There’s a common misconception among first-time home baristas: that the espresso machine is the most important fixture in your home. It’s the natural choice! This is where the magic happens.
But if you speak with any professional barista or coffee roaster, they will tell you that one of the most important (yet often overlooked) tools on your bench is actually your coffee grinder.
Without a high-quality grind, even the most expensive espresso machine in the world will struggle to produce a delicious cup of coffee. After decades spent perfecting the way coffee is extracted, we know that any coffee grinder Australia baristas love and trust will be one that unlocks coffee’s flavour in a very real way.
To really get this right, it helps to have not only an excellent grinder but also to know how to use it well. It’s the single biggest step you can take toward making café-quality coffee at home. So, let’s get you using your grinder like a pro.
Why does the type of coffee grinder you use matter?
The type of coffee grinder you use matters because each one will produce a particular kind of result. There are two main types of grinders you will see on the market: blade grinders and burr grinders.
Blade grinders are, in a sense, a blender. They include a spinning blade to chop the beans into smaller and smaller pieces, which sounds like being ground up, but in reality, the pieces are never the same size. The result you get isn’t uniform; it contains a mix of large chunks and fine dust. Unfortunately, when this is brewed, that means the dust over-extracts and becomes bitter, while the chunks under-extract and become sour. It’s not a great combination, which is why any coffee grinder Australia café owners will invest in is likely a burr grinder.
If you’re serious about making great coffee, then you need a burr grinder. This style of coffee grinder has two abrasive surfaces (which we call ‘burrs’) that crush the beans into a uniform size. To change the grind size, adjust the distance between the burrs. For anyone seeking a coffee grinder Australia-wide, then picking out a burr-style machine is the only way to make sure you get the best.
How to use your coffee grinder:
1. Measure your beans.
No bad coffee will survive a good dose of precision, so when grinding your beans, precision is key. You’ll see a lot of first-timers just filling the hopper to the top with beans and letting them sit there, but we recommend dosing as you go.
Beans start to go stale as they sit in your coffee grinder, so the best way to use a grinder is to weigh out the beans as you go and grind them as-needed.
For a standard double espresso, you are usually looking for about 18-20 grams of coffee. By weighing the beans first, you ensure you use the same amount every time, so you can achieve a perfectly consistent cup of coffee.
2. Adjust your grind size.
On any high-quality coffee grinder Australia-wide (like our Pico model), you’ll notice an adjustment collar or dial that changes the distance between the burrs manually. This is what you’ll use to find the perfect size for your beans and signature drink.
If your grinder is new, start brewing with the manufacturer’s recommended setting. The goal is to make sure water can flow through the coffee to produce between 36 and 40 grams of liquid coffee in no more than 30 seconds. If your shot finishes too early, then your grind is too coarse. If your shot finishes in 45 seconds, then your coffee is too fine.
Across each new cup that you make, find tweaks and adjustments to ‘dial in’ your grind until you’re happy with the consistency you see in the cup each time.
3. Load and grind your beans.
Once your settings are ready, it’s time to get grinding. Before you get going, make sure your hopper is on securely and the “gate” is open to release the grinds. Turn the grinder on and let it run. If you have a digital timer, you can set it to deliver exactly the amount of coffee you need with one touch. If you have a manual grinder, then you’ll need to keep an eye on the volume.
4. Purge and clean your grinder.
Coffee beans are oily. Over time, these oils build up on the burrs and inside the chute. Aside from regularly purging your grinder, give it a brush out once a week to prevent old beans from turning rancid in the chute.
When in doubt, make a lot of coffee. This is the secret to calibrating almost any skill, and in this case, it is also the secret to slowly calibrating your own grinder.
The more coffees you make, the more you’ll be able to learn how many beans you need for each cup of coffee, so you can only grind what you are about to use straight away. Any time you use a coffee grinder, you want to take the guesswork out of your morning, so it’s worth taking the time to dial in your shot first.
Find your perfect grinder with La Marzocco.
At La Marzocco, we make it our mission to bring decades of Italian espresso mastery to at-home baristas like you. Pair the industry-leading Pico with your in-home espresso machine to create the very best coffee, every single day.
Browse our range of espresso machines and grinders today.
