A coffee grinder grinds the beans before you make the coffee, for a finer taste. You can change the grind to suit your particular machine; for stronger coffee such as espresso, use the finest grind; opt for a medium grind with auto drip coffee machines; a coarse grind is required for a French press. Do not grind your beans too much – you will end up with bitter-tasting coffee.

The two types of electric grinders are a burr and a blade. A burr chops up the coffee beans with a wheel – you can program the grinder to repeat the process for greater consistency of grinding. A blade grinder is typically quicker and less expensive than a burr grinder. It has a spinning blade that slices the beans into particles a little bit like a miniature food processor. The longer the blade spins, the finer the ground you achieve. It may require a bit of help: the occasional shake will make sure every coffee bean is reached.

It is simple to use a grinder. First, you just add to correct amount of beans in the proper section of the grinder. As a guide, use 1 tablespoon of coffee per 6 ounces of water.

If your model is a burr grinder, pick your setting and switch it on. With a blade grinder, press the start button in pulses of ten seconds. Give your machine a gentle shake; ensuring the lid is tightly on. Then pulse the machine as often as required to get your desired grind of beans.

There are a huge number of coffee grinder manufacturers and an equal number of retailers who stock a range of their products. The Internet is a good place to start researching different brands, particularly by reading customer reviews to get a wider picture than the manufacturer’s official sales pitch.

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