Grinding coffee in your own kitchen provides the opportunity to touch and smell the beans, as well as anticipate the sweetness, acidity, taste and flavor of the cup. The coffee he makes is rich and fresh and the aroma that fills the room is a great way to start a new day. There are tools and appliances that are prized possessions on the kitchen counter full time. Yours may be different from the ones someone else prefers, but they probably include several of the following: a coffee maker with a built-in grinder or a separate coffee grinder, a blender, juicer, or food processor, a set of quality knives and a radius.
There are many grinder options available. Old grinders in mills in the form of a cylinder. Manual grinders that you place on top of a bowl to collect the ground coffee. Crank grinders with a drawer under the blade for grounds. The mortar and pestle coffee grinder is another old version that requires manual strength and patience to grind the coffee. Other types of coffee grinders available include electric and manual models with conical or wheel grinds.
The history of coffee grinders dates back to the Middle Ages to Turkey, Persia and Greece. The coffee beans were roasted in small saucers over the fire. To grind the coffee, a cylinder-shaped mill was used. The hand crank grinder was quite simple in design. The upper part would have a removable lid to place the coffee beans in the main body of the container. The main body was in the shape of a cylinder. The inner mill ground the coffee beans. The ground coffee would fall into a bowl or plate. The grounds were transferred to a different container for brewing. Grinders were modified over time. For example, two tapered bushings were added to the design. One attached to the grinder and the other to the bottom of the body using a screw. The lower container would contain the ground coffee. This is the way millions of people in Turkey and abroad still use the Turkish manual coffee grinder.
A wooden mortar and pestle grinder, used to make “powdered coffee,” was included on the cargo ship of the Mayflower in 1620. This is no surprise since Captain John Smith (c. January 1580-June 21, 1631 ), who was an English soldier, explorer, author and one of the first to arrive on the New Continent, had become familiar with coffee during his visits to Turkey. It is interesting to note that the Dutch, who had early knowledge of coffee from their colonies around the world, were not the first to bring coffee to the first permanent settlements. However, coffee was probably imported from Holland as early as 1640. The British introduced the coffee drink to the New York colony sometime between 1664 and 1673, which is notable since tea is the traditional British beverage. In the 1670s, coffee was roasted, ground, brewed, and then flavored with sugar or honey and cinnamon. Undoubtedly, the technique of grinding coffee with the mortar and pestle changed as innovative settlers in the New World discovered ways to make the task of grinding coffee easier by using more efficient and durable coffee grinding tools.
The first US patent for a coffee grinder was issued to Thomas Bruff of Maryland in 1798. Thomas Bruff was one of Thomas Jefferson’s dentists. Thomas Jefferson often referred to dental problems and visits to the dentist in letters that are now in the public domain. It is quite possible that when he visited Dr. Bruff’s office, Thomas Jefferson may have seen a wall-mounted device with beans ground between metal nuts with coarse and fine teeth. No pun intended, but how fitting that a dentist filed the first US patent for a coffee grinder! In 1870, the Champion#1 became one of the most widely used commercial grinders in grocery stores. In 1898, the Hobart Manufacturing Company of Troy, Ohio filed a patent for an electric grinder. The design included teeth on a rotating shaft inside the casing below the grain compartment. Several years later, several patents were granted for grinder blades that used slightly different improvements in the steel-cutting design.
For some coffee lovers and connoisseurs, vintage coffee grinders are a must-have collectible in their homes. This doesn’t mean that if you’re one of them, you have to look for one at yard sales or vintage general stores. You certainly can if that’s your preference. However, well-known coffee brewing equipment manufacturers have recognized the trend and now offer a wide selection of coffee machines that look genuinely old. They retain the look and feel of vintage coffee grinders, but incorporate modern enhancements to ensure a superior, fine grind for great-tasting coffee. Some of the old style gourmet coffee grinder brands include Bodum, Universal, and Jablum to mention just a few.
Of course, you don’t have to use an old fashioned coffee grinder to grind your beans. There are many alternatives available in modern coffee grinding equipment to satisfy the most demanding of coffee lovers. Burr grinders are probably the best option for grinding coffee at home. They tend to have two different rotating surfaces to crush the grains placed between them. Cylinder styles, sizes, shapes, and other features vary from model to model. Why use a burr grinder? Unlike blade grinders, burr grinders grind coffee with almost no friction, meaning the beans release the most flavorful oils for a great, fresh cup of coffee. Burr grinders are available as manual or automatic grinders. The choice will be entirely yours. The manual process is not that long, really. It usually takes about 5 minutes or so of manual grinding for a typical pot size of 8 to 12 cups. However, this can be inconvenient if you are short on time. Whether you choose a manual or automatic grinder, your coffee will grind evenly, which is a great feature for great-tasting coffee. Bodum, Capresso, and Breville are examples of available coffee grinder brands.
With all this coffee talk, I’m ready for a great cup of genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain gourmet coffee. Do you want to join me for a cup?
