Should I Grind My Own Coffee Beans?

The easy answer is YES, you should grind your own beans.

It’s easy, definitely fun, and cost-effective. In just a few pounds of coffee beans, you will recoup the average cost of a coffee grinder compared to buying pre-ground coffee.

Do you like the taste of fresh coffee? If you answered yes, you should consider grinding your own coffee beans. Freshly ground beans make a better cup of coffee than pre-ground beans. 

Not only do they taste better, but they also have a stronger flavor. In addition, grinding your own beans allows you to customize the coarseness of the grind to your preference. Grinding your own beans is not difficult, and it can be done with a variety of tools. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of grinding your own coffee beans and provide tips for doing so. So, if you are looking for a way to improve your morning cup of joe, read on!

Using a coffee grinder is the easiest way to grind your own beans.

Blade Coffee Grinder

There are many different options when it comes to coffee grinders. One is a Blade coffee grinder that uses a spinning blade to chop up the beans, which is typically less expensive than an electric burr grinder, which crushes the beans between two metal plates.

Burr Coffee Grinder

However, if you want better results and more control over the consistency of the grind, we recommend using a burr grinder. Burr grinders come with either flat plates or conical plates.

It’s a mill used to grind hard, small food products between two revolving abrasive surfaces separated by a distance usually set by the user. 

The cutting action of the two surfaces causes the product to be crushed or fragmented. The distance between the surfaces consequently determines the fineness of the crushed particles.

Chunky, Coarse and Uneven Using Blade Grinder

The higher number of blades in a mixer will not make it chop any faster, but it does result in finer chopped ingredients. When you use a blade grinder, there are really only 3 possible grind sizes: powder, chunky bits, and half-ground coffee beans–the reason being that when beans get pushed through a spout they fall into an area with no grinding plates in front.

Consistent, Fine and Even Texture Using Burr Grinder

This means every last bit is finely ground unless you stop grinding early because you hit one of these three stages. A burr grinder works differently because it has at least 2 sets of flat metal plates that work together to grind the beans into different consistency based on the settings. The “chunky bits” result from a lack of even pressure on the beans.

When you see this, you can turn up the grind size and try again to get a more uniform consistency–or just let it be if that’s what you want!

In general, your burr grinder will have both finer particles and smaller particles than a blade grinder will. This means that there is more flavor extraction overall with a coarser grind setting. It isn’t as if one is better or worse for your coffee–it’s all based on preference, but here at Coffee Detective we encourage experimentation because different people prefer different things!

For those who aren’t used to grinding their own beans fresh every morning, there might be one main deterrent: the extra work that goes into grinding beans. However, once you begin to realize the amazing taste difference that fresh-ground coffee can have you might just find yourself looking forward to grinding your beans every morning!

It’s up to you. While a burr grinder will usually give a uniform grind and a blade is a bit less uniform, this doesn’t mean that the blade grinder won’t give you an even brew. To use our previous example, let’s say your coffee tastes bitter from being over-extracted. 

If so, using less water could solve this problem without even having to adjust your grind size–you won’t need as many grounds with the same taste results! Additionally, if your coffee is under-extracted because it was ground too finely (resulting in runny coffee), you can adjust the blade settings and end up with a coarser grind and fuller-bodied coffee without changing anything other than the size of the particles.

Unfortunately, burr grinders are significantly more expensive than blade grinders–you can find a burr grinder for as low as $30, but the average grinder is between $75-$150. And if you’re really curious about grinding your own beans, try it out before spending money on an expensive machine! Just pick up a $10 blade grinder and experiment before making your final decision.

But why should I bother?    

Grinding at home gives you complete control over two important factors: 1) The size and type of coffee grounds and 2) When they’re ground (refer to the size of the grounds) the style or depth of the grind.

There are many types of coffee grinders that offer different features, but for this article, I’m going to stick with two main types: BLADE AND BURR.

The key difference between these is how the beans are crushed–blade grinders use a rotating blade while burrs crush the beans using ridged plates. 

A few of the benefits include more flavor, better texture, and control over how much caffeine you want. Plus it’s way cheaper than buying pre-ground coffee!

There are many reasons to grind your own beans at home. If you’re looking for a little extra spice in your life, try grinding up some cinnamon or cardamom pods with the raw beans before brewing them into delicious cups of joe.