Connoisseurs of coffee say that grinding your choice of beans is the easiest and surest way to start the day with a drink you will savour.
Retro burr mills vs blade mills
There are some basic considerations when choosing your grinder. You need to buy one that is simple un-complicated and therefore not messy to operate. Burr mills tend to be favoured over blade mills because they do not heat the beans on grinding which may spoil the oil in the bean. Smooth slow manual cranking through a range of available adjustments should deliver the finish you want for the type of coffee you like. You will want a texture to suit the coffee machine you are using, whether drip feed or filter.
Vintage Coffee Grinders
Most of the many manual burr models on the market have a similar way of working with a cranking handle, or a Ferris-type wheel, and grinding mechanism. Although the practice of grinding beans can be traced back to Roman times and through to the early 19th century with Nicholas Book’s milling invention, a golden period in grinder production was between 1929 and 1950 when the Armin Trosser Burr Mill was being manufactured. Many of the units made then are still to be found today as a testament to the use and reliability in gratifying the user with a fine cup of coffee. Examples of these fine vintage wood and metal survivors in good working order and for sale can be found on eBay and EtsyUK.
Retro Coffee Mills
You may prefer to buy a new retro model that works in the same way, as the one above, looks similar and can offer long service. There are several ones on the Amazon UK website with a wooden base and metal bowl and handle at what seems to be a reasonable price but I know little more about them at this time.
One other retro style grinder that has caught the eye is the Fecihor Manual Ceramic Core Coffee Bean Grinder With Cleaner Brush. Reviewers like this one very much and again the price is competitive. It has a very antique look almost an industrial sculpture in design with cast iron wheel. Will look fetching in the kitchen. It is a burr mechanism with a hand crank and a wooden base with a catch draw for the grounds. There is an adjustable grinding selector. For further information to read do go to the Amazon UK website here.
Making time…
Of course,preparing your perfect coffee is not for anyone who is time poor.The routine requires its fair share of attention.Well a few minutes anyway outside the hurly burly of the busy life many of us lead.But with a little organisation, how exquisite if you can afford to invest that few minutes.Fifty years ago it was common to catch the wonderful aroma of freshly ground in high streets up and down the UK as you passed by an old style general store selling coffee beans.Now you can have that pleasure everyday in your own kitchen.