Everyone Needs A Coffee Grinder
Using the best coffee grinder is one of the most important parts to making tasty coffee. Most people choose a great automatic coffee maker and then buy old stale pre-ground coffee to put in it. However, many people don’t realize a far better cup of coffee can be made using fresh ground coffee and a simple pan heated on the stove. The difference in taste from old ground to fresh ground is easy to taste when you have two cups side by side, but most people don’t realize that lacking a good coffee grinder is keeping them from making the best coffee at home.
The best way to achieve real coffee shop flavor at home is by starting with the best coffee grinder you can afford.
Why Does Fresh Grinding Coffee Make A Difference?
The wonderful coffee smell when you walk into your favorite coffee shop comes from fresh ground coffee. Those aroma’s that you smell when coffee is crushed are what are lacking from the cup after ground coffee sits for too long. Try grinding some coffee and put it aside for a day. Then do a fresh grind and compare the aroma with the old one. The results will likely surprise you.
After 30 minutes most of the volatile oils that give coffee it’s wonderful taste are gone, evaporated into thin air. When you brew coffee that was ground before it went into a can, you end up lacking all that fresh coffee taste.
Grinding your coffee right before making it will give you the best results. Cans, bags, air sealers and fancy tricks can’t keep the flavor in ground coffee like grinding on demand can.
Grind Your Own Single Keureg Cups!
Many people do not realize that you can grind your own coffee for use in Keureg type single K-cup coffee makers! While the single cups are fast and convenient, they certainly lose flavor over grinding right before brewing. There are a number of different mesh baskets for single cup brewing that are designed to fit perfectly in the K-cup brewer. It’s even possible to buy reusable covers to refill and reuse your spent plastic K-cup for the ultimate in coffee frugality. Keep some pre-filled K-cups for those super rushed days, and grind your own for that s
What Is The Best Type Of Coffee Grinder?
Conical Burr Grinder – Considered the cream of the crop for grinding your java beans, a conical burr grinder uses a metal cone surrounded by a larger metal to slowly grind the beans. The shape of the metal cones allow for very fine control over the size of the grinding process. A high end conical grinder can make any type of coffee with ease, from the fine dust needed for Turkish coffee to the coarse grind needed for a french press. If you want to brew proper espresso, a conical burr grinder is a must. The biggest downside to these in the past was the cost. But due to advances in manufacturing, you can purchase a home conical burr grinder for under $90! For many people, that can be quickly saved by making your own coffee and skipping a few weeks worth of Starbucks trips.
Burr Grinder – A close second to the cone burr grinder is a regular old burr grinder. Similar in concept, the burr grinder uses two metal rings to grind the coffee. A good home burr grinder can be had for around $55, and you really don’t lose much over the conical burr grinder. You are unlikely to get a good Turkish grind from a circular burr grinder, and even an espresso grind can clog and stick to the grinding wheels. The regular burr grinder tends to cause more friction, heating up your coffee and evaporating or scorching some of the essential oils that are the hallmark of fresh ground coffee.
Blade Grinder – Most people try coffee grinding at home and don’t have a great experience with it because of a blade grinder. They do certainly make economic sense, the most popular model is priced at under $20. However, blade coffee grinders are loud, inconsistent and generally heat coffee ground to unacceptable levels. It’s near impossible to get a real fine grind for espresso with a blade grinder, with parts as fine as dust and others still in big chunks. You’ll get far better results with a hand burr grinder for that same $20