Why Your Coffee Grinder Matters More Than You Think

coffee grinder in action

There is a particular moment in every coffee enthusiast's life when they decide they need better equipment.

Perhaps it's a new brewer. Maybe a fancy kettle. Or one of those scales that can apparently do everything except make the coffee for you.

But if you want to improve your coffee at home, there's one piece of equipment I'd look at before spending money on most of the others.

Your grinder.

Why does grinding matter?

Coffee brewing is essentially the process of getting the good stuff out of roasted coffee and into your cup.

Water does this by coming into contact with the coffee grounds. The finer the grind, the more surface area is exposed to the water. Generally, this makes extraction happen more quickly.

Too fine, and you might extract more than you want. Too coarse, and you might not extract enough.

But there's another problem. Not all grinders produce coffee grounds of the same size.

A good grinder produces a relatively consistent grind. A less consistent one can give you a mixture of fine particles and larger chunks, all brewing at different speeds.

That's not ideal if you're trying to make a predictable cup of coffee.

Do you need an expensive grinder?

No.

You do need one that suits the way you make coffee.

Blade grinders chop coffee rather than grinding it between burrs. They can be useful for getting started, but usually produce a less consistent result.

Burr grinders crush coffee between two grinding surfaces. They come in many price ranges, from affordable hand grinders to expensive electric models.

You don't need to spend a fortune. A decent hand grinder can outperform a much more expensive collection of unnecessary accessories.

What should you look for?

Think about how you brew coffee.

For filter coffee, consistency and the ability to adjust the grind are useful. For espresso, you need finer adjustments because small changes can make a considerable difference to the result.

And if you regularly switch between espresso and filter, check whether the grinder can handle both well.

The upgrade I'd make first

If you're already happy with your brewer, try improving your grinder before replacing it.

Use the same coffee, water and recipe. Compare the results.

You might discover that the equipment you already own is perfectly capable of making excellent coffee. It just needed a little help.

That's generally a cheaper experiment than buying another gadget.

Read next: Mastering the V60 for a practical example of how grind size affects brewing.

Suggested image: A close-up of coffee grounds next to a burr grinder.

— Henning  Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters, Algarve

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