Why Conical Burr Grinders are the best Coffee Grinders
Burr grinders are the best coffee grinders available. These are machines that are worlds apart from all of the simpler types of grinder available, and produce a startlingly diverse array of grinders from almost whole beans through to a powder so fine that it can be set to explode. The trick with these grinders is to know how they work, in order to operate them correctly and get the best results out of your espresso machine.
The basic principles that the burr grinder uses to render the coffee bean to a powder is that of friction and crushing. The burrs are small raised edges on wheels that spin at an incredibly fast rate. These burr wheels are curled slightly, to encourage a vortex formation in the coffee as it falls through, and the distance of the burrs can be adjusted to control the smoothness of the grind. The amount of grinding that occurs when the wheels are whirring is proportional to the distance between the spinning burrs.
The conical burr grinder is the best type of grinder, as a result of its extreme versatility and the ability for the grinding of very oily beans, which would otherwise clog an inferior, wheel type grinder. These machines are adjusted by a fine tuning lever on the top of the grinder, beneath the coffee bean hopper. Making sure you have the right grind of coffee happening for the type of drink you are making is crucial, and the grind may need changing over the course of the day, as the coffee beans heat up and change their moisture levels. As the beans alter to the environment of the day, they will grind differently, and extract differently. You should make sure that the grinder is set to the correct fineness, and if the espresso isn’t extracting properly, then you may want to adjust the grind.
Make sure when you install your machine that it is in an easily accessible place, mounted on a solid base at a good working height. It will be vibrating at a reasonably constant level for an extended duration, so you should make sure to have the surface it is to be resting on secured in place. Because you will be working with the grinder as well as the espresso machine, it can be a good idea to have these units at the same working height.
The other thing to consider with the grinders is the mess that they make. Some grinders are designed with easy cleanup in mind, and have trays to catch excess grinds, which will spill over no matter how meticulous you are at the preparation of your coffee. Coffee dust can be a pest in a cafe, as it is a hygroscopic powder sticking to hands or any surface with a tiny amount of moisture. This can cause major havoc when you have people ordering cream cheese carrot cake that gets delivered with flecks of coffee all over it. Checking that you have the correct placement and style of grinder for you can minimize this cross contamination.