Let's talk coffee grinders...

[CraKaJaX]

I saw a lot of people had coffee grinders in the espresso "barista" thread.... which got me thinking. I've always bought ground coffee and have had no problem with it. However that thread got the best of me. I think I'm going to invest in a coffee grinder assuming that grinding your own coffee is A) cheaper and B) tastes fresher and therefore better. But there are still questions:

-Pros/Cons?
-Is there something particular I should be looking for in a grinder?
-Do you grind enough just for that serving, or do you grind a bunch and bag it?
-What kind of coffee grinder do have?

 

[lxskllr]

1 - Burr grinders are the only kind acceptable. Blades are too inconsistent.

2 - I grind enough for one serving. If you pregrind, you might as well buy it that way.

3 - I use hand cranked grinders, I'm currently using a vintage Armin Trösser with newish Zassenhaus guts.

 

[NutBucket]

http://www.baratza.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=385R

I typically grind enough for 5 days only because running the grinder at 5am wouldn't be appreciated by the neighbors.

There's one main feature you want from a grinder, consistency. You should be able to set it and get repeatable results every time and consistent size. You definitely will not be able to achieve this with a blade-type grinder.

 

[crownjules]

Coffee stays fresh longer if you leave it in bean form and grind it on demand.

If you want the best grinding get a burr grinder. The cheapo blade grinders don't give you an even grind because you're eye-balling it. Burrs give you consistency. And the models generally allow you to select how coarse/fine you want it as well as how much to grind.

I grind on a per serving basis.

I have the Cuisinart burr grinder model. Goes for $90 or so I think (got it as a gift).

 

[SillyOReilly]

1 - Burr grinders are the only kind acceptable. Blades are too inconsistent.

2 - I grind enough for one serving. If you pregrind, you might as well buy it that way.

3 - I use hand cranked grinders, I'm currently using a vintage Armin Trösser with newish Zassenhaus guts.

WERD

 

[Crusty]

1. Conical Burrs
2. Only grind what you need right then

 

[CraKaJaX]

1. Conical Burrs
2. Only grind what you need right then

Is there a major difference between conical burr vs. burr? It looks like there's a pretty big price jump between the two...

 

[crownjules]

Is there a major difference between conical burr vs. burr? It looks like there's a pretty big price jump between the two...

Disc burr grinders (the other type) are harder to clean. So they can clog up easier and the oils from the beans get trapped in them which leads to nasty tasting coffee after awhile. Or so I've read.

 

[Crusty]

Disc burr grinders (the other type) are harder to clean. So they can clog up easier and the oils from the beans get trapped in them which leads to nasty tasting coffee after awhile. Or so I've read.

Conical Burr grinders also spin(usually) at slower rates so it doesn't heat the coffee up as much.

 

[Deeko]

I have the cheapo $20 Mr Coffee blade grinder from target - similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-IDS7...2432898&sr=8-1

The coffee snobs will tell you its not good enough, and they may be right - but I can tell you this, even using that thing is WAY better than pre-ground. It made a huge difference. I grind on demand, the coffee stays fresh longer and tastes a lot better.

 

[Kirby64]

As others have said, you want a burr grinder. For a 'good' grinder, you're looking at around ~$150 used (check Ebay) for something I'd trust. Cheaper ones (100 or under new) usually either:
1) Do not have fine enough step increments to chose a grind for espresso (not a big deal if you don't drink espresso)
2) Don't use good quality burrs and therefore heat up the beans by the grind friction (This is a big reason burrs are replaced often)

If you're grinding coffee for anything OTHER than grinds you use immediately, you waste it. Fresh grounds are only good for about 10 minutes of max freshness, 1 hour before it's readily noticeable. As said, if you grind more than what you use, it'll be wasted. Go ahead and use it as an air freshener at this point. Coffee grounds are a very potent odor absorber, therefore they're going to suck up anything in the air (and taste funky) if left for a long period of time. Even if you bag them and seal them, they off-gas CO2 and lose their freshness that way.

For reference, I use a Cunill Uganda (off ebay for a little over $120) for all my coffee grinding needs (espresso to french press and inbetween)


Keep in mind, if you're buying mediocre coffee from the shelf it's not going to be much of an improvement anyways. The only way you'll get it at amazing levels of freshness is to get roasted coffee that has a 'roasted on' date. You've only got about 2-3 weeks max before roasted coffee gets stale. I home roast my coffee, but that's a whole different level of... coffee dedication.

Edit: Oh, and Conical Burrs vs Flat Burrs: It doesn't really matter. Some of the nicest grinders out there use flat burrs, if that's any indication of their quality. Conical burrs are usually a subsection of a coffee grinder manufacturers selection and tend to be much more limited.

 

[Crusty]

I have the cheapo $20 Mr Coffee blade grinder from target - similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-IDS7...2432898&sr=8-1

The coffee snobs will tell you its not good enough, and they may be right - but I can tell you this, even using that thing is WAY better than pre-ground. It made a huge difference. I grind on demand, the coffee stays fresh longer and tastes a lot better.

Those grinders are fine if you don't care about consistency of grind, which is very important for espresso and even french press to an extent. If you want to make espresso that tastes like anything other than ass you simply can not do it with a blade grinder.

You are right though, recently roasted and freshly ground beans are the most important part to making a good cup of coffee. If you start with quality you're much more likely to end up with a quality drink.

 

[Deeko]

Those grinders are fine if you don't care about consistency of grind, which is very important for espresso and even french press to an extent. If you want to make espresso that tastes like anything other than ass you simply can not do it with a blade grinder.

You are right though, recently roasted and freshly ground beans are the most important part to making a good cup of coffee. If you start with quality you're much more likely to end up with a quality drink.

Yea, I don't do espresso. I do French press, but this does the job. For me, anyway.

 

[alent1234]

i have a cheap grinder and i just use shorter bursts instead of pressing the button and holding it

 

[ichy]

Those grinders are fine if you don't care about consistency of grind, which is very important for espresso and even french press to an extent. If you want to make espresso that tastes like anything other than ass you simply can not do it with a blade grinder.

You are right though, recently roasted and freshly ground beans are the most important part to making a good cup of coffee. If you start with quality you're much more likely to end up with a quality drink.

IMO for drip coffee a blade grinder is fine. I have one of those in my office for making regular coffee. My burr grinder is at home for making espresso. Personally I'm not a fan of using a blade grinder with a french press (too much sludge at the bottom and the coffee tastes bitter) but some peopel don't mind.

 

[BurnItDwn]

1 - Burr grinders are the only kind acceptable. Blades are too inconsistent.

2 - I grind enough for one serving. If you pregrind, you might as well buy it that way.

3 - I use hand cranked grinders, I'm currently using a vintage Armin Trösser with newish Zassenhaus guts.

My grandfather used to hand grind using an old wall mounted canister grinder ... that thing was 100 years old and used every day. Worked like a champ.

Whenever I wear out or burn out my electric burr grinder, I'll be looking into something a bit more durable

 

[CraKaJaX]

Awesome info guys. :thumbsup:

I'll probably be getting mine from Kohl's.... 30% coupon + $10 Kohls cash. I'll get a ~$150 grinder for $95 or so out of pocket. I do have an espresso machine, so I have to keep the step increments in mind. Here's two that I have in mind:

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/kit...36/Capresso+Infinity+Conical+Burr+Grinder.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/kit...3/Espressione+Conical+Burr+Coffee+Grinder.jsp

 

[unokitty]

Every one is different.

I use a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYop5AqhKPoHario hand grinder along with an AeroPress.

Usually, I have two or three cups of coffee in the a.m. Works well for me.

Uno

 

[Kirby64]

Awesome info guys. :thumbsup:

I'll probably be getting mine from Kohl's.... 30% coupon + $10 Kohls cash. I'll get a ~$150 grinder for $95 or so out of pocket. I do have an espresso machine, so I have to keep the step increments in mind. Here's two that I have in mind:

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/kit...36/Capresso+Infinity+Conical+Burr+Grinder.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/kit...3/Espressione+Conical+Burr+Coffee+Grinder.jsp

I owned the Capresso at one point and the other one appears to have similar reviews online. Key point: far too few grind points. The Capresso has a grand total of 14. It's fine for french press or drip and such, but for espresso the ability to fine-tune the grind is essential.

If you're looking to keep it around the $95 price point and don't want to bargain hunt on ebay for a few months (til you can snag one for around 150-200 for a NICE grinder), then I'd suggest getting a hand grinder like this one:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/grinders/manual-grinders/zassenhaus-box-mill.html

Just around the price point you'd like, and people tend to consider them great for espresso. It'll take a bit of work, but hey... gotta make some compromises right?

 

[DaveSimmons]

... or just keep buying it ground

I'm not a morning person so I finally gave in to laziness and now buy ground instead of beans. That way it's a little easier to make coffee in my sleep.

I put 2% milk and raw sugar in my coffee though, so I'm never tasting the beany purity of my drink regardless of how it was made.

 

[Nintendesert]

Wow, $150 grinders and shit? Blade grinder will mulch it down just fine. Go to Wal-Mart or something and start there.

Some of you must snort the shit and not put it in a coffee machine to care about the consistency that much. I used a plastic bag and a hammer in Iraq when I needed my damn coffee.

Burr grinder my fucking ass.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I owned the Capresso at one point and the other one appears to have similar reviews online. Key point: far too few grind points. The Capresso has a grand total of 14. It's fine for french press or drip and such, but for espresso the ability to fine-tune the grind is essential.

If you're looking to keep it around the $95 price point and don't want to bargain hunt on ebay for a few months (til you can snag one for around 150-200 for a NICE grinder), then I'd suggest getting a hand grinder like this one:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/grinders/manual-grinders/zassenhaus-box-mill.html

Just around the price point you'd like, and people tend to consider them great for espresso. It'll take a bit of work, but hey... gotta make some compromises right?

Am I really going to notice it? I've made ~5 espressos since I got the machine -- I'm still new to this whole thing. I'd rather have an automatic machine. I'm definitely willing to bargain hunt on ebay -- there's no rush for this machine. The $95 mark isn't set in stone, cost isn't really an issue as long as it gives me good results (and lasts). That said, I guess I'll start browsing ebay. What's a safe amount of grind points where I could cover the whole spectrum? Thanks so far!

 

[sunzt]

Wow, $150 grinders and shit? Blade grinder will mulch it down just fine. Go to Wal-Mart or something and start there.

Some of you must snort the shit and not put it in a coffee machine to care about the consistency that much. I used a plastic bag and a hammer in Iraq when I needed my damn coffee.

Burr grinder my fucking ass.

qft

 

[SillyOReilly]

Wow, $150 grinders and shit? Blade grinder will mulch it down just fine. Go to Wal-Mart or something and start there.

Some of you must snort the shit and not put it in a coffee machine to care about the consistency that much. I used a plastic bag and a hammer in Iraq when I needed my damn coffee.

Burr grinder my fucking ass.

qft

qft in what universe?

You do both realize that ground size matters depending on your method of brewing.

 

[Crusty]

Wow, $150 grinders and shit? Blade grinder will mulch it down just fine. Go to Wal-Mart or something and start there.

Some of you must snort the shit and not put it in a coffee machine to care about the consistency that much. I used a plastic bag and a hammer in Iraq when I needed my damn coffee.

Burr grinder my fucking ass.

Making coffee is like running a chemistry experiment. It's all about proper extraction and without the right materials you're going to end up with shit.

There's a reason so many people dump loads of cream and sugar into their coffee, it tastes like ass to begin with. A properly made cup of coffee does not have that problem.