Archive for the 'Coffee Equipment' Category
Coffee Grinders: Not Just for Coffee
For people who appreciate the quality and flavor of a well-brewed cup of coffee, grinding your own beans at home is probably a common practice. Virtually every coffee aficionado recognizes that grinding your own roasts is the only way to ensure freshness and preserve the essence of the beans. If you are one of these coffee gurus, you probably already recognize the necessity of a coffee grinder.
Although a grinder is obviously ideal for creating coffee grounds, it has many other uses in the kitchen. Just like coffee beans, spices taste best when you buy them whole and grind them yourself. I keep a separate grinder at home to create my own fresh and unique spice blends.
Hard Water Makes for Bad Coffee
Early one morning last month, I woke up begrudgingly and trudged to the kitchen with my eyelids still fluttering closed. As was my custom just before work, I planned to enjoy an invigorating espresso shot or two. Without my morning coffee, I’m basically a zombie; I can hardly function, and my work definitely suffers. Unfortunately, I took one sip of my freshly pulled espresso and spit it right into the sink.
It turned out that my home’s hard water problem had extended beyond just creating a frustrating shower experience. Calcium deposits had built up in the boiler of my espresso machine, affecting the taste and obstructing the brewing process. The machine was in perfect working order; it just needed to be decalcified. I found an appropriate descaler, and ever since I’ve been cleaning the machine on a monthly basis.
Press, One-cup and Drip Coffee Makers
Drip and Presses and One-Cups, oh my! When it comes to coffee makers, java junkies are spoiled for choice, so here are my thoughts on the three types.
French Press ($15 plus)
|
Pros |
Cons |
Best for |
| This is one green machine. No filters, no waste and no major energy use: Just boil water and add it to the grounds. The longer it steeps, the stronger it gets, meaning this method delivers the biggest caffeine punch. | You’d better drink fast, because the coffee tends to get cold after about 45 minutes. |
Java junkies who love the environment as much as a serious cup. |
One Cup Mini ($100 plus)
| Pros | Cons | Best for |
| We had this machine up and running out of the box, with a mug brewed in under three minutes. There is no mess or measuring. Want a different flavor change the pod. | If you don’t use your own coffee beans the pods produce a lot of waste. Some units do not have a a reservoir so you have to refill the water with each cup. | Those that wasn’t to brew a single serving. |
Drip Programmable ($120 plus)
| Pros | Cons | Best for |
| We love this coffee machines for uses every the weekends, and when guests come over. We chose one that produces 12 cups. | It is the priciest of the three options, and the hardest to keep clean. | Devoted drinkers who don’t mind some scrubbing and descaling. |
Drip Coffee Machine
Looking for the basic to the over the top functional Drip Coffee Machine, your are bound to find one that meet all your need.
Here are some of the features that you may want to consider when purchasing a Drip Coffee Machine. In my humble opinion the primary factor is VALUE.
- Price
- From Single cup pods to 4, 8 or 12 cups
- Programmable flavour and cup setting
- Heating plate time
- 24-hour timer for wake-up coffee
- Grind and brew machine
- Fast-brewing technology; brew-pause functions
- Type of filter; mesh or paper
- Stainless Steel or Glass carafe
- Water-level indicator
- De-scaling indicator
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Dimensions of unit, suitable to counter space and location.
- Warranty
Read the reviews, they provide much insight into how others the product. You know what you are looking for; if you spot a review with a similar sentiment, then perhaps that is the product you should be considering. It is relatively easy to find reviews where customers have rated coffee makers.
There are thousands of reviews which will tell you which coffee makers are good based on the consumers own views. Download the reviews and compare; this is certain to give you the best chance of making an informed decision.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and read the reviews.
Types of Coffee Grinders
Blade Grinders 
You may ask “blade grinder” do you mean my blender… This type of grinder is more like a blender for coffee beans. Blade grinders are very popular because they are quick,
cheap, readily available, and easy to use. However, blade grinders have serious drawbacks. First and foremost, they offer very little control. Basically, you are guessing how
long you want the blades to chop, splinter the beans apart. Instead of a consistent, even grind, you can easily get chopped chunks mixed with powder. Also, blade grinders produce
a lot of friction which produces heat. Heat actually starts to rob your coffee of it’s aroma and essences before it’s even brewed. Grind your coffee with a blade for long enough,
can give your final coffee a burned taste. These are fine grinders for basic use, but that’s about it.
Burr Grinders
The best and most common burr grinder is a conical burr grinder. These devices actually crush the beans between a moving surface and a non-moving surface. The positioning
on the burr is what regulates the ground size, which allows for a more consistent grind. Since the beans are being crushed rather than sliced, there is not a noticeable increase in
heat when using a burr grinder, so there will not be a burned taste or a loss in flavor.
Coffee roasters and commercial coffee companies use burr grinders, and they are available in all sizes from large commercial grinders to countertop models. While you could get
away with using a blade grinder for brewing coffee in a drip machine using paper filters, you should certainly only use a burr grinder if you are brewing coffee with a French press or
using a permanent filter.
Wheel Burr – The less expensive of the two burr grinders. The wheel spins very fast, and these grinders can be noisy. The higher speed rotations make these grinders more messy as well.
Conical Burr – The best grinders you can get are conical burr grinders. The burr spins slower than the wheel model, which makes them quieter and less messy. You can use a conical burr grinder for oily or flavoured coffees and it’s not likely to clog, like the other kinds of grinders. These are the best type, but you will pay the price for them.
The Daily Grind
In cities, suburbs and rural areas across the country, many people share one thing in common before beginning a busy work day – they indulge in an invigorating cup of coffee. Pre-ground coffee is fine for novices, but most coffee aficionados prefer to get in on the process themselves. Grinders transform whole roasted coffee beans into that magical, aromatic powder that wakes you up in a jiffy.
Coffee grinders can be grouped into two distinct categories: blade grinders and burr grinders. As one might imagine, the blade variety basically chops beans until they acquire a desired fineness. When grinding a lot of coffee at once, be sure to give the blades a rest; they can overheat and lend the final product a burned taste. Burr grinders work by crushing beans with a moving wheel. The grinds produced by the burr method tend to be more consistent.
Make your Espresso Machine work for you
Sick of plan old coffee, but don’t want to pay $6 for a double mocha at a fancy coffee shop? Maybe it’s time to invest in your own espresso maker. An Espresso machine can make a variety of drinks and save money. If you are considering this you should get familiar with the endless horizon of espresso drinks that awaits you.
Espresso can be prepared in so many ways there’s virtually no chance you won’t find a version you like. And, you’ll need to decide whether you want a single, double or triple, and what size you’d prefer; tall, grande or venti. Once you’ve got all this down you’re ready make your own espresso drinks.