Make better coffee at home - get yourself a coffee grinder

For many, grinding their own coffee can seem outlandish and unnecessary. It can seem to be a tedious process, especially if you haven’t got the right kit for the job. But with good equipment and the right ingredients, it is an easy job that opens completely new doors in the world of coffee.

Coffee professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike will agree that this is the first step in elevating your home coffee-making. The main reason why you should grind the coffee beans yourself is simple:

After the coffee is ground, about half of the oils and fats that give the coffee its aroma and delicious taste oxidise quickly. If, on the other hand, you store the coffee in bean form, protected from sunlight, heat and moisture, this oxidation will be much slower. The flavours are preserved for much longer and the shelf life of the coffee is lengthened.

Greater flexibility

If you choose to grind your own coffee, you will also have far greater control over the coffee you make.

First and foremost, you have the opportunity to brew all types of coffee from one bag of beans just by adjusting the degree of grinding. This will give you access to brewing methods as diverse as espresso, French press, pour over and Moka pot.

At the same time, the degree of grinding will have a great impact on the final taste of your coffee. If you think the coffee is too bitter, you grind the coffee coarser. If you think it is too watery and sour, you adjust your grinder finer.

Good equipment does not have to be expensive

There is a sea of different coffee grinders on the marker today that all claim to be the best. The challenge is to separate the good from the less good, and to avoid buying the very bad indeed! It is wise to take as a starting point the needs that the grinder should cover.

“A quality grinder does not have to cost the earth. You go a long way with a coffee grinder that doesn’t break the bank,” says product director at Wilfa, Vegard Fjelland, and points out the product" Wilfa Svart Aroma Grinder as an example.

“Here you have a very good coffee grinder with a large capacity and five grinding settings for just £135. Then you are guaranteed to get a lot of good coffee at a favourable price, says Vegard.