Why Your Grinder Matters More Than Your Machine

It is tempting to spend most of a budget on the gleaming machine and leave a little for a grinder. Professionals tend to recommend the opposite. A great grinder can make a modest machine sing; a poor grinder will hold back even the most expensive machine on earth.

Why grind matters so much

Espresso pushes water through a tightly packed bed of coffee in under half a minute. If the particles are uneven, water rushes through the coarse bits and stalls in the fine ones, so some coffee is over-extracted and some under-extracted at the same time. The result is muddled, harsh espresso.

What to look for

For espresso, look for:

Burrs, not blades.
Fine, ideally stepless, adjustment for precise changes.
Low retention, so you are not brewing yesterday’s grounds.
Consistent grind size across the range.

Conical or flat burrs?

Both make excellent espresso. Conical burrs are often said to give a rounder, more textured shot; flat burrs a clearer, more defined flavor. At the high end, the differences are a matter of taste rather than quality.

A rule of thumb

If your budget is limited, consider spending as much on the grinder as on the machine. You will taste the difference every day.

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Why Your Grinder Matters More Than Your Machine

Why grind matters so much

What to look for

Conical or flat burrs?

A rule of thumb

Keep reading

Keep reading

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