Shopping For a Coffee Grinder

Millions of people love coffee, and today with the hundreds of gourmet brands of coffee, having the right coffee grinder in your home is nearly an essential. When you grind coffee beans, you are ensuring that you have a delicious, fresh cup of coffee.

Grinder Types

There are two major types of coffee grinders: a blade grinder or a burr grinder. Blade grinders are usually the least expensive. There is a metal blade that cuts up the beans. The longer you run the grinder, the finer the coffee grounds will get. However, this type of grinder might not cut the beans uniformly, and as a result, the taste of the coffee might not be up to your standard. In addition, if you want to grind coffee beans really fine, you need to grind the beans for a longer period of time, thereby adding some heat into the grinding process and by doing so changing the flavor of the coffee.

Burr grinders are more ideal. They grind the beans between a grinding wheel and the surface of the grinder. The burr can be positioned to get a particular size of the grinds, and the grinds will be more consistent in size. There are two types of burr grinders: the wheel burr grinder and the conical burr grinder.

The wheel burr grinder has a wheel that spins very speedily. These grinders are lower cost than the conical burr grinder, which is considered the optimal choice for those that want a really brilliant cup of coffee. The burr does not spin as speedily as the wheel burr grinders, making them less noisy and easier to clean. Conical burr grinders also handle various types of coffee better than wheel burr grinders. The wheel burr grinders may clog if the beans are oily. Of course, conical burr grinders are more costly than the others.

Price

There are great price differences among coffee grinders. Prices can vary from the very inexpensive, around $20, to the very costly, over $2,000. The higher the price, the more grinding options and varieties of coffee beans can be ground. In addition, more top of the line coffee grinders will be made of better materials and will give better overall results. The comprehensive coffee grinders comparison site www.wize.com/coffeegrinders will have a listing of coffee grinders by price range.

Design

The differences in coffee grinder prices translate into many different types, sizes and features. Generally, the heavier the coffee grinder, the higher quality it is. Even so, it doesn’t have to be large to be heavy. If your coffee-making needs are comparatively simple, a small but high quality coffee grinder will do. You should plan on spending between $100 and $200 for a basic, yet effective coffee grinder that will be used on a regular basis.

Coffee grinder designs can vary from the simplest style to the most elegant and detailed. You need to pick your design based on available counter space and the amount of coffee you and your family consume.

Ratings

Check out the ratings of various coffee grinders based on price and design. You can get an overall idea of ratings on coffee grinders by visiting www.wize.com/coffeegrinders. The site’s overall rating for each grinder will give you a quick glance on what’s a good value for the quality. Then you can drill down to see the wide array individual reviews that make up theratings.

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications for coffee grinders will vary greatly according to price, size and features. For example, a $350 home espresso coffee grinder would have an assortment special features, such as commercial grade grinding burrs, multiple grind settings, special safety features that prevent overheating, and top-quality hardware. The power would be 166 watts – 120 volts and weigh about 18 lbs. Some of the best coffee grinders are brushed stainless steel and give you a year’s parts and labor warranty. Obviously, those less expensive and smaller grinders will suck up less energy and have fewer features.