For the best flavor possible from your coffee beans, grind them yourself. Adding to that philosophy, use only beans that were roasted within the past ten days to get the freshest flavor. Beware of beans that are too new, though. Beans that have been roasted only within the past day or two are full of carbon dioxide. It will get released into your cup of coffee, causing it to turn sudsy.

There are two main types of grinders on the market: blade grinders and burr grinders. Burr grinders are also known as mills. Each type of grinder has its benefits and drawbacks, and you must decide which qualities are the most important for you.

Blade Grinders

These are the easiest and cheapest coffee grinders. A metal blade inside the grinder spins rapidly, chopping the coffee beans. The result is coffee flakes that are uneven in size, often causing the taste of the brewed product to be inconsistent.

There are generally no settings to tell the machine how coarse or how fine to grind coffee. It is up to the user to determine how long to let the grinder run to achieve the desired level of fineness.

Blades build up heat while grinding. If you are trying to grind coffee to make espresso, you will have to allow the blades to run for a long time. This causes them to get hot, which can in turn give the coffee a burned taste.

If you want a good, basic grinder for everyday use, you can find them in nearly every home goods or department store for approximately $30.

Blade grinders are fantastic for basic day-to-day coffee consumption, but if you want more finesse in you flavor, you need to move to a burr grinder.

Burr Grinders

Typically referred to as mills, burr grinders crush the beans uniformly between a grinding wheel and a stationary surface. wet grinder There are two types of burr grinders.

Wheel Burr

This is the less expensive form of burr grinder. The grinding wheel spins very quickly to crush the beans, and the fineness of the grind depends upon where the grinding wheel is set. These grinders can be noisy and can get quite messy.

Conical Burr

The burr spins much slower in these grinders, making them quieter and cleaner. These grinders are more expensive, but will not clog and can be used to grind oily or flavored beans.

In addition to wheel burr mills and conical burr mills, there is also a wide assortment of handheld grinders. Due to the very nature of the handheld grinder, the wheel is turning much more slowly, which means it is not building up heat. If you desire a very fine grind for something such as espresso, you will get the best results and maintain the most flavor with a handheld burr mill.