Newbie here - would a burr grinder benefit me?

[dan89]

I'm a total newbie. I've been drinking instant coffee all my adult life. I've recently switched to pre-ground coffee and brew them on Clever Coffee Drip. Now I'm toying with the idea to buy an entry level burr grinder so I can brew freshly ground beans.

Here is the problem. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and I don't drink that much coffee. I use a total of 6 tablespoon of coffee ground per day. I use 2 tablespoon per cup, 3 times a day. Grounding the beans right before brewing might be impossible in my case because 2 tablespoon is a tiny amount. That's probably the same amount of coffee clinging on the side of the bin due to static.

What I'll probably end up doing is grind 6 tablespoon worth of coffee first thing in the morning and let the grind sit there the rest of the day as I use them. If that's the case, am I just better off sticking to pre-ground supermarket coffee? What if I grind 2 days worth of coffee in the bin? Would the grind still give me a better flavor and aroma the next day than pre-ground supermarket coffee?

A manual grinder is not an option for me though, because I'm always in a hurry.

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "dan89"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

Yes, getting a burr grinder will certainly benefit you and make a difference in your coffee enjoyment.

Although it's best to grind the coffee right before you use it, your plan to grind it in the morning (or the night before) and use it throughout the day will work too. It will be much better than getting pre-ground coffee and storing it for days on end.

When you grind the coffee, put it in an air tight container or a zip lock bag. If you grind enough for one or two days, divide the days up into two containers/bags so you aren't exposing all of the coffee to the air every time you use it.

Try to pay attention to how the coffee tastes as you use it. You will probably notice a difference when you use it freshly ground as compared to how it tastes the second day. Either way, it has to be much better than pre-ground store bought coffee.

Rose

 

[jgbnm]

I'd check out the Baratza options. Exceptional customer service. Easily fixed/rebuilt/serviced if needed. Refurbs sometimes available on their website. Multiple models at various price points.

I grind 16-18 grams at a time every day for espresso on a Vario and used to do the same on a Preciso (now used for Aeropress). Very little retention. Very dry climate here and minimal static issues. You can probably grind directly into the filter. Only takes a few seconds, so grind right before use. Freshly ground will be better than pre-ground, but fresh beans (usually used within a few weeks of roast date) will be a whole new world vs. pre-ground or whole bean supermarket coffee. I believe that it takes a bit of time to learn to appreciate all the nuances of fresh beans that are roasted on the light side especially.

 

[peterjschmidt]

Don't waste your money on an entry-level burr grinder, those in the $50 price range. Get something that has a conical burr, like the Capresso Infinity, or (a much smarter idea) a Baratza Encore.

There's no reason you can't grind 1 teaspoon at a time... you can grind 10 beans at a time if you wish... 2T will be fine.

 

[CCafe]

Well heck do it the old fashion way! Mortar and pestle.

 

[shadow745]

Well heck do it the old fashion way! Mortar and pestle.

Now you're talking my language. I 'grind' for espresso by using a 2# framing hammer and a Ziploc bag. Then utilize my handy dandy flux capacitor synthesized spectrometer to ensure particle consistency within .5~ microns. :decaf:

 

[PinkRose]

Now you're talking my language. I 'grind' for espresso by using a 2# framing hammer and a Ziploc bag. Then utilize my handy dandy flux capacitor synthesized spectrometer to ensure particle consistency within .5~ microns. :decaf:

That's how I chop walnuts when I make chocolate chip cookies. But I don't have a "handy dandy flux capacitor synthesized spectrometer." Maybe that should be on my "wish list" for Christmas.

 

[dan89]

Don't waste your money on an entry-level burr grinder, those in the $50 price range. Get something that has a conical burr, like the Capresso Infinity, or (a much smarter idea) a Baratza Encore.

I'm going to keep using my Clever drip filter for a long time. I'm quite happy with it and I'm not planning on using a French Press or Espresso machine. Wouldn't an entry-level burr grinder be good enough to give the kind of grind I need?

 

[PinkRose]

I'm going to keep using my Clever drip filter for a long time. I'm quite happy with it and I'm not planning on using a French Press or Espresso machine. Wouldn't an entry-level burr grinder be good enough to give the kind of grind I need?

Yes, an entry level burr grinder would work for you, too.
I'm surprised that you don't want to use a hand-crank burr grinder. Considering the small amount of beans that you'll be grinding, you could breeze through the task in no time.

Rose

 

[peterjschmidt]

I'm going to keep using my Clever drip filter for a long time. I'm quite happy with it and I'm not planning on using a French Press or Espresso machine. Wouldn't an entry-level burr grinder be good enough to give the kind of grind I need?

If you're using paper filters, a cheap burr grinder would pose less of a problem. But, depending on how geeked out your palate is, there is an appreciable benefit in flavor by moving up to a conical.

The intangible difference is in how you will live with the grinder, how long it will last, and what will you do when it needs service. If you by a $50 Cuisinart, when it dies in 4 years (no mention of inferior flavor during those days) you will toss it. Baratza has real people you can talk to who will diagnose what you need and will always have parts available for you to fix it, and/or they have a repair program.

An entry-level grinder will most likely make you happy. But at the end of the day, it may not, and I'm of the persuasion that I'd rather spend more up front and end up spending less per year in the long run.

 

[shadow745]

If you're using paper filters, a cheap burr grinder would pose less of a problem. But, depending on how geeked out your palate is, there is an appreciable benefit in flavor by moving up to a conical.

The intangible difference is in how you will live with the grinder, how long it will last, and what will you do when it needs service. If you by a $50 Cuisinart, when it dies in 4 years (no mention of inferior flavor during those days) you will toss it. Baratza has real people you can talk to who will diagnose what you need and will always have parts available for you to fix it, and/or they have a repair program.

An entry-level grinder will most likely make you happy. But at the end of the day, it may not, and I'm of the persuasion that I'd rather spend more up front and end up spending less per year in the long run.

I totally agree with this, with the exception of the $50 Cuisinart lasting or you tolerating it up to 4 years. The cheaper grinders are nothing more than steel plates with a few nubs that spin at high speed and pulverize the coffee into shreds with lots of particle inconsistency. I've had the Capresso Infinity and it is fantastic for the money, but the grind retention is an issue. Not so much for coarser grinds, but for espresso range it became an issue. Baratza has came a long way on the conical mills and of course their customer service is flawless, which can't be said for most of the snobby coffee industry. Trust me on that, albeit it for home or commercial use. Baratza continues to make improvements along the way and offer support years down the road. If I were to buy another grinder it would without a doubt be from them.

If you don't want to spend $100-150 for a decent conical burr grinder at least invest in a good hand mill if you're OK with a bit of manual labor as most decent hand mills will grind on par with the better electrics. Some are newer with ceramic burrs, but there are lots of older mills that use tool steel conical burrs with infinite adjustment that will grind on par with grinders costing $500+. I have a 55+ year old KyM Turkish style copper mill with a solid set of conicals/spring loaded infinite adjustment and it will grind with the best I've had at home or commercially, especially in the espresso range.

 

[MntnMan62]

A burr grinder is the single best thing you can buy to elevate the taste of the coffee you are drinking. No matter what brew method you use, grinding your beans fresh just before brewing will yield a better cup of coffee. Just make sure the beans themselves are also fresh. You want to buy beans that were roasted not long before you bought them. Beans generally can be considered fresh up to about a month from the roast date. So i buy enough that will last me a month at a time.