The coffee bean grinder is of fundamental importance to the
coffee and espresso brewing process.
A typical commercial coffee bean grinder consists of 5 main
parts each of which we will now explore in more detail.
Bean Hopper - The sits on top of the main body of the unit
and obviously contains the roasted coffee beans that by
means of gravity feed beans directly to the grindstones.
Commercial grinders typically have a hopper that can hold 1
full kilogram of coffee beans. Most grinders these days
have an automatic cut off feature that cuts the power to
the grinder if the hopper lid has been removed.
For general maintenance purposes the hopper should be
removed, washed with warm soapy water, rinsed and dried on
a weekly basis.
Motor - The grinder motor on commercial grinders are large
robust electric motors usually operated by a start/stop
switch on the base of the casing. The motor should be
designed so that it avoids the grindstones overheating and
scorching the coffee.
Grounds Reservoir and Doser - Good quality grinders usually
contain a sensor in the reservoir that senses when the
coffee grounds are running low and automatically tops up
the reservoir. At the base of the unit a segmented wheel or
lever device allows the user to dose the correct amount of
ground coffee into the filter handle of a typical espresso
machine. This is usually set up to be between 6 to 8 grams
for each dose. Beneath the doser is a cradle to hold the
filter handle in the correct position beneath the
dispensing hatch.
The doser should be completely emptied, cleaned with soapy
water, rinsed and dried on a regular basis.
Grindstones - Located between the base of the hopper and
the top of the motor are the grindstones. The top stone
fits to a finely graduated screw type adjuster, set within
the casing. The bottom stone is fixed to the motor drive.
The screw adjuster alters the distance between the two
stones and consequently the degree of grind of the coffee.
Only a very small adjustment is needed to dramatically
alter the degree of grind.
Tamper - Tampers range from grinder to grinder, but are
usually fixed stubs or plungers on the body of the doser.
Some professional baristas prefer to use stand alone
tampers made of wood or aluminium. The purpose of the
tamper is to assist the operator in compacting the coffee
in the filter handle so it produces a compacted wad of
coffee for use in the espresso machine.
General maintenance procedures dictate that the grindstones
are dismantled and thoroughly cleaned of all coffee
residues, using a long stiff brush and a clean cloth.
Grindstones have a limited life and will need replacing
after approximately 300-500 kilograms of coffee beans have
been used.
----------------------------------------------------
For more information about coffee and coffee making
equipment visit http://www.cafebar.co.uk and view our
Coffee School Section
EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=52805
0 comments
Post a Comment