First, is it worth grinding one's own beans in the first place? Is it that much better than pre-ground? Second, blade or burr grinder? Blades are cheaper, but I would think a burr would grind the beans finer and expose more surface area to the water instead of just slicing them up.

Yes, it’s worth it. Fresher, better tasting coffee.

Burr grinder. It grinds more consistency and you can hit a predetermined grind size from percolater to expresso.

We mostly grind. Blade. I am so so on how much better/fresher. Wife likes it. I could go either way myself.

First a burr grinder is what you want. Wife and I have been distributing a particular coffee brand to grocery outlets for about 7 years now. I'm retired but she's still doing it. I've heard people say a million times when they come down the coffee aisle in the store. "Oh that smells so good" and they go to the bulk dispensers and grind their own through the grinder in the store. The reason it smells so good is that's the smell of the coffee beans going stale. Those bulk containers are nowhere near air tight.

You're better off buying in bags that are vacuumed sealed. Whether you're better off grinding your own or just buying ground is personal opinion. I'm not a coffee snob even after being in the business. When I get up I don't want to do a lot of prep work. I just want a cup of coffee. The Kuerig K Cup works fine for me.

I will add that the sound of the grinder in the morning can be quite harsh if you're a little groggy from the night before.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Yes, it’s worth it. Fresher, better tasting coffee.

Burr grinder. It grinds more consistency and you can hit a predetermined grind size from percolater to expresso.

^^^ What tatortodd and Lastmanstanding said.

ETA: I've been using this Conical Burr Grinder and have been happy with it.

Used a Krups-blade for ages----always knew conical burr is better. Got a Baratza Virtuoso for xmas - use less beans than with blade----better brew---nicer all around

Yes

Burr grinder

Yes, yes

Burr

Just got a Capresso burr grinder, haven’t even had it long enough to know exactly what grind setting is best. We had a blade grinder for a long time—didn’t even use it. If there was a locally roasted coffee that we liked, I would just buy 12 oz packages and have them grind it. I can’t, so we bought the burr grinder and sent away for coffee.

Not even close! When you control all the variables. You want the best cup for your money and effort.
Whole beans, roasted fresh preferably.
Burr grinder, control grind size, no dust.
Water temp 195-205.
Water source, hard well water absolutely not.
Brewing system. You can't beat a pour over system, cheap and outstanding coffee.
Hario glass, goose neck & burr grinder <$100.
Proper bean storage.

quote:

Water source, hard well water absolutely not.

Bet you a dollar that our “hard well water,” tastes better than whatever you have.

Burr grinder is better than a blade one because the blade will simply chop the beans into tiny pieces of various sizes, while a burr will make the pieces approx. the same size. And grinding right before brewing does make a difference in taste.

Yes.

After much research I settled on the OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder.

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Con...rinder/dp/B07CSKGLMM

While researching the grinder, I also discovered OXO has great reviews on their coffee maker, and ended up picking it up as well.

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Bar...710100/dp/B00YEYKK8U

Never bought anything from OXO before, so have no brand loyalty to them. This combo makes for an impressive cup of joe without breaking the bank for some of the super high end coffee appliances.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
Burr grinder is better than a blade one because the blade will simply chop the beans into tiny pieces of various sizes, while a burr will make the pieces approx. the same size. And grinding right before brewing does make a difference in taste.

Besides the grind being very uneven, it is also really easy to heat the beans enough to ruin the flavor or even burn them in a blade grinder.

Blade grinders are terrible for grinding coffee.

We have two Kitchenaid grinders, one maybe 15 y.o, the other maybe 20. Have had a number of others before that, various brands. Tne KA's are the best yet. Haven't looked at new ones for a long time, no need.

I used to buy whole beans vacuum-sealed, and grind via blade by the pot. Went to the same brand but factory-ground, and do a pour-over by the cup.

What the grounds may or may not lack is made up by making each cup fresh. The coffee seems fresh when I cut open the foil; a bag does not last much more than a week.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
First, is it worth grinding one's own beans in the first place? Is it that much better than pre-ground?

Unquestionably yes. I'll explain why below.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Second, blade or burr grinder?

Unquestionably burr

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Blades are cheaper, but I would think a burr would grind the beans finer and expose more surface area to the water instead of just slicing them up.

Whirlyblade grinders are cheaper because they're easier to make. And your thinking is almost right. The problems with whirlyblade grinders are two-fold: 1. They produce an inconsistent grind and they generate a lot of powder. 2. They can actually burn the grind.

Now, as to why grinding right before brewing is so much better than pre-ground.

The enemy of roasted coffee beans is air. Air oxidizes the beans. That's what staleness is. The rate of oxidization is proportional the the amount of exposed area. When you grind beans you increase the area exposed to air by orders of magnitude. Thus you increase the rate of oxidization by orders of magnitude.

I once did an unintentional experiment. A buddy had given me 1-1/2 lbs. of fresh-roasted estate coffees over Christmas/New Year. I decided to bring my coffee to work. First two days I ground the beans the night before. The coffee the next morning just wasn't what it should have been. "Could it be the coffee geeks were right all along, and ground coffee really does go stale overnight?" So the 3rd day I ground them right before brewing. Lo and behold: The coffee that morning was as great as it should have been.

Now, mind you: Good coffee, freshly, and properly roasted. Good burr grinder. Decent brewer, with metal mesh filter. Proper ratio of water:coffee.

It all counts.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Water source, hard well water absolutely not.

Bet you a dollar that our “hard well water,” tastes better than whatever you have.

Indeed.

Our hard well water is filtered by a 20 micron filter before it hits the softener, then coffee and drinking water are filtered though Brita pitchers. That water tastes so good, after that, I swear we could bottle and sell it. Best of all: No chlorine in it.

City water? After you've been on good well water for a while, you can turn on a city water tap and smell the chlorine.

Not much else to add but one important item: an airtight vacuum seal container for your beans. Tried to look through my amazon orders but can’t find it. It’s a metal can with plastic lid and an inner lid that you push down to expel the air and lock the air out.

You could also get something to heat your water to the right temperature. I got one brand breville that you can select based on green tea, regular tea, and coffee.

Test Kitchen did a coffee grinder review that is very helpful: Test Kitchen Coffee Grinder Review

It's definitely worth it. I have a blade grinder, but when I gave a grinder as a gift, I got them a burr grinder.

quote:

Bet you a dollar that our “hard well water,” tastes better than whatever you have.

I have very hard well water, but it tastes wonderful. The water does impact the outcome, so if your tap water sucks, you should buy bottled.