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What Kind of Coffee Grinder Is Best?
Maria Cleaveland of Equator Estate Coffees & Teas thinks that the blade grinder most of us have in our kitchen just doesn’t do the trick because it produces an inconsistent grind. She recommends burr grinders, which crush the coffee beans rather than smash them, and which offer the most control.
I have a good burr grinder, but I don't use it because of all the static electricity it generates. It makes a big mess, with ground coffee sticking everywhere.
I find a blade grinder works just fine, if I shake it while grinding. Good, even results with far less expense and mess.
To Luniz above, even with a
I've had one grinder, much like the Krups in the video, for at least 10 years now with very little problems other than the lid getting caked with unused coffee "powder". I'd suggest the Krups users to physically shake the grinder up and down while grinding to reduce the amount of larger chunks in the mix.
Right now I grind at the grocery store or coffee place when I buy the beans, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. The first week, flavors are pretty good, they definitely start to degrade by the second week.
My option then is to spend $15 or so on a blade grinder and try the (interesting) shake method. But I'm not really convinced that it's going to improve the quality of my...+READ
Right now I grind at the grocery store or coffee place when I buy the beans, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. The first week, flavors are pretty good, they definitely start to degrade by the second week.
My option then is to spend $15 or so on a blade grinder and try the (interesting) shake method. But I'm not really convinced that it's going to improve the quality of my coffee. Maybe worse the first week, better the second.-COLLAPSE
I totally agree with the video. To elaborate, though, the problem with grind consistency issues (when she mentions the large and small pieces) is that they'll extract differently, some will be OK, some will under-extract, and some will over-extract--adding both weak and bitter components, respectively.
There are burr grinders in the $50 range on amazon and manual burr grinders for even less that work fine. Unfortunately Kitchen Aid seems to have discontinued their excellent A-9 Burr grinder, a design that has been around since the 1930s and used to cost $80-$90 but was a tank of a machine.
Here's an answer to your question, emailed to me by Maria:
You can certainly use a blade grinder if a burr is out of reach; just keep in mind you’ll get more variability of the grind. It’s far better to freshly grind the beans yourself right before you brew, using whatever grinder you have, than, for example, using a supermarket grinder on Tuesday for coffee that you will drink on Friday. So go...+READ
Here's an answer to your question, emailed to me by Maria:
You can certainly use a blade grinder if a burr is out of reach; just keep in mind you’ll get more variability of the grind. It’s far better to freshly grind the beans yourself right before you brew, using whatever grinder you have, than, for example, using a supermarket grinder on Tuesday for coffee that you will drink on Friday. So go ahead and use your blade grinder until you’re ready to spring for a burr. Here are two ways to make the most of a blade grinder: pay attention to time spent grinding. As a rule of thumb, I’d recommend 6-10 seconds for a French press grind, 25 – 30 seconds for a drip grind. And, I strongly recommend you shake the grinder up and down while grinding so that the coffee doesn’t all settle down to the bottom.
Meredith of CHOW-COLLAPSE
so what if you can't afford the $150 for a burr grinder? it's not worth it to grind it yourself with a blade grinder at all?