When it comes to brewing consistently great coffee in your small coffee maker, grinding your own coffee beans is an essential component. In fact, there are really only 3 things that influence how a cup will turn out – water temperature, bean freshness and grind quality. I would argue that the quality of the grind is the single most significant factor, particularly since a poor quality grind can lead to weak or overly-extracted (bitter) coffee. Because of this, it makes sense to purchase a decent quality grinder, and one that can produce the right type of grind for the beverage you’re interested in producing (i.e. espresso, drip coffee, etc.). The following article will make the case for manual coffee grinders, which have been used for years to produce a quality of grind that’s second to none.

You may be asking yourself why you would ever want to purchase a manual grinder when there are so many decent electric versions out there. It’s a fair question, though it’s important to understand that not all electric models are created equally. In fact, the most commonly used electric grinder, the blade or “whirly-bird” grinder, will do nothing good for your coffee beans. Rather than produce a consistent grind, a blade grinder will produce lots of small coffee particles, which can lead to over-extraction and bitter tasting coffee. To avoid this you should focus only on using burr style grinders, which many of the manual models happen to be.

When choosing a manual coffee grinder, it’s critical that you select one that can produce the type of grind you’re looking for. Unfortunately, there are a variety of grinders out there that have been produced primarily for decorative purposes, and it’s important to avoid these. Instead, focus on brands that are synonymous with high performance. By setting your budget at $80.00 and above you can ensure that the quality of your grind will be acceptable. It can also be beneficial to check out coffee forums and major online shopping sites for more information and specific product reviews.