Hello my Foodie Friends!
Do you grind your own coffee beans? If you get the chance, try it and you will never go back to pre-ground coffee. Paula and I just love our conical burr grinder because it gives both of us the type of coffee we like.
So why grind your own beans?
Grinding fresh whole coffee beans just before brewing will protect the aroma of your coffee and ensures the rich full-bodied taste stands out. Ground coffee interacts with the air around it and within hours loses a great deal of flavor. The longer the ground coffee is exposed to air, the more of the aroma will be lost from your brewed cup of coffee or espresso.
Only grind what you need right away. Don’t grind for the whole week!
Once the beans are out of an airtight packaging, keep them in a dry, dark container with a tight closing lid. There are three different coffee grinding methods - conical burr grinders, disk burr grinders and blade grinders. Conical burr grinders preserve the most flavor and can grind very fine with the highest consistency. The intricate design of the conical steel burrs allows for a high gear reduction to slow down the grinding speed below 500 rpm. The slower the speed the less heat is imparted to the ground coffee and preserving the maximum amount of aroma. Due to the wide range of grind settings, conical burr grinders are ideal for all types of coffee equipment such as; espresso machines, drip coffee makers, percolators, French press and can even grind extra fine for the preparation of Turkish coffee.
Disc burr grinders rotate at a considerable faster speed of 10,000 to 20,000 rpm and create a bit more warmth in the coffee than conical burr grinders. They are the most economical way of getting a consistent grind in a wide range of applications. They are ideal for drip coffee makers, percolators, French press and well suited for most pump espresso machines. However, they do not grind as fine as conical burr grinders and are not as quiet.
Blade grinders are suitable for drip coffee makers and percolators. They also perform well for grinding spices and herbs. The blade rotates at very high speeds of 20,000 to 30,000 rpm thus heating up the ground coffee more than burr grinders and also creating a bit of coffee dust. That coffee dust can clog up the fine mesh of the metal baskets used in pump espresso machines. The advantage of blade grinders is they are inexpensive and easy to clean with little maintenance.
If you love coffee then try grinding your own. Make it a family experience because as you know: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
P.S. Please stay tuned for our grand opening in our new location at 46 Marion Ave in early November!
Take care,
John and Paula
