Indispensable in commercial settings and perfect for coffee enthusiasts who brew at home, coffee grinders are essential investments. The Barista Shop range features outstanding and diverse grinders from leading brands including Eureka, Cunill, Wilfa, Tiamo and Bodum. Whether you require a manual coffee grinder, or an electric grinder that can cope with the rigours of the busiest service, you will find the equipment you need here. The finest grinders will enable you to craft delicious coffees that are bursting with both flavour and aroma.
Why use a coffee grinder?
Oxidation causes ground coffee to gradually lose its aroma and flavour. For this reason, cafés, coffee shops, restaurants and coffee connoisseurs grind beans just before preparing coffees. The diversity of the available machines ensures that you can invest in the perfect coffee grinder for your needs. From manual grinders for use at home to high capacity electric grinders for commercial operations, our range features impressive choices.
Should you choose a blade grinder or a burr grinder?
Electric grinders feature either burrs or blades to grind the coffee beans. Blade grinders work in the same way as a food processor. You load coffee beans and then press start. The longer you grind for, the finer the grind. Easy to use, grinders with blades tend to be affordable options but they deliver inconsistent grinds and generate heat that can impact the flavour of the coffee.
Burr grinders are more complex machines but offer greater consistency and enable you to select the coarseness of grind you need for a particular brew. Burr grinders are the first choice of most commercial operators. Grinder burrs may be steel or ceramic. Steel burrs result in vivid flavour notes and clean drinks. They are ideal for modern espresso and espresso based drinks. Cermaic burrs produce more dust during grinding and so give you fuller-bodied, classic espresso.
It is worth noting that burr grinders can feature flat burrs or conical burrs. Conical Burr Grinders have two cone shaped burrs with ridges that grind/crush the coffee. Flat Plate Burr Grinders have two identical and parallel rings that are serrated on the side that faces the other. Conical burrs are usually found in the very low-speed gear reduction grinders that are costly. Flat plate burrs are used in all qualities of grinders, from the lower priced high-speed grinders to the low-speed, direct drive commercial grade grinders. But both flat burrs and conical burrs deliver consistent grinds and excellent flavour.
What are dosing and non-dosing grinders?
You will need to settle upon the style of grinder that would best suit your needs. Non-dosing grinders are on-demand models that dispense grinds immediately to prevent loss of flavour. Most enable you to dispense coffee directly into a portafilter. Dosing grinders produce large amounts of coffee in one go that is dispensed into a container. While dosing grinders are helpful during busy services, the ground coffee will lose it s flavour if not used immediately.
What features should you look for?
When choosing your coffee grinder, it is worth looking at the various features that machines offer. Consider ease of use, whether the grind size adjustment is stepped or stepless, the capacity of the grinder, its productivity and how quietly it operates. Every business is unique and so what works well in one restaurant may not be the best choice for the coffee shop next door.
