Getting a coffee grinder is great way to improve your coffee experience. To make coffee, roasted coffee beans need to be turned into smaller pieces so it can be brewed.
Coffee beans are ground so the water can flow through, touching more of the coffee surface. The more coffee the water touches, the more coffee flavor is extracted. Finer grinds increase contact area and increase the flavor extraction rate.
The size of the coffee grind will also change how fast the water flows through the coffee. The coarser the grind, the faster the water flows. The less time the water is in contact with the coffee, the less it extracts the coffee flavor.
A higher extraction rate means you need less contact time with the water.
The art of coffee making is to balance the extraction rate, flow of water and contact time with the water and the grinds.
Different coffee making methods work best with different grind sizes. Making a coffee with longer contact time with the water will generally require a coarser grind. Other factors like water temperature, types of filters and the pressure the water is forced through the coffee grinds with also come into play.
Extra Coarse Grind, although is not so important due to the low temperatures making the extraction rate very slow.
Coarse Grind.
Medium - Coarse Grind.
Medium to Medium Coarse Grind.
Medium Grind to Medium Fine Grind.
Medium Fine Grind.
Medium to Fine Grind depending on brewing technique.
Fine to Very Fine Grind. The grinds are compacted and the water is forced through quickly at pressure, which means a short contact time with the water is needed.
Medium to Fine Grind.
Super Fine Grind.
Bitter coffee is often caused by having grinds be in contact with the water for too long, or the grind size being too fine for your coffee making method. This can lead to over-extracted and bitter coffee.
A coarser grind can mean the water flows through too quickly and does not extract enough coffee, leaving you with a weak coffee flavor.
You can buy pre-ground coffee, but coffee gets stale. Once ground, the coffee becomes stale much more quickly (even when vaccuum sealed), so it works best if you grind just before you brew your coffee.
You want the coffee grinds to be the same size as each other. You also want the same results each time, so when you get the coffee how you like it, you can make it the same way again.
There are blade and burr grinders.
Using a spinning blade to chop up the coffee beans leads to inconsistent sizes. As you grind, the coffee bounces around when struck by the blades, some turning to super fine coffee particles and others being a larger size. These inconsistent sizes can also cause clogging problems when brewing.
Another reason for inconsistent sizes is the blade grinder will keep the ground coffee and the uncut beans in the same compartment, while a burr grinder normally feeds the ground coffee into a different compartment.
The burr grinder feeds the coffee beans into the burrs in a controlled manner, leading to very consistent results. There are flat and conical grinders, but the idea is the same. The beans are fed through the burred surfaces, one surface moving and the other stationary. The required size can be changed by adjusting the distance between the surfaces. Further apart for coarser grinds, or closer together for fine grinds.
Blade coffee grinders are very cheap, but you can get well priced burr grinders these days, so it is recommended to use a well regarded burr grinder.
Some people like blade grinders so they can be used to serve extra duties like breaking down spices, herbs, nuts etc. If you have never tried a burr grinder, see if you can get your hands on one and see if it makes a difference to your coffee.
Heating your coffee while grinding is unwanted because it may change the taste of your coffee. Between flat and conical burr grinders, conical seem to be favored for reducing heat when grinding.
If you are going to use a blade grinder, some people recommend pulsing to reduce heat.
It is recommended to get a grinder that works at low speed. High speed grinding can heat up the beans and may also increase the static charge.
Static charges are undesirable when grinding coffee. The static charge causes the coffee to stick to the container it is in, or it can make the coffee fly places you do not want. This makes it hard to empty the grinds and can make cleaning difficult.
There are many causes of static charges, but here are some techniques that can reduce static in your coffee grinds:
Dosing grinders are normally used with espresso makers. The doser is a special catchment area. There is a hole in the bottom of the doser. When you trigger the release (via a lever, or button) the coffee grinds fall into a container (normally a portafilter that is then used in the espresso machine).
Grinding before you brew coffee is the best way to avoid stale coffee.
You need an extra device, i.e., the coffee grinder.
You need to store the grinder, or carry it with you.
Cleaning
Maintenance
Spare Parts
Capacity
Size
Grind Range
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