Well we say put your money where your grind is!

If you think about the process logically - your grind is the foundation to your espresso - the square route - the be all and end all to what you are trying to achieve. If the grind is wrong don’t even bother trying to pull the espresso. If you are spending £20-50 on a grinder you will probably be buying a blade grinder that does not actually grind the beans, but chop, shave and pulverize them into a wide variety of particle sizes. These types of grinders are generally not recommended for coffee brewing, and are definitely not recommended for the more demanding grind required for espresso or moka pot brewing. Moreover when beans have been chopped rather than ground they have the tendency to brew uneven and in some cases introduce bitterness into the cup.

You should be looking for a burr grinder that rather than using blades uses metal revolving discs which grind the beans with consistently using slower speeds than and low heat a blade grinder. This process basically keeps the delicate flavours and aromas of roasted coffee beans intact and furthermore fineness of the coffee can easily be adjusted meaning you can create the perfect grind for whatever you are going to put the end product.

Whether you are have espresso, cafetière or percolator coffee the burr grinder will do the best job. If fact if you are using a blade grinder and buy a burr grinder you will be astounded at the difference it will make to a simple cup of black coffee. For us the process map in order of importance for espresso is:

• The grind quality
• The bean quality
• The bean freshness
• The grind freshness
• The correct dose
• Correct tamping
• The machine
• The water quality

​The Mahlkonig Vario is a home grinder and we think one of the best, if not the best home grinder on the market. It has 54mm ceramic burrs which will give up to twice the life of regular steel burrs. It will grind approx. 1.6g per second - so very fast. 

It has a very nice feature in the ability to change between espresso setting and French press quickly and easily. The grinder has two sliding levers - one is for macro changes to the burrs and the other is for finer micro changes. Once you have set your micro setting for espresso to then grind for filter or French press just slide the right hand lever down to your brew method. Once you've finished slide back up to espresso and the micro lever is still locked in at your previous setting. Also - most grinders are somewhat noisy but Mahlkonig Vario is really quiet due to its belt drive motor - plus its looks great and doesn’t take up much room on the kitchen work top.