Coffee Bean Times

As with many other electrical household appliances there are an abundance of coffee grinders out on the market, all guaranteeing to grind out the most smooth and sumptuous tasting coffee.

But you are not here to hear about all the claims of super high quality coffee grinding machines; you want solid opinions and truths regarding the best grinders out on the market and whether they provide real value for money. I have 5 highly recommended and popular grinders for you to take a look at.

But first let me give you a quick insight into what a coffee grinding machine is. Simply put a coffee grinder takes your roasted coffee beans and grinds them into a fine coarse or sandy mixture depending on your preferential taste. Instant coffee is mainly what is on offer at all super markets and convenience stores, with brands such as Kenco and Nescafe being the most popular.

So why is grinding coffee so appealing? Well buying your own supply of fresh coffee beans allows you the luxury of grinding out and making fresher coffee, as opposed to a coffee mixture that has been jarred and sat on a shop shelf for god knows how long. You therefore have more control over its texture and flavor as both are affected by how finely you grind the beans and how long the beans sit before being used. For example a coarse grind of coffee will leave your final product tasting weaker than a fine grind, so you can achieve a taste that’s perfect for you.

The best assessment for reviewing grinders is to always summarise the opinions of many rather than offering an individual opinion, with the former being the aim below. Taking the most highly reviewed grinders sold online, I have summarized many reviews to provide a convenient way in making an informed choice about which grinder to choose.

With this in mind, lets examine 3 of the most highly regarded electric coffee grinders out in the market place. We will also take a look at 2 manual coffee grinders and why some consider them to be better producing tastier coffee.

Electric Coffee Grinders

Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002

With a sleek looking black and steel shell, to simply look at this grinder would give you the impression it means business, but does its performance live up its appearance?

Well with a current average rating of over 4 stars out of 5 from many reviews on Amazon, there is some justification in judging a book by its cover in this case.

The main pro’s and con’s touched upon by the reviewers are:

Pros

• Ease of use
• Fine grind
• Value for money – best coffee grinder at its price level
• Solid blade grinder
• Excellent durability

Cons

• Slightly too noisy and some static problems
• Grinds too finer coffee for some individuals, although does have 10 different settings to play with
• Coarse grind settings are questionable

Summary: Excellent high range grinder that will keep even the fussiest of coffee tasters happy.

Krups Expert, GVX231, Burr Coffee Grinder

Being almost half the price of the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002 suspicions are natural regarding performance and durability. Considering the price, these were answered to a reasonable degree.

With its authoritative and no nonsense look, the Krups GVX231 certainly looks the part. However Krupps mainly attempt to provide a grinder that is more tempting due to price whilst still maintaining a reasonable level of performance. But unlike the consistent high marked reviews received by the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002 this grinder gets a mixed reception from its users.

The main pro’s and con’s touched upon by the reviewers are:

Pros

• Good durability
• Good grind quality
• Compact size
• Coarse grind setting works well

Cons

• Beans do not always feed into grinder
• Unreliable Hopper lid and grind container

Summary: For the price your paying, you do get a reasonable quality coffee grinder, if your wanting one that is almost flawless for your home, take a step up and choose the Dualit Burr 75002.

KitchenAid Artisan Burr Coffee Grinder

With the appearance of a blown up inoculation gun, on face value alone I don’t know whether you would judge the KitchenAid Artisan Burr to be the mother of all coffee makers, but with its all metal construction and compact size it certainly feels the part.

Of course with price comes a rarity of reviews as most people who purchase online opt for more reasonably priced product, especially when searching for a coffee grinder. The KitchenAid Artisan Burr is double the price of the Dualit Burr which was the first grinder we covered.

Let’s take a look at the Pro’s and Con’s of this impressive grinder.

Pros

• Grinds suitably well for even expresso machines
• Removes the unpleasant predicament of stale coffee
• Stainless steel composition
• Excellent grind consistency and durability

Cons

• High price makes it less of an option for most coffee enthusiasts

Summary: The ultimate choice for the coffee fanatic and small business, the KitchenAid Artisan Burr produces an excellent coffee blend.

Manual Coffee Grinders

Recognizable, branded and established manual coffee grinders are hard to find online. One of the main reasons is that the average person today presumes the best appliances come in electronic form, I think it is fair to say that any handy appliance whether it be for the kitchen, general house work or outdoors will most likely be selling more in electronic form than manual form. Of course there are some exceptions but in general it is just the way modern society is developing.

Coffee grinders no exception to this trend, where online sites are littered with many electronic forms they only provide a modest few in manual form.

It is argued that a manual coffee grinder will produce superior tasting coffee. Without going into the science behind the claim, the main reason argued is that a manual grinder will operate more gently with lower friction and speed levels, thus producing a more gradual and finer blend of coffee.

Zassenhaus Coffee Grinder 151 BU

This cute looking coffee grinder is made from solid beech wood accompanied by stainless steel fittings. For a manual grinder the price seemed reasonable yet many reviews report back on a great coffee composition.

Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons.

Pros

• Very sturdy construction
• Fine Grind
• Requires no electricity so more practical for activities such as camping

Cons

• Requires effort on your behalf to perform the grind
• Lack of customer support if product is faulty

Zassenhaus have a large collection of these particular manual coffee grinders so if you’re not certain about the 151 BU there are many superior models available and worth checking out.

La Cafetiere Coffee Mill

Will cost you a lot less than the Zassenhaus manual grinders but can produce a high quality coffee mixture?

The La Cafetiere Coffee Mill grinder comes in a stainless steel and black wood finish and would sit proudly on anyone’s cafeteria surface on pure aesthetics alone. With it being half the price of the Zassenhaus, questions had to be asked regarding its durability and results.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.

Pros

• Solid outer construction
• Grinds to a reasonably fine coffee mix
• Easy to assemble

Cons

• Low capacity
• Handle can loosen – questionable durability
• Adjustment mechanism is fiddly

If you are simply looking for an affordable and convenient grinder for making the casual cup of coffee then pick the Krups GVX231 as it is both reasonably priced and from the feedback received reliable for average use.

Are you a really big coffee fan and want to purchase an efficient and high quality grinder that will produce fantastic coffee? Then pick the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002. You may have to shell out quite a bit more compared to the Krups GVX231, but the results and performance more than make up for the price leap.

If you are a hardcore coffee fan or are considering purchasing a grinder for business use then choose the KitchenAid Artisan Burr Coffee Grinder. It produces a fine enough grind for expresso’s and is known for providing the most consistent results out of all the medium range electric coffee grinders. The price is affordable if you have the demand for serving fresh grinded coffee.

If you like to be environmentally friendly and don’t mind manually grinding your coffee then pick one of the many Zassenhaus models. It is debatable whether a manual grinder produces better tasting coffee but it provides an authentic way of making coffee and requires no electricity so it is practical to use when camping!