The simplest coffee grinder is the traditional and primitive stone mortar and pestle system, still employed in many parts of the world where coffee is consumed. Roast beans are placed in the well of the mortar and ground to the desired fineness by the action of the pestle. This is a time consuming and labor intensive process, requiring several minutes of grinding to reach a fine powder state. In a commercial environment this approach should only be used if there is no other grinding equipment available.

The use of a hand powered mincer can increase the speed of the grinding process, but the quality of the grind is very coarse, and still requires manual operation. Again, only if there is not a more suitable option for grinding should the hand mincer be used.

A more common type of grinder is the blade grinder. This is a simple device with an electronic or mechanically driven blade, that whirls around in a cavity at a rapid rate, finely chopping the roast coffee beans to a fineness controlled by the length of time that the machine operates. These can provide a very fine grind, but often do not provide the uniform quality of grind required for the operation of a commercial espresso machine. Suited for the small scale coffee drinker with an appreciation of fresh ground coffee, the blade grinder is a very useful addition to the kitchen.

Care should be taken with blade grinders to avoid operation when the lid is off, as the rapidly rotating blade can endanger the fingers and other fleshy extremities. Always ensure the machine is switched off when loading, and if it begins to malfunction it may be time to find another.

If the small blade grinder does stop working, all is not lost, often they can be fixed. If it is just a matter of coffee grinds blocking the mechanism that controls the on off switch, or a screw becoming loose through continued vibration, then five minutes of careful attention with the correct tool will allow you to restore the grinder to operation. If it cannot be fixed easily, then a kitchen blender will also work to grind coffee beans to a fine powder, though the larger size of the cavity makes it more difficult to remove the ground coffee once a desired texture has been reached. Make sure the lid is on otherwise there will be coffee beans everywhere in the kitchen.

More sophisticated technologies do exist. The most ideal coffee grinder for most applications is the Burr Grinder. This is a device with rotating grinding teeth, set up in an arrangement to allow the distance between the teeth to be adjusted, and the particle size of the ground coffee to be increased or reduced as demand requires. Often found in a cafe, these grinders can grind coffee as fast as beans can fall through the rapidly whirring teeth. Being more resilient and sturdy in their construction, these grinders often carry a much higher price tag than a blade grinder. Careful hunting at a thrift sales and auctions can often result in picking up a commercial quality burr grinder for a low price.

Take care though, make sure that you are only grinding coffee in the grinder otherwise the teeth may clog and cease operating properly. Clean the mechanism regularly, in order to maintain functionality of your grinder and great tasting coffee. A top quality burr grinder will last several years of rigorous daily use if it is looked after properly.

Grinding coffee beans is an art. You just don’t throw in a handful of coffee beans in a grinder, hit automatic grind and hope that your grinds will come out fine. For the real coffee lovers, choosing the best grinder to go with their coffee makers takes a lot of time. They search the internet, ask friends, and window shop for grinders even. What are the choices for the most suitable coffee grinder for you?

There are technically two kinds of coffee grinders that are popular to coffee lovers. There is the blade coffee grinder and the burr coffee grinder. Under the burr kind, there is the regular wheel grinder and the conical burr grinder.

Conical Burr Grinders may be the best type of coffee grinder today. It preserves aroma at its highest and easily grinds to beans to a very fine consistent. The steel burr is cone-shaped where the large cone holds the beans while the smaller cone grinds the beans at a slow and sure pace. The lower the speed the less heat will be produced. The intricate design of the steel burrs allows a high gear reduction to slow down the grinding speed. The slower the speed the less heat is imparted to the ground coffee thus preserving maximum amount of aroma. The grinding speed is below 500 rpm (revolutions per minute) this burr grinder is perfect for espresso and Turkish coffee. As the burr grind can “grind” coffee beans at the desired fineness, it is also a great complement to drip, French press and percolators.

Burr grinders with disk or wheel type burrs grind at a faster speed of 10,000 to 20,000 rpm. At this speed more heat is produced but is not a cause for worry as it will not leave a bunt after taste on the beans. The conical burr grinders and create a bit more warmth in the coffee (10,000 to 20,000 rpm). This is type is less expensive than the conical burr but it is good enough to produce consistent grinds. This type could be a great partner for any coffee maker but it is best suited for espresso coffee maker. However fine the ground, the degree of fineness is cannot match the ones from a conical burr.

The blade coffee grinder does not actually grind the beans but it rather chops and hacks and rotates the coffee beans with a speed of up 30,000 rpm. The result is bigger and uneven coffee granules that might have a hint of burnt taste. Because of the inconsistency of the grind, coffee dust is created in the grinder and this dust can clog up dandy espresso and French press. The uneven-sized grounds are perfect for drip coffee makers and percolators. This gadget can also grind nuts and spices.

If there are wine connoisseurs who can tell the vintage and from what vineyard the wine came from just by tasting the wine, a coffee connoisseur can tell you if the coffee beans are blade or burr grounded. This is why coffee lovers grind their own coffee.

The good news is that there are many antique coffee grinders available to you. While some are definitely a rare find, there are others that are easily available to you. The better news is that most of these antique coffee grinders that are available to you are functional. They are not only functional they are believed to have better efficiency in giving you the best quality coffee grind retaining the right coarseness and flavor of the coffee.

There are many different models of antique coffee grinders available to you. Some of the commonly available models of antique coffee grinders that you may come across might include the Parker No.449 Coffee Mill, the Arcade Crystal Coffee Mill No. 9010, the Landers Frary & Clark No. 24 Coffee Mill, the Steinfield Coffee Mill, etc.

These antique coffee grinders that you might find could be a conventional countertop model or a wall mounting model. Whatever be the type, most of these coffee grinders will have a workable handle that needs to be rotated to grind the coffee beans and give you the right quality of grind.

While some may feel that it is another chore to manually grind the coffee beans using the antique coffee grinder, others who have tried these grinders will tend to disagree. While it is definitely an added chore, the quality and flavor of coffee that you will get using the antique coffee grinder makes it worthwhile.

The main problem with conventional modern day electric coffee grinders is that they work at high speeds to grind the coffee. This causes the coffee to pick up a burnt flavor as heat is generated when the grinders work at such high speeds thus spoiling the flavor and taste of the coffee.

But, this is a problem that you will not encounter when you are using the antique coffee grinders. The heat generated when you are manually using the grinder handle to grind the coffee beans is very minimal thus preventing any such unnecessary added flavors to the coffee retaining its original taste and flavor.

Also, the high speeds of modern day grinders can reduce the coffee grind to being too fine if one is not careful in regulating the time for which the grinder is being used. This is not a very favorable kind of grind that one wants while brewing the coffee, especially if you are making the coffee using a percolator. For this reason, many people love using an antique coffee grinder that has the right coarseness to the grind making it more favorable in comparison to the grinder of modern times.

So, the antique coffee grinders are not just picked up as a collectible to be stored as a showpiece but as a preferred type of grinder over conventional electric coffee grinders of today’s times.

There are reasons why you do not want to get into grinding your own brew. It maybe that you find the coffee grinder noisy. True. But also false. It may be that you don’t like the mess after the grind. True, but not always. It may be that you think a grinder costs a lot. Not really as there are models that are cheap. You don’t like to grind your own beans for you think you can never match the brew made in a coffee shop. False, as you might even do better.

Pre-ground coffee beans are not bad at all – that is once you remember to vacuum seal the container every time you’re done. Air is coffee ground’s nemesis. Once they meet head on, the coffee ground loses. Never grind more beans that you plan on drinking. Brew the amount that you could consume in one batch. Grinding your own beans just before brewing would retain its flavor and aroma. In the long, grinding and brewing your own coffee would save you money.

If you are an old hand in brewing but a newbie in grinding here are some basic points in choosing a grinder.

If you are using a percolator or a French press or a drip coffee maker for your brew, it is best to get a blade coffee grinder. This grinder is inexpensive, lightweight and actually chops, hacks and split coffee beans instead of grinding them. The coffee grinds are mostly uneven. Sometimes, a burnt after taste remains. Blade grinders can be used for grinding (chopping) spices and nuts too. A coffee grinder works like a blender where the blade whirrs around and around while you press down the “on” button or set the grinder into pulse. Remember to put the top lid on so as not to spill the beans as the blades rotate.

If you have an espresso machine, better get the burr kind of coffee grinders. There are two types of burrs: the conical burr and the wheel burr grinder. The conical burr is cone-shaped with a smaller cone inside a bigger cone. The smaller cone grinds its way into the big cone with coffee grounds between them. The same principle applies to the wheel burr. A burr coffee grinder is the best option for a coffee mill as it produces even grinds whether fine or course.

As you choose your own coffee grinder, bear in mind to choose the one that best suits your lifestyle and budget.

Fair Trade to the rescue. Fair Trade certified importers must pay a minimum price per pound that provides help to farmers. The farmers also receive assistance in switching to organic farming.

I was kind of surprised to see a change to the menu at my local Starbucks. It seems they are trying to hop on the health and wellness bandwagon. Two varieties of protein shakes were recently added. Orange,Mango Banana and Chocolate Banana. Samples were offered and I gotta admit they were pretty darn tasty. Made with Naked protein juice they didn’t have the chalky taste of some protein drinks.

Of course to get my coffee I added a shot of espresso to the banana chocolate shake. There you have protein and caffeine all rolled into one!

The ‘green coffee
beans’ that are collected from the coffee plantations are
sent to special places where they are roasted, ground, and
then finely crushed to make coffee powder.

Depending on the quality of the coffee bean will then depend
on how it is packaged and where it is sent to. The green
coffee bean must be picked normally by hand from the coffee
plantations. This is done by laborers who get paid by the
bucketfuls. Since coffee beans are a type of drupe, with
fruit flesh directly wrapping the coffee bean, they first
gather the coffee beans and then the flesh of the coffee
bean must be promptly removed by soaking, scouring and
rubbing the bean. The de-fruited coffee bean is then cleaned
with water which removes the sticking fruit and additional
sugars. It is only then left ready for the drying process.
The green coffee beans are then spread over a large concrete
or rock plane, where they are dried by air and sunlight.

Coffee beans are given a categorization of the beans. This
is done by color and size. Discolored, decayed and damaged
beans are removed at this point and thrown away.

The process of going from the Coffee Berry to the dry green
coffee bean can be relatively long and may even involve some
fermentation.Once this has been completed the green coffee
beans should be stored in some sort of container that will
allow it to breathe and not impart another flavor to the
beans: burlap bags, paper bags, etc. Plastic containers are
never used for obvious reasons. The coffee beans are stored
at room temperature and out of direct light. They may be
kept for a long period of time. Because of their light
weight they are easy to ship abroad.

There are polyphenols in green coffee beans which act to
help reduce free oxygen radicals in the body. The bean
extract is sometimes standardized to more than 50%
chlorogenic acid.

Coffee is a drink loved by millions, and the green coffee
bean is the start of the production line. There are many
ways to produce the coffee, and depending what you do with
the green coffee bean and where it comes from will determine
the taste and the outcome of the coffee.

The Roasting Process. Depending on how log the coffee beans
are exposed to the sun will depend on what the flavour or
strength will be. The bean contains a wide variety of
chemical compounds including proteins, fats, sugars,
dextrin, cellulose, caffeine, and organic acids.

Some of these compounds volatise, oxidize, or decompose as
part of the roasting process.The roasting process is very
important in producing an aromatic cup of coffee. When
roasted, the green coffee bean expands to nearly twice its
initial size, changing in color and density.

At this point in the roasting process, the coffee beans will
start cracking, quite like popping popcorn. The bean also
expels moisture, and, upon reaching 400 degrees Fahrenheit,
the color changes to yellow and then to a light ‘cinnamon’
brown, and oil is released from its interior.

This oil gives coffee its distinct flavor. The greater the
amount of oil released, the stronger the flavor.

The coffee
beans will crack during the roasting process, which guides
roasters as to how to gauge the progression of the roast.
The bean will then continue to expel more oil while
darkening its color, until such time it is removed from the
heat. The final product can be crushed into savoury coffee
powder.

Papua New Guinea is just one region that grows the coffee
berry. This is mainly grown in the Highland regions rich
volcanic soils between the altitudes of 4,000 and 6,000 feet
above sea level. Just this fact alone will make the coffee
taste different from other areas of growth. It is believed
that every factor that comes into play has a bearing on the
outcome of the coffee bean. The altitude, the soil, the
length of time it is left unpicked, all contribute to the
production.

Papua New Guinea coffee is well regarded by consumers for
its uniqueness, consistency and special flavor
characteristics. They export approximately 2% of the annual
world green coffee bean production.

Papua New Guinea coffee beans are highly sought, as they
produce a distinct floral and citric flavor and nutty body,
and are frequently used to blend with other coffees to
produce unique gourmet coffees. Take a look at this website
which specialises in the green coffee bean from Papa New
Guinea. Visit Coffee Pacifica.

Brazil – continues to be the largest coffee exporter,
although the green coffee market has recently been flooded
with large amount of Robusta beans from Vietnam.

Robusta
coffees, which were traded in London at a cheaper price
compared to New York’s Arabica, are the choice of large
industrial clients consisting of multinational roasters and
instant coffee producers; they favor these coffees because
of the less expensive price. A rare and costly variety of
Robusta is the Indonesian Kopi Luwak and the Philippine Kape
Alamid. Owing to the indirect pressure exerted by the World
Bank to the French government, experts believe that the
influx of cheap green coffee resulted from the crisis in
pricing that started in 2001, and continues to the present.

Robusta is the cheap stuff. It packs lots of caffeine jolt,
but offers only one-dimensional, front-of-mouth flavour.
Much of it goes for instant, but a surprising amount becomes
the filler in blends. Most industrial espresso roasters say
it gives a better crema, or head, but this is rot – robusta
is just a way to keep costs down and drinkers’ nerves
jangled. Vietnam is the major robusta exporter, and has
flooded the market with cheap beans. Most “espresso roasts”
now include them, their blunt flavour hidden by roasting
beans almost to the point of incineration.

Arabica beans have finer, more complex flavours and are less
highly-caffeinated. As with wine grapes, they include many
sub-varieties and variations in terroir, and different
skills in picking, de-fruiting, drying, sorting, ageing,
roasting and packing the beans offer a coffee lover endless
opportunities for subtlety and surprise.

Gourmet coffee is nothing like wine. With wine, the longer you leave (some wine, anyway), the better the taste, the higher the quality and the pricier it is. But with gourmet coffee, freshness says a lot. If possible, get coffee beans that have been roasted no more than 1 week before. And if you?re going to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, only buy 100% Arabica coffee.

It?s pretty hard to find freshly roasted coffee bean on the shelves of the local supermarket. Chances are, the coffee beans that you?re consuming today have been roasted at least 3 months back. One way to counter this problem is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them with a home-coffee grinding machine as and when you need it. It?s really easy with the kind of machines they have today, so, if you want to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, grind it when you need it.

Once you?ve purchased the gourmet coffee beans, don?t just leave out there in room temperature. What you should do with gourmet coffee beans is to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge if you?re planning to use it soon. However, if you?re going to keep it, store the gourmet coffee beans in an air-tight container and keep it in the FREEZER.

You need the right grinder for the right brewer. Generally speaking, you can use about 2 tablespoons of gourmet coffee powder for 6 oz of water. Adjust the way you make your cup of gourmet coffee according to the way you like to drink your gourmet coffee.

With wine, the country where the grapes are grown makes a difference. With gourmet coffee, not only is the country of origin for the gourmet coffee bean makes a difference, the company that sells the gourmet coffee beans matters too. Buy only from reputable companies for gourmet coffee.

And one last thing about gourmet coffee is this ? learn to enjoy it, appreciate the smell, love the taste, experiment with it and you?ll soon see the wonder of gourmet coffee. If you?re hurrying off for work in the morning, forget about gourmet coffee! During the morning rush, just stick to instant coffee.

Actually, the story of the goat herder isn’t the only folk story surrounding this discovery. It is also said that an Arabian man was banished to the deserts with his followers to die of starvation. His men became very desperate for nourishment and before long, they were boiling and eating the product of an unknown tree. The broth that was produced by this unknown substance saved the lives of the men! In the nearest town, Mocha, many took their survival to be a religious sign. Because of the discovery, the drink was then named Mocha.

No matter which story you gravitate to, the bottom line is the same: the berries (actually, the seed of the berry) gave energy and zest to all that would consume it! From it’s earliest beginnings, coffee was thought of as a delicacy and any recipes floating around were considered to be a closely guarded secret!

As time passed, the initial coffee trees were harvested around 1100, in the Arabian Peninsula. The coffee drink became a staple of many early civilizations. In the year 1453, There was a law in Turkey that said that a woman could divorce her husband if he didn’t supply her with a daily supply of coffee!

The very first known coffee shop was established in Constantinople around the year of 1475 and since that initial introduction to the general public, coffee has pretty much taken over the world! Between 1600-1700, there were many advancements, including the world’s first coffee house and the beginnings of commercial production (made by the Dutch). By the middle 1700s, there were about 2000 coffee shops in Venice, alone!

The earliest prototype of an espresso machine (made in Italy) was unveiled in the early 1800s. In the early 1900s, the first drip coffee machine was invented, making the coffee making process a little less daunting! The automatic espresso maker began its journey in the 1930s.

By the late 1900s, coffee became the most popular beverage in the world! The coffee is harvested in many countries, including: Africa, Ethiopia, Brazil, North America, Italy and even Turkey. This kind of crop can also be easily grown and exported by many third world countries, as well. Made to tempt even the pickiest palate, coffee has evolved to include hundreds of flavors and varying grades and prices.