Do you grind your own coffee beans? If you do, maybe next time you would want to try a manual coffee mill to enjoy hand crafted ground coffee.

Your current electric grinder probably works great, so why would you want to try out a manual coffee grinder? Probably for the same reason that some people enjoy working with old fashioned hand tools instead of the latest high tech electric version. It is great to feel like an old fashioned craftsman.

If the idea of actually feeling beans being ground appeals to you, read on. If you prefer to buy ground coffee, you will still find this enjoyable to think about how coffee used to be made.

Here's the opportunity to transport yourself back to a simpler time, when the only way to grind coffee was with a manual coffee mill. What should you look for in a manual coffee grinder today?

How to buy a manual coffee grinder

First, be sure to buy one new. Many of the coffee grinders that you see displayed as decocorations are likely just that...decoration. They were never meant to be used to grind coffee, and they may even be contaminated with who knows what if they are vintage grinders.

Second, avoid the inexpensive versions. A manual coffee is a precision instrument, with a hardened steel grinding mechanism designed to crush and grind coffee beans consistently and reliably. You should look for a coffee grinder with a five or ten year warranty. You can plan to spend between $60 to $80 for a mill that will last you years, if not a lifetime.

Grinding your coffee by hand

With a quality mill, you can quickly grind enough beans for about six cups of coffee in just a couple of minuets. You should vary the grind based on how you plan to brew your coffee: coarse for a French press, fine for espresso, and in between for a drip brewer. The finer the grind, the longer it will take you but it this is easy and fulfilling work as you feel the beans being crushed and releasing the fresh coffee fragrence to enjoy.

A special mill for Turkish coffee

As you probably already know, making Turkish coffee on your stove top requires extremely finely ground beans, almost powdered.

Regular hand coffee mills won't grind beans this fine. For Turkish coffee you will need a special Turkish coffee mill. Follow the advise above to get a good quality mill, and avoid the decorative brass versions. You can expect to pay a bit more for a quality manual mill for Turkish coffee, in the $75 and $100 range.

Should you buy a manual coffee grinder?

So should you buy an electric coffee grinder or a manual coffee mill? That depends on you. I would buy the electric one first, but make sure it is a quality mill that uses the burr style instead of blade style grinder. Also, buy one that grinds at a lower speed to avoid building up static electricity that makes the coffee stick everywhere.

Then I would buy a manual grinder. Use it for the days when you feel like enjoying simpler pleasures in life. When you want to add to the coffee experience and the hands-on feel of taking whole beans and applying some of yourself to the coffee making process.

As you sit back and enjoy the results of your hand ground coffee beans, you will experience a bit of the romance that comes from continuing your coffee adventure through the years, with different coffees and different techniquest, always learning, always growing in your coffee skills and appreciation.

To see various coffee grinders, here is the Coffee Daydreams Coffee Grinder Store.

Here is an article from Coffee Daydreams about choosing an coffee grinder.