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3 things to consider when buying a coffee grinder
If you're not looking to grind large quantities of beans and don't mind a slower process, a manual grinder could be a great option for you. They're small, lightweight and easy to store. Plus, they're typically less expensive than electric grinders.
Electric grinders automatically grind your coffee beans for you. There are 2 main types: burr grinders and blade grinders. Burr grinders use flat cones or wheels to grind the beans and tend to produce a more even grind. This can enhance the flavour of your coffee. They also extract more of the oils from the beans, which gives your coffee a richer taste. Blade grinders use blades to slice the beans and are usually less expensive than burr grinders.
Manual grinders are often smaller and have a lower capacity than most electric grinders. Electric grinders come in a range of sizes, so consider how much coffee you typically grind at once. Some electric grinders can hold as little as 30 grams, while others can handle several kilograms.
For the best flavour, you should grind your coffee beans just before brewing. That’s why a grinder with a larger capacity than you need isn't really necessary.
Consider a few key factors:
Most grinders offer adjustable grinding levels, but for coffee aficionados, it may be worth looking for a model with more settings to really fine-tune your grind.
Think about the type of coffee you want to make. For espresso lovers, go for a grinder specifically designed for espresso brewing. If you prefer regular filter coffee, a standard grinder will do the trick.
A timer is another useful feature found on many electric grinders. With a timer, you can set the length of time you want the beans to be ground.
Don't forget to stock up on fresh coffee beans to get the best possible flavour. And if you aim to become the town's best barista, check out this expert guide.
FAQ
You can easily buy ground coffee in the supermarkets. However, you will in many cases find that the ground coffee you buy for your French Press is actually ground too finely. Unfortunately, this will greatly affect the taste of your coffee.
If you still brew your coffee yourself (with a French Press, espresso maker, or a coffee machine, for example), we definitely recommend that you invest in a coffee grinder. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one – even one of the smaller, hand-held ones that can be bought for £20–30, can significantly improve your coffee experience compared to ready-bought ground coffee. Essentially, using a coffee grinder is the thing that will enhance your morning coffee the most.
Yes! The small, hand-held grinders are actually not grinders as such, as they use a blade to cut the beans into pieces. The large grinders on the other hand, use a conical burr which grinds the beans. Basically, the larger and more expensive grinders are often better, as they typically come with several different settings for how fine or coarse the beans can be ground.
The small grinders, on the other hand, are a lot cheaper and can, in many cases, still handle the task quite well – unless you are a proper coffee enthusiast. As mentioned before, your choice also depends on what types of coffee you brew. You can grind beans roughly on a hand grinder, but it can be more difficult, as you have to judge when to turn off the grinder when you think the beans are finished grinding.
For better or worse: Yes, it is.
Without being too scientific, what happens is that the flavours are bound to oils in the coffee bean. As soon as the beans are ground and exposed to oxygen and air, they begin to lose flavour nuances, and over time, the oils begin to taste rancid. You can therefore clearly taste the difference when you compare freshly ground beans to a bag of ready-ground coffee bought from the supermarket. For a trained coffee drinker, it can actually be only a matter of minutes after grinding before the coffee begins to lose its flavour nuances.
It may sound a little overwhelming when we put it like that, but once you start drinking freshly ground coffee, it quickly becomes difficult to go back.
The best coffee grinder is the one that suits your needs. For example, if you only make filter coffee – where the coffee should preferably be ground finely – you can easily manage with one of the small, cheaper hand-held grinders. If, on the other hand, you regularly make coffee in a French Press, you need a grinder that can grind your coffee coarsely.
We have tested several different coffee grinders, where you might find the grinder you need.