Coffee - Grinding Coffee Beans

By: Michael Russell
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:41
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

It is important to use the right grind of coffee for you preferred brewing method. It is generally believed that the shorter the brewing time the finer the grind must be. For example Espresso brews in just 30 seconds or less so requires a very fine grind and plunger -pot coffee (also called French Press Pots) requires a very course grind as in this method of brewing the coffee grounds are steeped in water (like tea leaves) for a full 6 to 10 minutes.

Most people have propeller-blade grinders. These are not really ideal as they produce an uneven grind and if whirred too long they heat the beans releasing aromatic substances that should go into your cup and not into the air.

What is required is cool, precise tearing apart of the beans and this is best achieved in a Burr Mill, which has two notched blades whose position can be set for the desired fineness of grinds. The down side to a Burr Mill is the fact that they are noisy and slow but you can grind as much or little as you require and get a reliably consistent result. The grinding times can be found in the manufacturers instructions along with instructions for cleaning the machine. Cleaning a Burr Mill can be a complicated process and it is much easier to have the grinder cleaned professionally at an appliance repair shop.

Owning a Burr Mill is not essential and you can use one of the professional grinders commonly found in supermarkets or convenience stores. The secret with these is to assume that the grind will be one or two settings courser than is promised by the little pictures on the dial and always run a few fresh beans through before beginning to get rid of stale flavors.

If using a propeller blade grinder, grind the beans slightly courser than you think you'll need and then grind in 10-second bursts. Never whirr the beans for more than 30 seconds, as this will overheat them badly. Propeller blade grinders are rarely large enough to grind more than 4 scoops at a time effectively so bear that in mind when grinding. Whilst the machine is grinding, gently lift it off the counter and shake it.

After each use, unplug the grinder and wipe out the grinding chamber with a damp paper towel or sponge. The plastic top should be washed in hot water.

Here are some approximate times for grinding with the propeller blade grinder: 10 seconds for the plunger pot, 13 seconds for the flat bottomed paper filters (which generally fit into American drip brewers) or wedge shaped gold filters and 16 seconds for wedge shaped paper filters. For a plunger pot the grounds should resemble coarse ground cornmeal and for a drip brew the grounds should resemble granulated sugar.

Today, many stores that sell coffee beans also offer a means of grinding them. So if you do not have a grinder you can still enjoy the aromatic flavors of freshly ground coffee.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Coffee

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Coffee category

  • Coffee T-Shirts and Gifts: Share Your Addiction - By: Ruth Lanham
    If there is another thing a lot of people are passionate about, it's their coffee. For a lot of people, without their coffee, they might not be able to function on the morning or even an entire day. It could make their day at work that much worse as well. It's not always a joke how popular and important coffee is to people.
  • Tomorrow's Tamari Takes Time - By: Search Pros
    Since the Buddhist monk Kakushin brought back the original soy sauce from China in 1254, soy sauce has become virtually ubiquitous world wide. So what is the difference between Soy Sauce, Shoyu and Tamari?
  • Coffee for a Better Life - By: Vader West
    To that, the coffee bean itself contains a number of benefits to health. But the culture of coffee, like the tao of tea, contains a lot of excess trimmings. Espresso machines, for example, produce a highly concentrated form of ordinary coffee. And then the all-consuming vice: sugar.
  • Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee - By: Adam Akelis
    It has been scientifically proved that coffee can fight fatigue that is why millions of people across the world drink coffee to fight tiredness. Coffee can actually helps to improve mental performance, elevates and improves mood and also boosts physical energy.
  • Gourmet Coffee and Fitness - By: Adam Akelis
    Today for larger number of people, coffee has become a main delight in life and some people give your word by it to get their day started. Everyday you will come across more and more data proving tea as a huge means to wade off ill health.
  • Flavored Coffees a Delicious Enticer - By: Adam Akelis
    Millions of people enjoy and consume coffee as a drink not only for its aroma but for its property as a stimulant. Some like to drink hot steaming coffee, while others dribble over cold coffee shakes.
  • How Do Coffee Grinders Work? - By: Paul Archer
    Coffee grinders and electric coffee grinders are the best thing since sliced bread.
  • The 9 Things People Do Not Do When Making Espresso - By: Shikin Roslan
    Espresso simply means ‘to press out’ in Italian. However it is easier said than done. Let me just start off with what espresso really is.
  • How To Apply Logic In Choosing An Espresso Coffee Maker - By: Dean Caporella
    Choosing an espresso coffee maker isn't just determined by price. Many people have rushed in and bought a coffee maker simply because they thought that it's price dictated how good or efficient the machine was. This can be a costly mistake.
  • Espresso Coffee Machine Essential Buying Tips - By: Richard Davies
    Most avid coffee drinkers will concur that an espresso coffee machine is the one and only piece of kit you can purchase that will deliver the perfect cup of coffee. You will be surprised, then, that many of these coffee fans don't actually own an espresso coffee machine. There are a number of different types of machine.