Coffee

For those who are coffee lovers, it may just be about time for you to start grinding your own coffee. In order to grind your own coffee however, you have to learn and this article is here to instruct you on the finer points of coffee grinding. Before you start however you should have access to some fundamental information such as the major types of coffee grinders which are blade grinders and burr grinders

Coffee grinders which are called blade grinders operate by grinding your coffee beans in an uneven manner. Because they grind coffee this way, there is a tendency for unevenness in the nature of the grind. There are also no settings to be regulated on a blade grinder as well and if you aren’t skilled in the use of blade grinders the process can get quite disorderly and cumbersome too.

Burr grinders are the faster and easier version of coffee grinders to use; they especially suit people who have just started in the process of grinding their own coffee. These burr grinders come with settings that you can use to ensure some form of uniformity in your own coffee grinding process. Most times such grinders are usually used for espresso grinds but it is highly possible for you to use them with a number of other grinds too.

If pricing is an issue for you to consider then you won’t be that disappointed either. Blade grinders cost a whole lot less than burr grinders and they go for around $20 per grinder. Burr grinders on the other hand cost nothing less than 3 times the price of a standard blade grinder. Some burr grinders costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 too. It’s usually best to opt for a burr grinder and enjoy the benefits of a great cup of coffee without the associated stress of blade grinders.

Different forms of coffee may be brewed using different grind sizes. Some forms of coffee such as drip coffee may require something smaller such as a medium grind. Espresso on the other hand requires a finer grind. Brews such as the French press may require a substantially larger grind. This is a general guide that describes the different basic grind descriptions that may be used in most coffee making devices.

Coarse grind

Such grinds are used with percolators. What the percolator does is that it boils the water and forces it over grounds in different metal filters that have holes in them. If you require the best flavor, you’d best avoid this sort of grind as it extracts too much acids and bitter oils.

Medium-coarse grind

This type of grind is mainly used with a French press or coffee makers that are called metal mess. These types of coffee makers usually send the grounds to the base of the canisters after leaving them in a mixture of hot water for a number of minutes. Again this sort of grind isn’t really desirable if you’re looking for optimum flavor. It tends to extract too much bitter oils and acids and it makes for a bad percolator.

Medium grind

This sort of grind is used with drip coffee makers. These sorts of coffee makers usually work just by pouring over the water on the grounds in a filter that has a flat bottom. If you use an electric maker on the other hand you may have to experiment with the particular grinds that you have. By doing this you control the coffee extraction better.

Fine grind This kind of grind is the one which is used with espresso machines. These sorts of machines are usually the best sort for brewing.

Extra-fine grind If you have an older version of an espresso machine or you use vacuum pots these sorts of grinds are the best to use.

Getting the best coffee extraction is all linked to grinding your coffee beans properly. If you grind you coffee freshly you can get the best coffee possible. However remember that you should never grind your coffee for more than 2 minutes before you start brewing.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for CaffeineZone.com, MyLowCarbPages.com, and CoffeeZen.com

Author: Darren Williger
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee lovers will tell you that the best coffee comes from beans grounded immediately before the coffee is brewed. Old Time coffee drinkers know this by heart. That’s why No kitchen is complete without a coffee grinder. Waking up in the morning and grinding up a fresh batch of coffee beans and throwing it into the coffee maker and then anticipating that first sip of fresh hot coffee! Now that is the good life!

What Makes a Great Coffee Grinder?

When it comes to coffee grinders, there to basic types. One is called burr grinders and the other is called blade grinders. The difference between these two is basically how the beans are processed. Blade coffee grinders use a spinning blade to grind up the coffee beans. Burr grinders use burrs to grind up coffee beans. Burrs resemble plates with gears on them. One of the burrs is stationary, while the other one spins and grinds up the coffee beans.

When trying to make a great cup of coffee, one has to keep a couple things in mind. The taste of coffee will be affected by heat and uniformity. What this means is, heat is undesirable in a coffee grinder because it damages the coffee beans. The process of grinding coffee is relatively violent, because both blade and burr grinders in produce some heat. And of course, the faster the grinding mechanism runs; the more heat is being generated. Even finer grinds generate heat because of the extra time it takes to grind the coffee beans.

For those who are concerned about the quality of their coffee, one can purchase a low- speed burr grinder. A low speed burr will be more expensive. As well it will take longer to grind the coffee beans. But coffee purists will swear by these coffee grinders as the only way to go for a perfect cup of coffee.

Another very important factor is the uniformity of the grind. With the brewing process, the water spends a certain amount of time passing over the grinds. The uniform grinds are much more efficient at imparting flavor to the water. At first glance, the average coffee drinker may not be able to distinguish coffee that was grinded from a blade grinder vs. a burr grinder. But, to a coffee purist, they will notice the difference. The blade grinder is not very good at creating a uniform grind. However, with burr grinders, they produce an exceptional uniform grind resulting in a much tastier cup of coffee.

Quite frankly, it’s a no brainer when it comes to selecting a coffee grinder. The burr grinder is really the only way to go. However, some of the higher end models can cost several hundred dollars, thus putting them out of reach for some of the coffee lovers. However, this doesn’t mean that a small budget will always get a poor coffee grinder. Best to do a search online for burr coffee grinders. One can pick up a very nice coffee grinder for under hundred dollars. The selection is almost endless. Most coffee lovers consider a coffee grinder to be an investment and not an expense. After all, who can put the dollar value on a fantastic cup of coffee each and every morning? Yes, it is the good life!

Kerry Ng is a successful Webmaster and publisher of The Coffee Blog. Click here for more great helpful information about Coffee:

http://www.coffeeinfoblog.com/coffee-or-tea-time-is-all-about-me-time

Author: Kerry Ng
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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