Coffee Bean Grinding
Grinding your own coffee beans is a fairly easy way to ensure freshness in your cup of coffee. Grinders can be inexpensive, and some coffee makers or espresso machines even have them built in. There are basically two different kinds of coffee grinders: blade or burr.
Blade Grinders
Most inexpensive grinders use a metal blade to chop up the coffee beans. The blade cuts up the beans, and you control the fineness by how long you let the grinder run. Unfortunately, the resulting coffee grounds can be uneven in size, leading to inconsistent brew quality. Another downfall, is that if you are grinding finely, and therefore leaving the beans in the grinder for a longer period of time, there can be significant heat created by the blades. This can give your final coffee a burned taste. These are fine grinders for basic use, but that's about it.
Burr Grinders
Burr grinders crush the beans between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface. The positioning on the burr is what regulates the ground size, which allows for a more consistent grind. In the burr category, there are two different types.
Wheel Burr - The less expensive of the two burr grinders. The wheel spins very fast, and these grinders can be noisy. The higher speed rotation makes these grinders messier as well.
Conical Burr - The best grinders you can get are conical burr grinders. The burr spins slower than the wheel model, which makes them quieter and less messy. You can use a conical burr grinder for oily or flavored coffees and it's not likely to clog, like the other kinds of grinders. These are the best type, but you will pay the price for them.
Each Brewing Method Requires a Different Grind
- Drip coffee requires a medium size grind; espresso requires a fine size grind
- A French press requires the largest grind size
- A vacuum pot requires the largest grind size
- For coffee cupping, it is preferred to use a French press grind size.
Source - about.com
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