When it comes to brewing coffee, you should keep in mind that you always grind your coffee beans. Simply put, it is not ideal to buy ground coffee. Rather, buy beans and ground them the same time you are going to use them. Why? Find out more about coffee grinding and learn about the factors you should consider when looking for the best coffee grinder.
What is a Coffee Grinder?
As we all know, coffee is made using coffee beans. However, you don’t use the beans as it is but rather grind it to create a powder that contains the flavor and aroma of the coffee bean. Someone who knows a lot about coffee would say that the coffee quality would depend highly on the quality of the beans used. Thus, the type of coffee bean is one of the first things that should be considered when making your coffee. But what exactly is a coffee grinder, and what is it supposed to do?
Much like it’s called, a coffee grinder is a simple tool used to crush and grind hard coffee beans to create smaller and finer pieces that is more suited for processing. Today, coffee grinders typically come with a sharp metal design that cuts and crushes the coffee beans to create a finer and powder-like consistency. Generally, coffee grinders are categorized into two types based on the blade design that it uses:
Blade vs. Burr Coffee Grinders
Before choosing what the best coffee grinder is, you should first whether you are going for a blade coffee grinder or a burr coffee grinder.
Blade coffee grinders feature a blade that resembles a plane propeller used to cut the coffee beans to pieces. Between the two types, blade grinders are typically cheaper. But it is known for creating grind that is not uniform in size, which may affect the quality and taste of the coffee when it is brewed.
Unlike blade coffee grinders, burr grinders use two oscillating, serrated plates that crush the coffee bean instead of cutting. This results in a more consistent grind that can be adjusted accordingly by simply increasing and decreasing the two burrs’ distance.
Why Grind Coffee?
Now moving on to a more important question, why do you have to grind coffee? Even more, why is it better to grind the coffee yourself instead of buying ground coffee in the supermarket?
Grinding coffee beans allows you to use it as the smaller and finer pieces let water pass effectively. The size of the grind plays an important role in how the water seeps and captures the flavors of the coffee grind. But, the finer the grind, the stronger the taste, and vice versa. But why do you need to grind the coffee beans yourself when you can buy ground coffee in the grocery store?
The moment that you grind the coffee beans, you also let out the natural oils that are within the coffee bean. This natural oil can easily be considered the make-or-break factor between an ‘okay’ coffee and an extremely flavorful and aromatic coffee. Grinding coffee beans and storing them for long basically releases the natural oils it has and wastes the coffee bean’s flavor and aroma. With that, here are the different types of coffee ground types and it’s used:
Types of Coffee Grinds
- Extra coarse ground – suitable for cold brews and lengthy submersions in water
- Course ground – has the same consistency of chunky sea salt, suitable for French Press brewing
- Medium-coarse ground – used for Chemex coffees and clever drippers
- Medium ground – ideal for making drip coffee
- Medium-fine ground – suitable for pour overs and siphon coffees
- Fine ground – best for making espresso shots
- Superfine ground – used for Turkish coffee
Factors to Consider When Using Coffee Ground
Coffee ground is an essential factor in the quality of the coffee you produce. Considering this, it is important to know how to treat the grind throughout the brewing process properly. Here are some things to keep in mind when using ground coffee:
- The larger and coarse the coffee ground, the longer it takes to fully extract the coffee flavor as the water takes longer to pass through.
- Finer coarse grind produces stronger tasting coffee.
- Other brewing factors, such as the water temperature, pressure, type of bean, and brewing method, should dictate the size of your coffee ground.
What to Consider when Buying a Coffee Grinder
After learning about a coffee grind and the importance of a coffee grinder, it is time to consider buying the best coffee grinder that is available in the market today. But before you move over to shopping, there are some things that you need to consider when choosing a coffee grinder. This includes
- Type of blade
- Automatic or manual coffee grinders
- Ground size settings and options
- Size and capacity
- Evenness of grind
- Blade material
- Cleaning and maintenance
- Price
Conclusion
Having a coffee grinder is essential to any coffee lover and enthusiast as it allows you to make the most out of your coffee beans’ quality. However, choosing the best coffee grinder can be a little tricky, especially if you have little to no knowledge about the coffee grind and coffee grinders.
Remember that the coffee grind’s quality plays an important role in the overall flavor and quality of the coffee brew. While there are a plethora of choices in the market nowadays for the best coffee grinder, it is important to consider the material, durability, and features of the device to make sure that you are getting the most out of what you paid for. Learn more about coffee grinders.