The first step in creating incomparable in your home of office is to grind the beans yourself. Freshly ground has had less of a chance to oxidize, and thus the flavor is preserved. If you've walked past a busy shop, you'll notice the strong aroma of freshly ground and prepared coffee. Nothing beats it, and this freshness contributes to the flavor of the final cup.

Finding a grinder that will prepare the quality beverage you're after is another matter though. It helps to understand the different types of grinders available, as they produce quite varying qualities of brewed coffee.

There are three ways to grind coffee. Blade grinders, which chop up the beans, are the most common in home grinders. They have advantages in that they are longer lasting, and quite cheap to buy compared with other grinder methods. But this trade-off is apparent in the type of ground they produce.

One of the key principles in producing quality grinds is that the size of the grind is even. Unfortunately, blade grinders don't perform well here. They produce both large and small particles of coffee, as well as a type of 'coffee dust' that can clog up sieves in French presses and espresso machines. The they produce is generally poorer in quality because the lack of uniform particle size means that the brewing method selected is unable to work optimally. Some of the beans will be perfect for it, and thus the full flavor will be extracted, but a lot of it won't, as the beans are too large or small.

Whilst the effect of grind particles that are too large may seem obvious, in that flavor is left in the ground, a grind that is too fine will also contribute to poor coffee. Bitter results when the surface area has been exposed to hot water for too long.

By far the best method for most types of is the burr grinder. These grinders are used in shops, and they produce a very even grind. There is a range of settings that can be used, so that espresso, French press, drip coffee, and percolators can be used to make the final cup. Burr grinders have another advantage in that there is less heat to change the taste of the bean. Blade grinders tend to produce more heat.

The third way of grinding is particular to making Turkish coffee. A very finely ground is needed, and only very good quality burr grinders are able to do this. The alternative is the old fashioned mortar and pestle!

The best type of grinder is the conical burr grinder, but these are also the most expensive. What is best for an individual's needs will depend on how much they love their coffee, and their budget.