Archive for October 9th, 2009
As coffee aficionados and caffeine junkies well know, waking up without a fresh cup of joe is almost an unthinkable task. Some coffee lovers swear by their upscale Saeco automatic espresso machines to do all the work for them, and others like to have a more active hand in creating their coveted morning beverage. We’ve talked at length about decalcifying coffee makers and espresso machines with a descaler in recent weeks, and now it’s time to focus on one of the true delights of coffee culture: grinding the beans.
If you don’t want to rely on an all-in-one, maker-grinder combo, there are two distinct types of grinders to consider. The blade grinder is the least expensive of the lot, and, as its name suggests, it uses a spinning blade to make short work of whole beans. The fineness of the grind is wholly dependent on how long you keep the blade spinning. Critics of the blade grinder point out that all the friction it generates has an impact on the coffee’s eventual flavor, and there’s no denying that the consistency is something of a crap shoot. Burr grinders resemble blenders in that the beans are fed in from the top and pulverized by cutting mechanisms at the bottom. You’ll find that burr grinders produce a more uniform consistency of finished product.