Everyone in our country can make a pot of coffee. A filter in the machine, a few scoops of coffee in, some hot water added, a push of the button and a few minutes later you have a pot. We all drink this homemade coffee daily at the office, at breakfast or with the 8 o’clock news. Making a pot of filter coffee is in our genes, so to speak.
The importance of freshly grinding beans
Yet it is different when you start grinding your own coffee beans. It has been calculated by experts that ground coffee loses sixty percent of its properties within ten minutes. By grinding your own coffee, you get rid of that problem and can make an espresso with great taste and aroma, just as it was meant to be. Even the normally ordinary filter coffee suddenly becomes much more flavorful.
Which coffee grinders stand out?
For grinding coffee, you need a bean grinder. It is a small investment, but you will find that your coffee will really definitely improve. If you are going to buy a bean grinder, then of course the device should meet your criteria. Do you have a lot of money to invest or do you want an inexpensive version? Do you want a nifty automatic where you can set how coarse or how fine you want the beans or will you stick with a simple grinder? Here are some options you could choose from.
The Quick Mill bean grinders
For years, the Quick Mill brand has been making all the appliances needed to brew the perfect espressos. This Italian manufacturer now also makes a bean grinder that can grind the beans deliciously fresh. You can set it either manually or automatically, and you can also adjust the coarseness and fineness of the beans. The only drawback is that it does not come with a dispenser.
Sage and his coffee mills
The Sage brand has some very nice but very expensive devices that allow grinding coffee. The advantage of these beautiful and nostalgic looking devices is not only the stainless steel housing, but also the large bean container. So you can put in all your beans and just grind out a small amount of powder or grains daily. That grinding is extremely quiet, by the way – the device hardly makes any noise. This is partly due to the special discs that can determine the coarseness of the beans very precisely.
The somewhat cheaper Baratza
If you are a beginner and do not want to spend too much money on a coffee grinder yet, then the Baratza Encore is a good idea. You can buy this device for a not too high price, while it does its job – grinding coffee. The problem, however, is that the device produces quite a bit of noise. Also, it does not have a fancy LCD screen where you can set the coarseness.
The simple versions
Other brands have come out with much simpler ones. For example, consider the simple coffee grinder from Bosch, or the user-friendly device from Solis – here you can grind the beans at 22 different settings. You can also go for the manual coffee grinder from Hario. This is not only good for making a nice cup of coffee, but also good for your muscles.
There are different grinding discs
Bean grinders come with different ways of getting beans small. For example, some use large discs, others use flat grinding discs and yet another brand uses blades. These flat grinding discs provide a consistent and even powder, while with blades, the coffee grinds come in different sizes. Consistency is necessary when brewing an espresso, but again not at all with a French Press.
Which coffee grinder suits you now?
It is not easy to buy the coffee grinder that suits you. Suppose you are someone who is simply looking to improve the taste of coffee at home, then it is enough to buy a simple coffee grinder under thirty euros. That alone can improve the taste of your filter coffee many times over. If you often have guests or have a “home bar,” then you can already look a bit more at the more expensive versions. If you own a cafe – then you really do need a professional device.