Choosing Your Coffee Grinder: Burr vs. Blade

If you are like me, coffee is just coffee. I do not care if it comes in a little packet or from one of those fancy coffee bars, I will drink it anyway.

Now it may seem that people like us just are not coffee connoisseurs, but that is not what I have found. I think we are true coffee lovers. We will drink it anytime and any way because we like it so much. And when given the opportunity for really good coffee, that is even better.

For the best coffee, you really have to make it fresh at home and grind your own beans. Ground coffee loses its optimal flavor in about 2 days but whole beans maintain their best flavor for 2 weeks. Coffee grinders are essential for fresh flavor at home and the best type is a burr coffee grinder.

There are two kinds of coffee grinders, blade type and the burr coffee grinder. A blade-type grinder is like what you chop ice with for your drinks. It slices the coffee beans and you get the finer ground coffee from how long you let the grinder run. It is sort of like your kitchen blender and frankly, it does not do as good a job. The beans are irregular and it produces a lot of heat that can ruin the coffee flavor.

The appliance that you need to buy is a burr coffee grinder. Coffee beans are put into the hopper that then feeds into the grinding machine, the burrs. Then the coffee comes out the bottom of the burr coffee grinder into holder.

The burr coffee grinder makes the ground beans a uniform size so that all the coffee flavor can be released. There is no heat generated from whirling blades and the coffee stays rich and flavorful.

Most models of the burr coffee grinder offer a huge variety of grinding sizes. Some come with as many as 18 different grind sizes from very coarse to ultra-fine powder. This makes the brewing of your coffee much easier and better. The bigger sized burr coffee grinder can make enough ground coffee for 20 to 30 cups. Now, with a burr coffee grinder like that, you can make enough perfect coffee for the whole group.

If you are going to spend extra money on fine and specially roasted coffee beans, you need to find a good burr coffee grinder as well as a good coffee maker. It is definitely worth the extra time and trouble to make excellent instead of just good coffee.