The Perfect Cup Of Joe - From Grinds To Coffee Grinders

Beverages are one of life's little pleasures, especially when it comes in the form of a steaming cup of hot coffee. Real coffee lovers will tell you that the only thing better than drinking a fresh cup of hot coffee is first preparing it yourself, particularly when it includes grinding your own coffee beans.

In order to grind your own coffee beans you first need to know a bit about the different types of grinds. There are three basic types: fine, medium and coarse.

1) Coarse Grinds

Coarse grinds are best for your typical percolating coffee maker. You should only use your coffee grinder to grind the coffee beans for approximately 10 seconds.

2) Medium Grinds

In order to make medium ground coffee beans, which also work well in regular coffee makers, you should only grind the beans for a maximum of 5 seconds.

3) Fine Grinds

If you have your very own espresso maker you will want to make sure you use your coffee grinder a little bit longer, for about 30 seconds. Espresso makers require very fine grinds in order to work properly.

Now that you have the types of grinds down you next need to know the options you have when it comes to grinding your own coffee beans. There are two main types of coffee grinders: burr coffee grinders and blade coffee grinders.

1) Burr Coffee Grinder

There are two types of burr coffee grinders, the wheel burr and the conical burr:

Conical Burr Coffee Grinders

Although a little more expensive of the two types of burr coffee grinders, the conical burr is considered one of the best. The conical burr runs at a lower speed, usually below 500 rpm, than the wheel burr. This lower speed in turn produces less noise and creates less mess. And because of the lower speed the conical burr coffee grinder has less of a chance of clogging and can achieve a more uniform grind.

Wheel Burr Coffee Grinders

The wheel burr coffee grinder is the less expensive option of burr grinders. What sets the wheel burr apart from the conical burr grinder is speed. The wheel burr tends to run at a faster speed and that in turn makes the grinder very noisy and messy. With the faster speed, there is also a chance of scorching or heating which will change the flavour of the coffee beans. Depending on the amount of coffee you are grinding wheel burr grinders are still well suited for grinding small amounts of coffee as long as there is no time for heat to build up.

2) Blade Coffee Grinder

One of the cheapest types of coffee grinders is the blade type. Blade coffee grinders are similar to a blender where the only use one flat blade that spins. The downfall of this type of coffee grinder is that they tend to heat up quite easily and in turn heat the coffee beans, which will result in a scorched taste. So if you are going to use a blade coffee grinder you should only grind your coffee beans in very short bursts to insure that there is no loss of flavour.

Now that you have a little bit of a better handle on the types of grinds and options for coffee grinders, get out there and start grinding your own beans. You won't believe how fresh your morning cup of coffee will taste after you mastered the art of grinding your own coffee beans.

By: Paul Scobie

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

With a great selection Espresso Machines, check out Morning Coffee Shop's website, Morningcoffeeshop.com