If there's one tip we probably give the most to people to improve the quality of their coffee at home, it's this: start buying whole beans and buy yourself a burr grinder.
Why a burr grinder, specifically, you may ask?
Well, any coffee professional will tell you that in coffee, to get the best out of your brew, consistency is key. This can get very technical and include using scales to weigh your beans and water, but in this instance, if you choose the right equipment, you don't have to do any of the hard work.
This is what burrs look like (conical on the left and flat on the right):
The two parts lock into one another and the beans are crushed between the two plates. This results in a much more consistent grind than you would be able to achieve with a blade grinder (one of those ones that doubles as a spice or nut grinder, eek!). A burr grinder also allows you to adjust your grind size for the method of coffee you've chosen to brew. So if you want a coarse grind for a plunger you adjust the burrs to be further away from one another to increase the particle size and if you want to pull an espresso shot, you move the burrs closer together to get that powdery consistency needed to extract all the goodness under immense pressure.
Recently conversation in the coffee industry has highlighted that even the best grinders in the world can't ensure complete consistency in particle size. So contraptions like the
Kruve Sifter have found a niche in the market to separate the different sizes, look out for our review on that soon, we've been playing around with one!
But I digress, the point is that freshly ground is best and the best way to achieve that at home is to invest in a burr grinder, either a hand grinder option or an electric one. We've listed a couple of our favourites below.
We haven't even mentioned the magical aroma that will hit you when you start grinding at home! You will never regret making the move to freshly ground.
Hand Burr grinders:
Porlex Mini - We've had ours for years and it has yet to let us down.
Rhinowares Hand Grinder - Also a fantastic option for coffee on the go.
Electric Burr Grinders:
Severin Coffee Grinder - Great starter grinder for home use
Baratza Sette 270W - If you're really serious about your coffee at home!
