When you talk about a home coffee grinder, you can have a manual coffee mill, which is a hand crank coffee grinder. With this grinder, you grind the coffee beans yourself by turning the crank on the top of the mill. There are several models of this mill that you can get, such as a box mill or a knee mill. The box variety sits on the kitchen counter and you grind the beans or you can hold the mill between your knees and grind the beans this way. In both types of grinders, the crank is on the top of the grinder.
These mills usually run by burrs, which grinds the beans to a fine consistency, which you need if you want to brew a pot of espresso. You can crank the handle as many times as you wish to have either fine or coarse grounds, depending on the type of coffee that you want. For example, if you want French press, you will need to have coarse grinds, just as you will for a drip percolator.
The hand mills are very decorative and look great as a kitchen appliance. They really do preserve the taste and the aroma of the coffee beans because you don't have as much friction because the grinding is slower. Although you only have to grind for a short while, it is a slower rotation and you can grind for a few seconds and then stop. This prevents the beans from heating up and it reduces the static electricity that causes the grounds to stick to the container.
One of the most popular models of hand crank mills is the Zassenhaus manual mill. Customers that use this brand say that all of the mills from this company are excellent grinders. You get a high quality coffee mill that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg and one that is easy to use. Even with the counter top models, you can hold them between your knees like a knee grinder. If you love fresh coffee when you are camping, this grinder does not take up a lot of space , so all you have to do is pack your coffee beans in with your food supplies. The box mill from Zassenhaus does not have a feature that lets you grind fine grounds, which you need to know if you are looking for an espresso grinder.