How to Pick the Right Coffee Grinder for You

How to tell apart good coffee grinders from bad ones.

When it comes to coffee equipment, technology has made it a little confusing to actually pick what’s best for us. There are so many options and so many fancy gadgets that sometimes we feel like if we don’t get the best and newest tool, we’re not making a good investment. Now, most people brew ground coffee, but if you’d like to get into the world of specialty coffee and start playing with the possibilities that lie hidden behind every cup, then you should definitely start by grinding your own roasted coffee.

Why grind it when you can have it pre-ground?

Coffee is a product that’s always best consumed when fresh. The more recently-roasted the beans are, the better they’ll taste, because once the roasting is done, the beans immediately start to release aromas that can make a huge difference when it comes to flavor. On the other hand, if you want to immerse yourself into the world of coffee brewing and try different recipes and methods, then you most definitely need to have control over the grind size, since it needs to be perfect for your brewer and not too coarse or too fine.

Experimenting with different sizes will also allow you to manipulate your coffee’s flavor. But which grinder should you use then? On today’s article, we hope to shed some light on the alternatives so you can pick wisely and start having fun!

Blade vs. Burr

The first thing you need to know is that there are two main types: blade grinders and burr grinders. The former are, obviously, made of blades that slice coffee beans into multiple parts. The longer this kind of grinder is on, the finer your coffee will become. Some people advice to stick to burr grinders over blade ones, mainly because the later chops rather than grinds, which can result in an inconsistent grind. They also heat up the beans which can potentially change the flavor.

Burr grinders basically have two burrs, one that stays still and the other that is attached to a motor and rotates. Rather than chopping the beans, these types of grinders crush them and because the force of impact isn’t concentrated in one specific point, the final result tends to be more consistent. However, they tend to be more expensive and can use more energy. They can  be worth it though; a better grinder will make better coffee than most brewers will.

If you choose burr grinders, you can pick between flat blades and conical ones.  Conical grinders are known to be more precise as they can be adjusted by degrees. They’re also more expensive than flat blade grinders, since these only allow to set the disks together for finer grounds or further apart for coarser ones.

Besides all of the above, other things you need to consider are how often and how much will you grind. Once you’ve got your own coffee powder, you should be aware that it’ll go stale pretty quickly, so if you don’t need coffee in large quantities, then you should probably stick to smaller coffee grinders, especially since many of them are so big that they hardly fit countertop units.

Finally, the right choice for you will also depend on whether you tend to try different types of brews and coffee makers. If you like to go from a french press to an espresso, then you’ll need a grinder that allows you to set different settings for specific coffee machines.

The important thing is to have fun experimenting with beans and discovering how they can change and affect our cup of coffee. At That Coffee Roasters, we believe there are few things in life that say morning coffee as freshly grinded coffee. Those are the little details that make every day worth living to the fullest.

Have you ever ground your own coffee?

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters