The espresso slowly flows into the cup. A wonderful aroma spreads through the kitchen. With a hot, fresh coffee in the morning, you can enjoy a comfortable start to your day.
To ensure the quality of your coffee, you need freshly ground beans for preparation, because only with freshly ground coffee will you achieve the best flavor results. You can produce these with either an electric or a manual coffee grinder. But which coffee grinder is particularly suitable for this?
We want to show what makes a good coffee grinder and whether an electric coffee grinder or a manual coffee grinder is better suited for you. We’ll also show you why the grind size is so important and which coffee requires which grind size, so you know exactly how to prepare your pick-me-up like a professional.
What makes a truly good coffee grinder?
Regardless of whether a coffee grinder works electrically or manually, these factors are important:
The right grinding mechanism for homogeneous coffee grounds
You’ll find coffee grinders with various grinding mechanisms on the market. You can choose between a blade grinder, a flat burr grinder, and a conical burr grinder. However, a homogeneous result is achieved by a coffee grinder with a conical burr mechanism.
This consists of ceramic or ideally steel. Stainless steel is particularly robust and therefore durable. Stainless steel is more expensive to produce, but grinds faster, more evenly, and with less effort, and is therefore used in high-quality coffee grinders. The conical burr mechanism works at low rotation speeds.
A ceramic grinding mechanism is harder but breaks more easily and delivers less consistent grinding results and is less smooth-running. Therefore, it is mostly used in salt and pepper mills with ceramic grinding mechanisms.
No heating during grinding
Whether electric or manual, a good coffee grinder crushes the coffee beans without heating them. This only works if the motor and grinding mechanism don’t generate too much heat.
Therefore, the grinding mechanism must not work too fast. If the grinding mechanism heats the beans too much, the coffee oils change. The result: The coffee tastes bitter or even burnt.
The matter of grind size
Even small differences in grind size affect the taste of the coffee. If you grind the beans too fine for an espresso machine, for example, the water flows too slowly through the filter. Little or no crema is produced.
And: The coffee then tastes bitter. If you grind the coffee too coarsely, the water runs through the filter too quickly. It can therefore hardly extract any flavors. The coffee then has a thin taste.
A good coffee grinder, whether electric or manual, therefore allows you to define the optimal grind size. This varies depending on the preparation method – whether filter coffee, pour-over, or espresso, for example.
The right collection container matters
The ground coffee should land in a collection container that is not made of plastic. Otherwise, the coffee takes on the smell of plastic. And: The coffee particles in the plastic container become statically charged in a plastic collection container.
The consequence: When you open the container, coffee powder can quickly be scattered around half the kitchen. We therefore recommend a collection container made of glass or stainless steel. To store coffee longer, you should opt for an airtight coffee canister. This preserves the full aroma of the coffee.
Manual coffee grinder or electric coffee grinder: Which suits you?
Whether you need an electric coffee grinder or a manual coffee grinder depends primarily on your preferences and usage habits.
A manual coffee grinder is for you if you like to take your time preparing your coffee and enjoy the process. It’s the right choice if the quality of your coffee is especially important to you.
A coffee grinder that you operate by hand has the advantage that you can always grind the coffee beans slowly. This way, you avoid heat development – and thus loss of aroma. You can therefore prepare the highest quality coffee with a manual coffee grinder.
In addition, manual coffee grinders are small and handy. They don’t take up much space in the kitchen. You can therefore take them camping, for example.
Moreover, manual coffee grinders don’t require electricity. They are environmentally friendly. And: They have – unlike electric mills – a pleasantly quiet grinding sound.
If the preparation process plays a less important role for you or if you always want to supply a large family with coffee, electric grinders are the better choice. You can grind your perfect coffee at the push of a button. They therefore take the grinding work off your hands and are more convenient in everyday life.
Most inexpensive electric grinders have a blade grinding mechanism that cuts the beans rather than truly grinding them. This means the grinding result is not precise/uniform.
Electric grinders with a high-quality conical/flat burr mechanism usually have good performance but are very expensive in return. That’s why we’ve developed our manual coffee grinder so that you get the best grinding result at a fair price.
What Should a Manual Coffee Grinder Be Able to Do?
If you’ve decided on a hand-operated coffee grinder, you should ensure when purchasing that it has a conical burr grinder. This way, you can grind coffee beans evenly without generating heat.
Also: Choose a manual coffee grinder made from high-quality material. Because: The quality differences among coffee grinders are significant. Only by buying a robust hand coffee grinder without materials that wear down will you avoid parts of the grinder’s surface dissolving into your coffee during grinding.
The grinder should also have a long and stable crank arm. Only then can you transfer your strength directly to the grinding mechanism. This makes grinding particularly easy.
Why Not Simply Buy Pre-Ground Coffee?
The longer ground coffee has contact with air, light, and heat, the more aromas evaporate. In practice, this means: If you want to bring out the full flavors and aromas of coffee with a French press, stovetop espresso maker, or portafilter machine, you should only grind the beans when you’re ready to drink the coffee. Coffee is therefore a fresh product.
Why is the Right grind Size So Important?
Depending on how long the coffee is in contact with water during preparation, you should choose a different grind size. Basically, you can distinguish between coarse, medium, and fine grinds. In practice, finely ground coffee offers more surface area to the water.
It therefore releases its aromas faster than coarsely ground coffee powder. A coarse grind is thus more suitable for coffee that needs a long steeping time. This is the case, for example, with cold brew.
Which grind Size is Suitable for Which Type of Coffee?
Only with the right grind size can you release the many different aromas of coffee. Which grind size should you choose for which coffee?
Which One Now? Manual or Electric Coffee Grinder?
To ensure your morning coffee becomes a pleasurable experience every time, you should trust whole beans rather than pre-ground coffee. This way, you ensure that you release as many aromas and flavors as possible in your cup during preparation.
Which coffee grinder, electric or hand-operated, you need for grinding is determined by your personal preference and usage. For quick grinding without much fuss, including larger quantities, an electric grinder is right for you.
But if you celebrate the preparation of your coffee every morning, a hand-operated grinder is the right choice. With it, you can not only enjoy the grinding process but also slowly grind the beans and thus keep the temperature low. This ensures that you prepare a high-quality coffee that lets you start the day with a feeling of well-being.