Freshly ground with your own coffee grinder
Everyone knows and loves the smell of freshly ground coffee. To ensure that as much aroma as possible ends up in the cup and not in the air, it is important to always grind the coffee beans as soon as possible before preparation. After just 30 minutes, ground coffee has lost half of its aroma. The grinder plays a particularly important role in making espresso, because for a perfect espresso, the grinding level must be very finely adjustable in order to achieve exactly the right flow rate.
Having your own coffee grinder is virtually indispensable for making espresso and should be included in your budget right from the start when considering buying a machine.
The hand mill - grind coffee like grandma did
Everything used to be better – this much-maligned platitude is sometimes true. A (hand) coffee grinder can be found in almost every kitchen. Almost everyone knows the “Zassenhaus” with its typical wooden casing, but unfortunately it is rarely found these days, or if so, as a decoration rather than as an everyday object. A hand grinder is still a good choice for filter coffee, and the Japanese coffee manufacturer HARIO in particular offers high-quality models at an absolutely fair price. For the fine grinding level required for a portafilter espresso machine, the hand grinder becomes a real task. If it even achieves the required grinding level, a mid-three-digit number of revolutions is required, which will get your biceps in top shape in no time.
Electric coffee grinders = espresso grinders?
Queen of coffee grinders - The espresso grinder
A coffee grinder for making espresso is a precision tool. The grinding discs have a geometry that delivers a perfect balance of very fine, medium and coarse particles. There are grinders with flat and conical grinding discs. A continuous grinding adjustment guarantees that the exact "sweet spot" can be set.
Flat grinding discs
Most espresso grinders have flat grinding discs with a diameter between 50mm and 83mm. Depending on the grinder, either the upper or lower grinding disc is firmly attached to the housing. The other disc is connected to the motor via a shaft and rotates during the grinding process.
Conical grinding discs
Conical grinding discs are conical and taper towards the bottom. Conical grinding discs have the advantage that they have less dead space and the effective contact area between the espresso bean and the grinding disc is larger.
Precise adjustment
In order for the aromas of the espresso to achieve the perfect combination of acidity and bitterness, the grind setting needs to be set precisely. If the espresso is running too fast, the grind setting needs to be finer; if it is running too slow, a coarser setting is needed. In the ideal range, these changes can be minimal; if the grind setting is divided into levels, it can happen that the perfect grind setting is exactly between two levels.
Timer - Time setting for better reproducibility
High-quality espresso grinders often have a timer. Using a time setting, you can program the amount for single and double extraction. Once you have found the ideal combination of grinding level and amount, you can program the timer accordingly. The grinder will now always grind for the preset time.
The right grinder for your espresso machine
For espresso machines with vibration pumps, espresso grinders up to approx. 55mm are recommended. For an espresso machine with a rotary pump, the grinding discs should be at least 55mm, but 63mm+ is of course better.