A coffee bean grinder is not just another kitchen appliance that you will buy and let sit on your counter. If you love freshly ground coffee, this is one appliance that will get just as much use as your coffee percolator. Now you can look in the coffee bean section at the supermarket instead of buying cans of coffee grounds. When you use coffee beans, you get the full taste and aroma of the coffee and you are assured you will always have fresh coffee.
You can stick to the same brand name as your coffee pot when you go shopping for a grinder or you can choose from many different brand names. Mr. Coffee, Braun, Solis, Bunn, and Delonghi are just a few of the names that manufacture grinders in all sizes and with various ranges for the grinding process. There are different features that you can look for when buying a grinder.
For example, you can choose an electric or a manual coffee mill. With a manual mill, you have to grind the coffee beans by hand. There is a handle on the top of the grinder that you crank. Although the electric models are simple to operate with only the push of a button, experts in the coffee world claim that the manual mill grinds the finest coffee.
If you prefer the electric models, then you can choose between a burr grinder and a blade grinder. The blade grinder will give you the coarse grounds you need for a drip percolator and also has settings for fine grounds. A burr grinder also does the same thing, but these models are more expensive. For a first grinder, most customers choose a blade model because of the cheap price and also because they are not sure if they really do want to start grinding their own coffee beans.
You may encounter some of the grounds spilling out when you open the container after the grinding process is finished and you may not get consistent grounds. However, the difference in the taste of the coffee from the already ground coffee you are used to using will have you hooked from the very first cup.
To use a blade grinder, you don't have to keep your finger on the button at all times. You should do it in intervals of 2-5 seconds and this keeps the beans from heating up. A coarse grind takes about 7-10 seconds, medium takes 10 - 14 seconds and fine takes about 5-20 seconds. So you see having a grinder doesn't add a lot of time to the coffee making process.