How To Manually Grind Coffee Beans

Needing to know how to manually grind coffee beans? Get to grips with a manual coffee bean grinder. Find out which hand coffee grinder is the best one to suit your needs.

This traditional method can be a satisfying ritual harking back to our grandparents’ coffee making when we were kids.

Always good memories!

This type of bean grinder does require some manual effort. The satisfaction achieved by using this method can outweigh the work involved though.

I think that when it comes to aesthetics, the hand grinder is way ahead of its electric counterparts. You can find some really nice traditional old-fashioned styles and designs in this range of kitchen appliances.

On the other hand, there are also the ultra-modern styles in stainless steel. These would suit any contemporary kitchen and home too.

Which Coffee Bean Is Best?

Coffee grinder machines have pride of place with anyone who is an avid coffee drinker and loves their brew.

We all have a favorite type of coffee bean and flavor we prefer and can choose from.

All coffee beans are roasted to achieve their flavor with many different “roasts” available which vary from light to dark.

As the beans get darker in the roasting process, the more flavorful they become.

Roasted Beans Explained…

Lightly roasted beans are dry in appearance and have stronger caffeine levels, whereas, darker roasts develop an oily surface to the bean and the caffeine properties differ.

With darker roasts, the caffeine levels decrease – therefore you may prefer a lighter roast in the morning with its caffeine kick and then a darker one later in the day.

Once you have your favorite beans to hand – you can make your coffee grinds!!

To release those aromas and flavors, you have to break the roasted coffee bean down to a powder. Grinding the whole bean just before brewing preserves the integrity of its qualities.

Therefore the best option for a flavorful cuppa without losing any of the coffee attributes is to grind your beans efficiently in one of the coffee brewers and grinders available and brew immediately.

This ensures a rich, full-bodied cup of your favorite beverage.

How To Manually Grind Coffee Beans – Find Your Little Gem

Within the hand coffee grinder styles, you will find two types of grinder.

• Blade grinder
• Burr grinder

These are two very different methods and produce differing grind results. It comes down to personal preference as to which one you choose.

The added advantage of these grinders is that they are extremely easy to move around with. There is no electrical outlet required – just some beans and yourself.

Perfect for camping and traveling!

Choose A Manual Coffee Grinder On Amazon

Amazon has a large range of manual grinders available. Each product has reviews and personal comments from people who have previously bought and used them.

These comments will stand you in good stead when deciding on the best grinder for your needs.

Then you can start making your own grounds to your liking.

A Blade Grinder

These devices tend to be cheaper than a burr grinder but they do have a downside.

The blade grinders give a coarser and more uneven ground coffee.

If you do not like a very strong brew then this is fine for your brewing purposes.

As the name suggests, this grinder uses blades to chop and slice the coffee beans. This is very much like the attachment you would get on a food processor for reducing the size of nuts and spices.

The blades rotate at a high speed breaking down the bean, the longer you chop the finer the end product.

This method creates a ground coffee that is somewhat rough in its consistency. There will be pieces of coffee beans of varying sizes within the finished product as well as a powder.

The blade produces 3 ranges of grounds:

• a chunky size
• the size of ground you ultimately are looking for
• and finally a fine dust.

This dust can clog up sieves in certain machines like the espresso and French presses. These grounds are more suited to a perolator brew.

It is also difficult to get the same grind between batches, which can affect the consistency of the coffee strength and taste after brewing.

As the grounds are larger – the brew will be weaker than one made with a much finer consistency.

So if you like a weaker coffee then this type of grinder may be fine for your brewing activities.

A Burr Grinder

These coffee grinder machines tend to be more expensive but are suitable for most coffee brewing methods.

These methods include drip, espresso, percolators and the famous French Press.

A burr grinder is much more efficient producing a much finer, uniform size of coffee ground that will allow for a much stronger brew.

All burr grinders consist of two burrs. These are spinning abrasive surfaces between which the coffee grounds move.

As the beans travel over the burrs, they tear the coffee beans into smaller and smaller fragments.

This process creates a fine powder, all in a uniform size.

The burr grinding method gives you much greater control over the end product. Much more consistent than a blade grinder.

You can also adjust the grind settings to achieve the ground size you require for the various brewing systems.

As the grinds are smaller and finer, the strength of your brew will be much stronger. The reason for this is a bigger surface area from which to extract the coffee flavor.

Ultimately, this is the most efficient method out of the two grinding options.

How To Use A Manual Hand Coffee Grinder

A hand ground or manual coffee bean grinder is turned by hand using a handle on the top or on the side of the grinder.

• First of all, measure your beans out with a coffee scoop.
• Place your preferred beans in the hopper.
• Adjust the size of the grind setting to your liking.
• Rotate the handle until all the beans are ground.
• The grounds will be collected in the bottom container.
• Remove and brew!

Enjoy your coffee and feel the satisfaction of a job well done.

What could be easier?

As you can see it is a very simple process.

The added advantage is those delicious aromas emanating from freshly crushed coffee beans.

Lovely!