Buy Coffee Maker and Grinder Separately

One could argue that there are numerous factors to consider when you need to choose a coffee maker. One of the factor is whether you need a separate grinder or just buy a combo machine where you'll get the coffee maker and grinder all in one machine. There are certainly advantages and disadvantages when buying a combo machine. The first disadvantage of a combined machine is that if there's something wrong with your coffee maker then the grinder must go too.

The next problem comes when it is time to clean the machine. If you have the grinder attached to the coffee maker then cleaning it can be a hassle. The third problem is the coffee ground quality. It is common to have non uniform coffee ground when you have a combo unit.

Get Yourself A Separate Grinder

Even though having a coffe maker with grinder is convenient the disadvantage is outweight the advatages. No matter how good you coffee machine is a good grinder is essential to making good cup of coffee. So if you want your coffee to taste really good you need to get a separate coffee grinder.

Just like a coffee maker, grinders also come in all kinds of variations in model, price, features, etc. You can either get the basic grinders which simply get the job done or you could opt for the higher end models which has different settings for frech press, espresso and drip.

Coffe grinders can be divided into two types. One that use steel blades to chop the coffee bean and the burr coffee grinder.

A blade grinder is basically a small bowl equipped with blades in it. When the electric motor spins the blades they chop and break the coffee beans into smaller particles. The problem is that it produces inconsistent ground size. So when you try to make a coarse grind for a press pot, you'll end up with too many fine grounds which will plug your press pot and some will seep through into your cup.

A burr coffee bean grinder is a grinder that instead of blades it uses two flat-plate discs (that's the flat plate burr grinder) or two cone shaped burrs with opposing rough edges to crush the coffee beans into smaller particles.

Burr coffee grinder is the preferred choice if you want to make espresso because it can produce consistently uniform grind size. It is important because non-uniform grind will only make your coffee taste odd since some of the ground will over extract and some others under extract. Even though a burr grinder can cost you over $100 but it's well worth it. If possible get a burr grinder where you can set the ground coarseness instead of a single setting.

Remember, having a good grinder is as important as having a good coffee maker because to make the freshest cup of coffee you will need to grind the coffee beans yourself. That way you can be sure you're using the best and freshest coffee beans possible. And that is the secret of having the perfect cup of coffee each and every morning.