Many people refuse to give this little grinder the credit that it deserves. People will say the greatest jump in coffee-drinking pleasure will come when you buy an expensive burr grinder. They are wrong. While a burr grinder is nice and definitely more convenient, the greatest jump anyone will experience in coffee-drinking pleasure comes when they start using freshly-roasted, freshly-ground, quality coffee. It's as simple as that. There will be other noticeable improvements as the coffee drinker discovers new methods and machines, but those will all be marginal improvements when compared to the time they started using freshly-roasted, freshly-ground, quality coffee (I've said it twice for emphasis). And this little blade grinder is an inexpensive initiation, especially good for those on a budget or still somewhat skeptical.
The secret to using a blade grinder is to grind in 3 - 5 second spurts and to shake it and hit it in between spurts. Yes, hit it. Don't be afraid to give it a firm, openhanded smack or two. Hold it on one side and hit it, then hold it on the other side and hit it again. Hitting it prevents the finer grinds from caking to the bottom and ensures a more even grind (I use the term 'even' loosely, as it still won't be a perfectly consistent grind).
A blade grinder won't grind finely enough or evenly enough for espresso, but it does a good job for drip or AeroPress (in fact, any frequent traveler would be well served by packing a bag of freshly-roasted, quality coffee beans, a Braun blade grinder, and an Aerobie AeroPress into their travel bag). This thing will even grind—albeit inconveniently—for a French press. For that, you need a relatively fine-screened sieve and a lot of time. You may also want to shorten the brew time on your French press. You can even use the screened off ground coffee for drip or AeroPress brewing.
If you can afford a more expensive coffee grinder, then go for it. If you're on a budget or still not sure whether or not freshly-ground coffee is all it's cracked up to be, then this is the grinder for you. Dollar for dollar, this will be the best bang for your buck on your coffee-drinking journey. |
