How to choose a coffee grinder

Before we start this article. Do you know what the difference is in coffee taste between an espresso machine that costs 20000 SEK and an espresso machine that costs over 50000 SEK? The answer is none. Believe it or not both espresso machines use robust materials with quality that will last the rest of your life. The difference lies in ease of use, extra equipment and features, better finish, etc. but when it comes to the actual espresso taste, they do not differentiate each other. What determines About you get complex flavors, different nuances in espresso then it is the choice of espresso grinder. The choice of grinder determines About you get the different flavors that are in the bean. What then makes the grinder good or less good? The criteria that are important to consider is not to buy a coffee grinder that produces uneven coffee particles with static energy and heat.

3 important aspects when choosing a coffee grinder

• Grinding disc size
• The shape of the grinding discs
• Engine power

Grinding disc size

The size of the grinding discs is the easiest way to tell the difference between different coffee grinders. It is often said that the bigger the discs, the better, but that is not the whole truth. The larger the grinding discs, the larger the cutting surface the discs have to grind the coffee beans. Therefore, a larger diameter of the discs also means that it can grind the beans faster compared to discs with a smaller diameter that will need to grind the same amount of beans with more rotations of the discs. This means that larger discs require fewer rotations and can grind the beans faster compared to a grinder with smaller grinding discs. More rotations also mean that it creates static energy and heat, which we do not want in coffee. Coffee with static energy creates unevenness and often clumps, which results in poor extraction of espresso. Therefore, it can be concluded that larger grinding discs are always better, but it also comes with a more expensive price tag.

Conical or flat grinding discs

The shape of the grinding discs goes hand in hand with the shape of the grinding discs. Conical grinding discs have a larger cutting surface compared to flat grinding discs that have the same diameter. The advantage of conical grinding discs is that they do not need to rotate as fast as flat grinding discs as they do not rely on the centrifugal force that flat grinding discs need to dispense the coffee. So can we conclude that conical is better than flat? No, unlike the size of the grinding discs, the shape of the grinding discs does not determine which is better than the other, but rather personal preference. Since conical grinding discs have a larger cutting surface to work with, it creates more extremely fine particles. The small particles dissolve faster in the cup and give a lighter, more floral flavor. However, conical grinding discs do not come with only advantages. The disadvantage is that it creates unevenness in the grinding compared to flat and can cause uneven extraction and create channels in the coffee puck. Unlike conical burrs, flat burrs provide a more even grinding result and therefore a more uniform particle size. Flat burrs tend to give you a more even extraction and a more consistent result. This gives a more traditional and balanced espresso taste.

Engine power

Simply put, the larger the motor with higher power, the better the espresso results.

Summary

Although many people contact us to upgrade their espresso machine, we first recommend upgrading the coffee grinder. Because the better the coffee grinder, the more nuances and complex flavors you can experience from the beans with a more precision-safe espresso grinder. When shopping for a coffee grinder, try to use about 40% of your total budget for a coffee grinder.