Hand Coffee Grinder
For the perfect brew, you need to be meticulous about how you grind your coffee. You need to grind your coffee beans just “right” in order to extract its full flavor. Producing too coarse a grind should work just fine for a percolator but as authentic coffee lover, you wouldn’t be caught alive (or dead) drinking “perked” coffee.
It used to be that coffee beans received a lot of “beatings” before the beans could be “fine” enough for a brew. Today, there are hundreds of brands of makes of electric coffee grinders that could meet your specifications and needs. Electric coffee grinders come in two types: blade and burr. Of the two, the conical burr grinder is easily the choice of bonafide coffee grinders. There is nothing wrong with electric coffee grinder except for the fact that some models do make a lot of noise when in operation. If you are one of those who prefer quiet and solitude in the morning while waiting for the brew, you might want to consider a hand-cranked coffee grinder. How do you choose the best hand-cranked coffee grinder then?
First, be sure to purchase one that is brand new unless of course that you are absolutely sure that the one you are buying is an authentic grinder and not some decorative junk.
There are a lot of brands and makes out there too that use either blade or conical grinder. There’s no need to worry about noise when doing your “daily grind” as either type (blade or burr) is quiet to operate. A hand coffee grinder can be bought for as low as $20 to hundreds of USD. There are several models available and all are made of quality wood and metal. There are four different general types in terms of design, of hand-cranked mills.
The Box Mill is the most traditional design. The box’s usual dimension is 4.5″ w x 4.5″l x 8″ h. The beans go through a small opening into the hopper straight to the grinding chamber that could either be a conical or flat wheel burr or a blade. Most handles are designed for good leverage usually made of chromed metal. The mill could hold enough ground for six cups.
The Knee Mill is just like the box mill in its function and materials used. The big difference though is that the knee mill is not hand held but, as the name implies, knee-held. This is one good option for those who still do not have the strength to hold down a manual coffee grinder with one hand while the other hand cranks up the machine, early in the morning. Just put the mill between your knees and crank away. As with most mills the fineness or coarseness of the grind is done by setting the knurled nut on the handle’s shaft.
There is a box mill model using a metal globe for the hopper. This deluxe version has a sturdy cast iron top end on a wooden base usually made of walnut. The burr is flat wheel due to the shape of the hopper but the mill is more rigid because you can take a firm hold on the mill as you crank with your free hand. The mill is a bit bigger at dimensions of 9″ h x 5.25 ” w x 5.25″ d but it well compensated by its really beautiful structure.
The last type of hand coffee grinder is the Turkish Mill. As the name implies the mill is specifically used for grinding beans for Turkish coffee. The apparatus is cylindrical much like a pepper mill. However it is made of fine metal such as brass. Standing at 7 inches with a diameter of 1 ¾ inches, this mill can hold ground beans for 4 to 6 cups of coffee.