The smell of freshly ground coffee usually makes even late risers happy to start the new day. Hardly any other smell rises so pleasantly to the nose and conveys a feeling of freshness, energy and morning coziness. Especially when the beans are crushed very fresh, the delicious aroma is particularly intense. Besides the nice smell, grinding directly before preparing the hot drink also has the advantage that the coffee tastes even better. Moreover, depending on the type of grinder, among other things, the degree of grinding can be adjusted to individual preferences and thus adapted to the method of preparation of the coffee. If you want to buy a coffee grinder, you have a wide choice from the nostalgic coffee grinder hand to the modern electric grinder.
Whether electric or hand-operated, coffee grinders are there to grind the coffee beans so that all the substances they contain can be easily dissolved during brewing. This is because each individual coffee bean contains a variety of different aromas and oils in addition to carbon dioxide. When the bean is ground, these substances escape, which also gives rise to the typical coffee aroma.
A good coffee grinder should grind the beans as evenly as possible. While even the best mill can never make the ground particles 100 percent the same size, the grind should ideally be very uniform. Only in this way can the extraction of the ingredients during the preparation of the beverage succeed well, so that the coffee does not taste bitter at all.
In the coffee grinder test, it was also found that a grinder better not heat the beans during grinding. This is because heat during the grinding process can cause the oils contained in the coffee to change and the hot beverage to taste unpleasant.
The grinder as well as the motor of the mill should therefore work in the best case without generating significant heat, so that the beans retain their optimal flavor.
It is also important to always grind the coffee directly before preparation. Because the great smell of the ground beans has a disadvantage that should not be underestimated: The aromas to be sniffed out are no longer to be found in the coffee afterwards, but have already evaporated during grinding. In addition, many of the valuable ingredients react sensitively to heat, light or oxygen and also quickly literally dissolve into thin air after grinding.
How do the mills differ?
If you want to buy a coffee grinder, you have a huge choice of different manufacturers, models and different grinders. Finding the right mill for your needs is not always easy. Which machine is the best in each case depends – apart from the available budget – among other things on how the coffee is best drunk, which preparation method is usually chosen and how finely the grind should be adjusted. For example, different demands are placed on a high-quality espresso coffee grinder than when only a handful of relatively inexpensive beans are processed from time to time.
To find the ideal model, a coffee grinder test first distinguishes between classic hand grinders and electric coffee grinders. In addition, some mills work with an impact grinder, others with a disc grinder or with a cone grinder. Each model has its own advantages and disadvantages, so that the coffee connoisseur must decide individually which product is suitable for him.
Electric mill
Grind the beans electrically is simple, fast and without much effort or strain. The price range is extremely wide, especially for electric coffee grinders. Very simple entry-level models are already available for little money, while connoisseurs have to dig deeper into their pockets for high-quality professional devices.
Often, inexpensive mills come with an impact grinder. In the process, the beans are winnowed down – almost like in a blender – with the help of rotating blades. However, this way they are often cut quite unevenly. In addition, an impact grinder can produce a lot of heat under certain circumstances, which also reduces the coffee enjoyment. While a few years ago most electric mills still had an impact grinder, modern devices are now rarely equipped with it.
For a better result provides a disc mill. In this process, two discs rub against each other over and over again, with only one of the discs rotating while the other remains stationary. In between, the beans are ground. The pieces are guided from the inside to the outside. Due to the inclination of the discs to each other, the pieces become smaller and finer over time. Once the bean pieces have reached the outer edge of the discs, they have turned into coffee powder.
Depending on the setting, the grinding disks are closer together or have a greater distance to each other. In this way, the degree of comminution can be precisely determined. Coarse coffee powder is possible here as well as very fine powder, which is ideal especially for an espresso coffee grinder.
Most grinding discs are made of ceramic or steel and are therefore very durable.
The cone grinder, which grinds the beans with the help of a cone, is also considered to be of particularly high quality. The cone rotates inside a tube and grinds the coffee on its inner wall. The beans enter the tube from the top and are grated small on their way down. At the bottom, the finished ground material falls into a container. The degree of grinding can be changed entirely as required by reducing or increasing the distance from the cone to the tube wall. With a cone grinder, the speed is comparatively low. The mill works slowly, which means that it does not heat up and the flavors are well preserved.
Nostalgic hand mills
While electric mills are available with an impact grinder as well as with a disc or cone grinder, hand mills basically always work with a cone grinder. How finely or coarsely the coffee is ground can be adjusted as desired. Hand mills also have the advantage of being relatively small and light. Thus, they not only find a place in any kitchen, but can also be easily taken along – for example, on vacation. In addition, a coffee grinder hand is usually comparatively inexpensive and comes up with a nostalgic charm.
Buy the right coffee grinder
Whether electric or manual operation and with which grinder equipped: Which coffee grinder is the best, can not be answered in a general way. While some coffee lovers are perfectly happy with an inexpensive, basic grinder, others enjoy the subtle flavor variations offered by a high-priced expert machine.
In addition to one’s own demands on the coffee, it also depends on the purpose for which the coffee beans are to be ground. This is because filter coffee usually requires a different grinder than freshly ground espresso beans. Espresso can only fully develop its strong, intense aroma if the powder has been ground very finely. The fine powder must then steep in the hot water for only a short time so that the full flavor is achieved. Coarser powder, which is used for normal filter coffee, on the other hand, must steep longer to achieve the optimum taste.
So when buying the mill should definitely pay attention to whether the degree of grinding can be adjusted according to personal needs and, if necessary, changed sufficiently.
Another purchase criterion should be the general quality of the mill. If you want to try out grinding coffee beans for the first time, an inexpensive entry-level model is usually a good choice. While a mill made of plastic is usually not as durable as one made of high quality processed metal parts. But to test whether grinding is fun at all, it is sufficient.
On the other hand, if you realize that you enjoy grinding coffee beans yourself and want to explore all the different options a coffee grinder offers at your leisure, you should rather go for a high-quality model. Convenient operation and the certainty that all parts are easy to clean are then also important points to pay attention to when buying.
Coffee grinders
The smell of freshly ground coffee usually makes even late risers happy to start the new day. Hardly any other smell rises so pleasantly to the nose and conveys a feeling of freshness, energy and morning coziness. Especially when the beans are crushed very fresh, the delicious aroma is particularly intense. Besides the nice smell, grinding directly before preparing the hot drink also has the advantage that the coffee tastes even better. Moreover, depending on the type of grinder, among other things, the degree of grinding can be adjusted to individual preferences and thus adapted to the method of preparation of the coffee. If you want to buy a coffee grinder, you have a wide choice from the nostalgic coffee grinder hand to the modern electric grinder.
How does a good mill work?
Whether electric or hand-operated, coffee grinders are there to grind the coffee beans so that all the substances they contain can be easily dissolved during brewing. This is because each individual coffee bean contains a variety of different aromas and oils in addition to carbon dioxide. When the bean is ground, these substances escape, which also gives rise to the typical coffee aroma.
A good coffee grinder should grind the beans as evenly as possible. While even the best mill can never make the ground particles 100 percent the same size, the grind should ideally be very uniform. Only in this way can the extraction of the ingredients during the preparation of the beverage succeed well, so that the coffee does not taste bitter at all.
In the coffee grinder test, it was also found that a grinder better not heat the beans during grinding. This is because heat during the grinding process can cause the oils contained in the coffee to change and the hot beverage to taste unpleasant.
The grinder as well as the motor of the mill should therefore work in the best case without generating significant heat, so that the beans retain their optimal flavor.
It is also important to always grind the coffee directly before preparation. Because the great smell of the ground beans has a disadvantage that should not be underestimated: The aromas to be sniffed out are no longer to be found in the coffee afterwards, but have already evaporated during grinding. In addition, many of the valuable ingredients react sensitively to heat, light or oxygen and also quickly literally dissolve into thin air after grinding.
How do the mills differ?
If you want to buy a coffee grinder, you have a huge choice of different manufacturers, models and different grinders. Finding the right mill for your needs is not always easy. Which machine is the best in each case depends – apart from the available budget – among other things on how the coffee is best drunk, which preparation method is usually chosen and how finely the grind should be adjusted. For example, different demands are placed on a high-quality espresso coffee grinder than when only a handful of relatively inexpensive beans are processed from time to time.
To find the ideal model, a coffee grinder test first distinguishes between classic hand grinders and electric coffee grinders. In addition, some mills work with an impact grinder, others with a disc grinder or with a cone grinder. Each model has its own advantages and disadvantages, so that the coffee connoisseur must decide individually which product is suitable for him.
Electric mill
Grind the beans electrically is simple, fast and without much effort or strain. The price range is extremely wide, especially for electric coffee grinders. Very simple entry-level models are already available for little money, while connoisseurs have to dig deeper into their pockets for high-quality professional devices.
Often, inexpensive mills come with an impact grinder. In the process, the beans are winnowed down – almost like in a blender – with the help of rotating blades. However, this way they are often cut quite unevenly. In addition, an impact grinder can produce a lot of heat under certain circumstances, which also reduces the coffee enjoyment. While a few years ago most electric mills still had an impact grinder, modern devices are now rarely equipped with it.
For a better result provides a disc mill. In this process, two discs rub against each other over and over again, with only one of the discs rotating while the other remains stationary. In between, the beans are ground. The pieces are guided from the inside to the outside. Due to the inclination of the discs to each other, the pieces become smaller and finer over time. Once the bean pieces have reached the outer edge of the discs, they have turned into coffee powder.
Depending on the setting, the grinding disks are closer together or have a greater distance to each other. In this way, the degree of comminution can be precisely determined. Coarse coffee powder is possible here as well as very fine powder, which is ideal especially for an espresso coffee grinder.
Most grinding discs are made of ceramic or steel and are therefore very durable.
The cone grinder, which grinds the beans with the help of a cone, is also considered to be of particularly high quality. The cone rotates inside a tube and grinds the coffee on its inner wall. The beans enter the tube from the top and are grated small on their way down. At the bottom, the finished ground material falls into a container. The degree of grinding can be changed entirely as required by reducing or increasing the distance from the cone to the tube wall. With a cone grinder, the speed is comparatively low. The mill works slowly, which means that it does not heat up and the flavors are well preserved.
Nostalgic hand mills
While electric mills are available with an impact grinder as well as with a disc or cone grinder, hand mills basically always work with a cone grinder. How finely or coarsely the coffee is ground can be adjusted as desired. Hand mills also have the advantage of being relatively small and light. Thus, they not only find a place in any kitchen, but can also be easily taken along – for example, on vacation. In addition, a coffee grinder hand is usually comparatively inexpensive and comes up with a nostalgic charm.
Buy the right coffee grinder
Whether electric or manual operation and with which grinder equipped: Which coffee grinder is the best, can not be answered in a general way. While some coffee lovers are perfectly happy with an inexpensive, basic grinder, others enjoy the subtle flavor variations offered by a high-priced expert machine.
In addition to one’s own demands on the coffee, it also depends on the purpose for which the coffee beans are to be ground. This is because filter coffee usually requires a different grinder than freshly ground espresso beans. Espresso can only fully develop its strong, intense aroma if the powder has been ground very finely. The fine powder must then steep in the hot water for only a short time so that the full flavor is achieved. Coarser powder, which is used for normal filter coffee, on the other hand, must steep longer to achieve the optimum taste.
So when buying the mill should definitely pay attention to whether the degree of grinding can be adjusted according to personal needs and, if necessary, changed sufficiently.
Another purchase criterion should be the general quality of the mill. If you want to try out grinding coffee beans for the first time, an inexpensive entry-level model is usually a good choice. While a mill made of plastic is usually not as durable as one made of high quality processed metal parts. But to test whether grinding is fun at all, it is sufficient.
On the other hand, if you realize that you enjoy grinding coffee beans yourself and want to explore all the different options a coffee grinder offers at your leisure, you should rather go for a high-quality model. Convenient operation and the certainty that all parts are easy to clean are then also important points to pay attention to when buying.
Here you can find our coffee grinders