(by 14 people)
Grinding coffee beans
Nothing matches the aroma and flavor of coffee prepared from freshly ground beans. Grinding coffee beans just before brewing makes a real difference to your cup of coffee. Once you start using a coffee grinder you will never want to go back to buying pre-ground coffee.
Grinding coffee is a pleasure in its own right.
Do you grind your coffee?
I would love to know how many people are grinding their coffee. And for those who don't - what's the reason behind that.
Do you grind your coffee? Why not?
Now let me tell you the main reason why people use pre-ground coffee. For most people the real reason is that they have not really tasted what difference a freshly ground coffee makes! That was certainly the reason for me before I bought my first coffee grinder.
Why is it so important to grind coffee yourself?
Now, when the bean is smashed into pieces, there is no longer any protective barrier and the coffee loses most of its good stuff within a few hours. That's why coffee should be ground just before you brew it.
You need freshly ground beans for a good cup of coffee.
How to grind coffee
If you are making filter coffee then you need a medium grind. If you have a coffee press you will need to grind the beans more coarsely. If you have a Moka pot you need a fine grind.
- How to Grind Coffee Beans
- Here you will find a table showing what grind is appropriate for your coffee maker. You will also find out what can happen when you grind the coffee too fine or too coarse.
- Coffee Grind Chart
- A visual chart explaining the differences in coffee grinds for each brewing style.
Coffee grinders
- Blade grinders
This includes all electric blade coffee mills. - Burr grinders
This includes all electric burr coffee grinders. - Manual grinders
This includes all hand coffee grinders whether they use a blade or burr grinding mechanism.
Which coffee grinder are you using?
Blade coffee grinder
The main problem with the blade coffee grinder is that they do not actually grind the coffee - they smash it to pieces with a blade that rotates at high speed. This way of pulverizing coffee beans produces coffee particles of varying sizes - ranging from big chunks to very fine dust.
This non-uniform grind is pretty OK if you are using a paper filter. With metallic filters, a French press or a Moka pot you are likely to end up with quite a bit of unwanted sediment in your cup. The lack of uniformity will also impact the flavor of your coffee: the small particles will be over-extracted and the large ones will be under-extracted (no, it does not even out).
With the blade grinders there is no way to adjust how fine you want your coffee to be. You simply grind for a while then look if the coffee is fine enough and if not then grind a bit more and so on.
Blade coffee grinders also heat the coffee up considerably while grinding it. That destroys some of the coffee flavor. The grinding is rather noisy. Another issue is that the coffee ground in a blade grinder is likely to be full of static charge which makes handling it difficult and messy.
To reduce these problems it is best to grind the coffee in a series of short bursts (only a few seconds at a time) and to shake the grinder vigorously in between the bursts.
Having talked about the bad point of the blade coffee grinder, let me just emphasize that using a blade coffee grinder is still much better than buying pre-ground coffee.
Read more about blade coffee grinders ...
- Blade Coffee Bean Grinders
- Blade coffee bean grinders do have some drawbacks but you can work around them if you know how to use the blade coffee grinder correctly.
- Blade Coffee Grinder. The why and the wherefore
- The much maligned Blade coffee grinder - the pros and cons of the blade coffee grinder
Top 3 blade coffee grinders from Amazon
Krups 203-42 Fast Touch Coffee Grinder, Black
A special thing about this grinder is that the grinding chamber is oval rather than round. That helps to prevent the coffee beans from spinning around (thus keeping them near the blades).
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Braun KSM2-BLK Aromatic Coffee Grinder, Black
Excellent blade grinder. Built to last.
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
KitchenAid BCG100OB Blade Coffee Grinder, Onyx Black
Efficient blade grinder well worth considering.
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Burr coffee grinders
When you upgrade from a blade grinder to a burr grinder you may be surprised to find out just what difference it makes to the taste of your coffee. For a start it will be less bitter because you don't get all the fine dust that comes out of the blade grinders.
Burr grinders grind the coffee beans between two burrs that can be either flat or conical. So what is a burr then? Good question - it's probably best answered by a few pictures:
One important thing about the burr grinders is the speed with which they grind coffee - the lower the better. High speed burr grinders have several drawbacks: heating up the coffee, bogging down under heavy load, clogging up with very fine grinds and producing a lot of static charge.
What you really want is a low speed conical burr grinder. They are more expensive, but they eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) the problems that high speed grinders have.
If you are buying a grinder for an espresso machine it is good to know that there are grinders that have a special mechanism of dispensing coffee directly into the portafilter - these are called doser grinders. You can of course use a doserless grinder for your espresso machine but some people prefer a grinder with a doser.
Read more about burr coffee grinders ...
- Burr Coffee Grinders: Types of Grinders
- This is an article about the various types of burr coffee grinder.
- Burr Coffee Grinders
- Burr coffee grinders have several advantages over blade grinders. The best coffee grinders around are conical burr grinders. They grind the coffee beans evenly and they do not heat up the coffee too much during the grinding.
- CoffeeGeek - Don't Skimp on the Grinder
- Here you can read about the importance of getting a good grinder for use with an espresso machine.
Top 3 burr coffee grinders from Amazon
Breville BCG459XL Ikon Conical Burr Grinder
Good solid grinder at a very reasonable price. The finest grind is not quite fine enough for Turkish coffee but it does a good enough job for an espresso machine.
Amazon Price: $99.95 (as of 10/12/2008)
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder, Black
This is again a good burr grinder at a good price.
Amazon Price: $89.95 (as of 10/12/2008)
Rancilio ROCKY Rancilio Burr Grinder with Doser
Excellent grinder for use with an espresso machine. Rancilio Rocky (both the doser and doserless versions) is widely considered to be the best home espresso grinder under $400.
Amazon Price: $429.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
Manual coffee grinders
The coffee does not heat up, there is no problem with static and the grinding is so quiet that you don't need to worry about grinding coffee even in the middle of the night.
Important thing about the hand coffee grinders is to get a good one. Some manual coffee grinders are sold more as a decorative item rather than a functional grinder. So how do you know which grinder is good? Well, I will try to give you some pointers:
- You should get a conical burr grinder (some manual grinders are using blades - you should avoid those).
- The burrs should be made of hardened steel.
- Be prepared to spend at least $50 on a manual coffee grinder. The cheaper models are usually just decorations
- Some good brands are Zassenhaus or Lodos.
Read more about manual coffee grinders ...
- Manual Coffee Grinder
- A high quality manual coffee grinder like a Zassenhaus coffee mill can do everything that much more expensive electric conical burr grinders can.
- Grind Your Own Coffee Beans
- The first step to brewing an excellent cup of coffee is grinding your own beans. Myron Joshua explains why we should grind our beans and overcomes some of the common objections by sharing his grinder journey.
Top 3 manual coffee grinders from Amazon
Peugeot Nostalgie Coffee Grinder - Walnut Stain
I think that this is an excellent choice for a grinder that you are going to use every day.
Amazon Price: $129.95 (as of 10/12/2008)
Alessi Ubaldo Piazza Coffee Grinder
As is often the case with Alessi, you pay a premium for the very high quality of the design.
Amazon Price: $239.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
JavaGrind Coffee Grinder
This is a very cheap coffee grinder and it is quite hard to use. The burrs are ceramic and not very sharp and it is not easy to hold the grinder steadily in place while grinding. So why do I recommend it? Well, it is actually a pretty good choice for travelers. It is very compact and it does a pretty decent job if you are using a French press. I do not recommend this grinder for every day use.
Amazon Price: $17.01 (as of 10/12/2008)
Vintage hand coffee grinders on eBay
When it comes to hand coffee grinders you can sometimes get a really good bargain on eBay. Just do check the description to make sure that the grinder is working. Some of the antique coffee grinders are sold merely for decorative purposes. If necessary then contact the seller to check that the grinder is in working order.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
What can a coffee grinder do for you
People often don't grind coffee at home because they think that it is not worth the hassle. I am sometimes surprised by people spending a lot of money on high quality coffee beans only to have them pre-ground at the shop. The thing is: they would get a better cup of coffee using cheaper beans but grinding them at home just before brewing.
So, next time you have a cup of coffee make sure it is freshly ground!
Please leave me some feedback
This is my first lens, so I would welcome some feedback. Did you find the lens useful? Is there anything you would like to be added?
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Rob3
I love my coffee too! This is a great lens, 5 stars! Posted June 16, 2008 |
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grassosalvato86
Coffee is my passion! I must to say I always buy pre-ground coffee but I'm sure that fresh ground beans are much better! Great lens! 5 stars. Dugg it! Posted May 31, 2008 |
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Domvalentine
mmm, caffeine ! Posted May 29, 2008 |
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EverythingMouse
There is nothing like the taste of fresh coffee. I am a big Illy fan. Not sure why so many people like to drink coffee out of a paper cup with a plastic lid! Posted May 27, 2008 |
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charlino
Mmmmm. I love coffee. Very nice lens about grinders. Posted May 26, 2008 |
