Buyer's
Guide to Coffee Grinders
An
Introduction to Grinding:
Grinding
coffee yourself not only allows you to have the freshest coffee
possible, it also is one of the most important aspects to
making great coffee.
Coffee
grinders vary widely in their ability to consistently grind
the coffee at different levels of coarseness.
The
coarseness ranges from very coarse (similar to raw sugar),
to medium (similar to table salt or granulated sugar), to
fine (powdery with a hint of grittiness), with many slight
adjustments between each one.
The
coarseness of the grind will determine how fast the water
passes through during brewing. The finer the grind, the more
time it takes the water to be forced through the grounds.
Think of water flowing through a layer of sand as opposed
to rocks.
This
brew cycle time can make drastic differences in the taste
of your coffee. It’s just like cooking and the brew cycle
is the baking. You wouldn’t under or over cook a cake and
expect it to taste the same.
The
ideal grind for espresso varies and requires trial and error
because of varying humidity, temperatures, and barometric
pressures in the room.
The
grind is adjusted until the time required to extract a shot
of espresso takes about 22 seconds (give or take a 2 or 3
seconds).
The Types
of Coffee Grinders
There
are basically 3 types of grinders on the market today. They
are the blade, burr, and conical burr grinders.
Blade
Coffee Grinders:
The
blade type coffee grinders are the most inexpensive on the
market. They are suitable if you just cannot justify the price
of a burr grinder and do not plan to use it for espresso.
The
blade grinders, because of their chopping method, cannot achieve
the consistency needed for espresso. Even the coarse and medium
grinds vary widely and are not consistent at all.
Another
disadvantage is that they create an enormous amount of friction
which actually burns the beans giving the coffee an undesirable
taste.
I
would however, recommend a blade grinder if the choice is
between a blade grinder or no grinder at all, thus having
to buy coffee that is already ground.
One
good thing about a blade grinder is that the maintenance and
cleanup are a snap.
Burr
Grinders (Flat Wheel):
Flat
wheel burr grinders are the preferred method of grinding coffee.
They work by crushing the beans between one spinning and one
stationary, semi-concave disks.
The
disks spin more slowly than a blade grinder which generates
less friction and creates a much more consistent grind.
The
disadvantages are that they must be cleaned (which requires
a little work) especially if you don’t use it on a regular
basis. The reward is worth it though!
The
beans which are gravity fed from a hopper, can also get stuck
pretty often and need to be stirred to get them to flow into
the disks again.
Burr
Grinders (Conical)
Conical
burr grinders are generally regarded the best of all the grinders.
They use a conical shaped grinding surface.
The
advantages of the conical versus the flat wheel are that they
have the most consistent grind. They also spin even slower
creating less friction and less static electricity which causes
the coffee to stick in the crevices of the grinder making
it harder to clean.
In
addition the beans, at least in my experience, clog up much
less in the hopper.
The
disadvantages are that they tend to be the most expensive
because of the cost to manufacture the grinding cones.
Check
out these burr grinders:
Can't
Find What You're Looking For?
If
you didn't see the coffee grinder you've been looking for,
try a search below on coffee grinder to see Amazon's full
selection.
Grinding
coffee before every pot or shot is a lot more work than
buying it already ground. Fact is, there is simply no other
way to get the freshest, most flavorful and aromatic coffee.
Well, except to find a good coffee house and pay them for
it.
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