Grinder of your choice

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The best coffee connoisseurs will tell you that the best taste and aroma of this drink comes from grinding the beans yourself, and not from buying already ground coffee. In the literal sense, it is unlikely that you can grind coffee beans on your own, but a coffee grinder is quite capable.

Modern <strong>coffee grinders<strong> have evolved from burr-driven hand grinders to plastic-metal “flasks” powered by electricity. There are two types of coffee grinders currently available: knife (rotary) grinders and burr grinders. Rotating grinders grind coffee beans while burr grinders grind them.

Rotary grinders (knife grinders)

There are several types of coffee grinders, but rotary type coffee grinders are the most common. Likewise, if you prefer to brew coffee in a Turkish pot or a cup of boiling water, there’s no need to philosophize too much – an ordinary rotary coffee grinder will do the job just fine. In such devices, 30-80 grams of coffee can be ground at once – all that remains is to put as many beans into the device as needed. The key to this is that coffee is best brewed within one hour after grinding, so it is better not to grind the whole bag of grains ahead of time, but to grind it in small portions as needed.

In contrast to other household appliances, power is not the primary consideration for choosing a coffee grinder. A good power for a coffee grinder is between 150 and 180 watts, since at high rates there is a high risk of burning the coffee due to the excessive speed of rotation of the blade and, consequently, a loss of flavor.

Generally, the finer the final product is, the longer the grinding process lasts in a knife grinder. Also, the degree of grinding is determined visually: the lid of coffee grinders is usually made of transparent plastic, so that you can see if the beans are sufficiently ground.

Bosch TSM 6A013B rotating coffee grinder

There may be a button to start the rotary coffee grinder located directly on the lid, on the body of the machine, or there may be no button at all – in this case, you must press the lid throughout the process. While many find such grinders inconvenient due to the fact that the lid must be held all the time, the last option is considered the most practical since the lid cannot fall off during the process.

Some manufacturers provide a lock function in their coffee grinders in case the lid is not closed tightly or even forgotten. If the grinder will automatically lock when the lid is not closed or is poorly closed, it will save you from doing additional cleaning and collecting beans within a radius of several meters around the machine. A poorly closed lid can cause the knife to be cut if the lid is blocked.

Coffee grinders have always been plagued by poor lid fixation and, as a result, the decoration of the surrounding area with coffee beans. Hence, it is a good idea to check whether the lid of a device fits snugly and is securely fastened before purchasing it.

For fixing the lids of some coffee grinders, there are plastic tabs. It is very common for these protrusions to break, and when they do, the lid becomes unusable and the device becomes unusable. Therefore, it is best to choose a grinder that has no protrusions at all, as it will simply last longer.

DeLonghi KG200 rotary grinder

A rotary coffee grinder’s knife must also be made of high-quality metal (aluminum, brass, stainless steel), since it will grind the beans. The failure of a knife, which, for example, is made of soft tin, is the most common cause of a coffee grinder breaking.

Coffee grinders also grind nuts for baking, spices, cereals, and powdered sugar. But manufacturers encourage using the device only for its intended purpose, which is for grinding coffee beans. In turn, the coffee grinder will last much longer, and extraneous aromas will not be mixed with coffee. In some cases, manufacturers install special fuses so knives do not deteriorate when grinding foreign products, but this does not always happen – so read the instructions carefully before using the grinder for other purposes.

Rotating coffee grinders are characterized by their low price – a good machine should only cost around $40. There is currently a high demand for rotary coffee grinders from manufacturers such as Bosch, Moulinex, and DeLonghi. It is even possible to adjust the degree of grinding on DeLonghi devices, but there are not 10-20 of them as on burr coffee grinders, but the coffee ground in such a machine can also be used in carob coffee makers, which is important.

Burger grinders

In a burr grinder, beans are ground with greater uniformity, resulting in a coffee whose texture is more consistent. The burr grinders grind beans differently for making espresso, mocha, and cappuccino, so they are more suitable for making coffee in a coffee maker, which is why they are frequently purchased by families who consume a lot of coffee and drink a wide variety of coffee drinks.

OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

Even though burr grinders are more expensive and take up more space, they have more features. They are also safer than knives since the process of grinding coffee happens inside the machine, and there is no way to get hurt. Considering the complexity of automation in such devices, you should never pull the cord out of the socket, and interrupting the process of grinding grains can cause the equipment to malfunction.

There is also a wide variety of millstones. As conical millstones have a low rotation speed, they do not overheat, which means that they will last a long time if no other breakdowns occur. The cylindrical burr, on the other hand, grinds coffee very quickly due to its high rotation speed, but because of its high friction force, it can become unusable relatively quickly.

With these grinders, the degree of grinding is not affected by the time taken to complete the process, since you determine the degree of grinding by choosing the distance between burrs, not the rotation speed.

5KCG0702EAC KitchenAid Burr Grinder

Burr grinders usually come with two containers: one for coffee beans and one for ground coffee. In comparison to knife grinders, the bean grinder here has a much larger capacity. In such a grinder, all the beans can be stored and only a portion of them ground as needed, eliminating unnecessary movements. Furthermore, many burr models have a batch grinding function: you can grind coffee for one, two, three, etc. sized cups.

Coffee grinders do not have to be electric. We’ve all seen an unusual-looking manual coffee grinder in a shop or in a friend’s kitchen. They look appealing, add a touch of class to an interior, do not take up a lot of space, and seem designed for those who turn brewing coffee into a ritual. (But the electric one is simpler: I fill the beans, close the lid, press the button, and I get ground coffee.) But, alas, inexpensive models of manual coffee grinders serve only to add novelty, not grind coffee well – when choosing such a coffee grinder, it is better to look closely at more expensive options.

Here are the main factors to consider when choosing a coffee grinder:

How to make coffee (manually or using a coffee maker). Burr grinders are better for those who prepare their drinks in coffee makers;
The brand. You should prefer to buy models from well-known manufacturers, but in this instance, you should leave “unknown” vehicles behind;
There are no plastic protrusions to fix the cover, as they break easily;
Having rubber pads on the bottom may assist with a tighter fit to the surface – otherwise the process of grinding coffee may be fraught with additional cleaning;
Material used in the construction of the grinder’s body and main parts. It’s better if they’re metal than plastic, though there are models on the market with a good mix of metal and plastic components;
The size of a grinder. Adding additional functions to the coffee grinder will increase its dimensions, as with any other device;
A variety of grinding levels and grinding levels can be selected;
There is a protection function against arbitrary inclusion;
A complete set of coffee grinders with brushes for cleaning the internal surfaces and parts;
Having the ability to remove individual parts simplifies device maintenance and extends its life.

The last one. There are no silent coffee grinders in the world. It is almost inevitable that a coffee grinder will make noise, if only from the knocking of the grains, which rotate at a high speed. When a manufacturer claims that the model is completely silent, that’s already a consideration – isn’t there something else he’s silent about?