How Much Does a Coffee Grinder Cost & How to Grind Fresh Coffee Powder - Coffee Grinder Classification Guide

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The Art of Coffee Grinding: Maximizing Flavor Extraction

To brew a perfect cup of coffee, you must use coffee grounds made from freshly roasted coffee beans that are ground immediately before brewing. Freshly ground coffee more easily releases the essential elements and aromatic compounds from the coffee. The aroma of freshly ground coffee is richer, the taste more complex, and the flavor fuller—this is why coffee enthusiasts are particularly fond of freshly ground coffee.

Coffee enthusiasts determine the coffee bean grinding method based on their brewing technique and flavor preferences, as the coarseness of freshly ground coffee directly affects the coffee's taste. Let's explore how to maximize the flavor of coffee beans and lay the foundation for brewing a perfect cup of coffee!

How Coffee Grind Coarseness Affects Extraction

There is a corresponding relationship between the degree of coffee grinding and various brewing methods. Generally speaking, brewing methods with longer preparation times, meaning longer contact time between coffee grounds and water, typically require a coarser grind. The reason is that the finer the coffee grounds, the greater the surface area of contact between coffee and water, and overly long brewing times can lead to over-extraction of oils and aromatic compounds, making the coffee taste bitter. Finer coffee grounds should be brewed using methods with shorter preparation times, meaning shorter contact between coffee grounds and water. Conversely, if coffee grounds are too coarse, shorter brewing times cannot fully extract the essential substances from the coffee, resulting in thin texture and bland flavor. It's worth noting that whether the coffee grind consistency is uniform directly affects the final taste and quality of the coffee.

Coffee Grinder Classification (by Material)

Ceramic Core Coffee Grinders

Advantages:

Noise: Relatively low noise, a quieter coffee grinder compared to others.

Temperature: Slow heating during high-speed rotation, a coffee grinder with relatively stable temperature.

Deformation: Ceramic is less prone to deformation after heating, a coffee grinder with relatively normal shape.

Ceramic core coffee grinders produce relatively little noise during operation and maintain relatively low temperatures, preventing secondary heating of the coffee grounds. The resulting coffee grounds have relatively stable coarseness.

Disadvantages:

Hardness: The ceramic core is slightly less hard than stainless steel blades, with some flexibility.

Brittleness: Very high breakage rate for coffee grinders, especially when coffee beans contain foreign objects (stones, nails, etc.).

Grind Consistency: Increased flexibility can lead to uneven grinding.

Cost-effectiveness: Generally, ceramic core grinders are more expensive than stainless steel core grinders.

Ceramic core coffee grinders are only suitable for household use, not for commercial applications.

Stainless Steel Core Coffee Grinders

Advantages:

Hardness: The stainless steel core is relatively hard and not easily worn.

Grind Consistency: Stainless steel cores have blades, resulting in relatively uniform coffee bean grinding.

Cost-effectiveness: Generally, stainless steel core grinders are cheaper than ceramic core grinders.

Stainless steel core coffee grinders are more suitable for commercial use.

Disadvantages:

Noise: Compared to ceramic core coffee grinders, noise is relatively louder.

Temperature: High-speed grinding of coffee beans heats up quickly, causing secondary heating of the coffee grounds.

Deformation: Stainless steel core coffee grinders heat up quickly, which can easily cause core deformation.

Coffee Grinder Classification (by Grinding Wheel)

Flat Blade Coffee Grinders

Working Principle:

Coffee beans are ground through a cutting method, with a flat appearance composed of two blade discs—upper and lower. The base houses a fixed motor, and the rotating blade disc cuts the coffee beans.

Coffee Flavor:

Strong, singular, with distinct aroma.

Disadvantages:

A. Relatively uneven grinding

Flat blade grinders have upper and lower blade discs arranged parallel to each other. Coffee beans rely on the rotational force of the bottom blade disc to push beans into the grinding chamber. Therefore, the weight of coffee beans placed above affects the uniformity of beans entering the blade disc, which in turn affects grinding uniformity.

B. Over-extraction easily produces unpleasant taste

Due to the small volume of flat particles, prolonged extraction can cause excessive water absorption by the woody parts, creating off-flavors and astringency.

Advantages:

A. Coffee aroma is released in a short time

Coffee particles ground by flat blades appear flaky, and this shape increases the surface area of cell walls, quickly increasing coffee concentration and extraction rate, allowing coffee aroma to noticeably improve in a short time.

B. Increased proportion of fine coffee particles

Due to pushing and increased collision between coffee beans, the proportion of fine particles produced also increases. This is why common flat blade grinders have slightly worse coffee particle uniformity and more fine particles.

Flat blade grinders must be replaced after grinding 300-400 kg of coffee beans.

Conical Blade Coffee Grinders

Working Principle:

Coffee beans are ground through a crushing method, with a blocky appearance. The blade disc is placed at the bottom, relying on the peripheral blade disc for grinding.

Coffee Flavor:

Smooth, complex.

Advantages:

A. Relatively uniform grinding and relatively reduced fine coffee particles

Conical burr grinders place a conical blade disc at the bottom, working with an outer ring blade disc for grinding. After coffee beans fall from above, they are pulled downward by the rotation of the conical blade disc, creating the grinding action. Because of this top-to-bottom movement, compared to flat blade grinders, collision frequency between particles is greatly reduced. Therefore, the proportion of fine particles produced by conical blades is much lower than flat blades, and coffee grinding uniformity is significantly improved.

B. Reduced unpleasant flavors

Because of the granular shape, even with longer extraction times, the woody parts absorb less water, making it less likely to produce off-flavors and astringency.

Disadvantages:

Particles ground by conical blades approach a granular shape, causing longer water absorption paths for coffee particles. The interior takes longer to contact water, so soluble substances released by conical particles in the initial stage are fewer, resulting in concentrations that won't be too high in a short time.

Conical grinders need to be replaced after grinding 600-800 kg of coffee beans.

Summary

When you need to achieve higher coffee concentration in a short time, flat blade grinders are a good choice. The high concentration also makes the aroma richer, so using flat blade grinders produces noticeably more aroma than conical blade grinders. When you need better taste, the granular coffee grounds produced by conical blade grinders can reduce contact time between woody parts and water. Although the aroma is not as pronounced as flat blade grinders, the taste remains superior even with extended extraction times.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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