Yes, there are different ways to grind coffee beans! The most common are the Blade grinders and the Burr Grinders. They come in various shapes and sizes. As a homeowner, you need to decide which is best for you. Economy wise, the blade wins hands down. From a few dollars to a bit higher the blade grinder is what most folks buy. The Burr grinder is for the more sophisticated coffee consumer. Most times, it is larger, grinds more, better built, has an elaborate grinding system and does a better job.
The blade grinder uses multiple cutting blades like a lawn mower type of system. You place the beans into the grinder and the blades spin around until stopped manually or by a timer. It does cut the coffee beans into various sizes. What the results are is the pieces of cut coffee beans are variable in size and weight. When you add the cut coffee beans to your coffee maker, the water will pour over the various sizes of cut beans at a different rate and may or may not absorb all the taste and flavor that was roasted into the coffee beans. Being uneven there is no way to control the coffee making to be consistent and efficiently done. It has been said that you could lose up to 20% of the taste and flavor from unevenly cut coffee beans in the coffee making process.
The Burr grinder is by far more expensive to purchase and usually range from $25.00 and up for the better versions. The system for cutting with a burr grinder is a set of two sides of gears with sharpened edges used for grinding. This is adjusted to the size you choose for grinding. As the beans flow through the grinders, they are cut into evenly sized pieces. If you choose a fine or coarse grind, all the beans will be cut to that size. Thus having evenly cut coffee beans of equal size will produce a better cup of coffee. The hot water flowing over the cut beans evenly and surrounding each piece, will absorb all the flavor and taste possible for the coffee you are making.
Price wise, by buying the cheaper blade grinder you will lose flavor and taste making your coffee. Many times people will add more coffee to make up this difference. Costing more to make a pot of coffee doesn’t seem logical.
Purchasing a better burr grinder does cost more to begin with. Having a proper grind to make your coffee using a burr grinder will save you money and give you a better cup. One last thing to mention is the Burrs in the Burr grinder can be replaced when they become dull. The price of replacing the burrs is low vs. replacing a complete grinder.
This will give you an idea of what to buy when you decide to grind your own coffee beans. You need to choose on which works best for you, based on price, quality, size and how often you want to use it. We will have a future Blog, providing information on the different ways you can grind your coffee beans and why you grind them that way. Whether fine, medium or coarse id does make a difference.