Grinding coffee yourself not only allows you to have the freshest coffee possible, it also is one of the most important aspects to making great coffee. Coffee grinders vary widely in their ability to consistently grind the coffee at different levels of coarseness. But Krups coffee grinder is the best one in this field. The coarseness ranges from very coarse (similar to raw sugar), to medium (similar to table salt or granulated sugar), to fine (powdery with a hint of grittiness), with many slight adjustments between each one. The coarseness of the grind will determine how fast the water passes through during brewing. The finer the grind, the more time it takes the water to be forced through the grounds. Think of water flowing through a layer of sand as opposed to rocks. This brew cycle time can make drastic differences in the taste of your coffee. It’s just like cooking and the brew cycle is the baking. You wouldn’t under or over cook a cake and expect it to taste the same. The ideal grind for espresso varies and requires trial and error because of varying humidity, temperatures, and barometric pressures in the room. The grind is adjusted until the time required to extract a shot of espresso takes about 22 seconds (give or take a 2 or 3 seconds).

Let us have a closer look at the three types of Krups coffee grinder.

Blade Krups Coffee Grinder:

The blade type coffee grinders are the most inexpensive on the market. They are suitable if you just cannot justify the price of a burr grinder and do not plan to use it for espresso.

The blade grinders, because of their chopping method, cannot achieve the consistency needed for espresso. Even the coarse and medium grinds vary widely and are not consistent at all.

Another disadvantage is that they create an enormous amount of friction which actually burns the beans giving the coffee an undesirable taste.

I would however, recommend a blade grinder if the choice is between a blade grinder or no grinder at all, thus having to buy coffee that is already ground.

One good thing about a blade grinder is that the maintenance and cleanup are a snap.

Burr Krups coffee Grinder (Flat Wheel):

Flat wheel burr grinders are the preferred method of grinding coffee. They work by crushing the beans between one spinning and one stationary, semi-concave disks.

The disks spin more slowly than a blade grinder which generates less friction and creates a much more consistent grind.

The disadvantages are that they must be cleaned (which requires a little work) especially if you don’t use it on a regular basis. The reward is worth it though!

The beans which are gravity fed from a hopper, can also get stuck pretty often and need to be stirred to get them to flow into the disks again.

Burr Krups coffee Grinder (Conical)

Conical burr grinders are generally regarded the best of all the grinders. They use a conical shaped grinding surface.

The advantages of the conical versus the flat wheel are that they have the most consistent grind. They also spin even slower creating less friction and less static electricity which causes the coffee to stick in the crevices of the grinder making it harder to clean.

In addition the beans, at least in my experience, clog up much less in the hopper.

The disadvantages are that they tend to be the most expensive because of the cost to manufacture the grinding cones.