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| A Grind(er) for Every Job | |
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| Different coffee brewing methods need different grind abilities. | |
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Home : Guides : Guide to Grinders : Different Grinds | Items in Cart: 0 | |
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Different coffee brewing methods require varying degrees of fineness for the ground coffee beans. Different degrees of fineness for the ground coffee beans in turn require different types of grinders. In this section we'll detail the most common types of grind levels, and the types of machines that can produce them.
Grind Varieties
There is of course no single perfect "grind" for any and all brewing methods. If there was, the range and function of coffee grinders would be pretty much moot.
By the same token, there is no single perfect "grind" for any specific brewing method either. Every espresso machine has its own quirks and circumstances that may require a tweak in grinding here, a slight shift in grinding there. Keeping this in mind, we present o you the following grinding level "suggestions" to help get you started, to inform you, and to educate you. These suggestions are not set in stone, but should be viewed as a reference only, and as your starting point in your own experiments to producing that "perfect grind" for your favored brewing method.
Course Grind: As the name implies, the resulting grinds are comparatively large, with each chunk of bean particle having the approximate size of a particle of common sand, or larger. This grind is suitable for percolators, French presses, some pour through makers and drip coffee makers.
Medium Grind: Often known as the "general purpose grind" that is also used as the grinding level for most grocery store preground coffee. The size of the granules resembles the consistency of table salt. A medium grind is very suitable for most auto and manual drip coffee and vacuum brewed coffee.
Fine Grind: The starting point for an espresso grind, where the granular particles are closer to the size of fine pepper than to salt. When coffee is ground this fine, several factors come to play. You've exposed more overall surface area per mg that the brewing water can contact - excellent for a nice full extraction in espresso. But by grinding this fine, you've increased the resistance the grind gives to the passage of water - this means that a fine grind may clog up a paper filter in an auto drip coffee maker, but the 9 BAR (or greater) pressure of an espresso machine has enough power (some 135psi worth) to push through those grounds and deliver you a rich, full beverage.
Turkish Grind: This is the finest of all grinds, and resembles the granular consistency of icing sugar - a fine, yet textured powder. Turkish coffee is a very demanding brewing method, requiring a ritual of bringing a pot of water, coffee grounds and sugar to boil 3 or 4 times, and serving it up in special sized cups. You can read more about Turkish coffee in our Guide to the Perfect Cup of Coffee. A Turkish grind is the most demanding grind you can ask for from a grinder, and most consumer models are unable to produce it, but some can.
In addition to these four common levels of grind fineness, you have cross over levels, such as Medium Fine (used for some drip machines, some vacuum brewers, and in moka pots), or Fine-Turkish, which is often the grind of choice for most commercial grade espresso machines.
The Two and a Half Types of Consumer Grinders
When it comes to consumer grinders today, there's two types commonly available. There are blade grinders, which can often be found for under $30 in most department stores. There are also burr grinders, which can range from $40 to $800 or more.
We said "two and a half" for a reason - that second grinder type, the burr grinder, is further divided into two types. There are grinders with cone shaped metal cutting plates, commonly known as a conical burr. There are also grinders with wheel-shaped cutting surfaces, which are commonly refered to as flat burr grinders.
Blade Grinders
A blade grinder consists of a small barrel shaped grinding chamber with a sharp metal blade that spins at a very high and consistent rate of speed. It pulverizes the coffee bean repeatedly until the desired consistency is reached. The fineness of the majority of the grounds is determined by the length of time the cutting blades are spinning. These types of grinders are also referred to as mills or spice mills, because they are also commonly used to grind fresh spices. These blade grinders can be found in virtually every department store and kitchen supply shop, as well as most supermarkets. Major brands include Krups, Braun, Cuisinart and Salton, to name a few.
In the coffee loving world, there is little doubt that a burr-based grinder offers a much better grind consistency and quality compared to the results from a blade-based grinder. One of their prime benefits is the cost - they can be the lowest priced grinders found in a department store, with some going as low as $20 or less.
One major disadvantage of the blade grinder is the lack of uniformity of the coffee grounds it produces. The rapidly spinning blade constantly pulverizes coffee beans, sending fragments and powder everywhere. As it continues to pulverize, more powder and irregular shapes are formed. When the grinder is turned off, dust or powder can be seen around the edges, and chunks of widely varying sizes will be in the center. You could grind longer, making the chunks smaller, but you can burn the coffee grounds because of high heat and energy created by this particular grinding process. The excess heat damages the beans' aromas and oils. The uneven grind produced by these machines will lead to inconsistent brewing and uneven extraction of flavor from the coffee grounds.
Even with all of these negatives, understand this if you are a budget minded consumer: even blade grinder-produced coffee grounds will be better than store-bought preground coffee that may have been sitting on the shelf for a long time. If your budget won't allow for a burr grinder, consider a blade grinder as a temporary step in your elevation to quality coffee.
Burr Grinders
The burr grinding design and method is the most recommended way for grinding coffee, ideal for almost any brewing application. A burr grinder strips off slivers from the coffee bean, exposing the cellular wall structure and providing a lot of surface area for the water to extract all that coffee goodness from. Burr grinders also produce a lot less heat in the bean when compared to a blade grinder, which further helps promote the maintenance and durability of the aromatics and oils that promote taste and smell in the cup.
Burr grinders come in two basic formats for the consumer and light commercial market - a flat open hole disk known as a "flat burr", and a cone shaped layout known as a "conical burr". Both feature two metal parts - a top and a bottom. Only one of the two parts actually revolves, while the other remains stationary.
With either conical or flat burr grinders, the coffee bean falls from the bean hopper through a chute into the grinding chamber inside the machine (gravity provides the push here). Here they are milled into more or less uniform sizes. The size of the grounds are determined by the distance between the spinning disk or cone and the stationary one. When you adjust the coffee grinder's fineness setting, you are actually adjusting the height between the two metal parts that make up the cutting surfaces of your grinder. The closer they are, the finer the grind.
Flat burr grinders typical use a molded or poured disk made of high strength tempered steel (heat treated) which has a teeth pattern cut and sharpened into it. Conical burr models are also made from high strength tempered steel, but they have been molded into a cone shape and then a spiral teeth pattern is cut into it, often with very unique lines designed to further boost the job those teeth have to do - slice your beans up in to tiny granules.
The Pricing Game for Burr Grinders
Grinders in the $40 to $80 range are considered "low cost" or "budget" grinders. With very few exceptions, grinders in this price range are usually of the flat burr model variety. You won't find many conical burr models in this price point because the cost of conical cutting wheels is much higher than some of the smaller, lower end flat burr assemblies.
Grinders in the $100 to $180 range are a mix between flat burr and conical burr. Motors are often improved over the lower priced models, as are the cutting surfaces which use higher quality metals, more intricate (and difficult to create) teeth patterns on their burrs, and other niceties such as attention to noise issues, special features, and different ways the product can be used. Machines including the Baratza Maestro are priced in this class.
Grinders in the $200 and more range are almost always flat burr models again, but here the burrs are some of the highest grade metals you can get with very complex and detailed teeth patterns designed to cut efficiently and for a long time. Motors are often very high quality and can be very quiet - a grinder like the Rancilio Rocky or Pasquini Moka sound almost silent when they are running without any beans in them. You also get more precise control over the grind, allowing the kind of delicate fine tuning a demanding drink such as espresso commands. Machines including the Gaggia MDF, the Rancilio Rocky, and the Pasquini Moka are in this price range.
Click here to return to our selection of Coffee Grinders.
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