What's the best way to get the best shot from your espresso machine? Get yourself a conical burr coffee grinder. Well, you may be thinking "what's the difference between a conical burr grinder and a regular coffee grinder?". Plenty. It could mean the difference between a disgusting, bitter cup of espresso and a sip of heavenly nectar.
A regular coffee grinder is fine if you are using it to grind coffee for your regular drip style coffee maker, but that's about as far as it goes. If you want espresso or Turkish coffee, a regular grinder can't grind finely or evenly enough to get the results you need.
A regular grinder uses steel blades, which produce heat and inconsistent grounds. The burr coffee grinder uses two circular shaped steel wheels, in the shape of the letter "O" to grind the coffee beans. It grinds much slower, thus eliminating the heat and inconsistent grind of the blade style grinders. Also, it's much quieter, which is a big plus.
Well, that's out of the way. You need a conical burr coffee grinder! Next question - which one? As with any other appliance, the first place to start is with your own personal needs.
How much do you want to invest? What quantity do you need to process at one time? How many different settings do you require? Most units start with a choice of 16 settings,some have as many as 40. The different settings produce grinds appropriate for espresso, Turkish coffee, french press, drip or percolate. Hopper sizes vary, average being 8 ounces. Yield of ground coffee can be from 4 ounces to 15 to 30 and so on. Some use timers only and some have on and off switches.
The higher end units, like Gaggia and Pasquini, have a "doser" built in that lets you consistently measure the correct amount for just the right shot of espresso coffee.
Now that you know the conical burr coffee grinder secrets, you will be able to select the unit that's right for you. Some of the top brands are Gaggia, Pasquini, Jura Capresso, Baratea, Cuisinart, Breville, KitchenAid and Krups. Now, go find your perfect match.
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