Coffee grinders + How to choose?

If you are a true lover coffee and you prepare it in a lever-operated coffee machine, french press or a mocca pot, you’ll probably prefer beans to ground coffee. Using beans has its advantages, the coffee is always ground and retains its aroma and flavour. Use the handy coffee grinder to grind just the right amount that you can consume immediately.

When choosing a coffee grinder, the way it is operated and the size you will need play a major role. Many coffee makers have a built-in grinder and with their help, you will always make excellent coffee. The disadvantage of a coffee maker is the high price, in contrast, coffee grinders are available to literally everyone.

Best Coffee Grinders

Types

Coffee grinder is available in two forms. Simple manual grinders are suitable for grinding smaller quantities, while electric grinders can quickly handle larger quantities of coffee.

Manual

Manual grinders represent traditional grinding. You can buy a more modern version as well as beautiful antique pieces. Whatever the look of the grinder, it should first and foremost allow you to have easy operation and a quality final coffee.

Manual grinders are smaller and cheaper, but their biggest advantage is the fact that they don’t heat up the coffee during the grinding process, which could affect its taste. If you’ll be making coffee for a large number of people, using one can be tedious but also tiring.

Electric

The electric grinder does all the work for you. Just pour in the required amount of coffee and press the knob. In no time at all, your coffee will be ground. The electric grinder is larger in size and is suitable for grinding larger quantities of coffee.

The disadvantage of poor quality electric grinders is excessive overheating and sometimes overheating of the coffee. This leads to bitterness and you have to take into account the higher purchase price.

Coffee grinding method

Manual coffee grinders are equipped with grinding stones, in the case of electric ones you can choose between stones or knives.

Knife grinder

Cheaper and lower quality grinders are equipped with knives and the coffee is ground at very high speed in this case. The grinding speed is both an advantage and a disadvantage in this case. On the positive side, the preparation is really fast, but with fast grinding, the aforementioned unwanted heating of the coffee may occur.

Also, the quality of the ground coffee is not great, the grinding is often not even and you may even find larger pieces of coffee. Knife grinders have the advantage of easy maintenance and long life.

Grinding stones

Quality grinders use grinding stones to grind coffee. In this case, the coffee beans are ground to a coarseness that you can adjust in most cases. The grinding is even and the coffee is characterized by an intense flavor and aroma.

During the crushing process, oil is released, which contributes to a more difficult cleaning. If the maintenance is not carried out correctly, mould can form between the stones.

Grinding stones may be steel or ceramic and may vary in shape.

• Steel – are inferior in quality and more prone to heating coffee.
• Ceramic – A higher quality material that is not prone to overheating. In this case, you do not have to worry about the resulting taste of the coffee.

The stones can be flat or conical. In this case, it is recommended to reach for conical stones, which have a lower proportion of dust component. Flat stones have a larger proportion, which will be reflected in its extraction.

Grinding coarseness

A good quality grinder, whether manual or electric, should allow you to adjust the coarseness of the grind. Different coarseness is designed for different coffee drinks. Espresso lovers will specify a fine grind. Finely ground coffee resembles coarse flour in its consistency.

The coffee you will be preparing in a manual drip coffee maker or mocha kettle, it needs to be ground to a medium coarseness first. The coffee in this case can be compared to the consistency of salt.
Coffee prepared in a French press should be ground coarsely, the size is about 1 mm.

A manual grinder allows the coarseness to be changed by a simple manual control, electric ones have a manual control and more expensive grinders come with touch controls for this purpose.

Size

The size of the grinder is also an essential selection criterion. The size is determined by the capacity of the hopper, and you should choose a grinder with regard to the number of people for whom you will be making coffee most often.

You may also find it helpful to know that you will need about 7-10 g of coffee per 1 cup. Small grinders have a capacity of 30 – 80 g, medium grinders have a capacity of 80 – 250 g and large grinders have a capacity of more than 250 g.

Material

There are many coffee grinders on the market. You can choose between a modern look, in this case mainly stainless steel combined with plastic. The cheaper grinders are all-plastic. Both materials are also represented in the case of manual grinders.

However, you can also buy the handmade form in a wood-metal combination, or get a wooden grinder. Both variants are very nice and the grinder can also be used as a kitchen decoration.

Brand

Some of the most popular grinders are Krups, Lodos, Tescoma, DeLonghi, Hario, Sencor, Bosh and De Gusto.

Maintenance

Both manual and electric grinders should be cleaned after each use. Coffee grinding results in the release of oil, and an inadequately cleaned grinder can affect the taste of the coffee, and mould can form.

Some grinders include special brushes as part of the package, in other cases a regular toothbrush can be used. About once a month it is recommended to use cleaning tablets for cleaning.

They are made of health-safe, neutral-tasting substances, and will rid the grinder of oil and possible odours, but will not cope with burnt coffee. However, classic rice works just as well as the tablets.

Questions and answers

Why is it better to grind coffee before brewing?

The disadvantage of coffee is its ability to absorb air and moisture. Oxidation can occur as early as an hour after grinding. Thanks to the coffee grinder, you will achieve a really great taste of the coffee prepared in the café.

Is it possible to grind coffee wrong?

Coffee grinders allow you to choose the coarseness of the grind. You can tell whether the coffee is ground correctly by its taste. However, everyone’s coffee tastes different, so it’s impossible to tell whether your grinder is grinding coffee badly or well. It’s all about practice.

Generally speaking, however, beans that are ground too finely will make very strong coffee that can taste unpleasant. Conversely, large pieces will not give you sufficient coffee extraction.

How to store coffee?

To be considered fresh, coffee should be roasted for no more than 14 days before you buy it. This is usually marked on the coffee packaging. You should buy coffee no more than a week in advance. When you arrive home, it is advisable to place the coffee in coffee containers that are made to prevent light, air and moisture.

Conclusion

Hand grinders include grinding stones that do not burn the coffee when grinding. The manual form has many beautiful design variations, the grinders are cheaper and, like the electric ones, allow you to choose the coarseness of the coffee.

Electric grinders grind coffee quickly and easily, are simple to operate and are particularly suitable for grinding larger quantities of coffee. If you prefer to buy an electric grinder, always choose grinders with grinding stones, which are more expensive but will make sure your coffee tastes great.