Grinding Coffee Beans on a Budget

So, I am looking at the gourmet coffees in the grocery store, and I spot one that looks great and I have to try it. The front of the package does not say whether the coffee is ground or whole beans. Naturally, excited to try it, I bought it. When I arrive home and open the package my excitement is stifled, and I see that I have whole bean coffee and no grinder. I decide that as a novice coffee critic, it is time to up my game. It is time for me to grind my own beans like the settlers of the old west.

Realizing I need a coffee grinder, I did a quick search online and saw that the giant retail store had one for under fifteen dollars. I purchased one of these budget models and after taking it out of the box and reading some of its material I learned that filling the grinding chamber to the line marked “MAX,” should give me two ounces of coffee capable of brewing up to twelve cups.

Some other interesting things in the literature, that I find questionable, are “for the smoothest, best-tasting cup of coffee. . . Grind your coffee beans immediately before brewing.” Also, a list of grind textures for brewing methods. This list goes from “Extra Course” to “Extra Fine.” The suggested grind for “Cone-shaped pour-over drippers” is “Medium” and “Medium Fine.” According to the instructions I should only run the grinder ten to twenty seconds and then wait one minute so I do not overheat the motor. Does this mean if I grind it for fifteen seconds, I will get my desired grind?

I get to business and fill the grinding chamber. I grind the beans for fifteen seconds. I have posted a picture of the filled grinder and the finished ground coffee. Notice: I have put a clean quarter next to the ground coffee amount from the chamber for scale. The grinder, in fact, does produce enough ground coffee for my pour-over brew pot.

Some things to be aware of are the cleaning of the grinder and the coarseness of the grind. The instructions say to clean the chamber using a wet cloth. Cleaning the chamber can be a tedious and messy task. It is not something I would want to do daily. I will opt to grind the whole bag in one day with one-minute breaks between filling the chamber and then clean it. Fifteen seconds produces a very fine grind. My pour-over filter plugged up when brewing and I had to use a spoon to get the hot water to drain through. I will try grinding the beans in less than fifteen seconds next time.

My overall experience with this coffee grinder has been good and I believe if people have the time and enjoy drinking coffee, they should try it. The investment in time and money is not great, and I will say the flavor does seem more palatable.

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