Benefits of a Manual Coffee Grinder

Would you prefer to drink coffee that was pre-ground a week ago with a browning grinder, or coffee that was freshly processed with a blade grinder?

A research team took a new batch of suitably roasted coffee and ground half the batch with a grain protein grinder. The other half was left just as the whole bean and the two samples were sealed for one week in airtight coffee bags.

On the day before the tasting, the whole bean coffee was ground with a blade slider, and the two samples were then placed side by side. A group of coffee practitioners and consumers sampled both coffees and provided their feedback on each coffee.

The newly mixed coffee had the same feedback as the week-old pre-ground coffee. Neither was better or worse.

Given the importance we put on fresh coffee, this test is a little jarring. It shows that having freshly ground coffee is not enough. You also need to have the right tool to grind it to make the best blend.
Some tasks such as woodwork, gardening and manual coffee brewing are more straightforward, but people are willing to spend time because they love the process.

Comfort is meaningless; the feeling of accomplishment in making something is far more important than the effort it takes.

Grinding your beans through a manual process gets you closer to your favorite brew.

What is a manual hand grinder?

Manual coffee grinders are medium to high performers that generate uniform size (which is essential to balance and create delicious coffee). Manual grinders can be used for all types of coffee, from French press to espresso without any problem.

You'll quickly find that it can be minimal effort for manual coffee grinders. It is possible to hold most of them with one hand and crank them with the other. This is a big win for manual grinders if portability for travel brewing is high on your priority list.

Manual burr grinders create uniform size grounds, which are essential for the quality of the coffee. They can produce consistent grind sizes. However, not all of these grinders feature grind-size settings. You may also note that manual coffee grinders tend to be small and compact. The more settings and features that included, the higher the price point.

Most are carried with one hand, while cranking is used with the other hand. When searching for a coffee grinder, if portability is one of your primary considerations, you will fall in love with the manual ones. They are built ergonomically, making prolonged grinding very manageable.

You will also note that some of the electronic grinders on the market are more robust than manual grinders, so think of them as a long-term investment in your morning routine, as they will certainly last for several years.

A manual coffee grinder is a tiny simple unit, consisting of one small bean storage hopper, a set of coffee bean grinding burrs, and a collection chambers below to collect the ground coffee. Each component is linked through a single rod that connects the handle and turns the burrs.

A reliable and excellent manual grinder can be purchased for a very reasonable price and will supply you with fresh coffee for many years.

Manual Coffee Grinder Pros:

• Mid-High Performance (Consistent, Uniform Grounds)
• Portable
• Durable
• Simple
• Inexpensive

Manual Coffee Grinder Cons:

• Elbow-Grease Required
• Limited Grind Size Settings and Adjustments

5 Benefits of a Manual Hand Grinder:

1. Authentic Taste:

Manual grinders don’t heat the beans during the grinding process, and therefore create better quality tasting coffee. The majority of automatic grinders grind at high speeds, and friction marginally raises the coffee temperature within a short period. This could theoretically alter the flavor profile of the beans. You don’t have to worry about this with a manual hand grinder.

2. Compact Design:

For individuals with little space, manual grinders have substantial benefits. Their compact, portable design allows them to easily be used in any space. You also don’t have to worry about plugging them in, so no need for an outlet. You can use them wherever you need to and then simply store them away in a cupboard or drawer.

3. Quiet Operation:

Due to the fact that manual grinders don’t use electricity they are quieter to operate than automatic models. While both types do make some noise, the manual hand grinders are much less disruptive. Your family will be happy because they can continue to watch tv, listen to music, or sleep in without preventing you from making coffee. Everyone in the family will be happy.

4. Doesn’t Require Power:

People who want to camp and travel without electricity have a significant advantage. Manual hand grinders are available to make it easy for you to enjoy freshly ground coffee on the road or in the woods. Really anywhere you like to travel and vacation.

5. Affordable Price Point:

Hand grinders are much less expensive than automatic coffee grinders. You can get a high-end manual grinder at a much more cost-efficient price point than you would pay for its automatic counterpart. If you want a high-quality machine that is affordable, then consider buying a manual hand grinder.

Problems That May Occur:

The burrs are turned unaligned.

More beans are dropping into the lower end of the burrs, allowing the distance between two burr parts to expand slightly and decrease overall consistency of the ground coffee.

Some beans are forced through the burrs too quickly. 

Beans ground at the lower end is squeezed down with more weight than average by the beans above them, which allows them to be forced through the burrs a little quicker than the ones going through the burrs on the upper end. These two events can hurt the grind's uniformity - and these slight differences in grind uniformity can lead to significant taste changes.

How to Clean and Maintain the Manual Hand Grinder:

Like anything else in the world, the grinder's burrs need cleaning now and then. As well as microscopic coffee particles, natural oils from previous coffee gradually build up on the burrs. These can be scraped off by fresh beans from the burrs and brewed into your mug days or weeks later, but they usually don't taste good at all - and after months and months of sticking around, the oils can also go rancid.

This is why, every single day, fancy specialty shops clean their espresso grinders!

Disassemble & Clean the Grinder:

It is important to keep your manual hand grinder clean and maintained. You should disassemble the grinder. Be sure to keep track of how to put it back together in the correct order. Then using warm soapy water, you can clean all of the parts. You can use a q-tip to clean the smaller parts and areas to remove all of the oils and buildup on the pieces.

Dry it Off:

To extract the soap, oils, and buildup, thoroughly wipe down the burrs with a fresh towel. Leave the parts out for a few hours to dry.

Assemble the Grinder:

Put all of the parts back together in the proper order. Grind some fresh coffee!

Manual Hand Grinders vs Automatic Electric Grinders

Final Thoughts:

Manual hand grinders are the perfect option if you are on a budget and have limited space, yet don’t want to give up the quality of your coffee. A manual coffee grinder will give you the fresh ground coffee you want anywhere you are.

These machines are compact, lightweight, and portable so you can take them while you travel. They don’t need electricity, so they are the perfect option to take backpacking or camping. If you want to enjoy your perfect brew all over the world, then buy and use a manual hand grinder.

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