Buying Guide - Coffee Makers

Before you invest in a coffee grinder think about what sort of coffee you like - filter, espresso or cappuccino; how much of it you want to make and how often you drink coffee. Prices vary enormously depending on the type of grinding mechanism and amount of coffee you need to grind.

Essentially there are two types of grinding mechanisms, whether it's a manual grinder or electric, Burr or Blade.

the blade grinder is most likely to be found on an inexpensive grinder, the blade rotates and chops the bean. The skill is in how long you allow the blades to turn. This can lead to an uneven grind, but with skill this can be aliviated. The other disadvantage is that the blades to produce heat and may burn the bean. In saying that for the infrequent user or the beginner these grinders can be an excellent entry to the art of coffee, so not to be dismissed out of hand. We have hand a Krups girinder for over 10 years of faithful service and have always found it a consistent winner.

The burr grinder is where two plates are brought together and the bean is crushed between them, one plate moving the other stationary, the closer the plates are together the small the ground. Most burr grinders will have the ability to adjust the two plates so that the ground size can be changed.

there are two types of Burr grinder, the wheel which is more likely to be found in commercial grinders and the conical burr.

Wheel Burr - likely to use ceramic plates. The wheel can be spun at exceptional speed, making it a great chice for large volume grinding. The noise and mess means that this design is more likely to be found only in commercial settings. For the domestic situation it proabably better to look for either the blade grinder or the conical.

Conical Burr - If your serious about grinding your own beans then look for a burr grinder. The burrs (or teeth ) interlock and crush the bean, the conical shape allow the bean to fall through the grinding mechanism into a tighter burr, where the crushing continued. By this method, a slower spin speed is required and therefore the risk of "burning" the bean is removed. Look out for a conical grinder with a 3 stage process, to ensure the slow crushing and therefore release of the beans aroma.