How to Choose The Perfect Grinder?

Like any food product, coffee beans oxidize when exposed to air. The grounds suffer this effect even more, because they have a much larger relative surface area than the bean, and no covering. Grinding beans at home produces the least exposure to air and the freshest grounds. Plus you don’t have to grind more than you immediately need.

Grinding can be time consuming and messy, so if you choose to invest the effort to reap the benefits, pick the best you can afford.

There are three broad categories of grinders – burr, blade and crusher.

The third category is basically some sort of mashing device, often an ancient-style mortar and pestle. These crush the beans, which is difficult and in result it produces a very uneven sized granule. This type is not recommended if you have a choice.

The blade grinders actually don’t grind at all, they chop. A whirling blade slices the beans into smaller and smaller sections until they reach something like a small grain. Unfortunately, the grains are invariably too large and of inconsistent size.

As a consequence the surface areas of the granules vary, releasing varying amounts of flavor oils when brewed. Another problem with slicing is that it often produces excess heat, which is a result of the high speed of the blades. That friction warms the grounds and affects the aroma.

The first type, burr grinder, is the best choice. It has a pair of motor driven plates with pyramid-shaped teeth that grind the beans to a consistent, appropriately small granule. The advanced models also allow adjusting the size of the grain and the speed of the grinding.

Possibility to adjust the size is important in order to fine tune the grounds to allow just the kind of brew you desire. Controlling the speed keeps the warming effect to a minimum.

There are two classes of burr grinders – the conical burr grinder is preferred by real coffee aficionados. They are noisier, but allow the most control of grain size and speed.

Good conical burr grinders can rotate as slowly as 500rpm. In contrast other burr grinders spin at 10,000rpm or higher (blades rotate between 20-30,000rpm). That allows very fine control and little heat. The fine grind is especially important for Turkish-style brews. Some grinders have a continuous dial, others have a series of up to 40 steps to adjust the granule size.

Beyond those broad attributes, you also need to look for ease of cleaning, solid construction and low noise. A cleaning brush and removable upper burrs is essential. Different materials used also affect how much static electricity is produced – it causes the grains to stick to the burrs and container.

A timer switch and auto-shutoff are also nice to have and being able to see the beans as well as the grounds is useful for judging the results in the grinder. Dark plastic or glass may look appealing but it obscures the view. Grounds may change color slightly depending on the fineness.

These are the main things to keep in mind when choosing a grinder. Old saying ‘You get what you pay for’ applies here also, so if you are willing to spend little more you can enjoy freshest and most flavorful cup.

Some examples of coffee grinders:

Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder

This grinder is from the smaller price range. It comes with conical burrs made of steel, heavy-duty zinc die-cast housing, a built-in timer with time frame from 5 to 60 seconds and has 16 different grind settings. Bean container holds 8-1/2 ounces and grounds container holds 4 ounces. Click here for more information.

KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Grinder KPCG100

This burr grinder has 15 different grind sizes and the system turns only at 450 rpm, which minimizes the frictional heating of the grinds and preserves coffee flavor and aroma. The DC motor with gear reduction system makes for quiet grinding. It is constructed of die-cast metal and glass not from some cheap plastic, which also lessens the static clinging of the coffee grounds. Click here for more information.

Baratza Vario Espresso Coffee Grinder w/ Ceramic Burrs

This is higher price range grinder with higher quality. It has Mahlkonig 54mm ceramic flat burrs, which have 1.5-2.0x longer life than steel burrs. Also, they keep the coffee cool by limiting the amount of heat transferred from the burrs to the grinds. Grinds directly into the espresso portafilter, exactly the amount you require. Brackets are adjustable for any portafilter. Thanks to macro-micro adjustments, it supports over 230 grind settings. Click here for more information.