Choosing The Right Kind Of Coffee Grinder
You want to buy a coffee grinder for your home because you want fresh, flavorful coffee, right? And freshly ground coffee beans definitely result in the best cup of coffee. So get a coffee grinder you can use to grind just the right amount for the size pot youll be brewing at the time. But first get the facts.
What should you know before you purchase a coffee grinder? How about the fact that coffee grinders can be crusher, blade, or burr models? And how about getting a quick course on how great coffee is brewed?
Ideally, a great cup of coffee starts out by using coffee grounds that are tiny evenly shaped particles that look somewhat like the consistency of sand. Its best if the coffee is ground to generate the minimal amount of heat for optimum flavor. So you want to look for a coffee grinder that can deliver coffee grounds like this.
The crusher style grinder is a bit old-fashioned and crushes the coffee beans, pretty much pulverizing them into smaller chunks. The result is uneven granules. So this really isn’t the best method for great coffee.
A blade style coffee grinder uses rapidly turning or whirring blades to slice and re-slice the coffee beans until they are in smaller granules. Again, this does not always produce consistent sized coffee grounds, so it isnt ideal either.
Burr coffee grinders; on the other hand, produce the best fresh coffee grounds. They use two plates with pyramid-type teeth that are motor driven to grind the beans, and the result is a consistent size coffee bean granule or coffee grounds. Some models let you adjust the grind according to the type of brew you will be creating or the coffee maker you will be using – like automatic drop or espresso or a percolator.
There are two types of burr coffee grinders: disc-type or conical. While the disc-type is cheaper to buy, it is also slightly less sought-after because the heat generated by the rapidly rotating blades makes the coffee a little less flavorful.
The conical burr coffee grinders grind a bit slower, generating less heat and preserving the intensity of the coffee’s flavor. Therefore, coffee connoisseurs prefer the conical type. If you can afford it, this is the ideal kind of coffee grinder to purchase.
Timers and automatic shutoff features are optional on some coffee grinders. The best coffee grinders also utilize a clear container so you can watch the beans as they are grinding.
