All about Coffee Grinders

The Rancilio company has been producing high-end espresso machines since 1927, when Roberto Rancilio first established the “Officine meccaniche RR”. Today, Rancilio is at the front of the espresso pack. In June 2008 the company expanded by purchasing Ergo coffee systems AG of Switzerland.

Most Rancilio espresso machines are large, commercial machines. For the private consumer, the Rancilio Silvia is one of the most acclaimed and well-rated espresso machines under a thousand dollars. It features an iron support frame while its body and control panels are made of stainless steel with a satin finish. The Silvia simply looks terrific on the countertop. It is quite heavy, which is an advantage because it will not budge when the portafilter is being locked it. It is very solidly built and like other Rancilio espresso machines it is also easily serviceable, with widely available parts.

The Silvia comes with the following accessories: one filter holder, a one-cup filter, a two-cup filter, measuring spoon, and coffee tamper. You can buy an optional pod adapter kit if you wish to take advantage of the convenience of espresso pods. The Silvia features a twelve-ounce boiler - a respectable size for a boiler in this class. The portafilter is made of marine-grade brass, which is a very good material because it helps to keep the temperature stable. Another feature that users really appreciate is the three-way solenoid valve. This valve depressurizes the group head after pulling a shot - the effect of that is that the used coffee grounds fall out of the portafilter as a solid disk, rather than as a soup of hot grounds.

Like other semi-professional espresso machines, the Silvia requires a bit of experience and education to use to its best advantage. You can manually control the brewing temperature, or order an optional digital temperature control. Since this Rancilio espresso machine is so popular, there are many internet sites with tips about using and troubleshooting Silvia to achieve that perfect shot of espresso.

When it comes to steaming and frothing milk, the Silvia has a hot water button to control the flow of water from the steam wand, as well as a steam button. It comes with a single-hole steam tip that is popular with consumers. The company also offers a three-hole steam tip as an option.

A good burr coffee grinder is vital for use with the Silvia - cheap grinders simply can’t get the coffee fine enough. The Rancilio Rocky is a good choice. It is possible to buy the Silvia and the Rocky as a package to save money.

K. Braun
http://www.articlesbase.com/coffee-articles/the-rancilio-espresso-machine-where-elegance-meets-steel-714704.html

After a hectic day at office, with an unimaginable load of work and your boss finding a thousand faults in your work, do you come back home and find the relaxation of a day in a cup of espresso? Well, then you are not the only one. Like you, there are millions around the globe who greedily lay their hands on a cup of espresso after a hard day’s work. Espresso or caffè espresso is a very concentrated form of coffee that has been prepared by forcing boiling water through roasted coffee bean powder (of a consistency which is neither too big nor too fine) under very high pressure. Generally, about an ounce and a half of dark coffee is used for this particular preparation. It is also important to mention that only sweet-bitter coffee powder is used for preparing espresso.

Do you often wonder as to how the coffee shops offer espresso with that top layer of aromatic oil?! And have you often tried to make an espresso similar to that but invariably came up with your own version that was in no way at par with the coffee shops? Your version probably, despite your 100% efficiency, lacked that oily top part. Well, then let us tell you are not alone. You are one of those numerous people who in vain try to imitate the coffee shops only to fail miserably. But then there is a reason behind this universal failure and that is- the layer of crema (aromatic oil layer) that you get as the topping of your espresso is a trick that only the espresso machine is equipped to perform. This is due to the high pressure at which the boiling water is made to pass through the fine, rich coffee powder.

Talking of the coffee powder, the more fine coffee powder you use the more time the coffee machine will take to force the boiling water through the powder. It is the expert opinion that espresso tastes best when the coffee machine prepares it in exactly 25 seconds. Keep in mind that your coffee powder is not over-extracted. This is a very important thing to remember if you want the perfect espresso. It is also equally important for you to buy the very best of the coffee beans. These coffee beans then need to be roasted until they become dark and the texture becomes oily, only then shall these coffee beans be roasted.

Keep in mind that the only points which distinguish your regular coffee and your espresso is the powder’s fineness and the time for which it gets brewed, and so you must be very careful about these two features, lest you turn your espresso into your regular coffee. An important requirement is that the powder is uniform in fineness, this is very easy to achieve if you are using a burr grinder, since it used discs in rotation motion.

So now you know all the secrets to a perfect espresso. Remember that fineness of coffee powder, the coffee machine, time of brewing; pressure the machine is using, the roasting of the coffee beans, etc. - everything is equally important when it comes to making that perfect shop-like espresso.

JoBeth Levina
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/how-to-make-perfect-espresso-723885.html

For the true coffee aficionado, an antique grinder is a marvelous tool.   The majority of antique coffee mills are similar to contemporary hand grinders—most are burr grinders turned by a hand crank, and usually made with a combination of wood, steel, and/or cast iron. 

Nearly all modern hand grinders, however, are designed for personal use.  They normally don’t hold more than six cups worth of grounds.  If you desire the low-heat, consistent grind of a manual burr grinder on a larger scale, a well-restored and maintained antique grinder may be your best bet.

If you plan to use your antique coffee mill on a daily basis, you might prefer one with a cast iron body over than a wooden grinder.  While age has virtually no negative effect on cast iron coffee mills, the joints and nails in a wooden mill tend to lose strength over time. 

Using an antique grinder is about more than getting the job done.  A fine cup of coffee is an experience from start to finish.  Using an antique mill is similar to kneading your own bread.  You will taste (or at least imagine you taste!) the sweetness of your work in the final product.  The quiet, consistent grinding sound of the manual grinder is pleasant on the ear, for those who dislike the loud whirring of an electric machine.

If you have a small space to work in - or simply don’t wish your kitchen to be dominated by espresso equipment - antique grinders come with a special advantage.  Unlike all modern grinders, many antique coffee mills were designed to be mounted on the wall.  Aside from space issues, the decorative effect of a mounted grinder is striking on both wall and counter mounted antiques. Of course, many models simply sit on a counter top just as contemporary grinders do.

From the traditional Parker Nation coffee mill with a bronze finish, to the European grinder with a landscape painted on the porcelain face, there is a wide variety of styles and decor available in ready-to-use antique grinders on the market.  Common antique grinders on the North American market include Arcade, Enterprise, Parker, Steinfeld, and Frary & Clark.

Antique coffee mills are available through eBay and an assortment of individual dealers and auction houses.  When buying an antique coffee grinder, look for an experienced seller who does his or her own restoration and cleaning. From sleek and simple to intricately decorated, Victorian to Art Deco, small to large, the selection is wide and inviting.

K. Braun
http://www.articlesbase.com/coffee-articles/antique-coffee-mills-for-contemporary-coffee-690585.html

I’m gonna get my mom a coffee bean grinder for Christmas, and I was also gonna get her really nice coffee as well. I was thinking about buying some from Starbucks, but I don’t know where to get really good coffee.

Also, what’s a nice creamer?

Get a burr grinder, not a blade.

Buy whole beans in a valve sealed bag (vacuum sealed, canned, or in a jar is already stale). Lighter roasts are sweeter. Starbucks is dark & not sweet at all.

Real dairy (milk or half & half) tastes better than powdered non-dairy creamers. Good coffee should taste good black.

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