# How to Grind Coffee Beans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591 "2010-02-19T03:52:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/21 "2010-02-20T01:43:40Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Thanks, I’ll look into it. A Cuisinart attachement sounds reasonable…I don’t want yet another kitchen appliance as I am no coffee conneauseur [nor a spelling conneauseur, c’nnow? 😉] I think **lee** was referring to a standalone Cuisinart brand burr grinder. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/22 "2010-02-21T01:56:23Z")
> [@ghostman](#): > > You also can probably bring it to a local Starbucks, and if you purchase a coffee there, i’d be really surprised if they wouldn’t run it through their grinder for you. I have done this on one occasion when I had a couple pounds that needed grinding at once–they were happy to oblige. It only costs the price of a cup of coffee and even that was not required. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/23 "2010-02-21T14:00:24Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > OTOH, I have had my burr grinder for nearly 10 years, have never had to take it apart and it still gives me the uniform grind that I never got from my blade grinder. And it makes a huge difference when making espresso or french press. Agreed. Burrs are vastly superior to blades and need almost no maintenance. As well as being inexpensive. Somebody might be able to get the cheapest possible blade grinder for $5 less than the cheapest possible burr, but the moment you introduce “cheapest possible” into the conversation, you’re already setting up to do something stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/24 "2010-02-21T14:05:25Z")
I’ve done this at Starbucks too. I did buy some coffee but the were happy to do it. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/25 "2010-02-21T16:59:57Z")
I’ve never been able to find a grinder that and adequately make an espresso grind. Even on the finest setting, the grounds are too course. I’ve tried several. I have a dedicates spice grinder that has the same problem. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/26 "2010-02-21T17:17:03Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I’ve never been able to find a grinder that and adequately make an espresso grind. Even on the finest setting, the grounds are too course. I’ve tried several. I have a dedicates spice grinder that has the same problem. My burr grinder has many settings that grind too fine to make decent espresso out of the powdered results. And my espresso machine is a Rancilio Silvia, so yes, it’s a competent espresso machine. Try a Rancilio Rocky burr grinder. I think it’ll reduce the beans down to their compotent molecules. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/27 "2010-02-21T17:18:49Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I’ve never been able to find a grinder that and adequately make an espresso grind. The [grinding plates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coffee_burr_grinder.jpg) on most home burr grinders are too small to do a decent job at that. To some extent the manufacturers can compensate for the small size by making parts to a tighter tolerance, but then you get clogs etc. Whirling blades are the way to go for home brewed espresso. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591/28 "2010-02-21T20:05:55Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I started with a blade grinder, then went for a burr grinder because it was ‘better’, the burr grinder was a royal PITA, it had to be taken apart and cleaned constantly and IMHO made no difference in the taste at all, when back to a blade which is faster to use, faster to clean, and the last blade grinder cost all of $10. Are you sure it needs to be taken apart and cleaned? Any residual grounds on the grinding surfaces will presumably work their way through with the next grind. I have never taken apart and cleaned our coffee grinder, and it works just as well as the day we got it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-grind-coffee-beans/529591.md?page=1)