Coffee grinder

Records suggest that this coffee grinder was made in Cheshire at the Mix Factory. In the 1840s, John and Titus Mix acquired the factory of Edw. A. Cornwall on the Farmington Canal, where they produced coffee mills (such as this one) and kitchen utensils. 

How this coffee grinder works is coffee beans are put in the bowl, the handle is turned multiple times, and the coffee grinds fall into the wooden drawer below. The wood drawer is then pulled open to reveal the ground-up coffee beans, ready for brewing.

The Manual Coffee Grinder had been invented in the 17th century as a way to easily grind up coffee beans.

Ukers, W. H. (n.d.). Chapter XXXIV: THE EVOLUTION OF COFFEE APPARATUS -- All About Coffee. Chapter XXXIV: The evolution of coffee apparatus -- all about coffee, by William H. Ukers. https://www.cluesheet.com/All-About-Coffee-XXXIV.htm

In the 1770s, coffee started becoming almost as popular as tea. It was the Boston Tea Party in 1773 that made coffee the preferred drink in America as it simply became unpatriotic at the time to drink British tea.

When the Canal was abandoned in 1846, John and Titus Mix moved their operations to Rag Hollow, along the Ten Mile River in the section of Cheshire that had become known as Mixville, due to the several small shops operated there by John and Titus' relative, William Mix. In 1853, they organized the Mix Mfg. Co. to manufacture Britannia ware and small household accessories, along with bits, augers, gimlets, and clay buttons. Later, the Peck, Stow and Wilcox Company bought out the business and eventually moved the industry to Southington.

The 1868 Beers Map of Cheshire shows the location of the Mix Mfg. Co. (circled). Today, the Consolidated Industries factory is located in this vicinity.