As any coffee lover should know, coffee's flavor depends greatly upon its freshness. Even non-coffee lovers can love the smell of freshly ground coffee -- and with good reason. Much of the coffee's flavor comes from the carbon dioxide (CO2) naturally contained within the beans.
While our tongues can only perceive the most basic flavors, e.g. sour, sweet, bitter, and salty, any complex flavors are detected via our noses; and our noses cannot smell anything which is not a gas -- such as carbon dioxide. It's from grinding the beans that this carbon dioxide is released.
However, like a can of soda which has been opened, that CO2 is not going to stay within the coffee after it's been ground. Being a gas, it naturally wants to escape. Also, as with an opened can of soda, ground coffee which has been sitting around for too long becomes flat and stale.
If you're a coffee-lover who wishes to elevate the quality of your coffee, investing in a grinder is an easy way to do so. If you have already purchased a kettle and scale, you are already well on your way to having improved your coffee beyond most.
Once you've decided to purchase a grinder, you will find many choices. My main suggestion is to avoid blade grinders. Yes, they're less expensive and possibly an improvement over pre-ground coffee, but they will easily frustrate you. Rather than grind beans, they chop them -- and they'll do so unevenly, resulting in an uneven extraction. That means your coffee will taste both weak and bitter at once.
No -- rather than getting a cheap blade grinder, spend a few dollars more and get yourself a good burr grinder. Hand-grinders are less expensive, but be prepared for a bit of a workout. If you don't have the patience for that, however, a good entry-price burr grinder will run you about $100 to $140.
However, unless you're in danger of not paying your utilities, no coffee-lover would ever regret it. Perhaps while you're out buying Christmas presents this year, you could give yourself a little present which you'll enjoy every morning you make your first cup of the day. And if you're entertaining friends and family during the holiday season, treat them to some nice cups of freshly-ground coffee as well. They'll love it!
-- Roaster Dutch
Rube's Good-Brain Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster located in Kittrell, NC. We will your coffee to order which you may either pick-up or have shipped. Should you have any questions, please contact us at dutchroaster [at] gmail [dot] com or by calling us at 252-430-0676. If you're interested in ordering wholesale for your business, please contact us for more information. Customers outside of our area may order via our easy-to-use online shop. Just click onto wherever it says: Fresh Coffee Now!
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