Kaffeemühlen

Kaffeemühlen, meaning coffee grinders in German, are devices used to grind roasted coffee beans into smaller particles. The fineness of the grind significantly impacts the flavor of the brewed coffee, influencing the extraction process. Different brewing methods require different grind sizes; for instance, espresso machines need a very fine grind, while French presses use a coarser grind.

Historically, coffee grinders were manual devices. Early versions, dating back to the 15th century, were often made of wood and featured a rotating burr or a set of rollers. These manual grinders typically required significant effort to produce a consistent grind. The design evolved over centuries, with innovations like the crank mechanism becoming common.

In the 20th century, electric coffee grinders emerged, offering convenience and speed. These electric models primarily fall into two categories: blade grinders and burr grinders. Blade grinders operate like small blenders, using a spinning blade to chop the beans. While inexpensive and quick, they tend to produce an inconsistent grind with some very fine powder and some larger chunks, which can lead to uneven extraction and off-flavors. Burr grinders, on the other hand, use two abrasive surfaces (burrs) to crush the beans between them. This method allows for more control over the grind size and produces a much more uniform particle size, which is preferred by most coffee enthusiasts for optimal flavor extraction. Burr grinders can be either manual or electric.