The Importance of the Grinder.
When it comes to selecting a grinder that is best for you, there are many things to consider. We can certainly get into the weeds and dissect every minute detail of a variety of different grinders. As much as I would love to “nerd” out with all this information, I will refrain and keep this article a general buyer’s guide. You will be able to determine what type of grinder will serve you best after reading this and be one step closer to brewing better coffee now.
There are many categories to classify grinders. There are electric, manual, conical burr, flat burr, ghost, large and small. Some specialize in one method of coffee brewing and some are general all-arounders that have a range of capabilities. So where do you start? How can we easily determine what grinder is best for you? We are going to look at these key components:
1. What is your preferred brew method?
2. What is your budget?
3. Who are you brewing for and how often?
4. Stick to established coffee companies.
Most people in the United States brew from an automatic drip coffee brewer. Some people like to use the French Press, and others strictly brew espresso-based drinks. Let me break down an easy approach for selecting the right grinder for you.
Each brew method has an ideal range of grind for the best cup. Most of the time this is referred to as grind size. Typically, your grind sizes start from something resembling roughly ground peppercorns all the way down to powdered sugar. There are many useful charts out there to help you determine what size you should aim for at any given brew. I like this interactive site from Honest Coffee Guide to help me dial in the correct grind setting for whichever model I have. https://honestcoffeeguide.com/coffee-grind-size-chart/
Once you determine your preferred brewing method/equipment, it is time to move on to our next category, budget. I assume this is most coffee drinkers’ main driving force when it comes to deciding what product to buy. Many people don’t realize that the grinder is actually more important that your brewing machine when it comes to making quality coffee. In my opinion the hierarchy goes fresh beans, quality water, coffee grinder then equipment. So if you were planning on spending most of your budget on an espresso machine for example, I suggest you take some money away from that purchase and add to your grinder funds. You can search for many grinders on the internet within certain price ranges. Some very reputable companies I like to shop with are Espresso Outlet, Prima Coffee, Whole Latte Love. There are certainly others in the market, but these will be a good starting point. Most entry-mid level grinders will be around $200 dollars. That is the median price with some grinders worth buying slightly lower and even more worth buying at a higher price point.
After determining your preferred brewing method/equipment and budget, it is time to compile our list of potential grinders. Let’s assume we will be using an automatic filter coffee maker, AeroPress and the occasional pour over for this exercise. Knowing our range of grind size requirements for these given approaches will help us narrow down our search. All of the aforementioned machines function best with medium fine to medium or medium coarse grind sizes. This means we can rule out extra fine grinders made for specifically espresso or Turkish coffee. We can also rule out grinders that are known for being on the coarser side. Use this information to begin your search. Once you have finished this article, check out my next post for my suggestions on beginner-intermediate coffee enthusiast grinders.
The next step in finding your perfect grinder is capacity size. Are you brewing for one? Do you have a full house and need a lot of coffee at each sitting?
If you are brewing coffee primarily for yourself and/or one other person, I recommend a hand grinder. I know that is not a very popular opinion because it requires you to “work” to grind your coffee but hear me out. There are a lot of hand grinders on the market today that brew just as well or even better than a lot of their electric counterparts. The burrs are typically the exact same. Sometimes the burrs are even higher quality because hand grinders focus on the main grinding components and none of the extras you buy with an electric model. This means the money goes to quality built, sharp, durable burrs, sleek bodies, and a smaller package. I have a hand grinder at home that I use as much as my electric model because it consistently delivers a quality cup and is ideal for 1-2 person brewing methods. I would recommend a hand grinder with a minimum capacity of 20 grams to start. A bonus to hand grinders is their size and travel capabilities. You can even bring them to the office or on vacation.
If you are brewing for a larger crowd, say 3-5 people, then you are likely grinding 30+ grams each time you brew. You are going to want to find an electric burr grinder that has a hopper capacity large enough to hold the amount of beans needed. A lot of the time these grinders are marketed as 6 cup, 8 cup, 12 cup, etc. This number refers to the number of cups you would use in an automatic drip machine. I would recommend looking into the actual hopper capacity measured in grams if that information is available. This will give you a better understanding of how much you can grind in a single sitting which directly relates to the amount of coffee you can make. I say this to try and help you get out of the mentality of “cups” and thinking in grams. I discussed the importance of weighing your beans in another post which can be found here. Why Does My Coffee Taste Bad? If you would like to use only automatic drip coffee machines, feel free to just stop at the capacity listed in cups which would satisfy your maximum coffee pot volume. If you would like to explore other methods of brewing, which I highly recommend, then we can assume you find the grams volume will be enough for a coffee pot, Chemex and likely a French Press.
The next important tip is to invest in a grinder from a well-established manufacturer. These manufacturers have great customer support, tutorial videos, warranty policies and a larger community of people to use as resources. Well-made coffee grinders from names like Baratza, Breville, Turin, Eureka, Fellow, Timemore and 1ZPRESSO will have a better warranty, community of people to help you, and last longer than other grinders. Think of it as an investment for your future coffee journey. I understand the issue of budget will likely come in as a factor, but, if possible, you should save up a little more for a coffee grinder made by a coffee company. This will save you time, frustration and likely money in the long run. Any of the retailers mentioned above will carry all of the latest and greatest coffee grinders on the market. Coffee equipment made by coffee experts will lead to better cups!
If you are looking for recommendations for specific grinders along with my personal reviews, check out my next post to further assist you in your coffee adventure. If you have more specific questions or remarks, feel free to leave a comment below. Until then, I hope you find your Second Wind in whatever it is you are pursuing.
