effort to operate.
Read our full review of the WonderMill here.
A Mill for All Seasons
The real beauty of the Country Living is that it can be used at any time in any environment – which makes it ideal for rural and off-the-grid environments, and for SHTF preppers!
Plus, it can easily be motorized for those who want to produce large quantities of flour.
Well-built from start to finish, the design, top quality materials, and large flywheel make the Country Living the most stable and easy to operate manual mill in the home market. It’s an excellent choice that will last for generations.
Click here to check prices and read customer reviews on Amazon now.
Do you folks have any questions about grain mills we can answer for you? Give us a shout in the comments below – and for some great tips, check out our article on baking with whole grains! And make sure to check out our other grain mill reviews and buying guides!
Product photos via Country Living and Wondermill.
About Lorna Kring
Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. A bit daft about the garden, she’s particularly obsessed with organic tomatoes and herbs, and delights in breaking bread with family and friends.
