For many coffee enthusiasts, choosing a suitable coffee grinder is a crucial step in improving the quality of coffee. During the process of purchasing a coffee grinder, we often hear a lot of discussions related to "cleanliness / clean feel", such as "fine grind" and "grinding uniformity". These terms are often associated with the price of the coffee grinder, but is cleanliness really that important? Can higher-end coffee grinders truly bring a cleaner coffee flavor? This article will delve into these questions to help you understand the true value of a coffee grinder's cleanliness.
The Dilemma of Coffee Grinder Cleanliness and Price
Recently, I've heard a very common saying: "The more expensive the coffee grinder, the higher the cleanliness." As more and more people raise this issue, I began to doubt whether this concept is accurate. Is the cleanliness of a coffee grinder entirely determined by its price?
The Trade-off Between Layered Feel and Cleanliness in Coffee Grinders
Actually, in the process of continuously upgrading coffee grinders, I believe there's a certain "mystique" to the grinders themselves. As the price climbs, of course, aside from their craftsmanship and appearance becoming more refined, the most important aspect is that their blades will have different characteristics. I would describe this as somewhat akin to kitchen cookware—everyone should know that rice cooked in an electric rice cooker and a clay pot tastes different.
An electric rice cooker can bring a very clean feeling, where each grain of rice is distinct; whereas a clay pot is different, besides rice grains, you may also experience some burnt aroma or even the taste of charcoal, because the cooking materials and heat control it uses are different. Of course, I'm not an expert, just using this analogy to help understand.
When it comes to coffee grinders, I would describe the market as having two extremes: one pursuing ultimate cleanliness, the other focusing on layered feel and lingering aftertaste. These two are very difficult to balance, so you need to rely on brewing skills to strike a balance between them. This is why you will see various types of coffee grinders on the market, satisfying different needs.
Sometimes, you might even see manufacturers providing grinding efficiency data for coffee grinders, detailing how their coffee grounds measure up. This type of data usually appears on high-end coffee grinders. Because besides many people testing these products, manufacturers also need to use this data to elevate their brand positioning, thereby differentiating from other coffee grinders, which can also explain why their prices are so high.
How to Simply Improve the Cleanliness of a Coffee Grinder?
Ultimately, to achieve the "cleanliness" of a coffee grinder, is it only those extremely expensive grinders that can do it? The answer is no. In fact, just using a sifter like Fellow's, or other brands' sifters, can achieve good results. No matter how poor your coffee grinder is, as long as you use this sifter, your coffee grounds can become cleaner. This is because the sifter can filter out fine particles and dust, reducing the impact of fine particles during brewing, which reduces clogging during water flow, resulting in smoother flow and greatly improving the "cleanliness" of the coffee.
This effect is somewhat difficult to fully express in words, but you can think of the electric rice cooker theory mentioned earlier, its principle is similar. If you have the opportunity, you can try it, because the price of these sifters is actually not that expensive, around a few hundred dollars.
Drawbacks of Cleanliness: Monotony of Flavor
At times, I was also once very fascinated by the concept of "cleanliness." However, I gradually discovered a very obvious drawback: your coffee flavor will always be limited to one or two fixed expressions. Tasting the same type of coffee for a long time can easily lead to fatigue because such a flavor is indeed too monotonous and lacks variation.
When you taste hand-brewed coffee to a certain extent, you may find that some coffee lovers no longer pursue the "cleanliness" of coffee, but are more inclined to seek the "original juice and original flavor" of coffee beans. So, what is "original juice and original flavor"? Simply put, they will pour out the coffee beans, carefully inspect the ripeness of each bean, and select those beans that are not in optimal condition or have defects, then proceed with the hand-brewing steps. The purpose of doing this is to try to restore the original flavor of the coffee beans as much as possible because during the process of a roaster handling large batches of coffee beans, there may be a few beans that are not ideally ripe or have defects, which can affect the overall flavor performance of the coffee and, in turn, the final quality of the hand-brewed coffee.
Of course, if you use this method every time you hand-brew coffee, even if your brewing equipment is relatively ordinary, you can still achieve very good results. However, it should be noted that each time you select coffee beans, you may need to invest more time, such as about 10 minutes for careful selection. Naturally, with the accumulation of experience, the time may shorten as you become more proficient. Through this method, the flavor of the final brewed coffee will indeed see a significant improvement. In fact, this process is somewhat similar to the meticulous process of selecting raw beans by a roaster before a competition.
The Trend and Choice of High-End Coffee Grinders
In fact, regarding the grinders I know, the higher-end grinders often have different flavor orientations. For example, the EG-1 from Weber Workshop can be considered a very clean grinder. However, some coffee enthusiasts might choose a Mazzer grinder because it can provide a richer flavor (mostly). Each grinder brand has different flavor orientations, so price is not always the sole standard for quality. Even some cheaper grinders can have their relative value.
Therefore, if you are pursuing absolute coffee cleanliness, the most economical choice is undoubtedly to buy a sifter. This way, you can easily remove the fine particles and dust from the coffee grounds, improving the quality of hand-brewed coffee.
Of course, if you want to save time on daily hand-brewing coffee, then a high-end grinder is another option. Moreover, some new grinders have begun to offer so-called "speed control." Traditional electric grinders are designed for high speed to improve efficiency, but some studies later found that the flavor ground at low speed might be relatively better. Therefore, the new generation of grinders often includes the function of low-speed grinding. However, note that this is different from the traditional fan speed because, during the grinding process, the grinder's blades also need to provide a certain force to ensure the grinding effect. So, this is not simply a distinction between high speed and low speed.
However, this topic might be somewhat complex, and there may be an opportunity to share more details with everyone later.
Common Q&A
Q1. What is the cleanliness of a grinder?
A1. The cleanliness of a grinder refers to the uniformity of the coffee grounds' particle size. The smaller the particle size difference, the cleaner the brewed coffee, thus reducing the situation of over-extraction or under-extraction.
Q2. Is a more expensive grinder necessarily cleaner?
A2. Not necessarily. More expensive grinders may have more uniform grinding results, but cleanliness is not entirely determined by price. Using a sifter can also achieve similar results.
Q3. What are the drawbacks of high cleanliness coffee?
A3. High cleanliness coffee may feel monotonous in flavor, and long-term consumption can feel bland. Therefore, pursuing the original juice and flavor of coffee beans can sometimes be more interesting than excessively pursuing cleanliness.
Q4. What is the function of a sifter?
Q4. A sifter can effectively filter out fine particles, thereby enhancing the cleanliness of coffee, making the brewed coffee smoother.
Q5. What are the special features of high-end grinders?
Q5. High-end grinders typically have options for low-speed grinding, combined with adjustments in blade force, thereby enhancing the layering of coffee flavor.
Q6. Is cleanliness the only pursuit?
Q6. The cleanliness of a grinder is not the only direction worth pursuing, as everyone's preference for coffee flavor varies.
Conclusion: Is cleanliness the only pursuit?
The cleanliness of a grinder is not the only direction worth pursuing, as everyone's preference for coffee flavor varies. Some people prefer a clean and balanced coffee flavor, while others prefer a rich and full-bodied complexity. I hope this article can help everyone better understand the true value of various options before purchasing a grinder, thus making the most suitable decision for themselves.
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