coffee
I'm thinking about buying a moka pot.
I have a blade grinder.
Will a blade grinder grind coffee beans fine enough for a moka pot?
I can't really afford an expensive grinder and I don't want to use pre-ground coffee, because I heard it loses quality quickly.
You do want a coarse grind for french press coffee. The key is letting the coffee steep for long enough to make a strong brew. I have good results with a 5 minute steep time. Be sure to use a timer, and compare different times to find the optimal brew. As a general rule, if you are at altitude, then you need to add time because boiling water is cooler. (Note that I am at 5000ft, so 5 minutes may be too long for you.)
Below is a picture of the coffee chunks in a coarse grind on top of a US 5 cent coin (21.21 mm in diameter).
The picture is from this article.
EDIT: The reason to use a coarse grind for a french press is that finer grinds will get stuck in the filter and/or push their way through. This has three potential problems: 1) it will be harder to press down the filter, possibly leading to spillage or breakage; 2) your coffee will have grinds in it; 3) the coffee may become bitter, as the finer grinds that passed through the filter remain in contact with the coffee for too long.
I've owned several grinders -- both blade and burr, but I've never had one that did this. So no I would not say it is normal
Is the lid closed tight when you start it? Blade style ones are pretty cheap, so you might just want to get a new one.
Best Answer
Yes, you can, as long as it's a decent quality blade grinder. It's how I fill my moka pot, which I've been using 5 days a week for the last 4 years.
You can't do actual espresso in a blade grinder (it's not possible to get the grind consistent and fine enough). But moka pots are a lot more flexible in the grind of coffee that they will accept. Just grind it almost as fine as you can -- this takes about 30-40 seconds of grinding in mine -- and put it in the basket.