Zassenhaus Cast Iron XL Mortar and Pestle, Grinder for Spices and Seeds with Pour Spout

I bought this to use to crush glass into frit as well as to crush rocks, seashells, and other things into powder for use as pigment. I chose a cast iron mortar and pestle because it is heavy and harder than steel according to my research. This thing is awesome in design, capacity and function. The weight of the end allows you to crush things with ease, using it almost like a hammer to crush stubborn bits against the sides. It's very sturdy and some of the black coating has come off but it's to be expected when you're using it like me.If you're just using it for standard kitchen stuff this thing will last forever. It takes a beating like a champ and I don't see it breaking anytime soon. This item is top notch quality.If they could change anything, maybe make the head a smidge bigger? But that's really not necessary.

Beautifully crafted Mortar and Pestle. Very heavy duty. The pestle is designed for a much easier grip. I love how sturdy it is made. I am sure it will hold up perfectly for my herb grinding for my apothecary. 10/10

Very good product

I was delighted to find it was actually bigger than described on the product page! Seldom are products described too modestly.The inside of the mortar bowl is 5 11/16" diameter, and 3.5" deep. So things aren't so likely to jump out.The capacity would be about 900 ml if it didn't have the pour spout.The mortar weighs 1576g = 3.47 pounds. The pestle weighs 763g = 1.68 pounds.The pounding end of the pestle is 1.75" diameter.It might be better if the pounding end were bigger, or flatter with the same diameter. It's a lot more curved than the bowl, so each time you pound, it only hits a small part of what you're pounding.I have just been pounding, not grinding herbs in a circular motion. Maybe there's a way to do that quickly with this pestle. Otherwise, it might need a larger pestle.It isn't pre-seasoned; the black color is hard enamel paint. To clean, I scrub it, rinse it off, pat it dry and heat it above a flame to get it completely dry. The enamel paint wears off quickly on the end of the pestle and the bottom of the mortar. It means that one gets small amounts of dried paint along with the meal, but I'd rather that, than small amounts of polymerized vegetable oil.

Gotta try this for herbs and a bunch of other stuff!! Cool iron mortar and pestle. It looks awesome and it goes well with other iron utensils.

I love everything about it! Attractive, appealing, easy handling, professional packaging, smart design spout and pestle. I'm extremely happy with it. Thank you!

Nice mortar and pestle , it grinds as it should , it makes garlic and pepper disappear. Excellent tool to make homemade seasonings.Be aware , this unit would sometimes rust on the inside if put away wet.Drying is required or even oil it a bit to prevent rust build up. Worth every penny

One of my best purchases ever. The weight of this piece makes it so much easier to use than other mortar & pestles. And easy to clean with a damp towel