Whilst as a business (more obsession) we’ve invested in a fine selection of coffee grinders including our trusty Mahlkonig Guatemala Lab – for the average coffee drinker the thought of why or even what grinder to go for often comes second place to ‘the coffee machine’.
Why? The best made specialty coffees are ground fresh to brew since 40% of the aromatics are lost just 15 mins after grinding …this ultimately means that if you’re using ground or instant coffee you’re actually drinking stale coffee. Shock horror! This also highlights why a grinder should be a mandatory household appliance if you want to enjoy a sublime cup of speciality coffee.
Surprised?
Many people don’t realise that grinders are in fact more important than the equipment used to brew coffee. The grind adjustment can be used as a variable to improve flavour and extraction, grinding too fine can lead to bitterness and too coarse to sourness, so finding the right balance to bring out best flavours in coffee is important.
More than just an accessory to flavour adjustments, the grinder quality is crucial to the overall chemistry of the coffee by producing consistent particle sizes that provide an evenness across the extraction, minimising ‘fines‘ and ‘boulders‘ which can lead to under and over extraction. (If you imagine that all other things being equal, the larger particles will extract slower and the smaller particles will extract faster than the average.)
Lesson one is understanding that burr grinders are the best in class and the standard in grinders you’ll find in any coffee shop, so follow suit in your household! Burr grinders use 2 plates known as burrs (usually in ceramic or stainless steel varieties) to produce a consistent grind that blade grinders just cant compete with, and for that matter shouldn’t be called grinders as they chop and smash the coffee beans.
For the purposes of those new to grinding coffee, I’ve listed below a couple of options for hand grinders with burrs, which you have to manually turn yourself, but offer all the quality of the full size electric grinders for a fraction of the cost.
Low End – Hario Mini Mill £
Please be aware that as a low end product, you can’t expect similar build quality or performance as the mid/high end manual grinders. The Hario is cheap at just over £20 and for that price produces a decent grind that can be adjusted by screwing the burrs tighter or looser using a finger nut. Being predominantly made of plastic has made it more affordable, but at the expense of longevity so light use is advised for this model.
Mid range – Porlex Mini (New version) ££
The Porlex is another Japanese brand that instead of being made of plastic, boasts a strong metal frame and clickable grind settings for easier grind control. The Porlex Mini has been re-released with an improved design following customer feedback with a modest price tag of just over £40. One of the most common problems amongst hand grinders includes breakage of the rotating arm used to grind beans, which Porlex have resolved through their new and improved design. I personally use a Porlex and as a mid range grinder it ticks a lot of boxes as an all round good grinder.
High End – Commandante C40 MK3 Nitro Blade £££
I was lucky enough to test this at the London Coffee Festival. It’s name resounding a weapon of mass destruction the Commandante is accurate, quick, durable, easy to use and customisable, putting this well engineered piece of kit firmly at the top of the coffee grinder chain. At the high end you can expect a higher price point of £189 but you get what you pay for with something that will stand the test of time. Just be aware that at this price point you have the option of low end electric burr grinders, although bear in mind hand grinders have the added bonus of portability.
