Coffee

For the best flavor possible from your coffee beans, grind them yourself. Adding to that philosophy, use only beans that were roasted within the past ten days to get the freshest flavor. Beware of beans that are too new, though. Beans that have been roasted only within the past day or two are full of carbon dioxide. It will get released into your cup of coffee, causing it to turn sudsy.

There are two main types of grinders on the market: blade grinders and burr grinders. Burr grinders are also known as mills. Each type of grinder has its benefits and drawbacks, and you must decide which qualities are the most important for you.

Blade Grinders

These are the easiest and cheapest coffee grinders. A metal blade inside the grinder spins rapidly, chopping the coffee beans. The result is coffee flakes that are uneven in size, often causing the taste of the brewed product to be inconsistent.

There are generally no settings to tell the machine how coarse or how fine to grind coffee. It is up to the user to determine how long to let the grinder run to achieve the desired level of fineness.

Blades build up heat while grinding. If you are trying to grind coffee to make espresso, you will have to allow the blades to run for a long time. This causes them to get hot, which can in turn give the coffee a burned taste.

If you want a good, basic grinder for everyday use, you can find them in nearly every home goods or department store for approximately $30.

Blade grinders are fantastic for basic day-to-day coffee consumption, but if you want more finesse in you flavor, you need to move to a burr grinder.

Burr Grinders

Typically referred to as mills, burr grinders crush the beans uniformly between a grinding wheel and a stationary surface. There are two types of burr grinders.

Wheel Burr

This is the less expensive form of burr grinder. The grinding wheel spins very quickly to crush the beans, and the fineness of the grind depends upon where the grinding wheel is set. These grinders can be noisy and can get quite messy.

Conical Burr

The burr spins much slower in these grinders, making them quieter and cleaner. These grinders are more expensive, but will not clog and can be used to grind oily or flavored beans.

In addition to wheel burr mills and conical burr mills, there is also a wide assortment of handheld grinders. Due to the very nature of the handheld grinder, the wheel is turning much more slowly, which means it is not building up heat. If you desire a very fine grind for something such as espresso, you will get the best results and maintain the most flavor with a handheld burr mill.

Beautiful, heirloom-quality solid wood, handheld burr mills can be found for around $80 to $100. Modern, electric burr mills will run anywhere from $150 to $200 for very good ones.

How Fine to Grind

There are essentially four main grinds you need to concern yourself with. There are some others in addition to these, but the ones listed below will get you well on your way to becoming a coffee connoisseur.

o Extra Fine is nearly powder, much the consistency of sugar. Extra fine ground beans are used to make espresso.

o Fine could be described as just slightly coarser than table salt. Fine coffee would be used in pots or automatic drip machines with a conical filter.

o Medium would be much like the consistency of sand, and would work best in automatic drip coffeepots with flat-bottomed filters.

o Coarse coffee will have distinct particles or flakes. This is the coffee you would want to use in a French press or old-style percolator.

The finest coffee of all is Turkish coffee. This must be ground to a baby-fine powder, and many times must be finished off in a mortar and pestle after being ground in a burr grinder. Even the best of grinders cannot always get coffee as finely ground as it needs to be for Turkish coffee.

Never use your coffee grinder for anything other than coffee. Many people use their coffee grinder to chop up spices or herbs, or even to chop medicine for children or pets. It is extremely difficult to remove every foreign particle in the grinder, so save yourself some trouble and keep the coffee to itself. Use a food processor to chop other things such as herbs or spices. This way, the flavors will not be able to intermingle, and your coffee will remain pure.

Many modern coffee makers incorporate a grinder into the piece of machinery. This is a convenient way to grind and brew all at the same time. You will definitely get what you pay for, though. Cheaper models will most certainly have a blade grinder, while the more upscale versions will come with a burr grinder. Pay close attention to the product description so you know exactly what product you are receiving. This is particularly important if you enjoy finely ground coffees such as espresso.

Grace C. provides information on the Coffee Grinders for A1 Coffee Makers – Your Guide to Coffee Makers, Accessories, and Gourmet Coffee!

Author: Grace C
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee lovers know that there is nothing quite like grinding your own coffee beans. From the aroma coming from the grinder to that first sip of piping hot, freshly brewed coffee the entire experience is sheer pleasure to the taste buds.

Today’s grocery stores typically carry many flavors of coffee beans. You can purchase them there and grind them as well if you like. However, for the best coffee flavor you should purchase your own grinder and grind them at home. There are several reasons for this.

Grinding your beans at home assures you that you are only getting your coffee beans only and not residual coffee grounds from everyone who has ground coffee before you. In your home you will be cleaning your grinder between uses, in the grocery store you have to rely on the machine to self-clean. Another reason for grinding your coffee beans at home is freshness. The best coffee is brewed from beans that have just been ground. Pre-grinding allows some of the flavors to escape.

Grinders

There are basically two types of coffee bean grinders available, a blade grinder and a burr grinder. Blade grinders are the least expensive, starting around $10 – $15 dollars while burr grinders start around $50. Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for and with coffee grinders the difference is in the taste of the coffee. Your choice will depend on how much you are willing to pay for the grinder and how sensitive your taste buds are to the resulting product. If possible try finding a sample coffee ground from each one to make your comparison.

A blade grinder uses a single blade that moves in circular motion much like a blender blade. Blade grinders tend to heat the coffee beans as they grind them which can result in a scorched taste and a loss of flavor. If you use a blade grinder you should grind in short bursts rather than a long grind that goes on for a minute or more. This insures that you aren’t scorching the beans as they grind.

Burr grinders use a grinding wheel and a stationary surface for grinding the beans. Burr grinders create a much more evenly ground coffee with no scorching or heating of the coffee beans as they grind.

Burr grinders come in the wheel burr or the conical burr. The wheel burr is the less expensive of the two but can be very noisy and messier. The conical burr is the best coffee grinder but will cost you more. It is quieter and less messy than the wheel burr and doesn’t clog as easily.

Types of Grinds

If you look at the commercial grinder in your local grocery retailer you will see that it is labeled with many different settings. These setting correspond to how you are going to use your coffee, such as drip coffee maker, espresso maker, percolator and more. Not all home grinders are labeled like this and you will need to practice how long you grind the coffee to reach your desired grind. This is particularly true with blade grinders as the grind is determined more so by the amount of time the beans are ground. Where burr grinders have settings.

There are three basic coffee grinds: fine, medium and coarse. Most household coffee makers work fine with a medium grind. The amount of time in the grinder determines the grind.

Coarse: Coarse ground coffee works best in percolators. To achieve a coarse grind the coffee beans should only be ground 5-10 seconds at most.

Medium: Medium ground coffee is the suggested drip coffee makers or a French Press. This usually takes 10-15 seconds in the grinder, using short burst to avoid scorching.

Fine: A very fine grind is used for espresso makers. This grind takes 25-30 seconds and must be done in short bursts to prevent scorching. If using a blade grinder you should shake the grinder between bursts to achieve a uniform grind.

Fresh ground coffee beans can’t be beat for a wonderful cup of coffee. Many people who don’t drink coffee like the aroma fresh ground beans give off. Purchasing a grinder doesn’t have to be an investment that breaks the bank and you can impress your friends with a perfect cup of joe.

Sharon V Chapman writes on the joys of coffee and provides consumer information on coffee grinders for Coffee Grinders 101, providing information on a variety of grinders and offering the best coffee sites on the web!

Author: Sharon V Chapman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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