Why can't a coffee grinder be used for Italian coffee?
Flat wheel burr grinding machine
Unlike conical burrs, the flat wheel burr grinder uses two flat wheel burrs to grind the beans.
The advantage is that the grinding is extremely uniform, but the shape of the flat wheel makes it easier for the coffee beans to get stuck, and the machine needs to be cleaned more thoroughly.
Again, there are manual and automatic versions available, and the pros and cons are as described above.
mortar and pestle
For the ultimate manual grinding experience, use the most primitive method. Needless to say, grinding your coffee with a mortar and pestle is a challenge that requires great skill and patience.
But apart from the aesthetic experience gained from preparing coffee in this most classic way, the biggest advantage of this method is that it can achieve extremely fine grinding. If you prefer Turkish coffee prepared by pouring hot water directly over ground coffee, a mortar and pestle may be your grinding tool.
roller grinder
Using a roller grinder, coffee beans are ground between spiral rollers. This method produces coffee that is very uniform. But you probably won't use them at home because they are expensive, large, and roller grinders are mostly used by commercial and industrial coffee makers.
summary
Even though there are many options for grinding coffee beans, most people prefer the two most popular options: the blade grinder, which is cost-effective but inferior, or the more expensive but more convenient and reliable (electric) conical burr grinder.
If price is sensitive, manual conical burr grinders are also better than cheaper electric blade grinders. It takes only a few minutes to manually grind the beans required for several cups of coffee, and manual grinding allows coffee beans to be ground more evenly.
