Manual Coffee Grinders with the CoffeeMeister

Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.

If a coffee appreciator buys small amounts of whole beans on a regular basis and has them ground fresh in the store -- and a coffee lover grinds those small batches at home just before using them -- then a coffee fanatic puts a little elbow grease into it, hand-cranking the burrs that chop the beans to bits seconds before brewing.

Just like when great-grandpappy had to go out back to turn over the engine on his Model T, folks would turn the lever on top of a wood-and-metal box-shaped grinder (like these) to start prepping their morning joe. But even without getting axle grease on your palms in order to start the car, you too can connect with your coffee in the same way your great-grandfolks did. Not only that, but after a while you'll have awesome guns to show for it.

If that doesn't make you want to become that coffee fanatic, keep reading after the jump.

A decent hand grinder is the coffee lover's dream on several grounds (if you'll forgive the pun), and are as incrementally adjustable as their electric brethren -- usually by a turn of a screw that moves one of the pair of blades closer to or farther away from its mate, creating a finer or coarser grind, respectively. (Just like on your motor-driven version, it can sometimes take a couple tries to get the grind size just right, but any cook will tell you the old adage about making an omelet.)

Not only do you get full adjustability, but even manual mills of exceptional quality (like this piece, pictured above, which I giddily bought for myself a couple months ago) are relatively inexpensive -- often going for less than $60, which is a less-intimidating investment than any $150–$200 gadget.

A small manual machine will also save you much of the precious counter-top real estate that your bulky, kinda heavy electric burr grinder is presently squatting in. Plus, they're quiet enough to use at 6 a.m., while your main squeeze snores peacefully in the other room. (Many plug-in machines could rattle the pictures off the wall.)

To sweeten the deal, these little guys are fully portable. (Have you ever wanted a fresh and delicious cup of coffee while camping? Ain't no outlets in the woods, buddy!) And, of course, they lend your kitchen and your culinary tastes that certain old-timey flair. Who doesn't love old-timey flair?

Ready to flex those caffeinated muscles yet?