|
Grinders -- a whirly-blade type grinder basically rips the beans apart, so some bits are ground to a dust while others are quite chunky. Fine for french press or filter, but for espresso you need very accurate control over the coarseness/fineness and consistency of the grind. In fact among the variables that are under your control to make the ultimate cup of espresso (bean type, freshness, degree of roast, pressure of water, temp of water, time of extraction, grind, tamping pressure, etc...) the grind is the one you fiddle with the most. Depending on ambient temp, humidity, how old the beans are, etc. you need to keep playing with the grind. So you need a burr type grinder. Either a flat plate type or conical type burr grinder is ok. The main difference is - not terribly important in the home environment - the flat plate burrs require changing every 100kg of beans, while the conical ones are good for 400kg or so. A cheap plastic bodum burr grinder is capable of decent grinds, but it can break down, will go out of tune, etc. In the high end grinders you are paying for quality materials, workmanship and increasingly, neat features. The mazzer, for example, is the only one that has a stepless-grind-adjustment feature, which is fantastic. Some have built it tampers, or automatic dosers.
|