True coffee connoisseurs will know that freshness is the key part of a perfect brew. A cup of coffee intended to wake you up in the morning should be filled with complex flavors and aromas. It should be able to deliver a good experience in each sip.
Once you get your hands on the best beans in town, it is now time to find the best coffee grinder to go with it. Both of them, along with a coffee machine, will give you a wholesome and new coffee experience to savor.
As mentioned in guides like the Baratza Encore coffee grinder review, there are specific criteria for choosing the best coffee grinder in the market. This article discusses a few of the criteria which will help you make the right purchase.
Burr or Blade Grinders
Blade and burr are the two common types of espresso grinders that you will find in the market. A blade grinder requires manual operation, and the quality of the resulting coffee powder depends on the amount of time you spend on grinding.
The motor in the grinder rotates the blades, which can sometimes be loud. Additionally, the rotating blades can also produce heat which may burn the coffee and spoil its taste.
However, if you check the details in guides like the Baratza Encore coffee grinder review, you will see that the burr grinder produces much finer coffee powder than the ones with the blade. This model relies on centrifugal force and flat parallel blades to crush the coffee beans into aromatic powder.
Before you choose the best burr coffee grinder, there are many factors that you should think about.
Criteria for Choosing a Coffee Grinder
Capacity
Each type of grinder is designed to hold a certain amount of coffee. However, when it comes to coffee grinders, you cannot blindly go by the rule, “the larger, the better.”
Who will you make the coffee for? If it is just for you, you can choose a coffee grinder with a smaller capacity. If you are making coffee for a large group of people, consider a model which offers a larger capacity.
Doser
The primary purpose of a doser in a grinder is to collect the proper amount of ground coffee to be added to the portafilter. The doser will ensure that the amount of coffee beans crushed is suitable for the espresso shots.
For home use, you can settle for a burr grinder that comes without a doser.
Precision & Consistency
It is one of the criteria which relate directly to the aroma and flavor of the coffee that you will get from the grinder. The quality of the coffee bean that you use does play a significant role. However, to fully appreciate and experience the beans’ potential, you have to grind them properly before making the coffee.
You have to get the grinds fine and consistent in size. Burr grinders are good at this. For instance, an espresso shot is brewed using fine coffee particles in which pressurized water is forced through in a short time.
In case the extraction is not done correctly, the espresso shot will lack the aroma of fresh coffee and instead will taste bitter. So, make sure to choose a grinder with high precision settings.
RPMs and Burr Size
Though these criteria may sound technical, it is better to start with them as they can have a significant impact on your coffee’s taste. The burr size differentiates one grinder from the other—the larger the burr size, the more cutting area available.
As burr grinders also operate on the motor, it eventually causes heat. If you choose a grinder with high RPM, it means a more consistent grind, but at the same time, it also means extra heat.
So, the essential criteria you have to keep in mind are the motor’s capacity and the size of the burr.
Grind Bin
Some burr grinders grind the coffee into a bucket, while others grind it into a portafilter for espresso machines. If you plan to brew only espresso-based coffee, you can invest in a burr coffee grinder without a bucket. With this, you can tune the grinder and optimize the grind-to-portafilter ratio, which helps reduce wastage.
Some models have a little bracket that rests on the portafilter. So, you don’t have to hold it while you are grinding. You can comfortably pour the milk without having to hold the handle with one hand.
So, get the right coffee beans and the right grinder, and you will get that balanced cup of coffee that will have the potential to beat even the one you get at your favorite coffee shop.