Popping your corn today and eating them the following day just isn’t done. Opening up your pop and keeping them in the fridge to be consumed after a few hours just isn’t done too. Why? Well I guess you and I both know that such practice would make the popcorn and pop taste stale an unexciting. It is the same thing with coffee beans. Ground today. Lose its flavor tomorrow. Coffee beans are a capricious lot. You can’t expect them to retain their flavor once they meet air. Notice how coffee grounds are vacuum sealed. However, once you break the seal, the grounds will steadily lose its flavor. This is the reason why veteran coffee lovers all over the world are starting to grind their own beans. There’s nothing that beats the taste of freshly ground coffee.
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.
