by Ned D’Agostino

True coffee lovers know that fresh ground coffee tastes best. And that’s why so many coffee aficionados are now using their own coffee bean grinder to get that fresh taste every day in their homes.

There are several advantages to grinding your own coffee beans, but perhaps the most important (besides freshness) is that you have complete control over how fine the grind is. If you know your coffee, you know just how important that is. So perhaps you’re now at least a little bit curious as to how you grind your beans.

So what’s holding you back? Perhaps you believe that the process is difficult, or maybe you think it can be messy. Both of those arguments are incorrect.

The only argument that “holds water” is that it’s just easier to open a can and start brewing. And while this is true, once you taste the difference between store bought coffee in a can and freshly ground beans, you’ll realize quickly just what you’ve been missing.

The reason there’s such a difference is because ground beans begin to deteriorate almost immediately. That means they quickly lose some of their taste and smell. Grinding your own beans will naturally result in a better tasting and better smelling cup. Just grind up your beans right before you brew, and the result will be a flavorful and aroma full cup every time.

So let’s talk about the different grinders available. There are two that are popular. One is the blade grinder, the other is called a burr grinder.

The biggest advantage of the blade grinder is that it costs less. It’s much like a small blender with the blades grinding up the beans. There’s no doubt that this is preferable to coffee that comes in cans, but it’s not the best way to grind beans. Here’s why. When you grind beans you want to have a large surface area. This means more of the oils and flavor can be pulled from the beans when the hot water passes over them. Blade grinders will give you an uneven grind, and your cup of coffee will not be as good as it can be.

Burr grinders meanwhile are typically used in high quality coffee houses because they give a much better grind. The burrs, or metal discs, are spaced to precise specifications, giving you a grind that is more even. A more even grind means a better cup. And it doesn’t matter what type of coffee you like best because these grinders are adjustable. So if you like Turkish drip or automatic drip, you can set your burr grinder to give you the grind you like best.

Not everybody likes their coffee the same way. In a lot of ways, perfect coffee is very subjective. But something every coffee lover can agree on is that freshly ground coffee just tastes better. So really, whether you get a burr or blade coffee bean grinder, you’ll always end up with a cup of coffee that is better than what you currently drink. Try it once and you may never again buy a can of coffee that is already ground.

You might even jump out of bed in the morning, realizing that a delicious and fresh cup of coffee will be in your hands in just minutes.

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