In the beginning, there was the hammer. Flat rocks were use too. Smashing the coffee bean was easy. However, smashing away is not all that accurate in obtaining a uniform coffee grind size. Around the time coffee was being roasted, wheat was being ground by rollers. Coffee volume was not as large as bread but the grinding principle was tried and worked very well considering the level of mechanical development in the old days. In the early days, a person sat at a table and smashed the roasted coffee beans in a roll grinder. Electric powered stone roller roasted coffee bean grinders, using dressed stone, are used in Greece and Turkey today for making powder coffee generally referred to as "Turkish Coffee." The fact is, Turkish Coffee grinds can not be made any other way as yet.
Not much was known about coffee grind verses coffee brew in the old days. It was not until different types of coffee brewers came about did the roasted coffee grind size become important. Coffee shops had no standards until filter, drip, percolator, vacuum, and espresso coffee brewers were developed. About all that was know in those times is that whole roasted coffee beans didn't brew up well at all and it worked a lot better if the roasted coffee bean were ground. After roasting, the coffee bean is easy to grind any way.
Mortar and pestle worked for a long period of time. Mortar and pestle coffee grinders were used for a variety of products. This device worked for pepper, and most medicines. It is very old. There does not seem to be any innovation which made one type of mortar and pestle more suitable for grinding coffee than another. Mortar and pestle were typically made from wood or rock. The probability that the mortar and pestle grinders were developed for grinding materials long before coffee was popular.
Again, the coffee grind size was not considered in the old days. All that was needed at the time was ground coffee beans which were relatively fine. However, characteristic of the mortar and pestle which made it very popular was its price. It was cheap.
One major characteristic that roller and mortar and pestle grinders have in common which make them not so popular is the need for elbow greece. It took a lot of hard work and time to laboriously hand grind lots of coffee bean.
Besides coffee, people had spices which needed grinding. The common person's kitchen usually had a simple metal mechanical grinder. These grinders were destined to be a central feature of the kitchen and, as such, many were richly decorated and therefore appealing. However, many were just functional. Mixing spice with coffee became an interesting event which easily could have occurred by accident. Compared to grinding spices, coffee is fairly easy. The heavy iron mechanical grinders probably were invented for spice rather than coffee. As they worked well for coffee, it didn't take long for coffee to be ground in a spice grinder.
Coffee grind in the 1800's became commercial. Stores contributor to these types of commercial roasted coffee grinders. As large populations grouped together, commercials stores could supply ground coffee economically and in sufficient quantity to be useful. Around the mid 1800's a German book was written devoted exclusively to coffee grinders. Around this time, large scale coffee operations and coffee houses were everywhere. Major commercial coffee grinding machines were made for this commercial coffee market. Small coffee grinders were for the home.
Generally speaking, around this time, coffee grinders were made adjustable. One could bring the grinding blades closer together by tightening a nut. As the nut was tightened, the coffee grind got finer. Among other things, this adjustment allowed people to experiment with coffee grind so they could find out what worked best in their coffee brewer. Such things as coffee grind size started to be standardized.
Another simple little innovation occurred. That innovation was the wall mount. One did not have to hold the base of the grinder while turning the handle, the wall did that.
Now, we are turning the century and more is understood by coffee experts. Finely ground coffee and correct brewing are synonymous with achieving a flavorful cop of coffee. There are certain principles which must be acknowledged and understood because they are the cornerstone of successful grinding.
1. The greater the friction in grinding, the hotter the coffee bean gets while grinding. This changes the flavor.
2. The more uniform the particle size, the more control the brewer has.
3. The finer the grind, the more coffee area per bean, the greater the brewing area, the more flavor extracted from the bean.
4. The finer the grind, the greater the water resistance, the more pressure required to push water through the grind.
Like everything mechanical at the turn of the century,
electricity was employed rather than people to do labor.
For major commercial work, electric coffee grinders became a necessity. No longer was someone employed to sit around and grind coffee. Large amounts of coffee beans were poured in a hopper and the ground came out the bottom almost as fast as the coffee beans were poured in. Additionally, coffee grinding somewhat separated itself from spice grinding. Spices are usually harder and damage the critical settings most coffee grinders have.
Large corporations were developed to roast and grind coffee. These large firms generally spelled "good-bye" to the small coffee roasting shop. That and the tin can. Grocery stores all over the country were stocking tin can coffee.
But like everything, things change. People got tired of the same taste all the time. Electric grinders got smaller and better. These coffee grinders also got cheaper. One can be purchased for $14.00. The result was a grinder which a small shop could afford or the home coffee drinker. Now most the major grocery stores have a roasted coffee bean grinder in them. The customer can get whole roasted coffee beans and grind the bean themselves right in the store.
With the advent of the automobile, and the isolation Television gives a family, people started to go out and socialize again. When this started, coffee shops again popped up. Now, coffee shops are all around. Most coffee shops know that coffee beans last longer when whole than when ground, so grinders are in all the shops. The coffee bean is picked by the customer, ground on the spot, brewed up, and delivered almost in one continuous action.
Two important things about grinding your own
coffee:
1. Grind for the type of brewer.
2. Once the bean is ground, it changes taste fast.
Use the back arrow, or back function of your browser to go back a page.