How to Choose the Best Burr Coffee Grinder
A coffee grinder is an essential tool for any home coffee maker’s arsenal. What kind of grinder should you get?
Burr grinders crush beans between two revolving serrated surfaces, rather than cutting them using blades. They’re generally regarded as superior to blade grinders. What characteristics should you look out for in the burr mill?
1. Conical Burrs
Like its name suggests, conical burr grinders have one circular burr ring inside another ring with sharp teeth. This design allows it to grind more efficiently, since the burrs turn around a central point. The angled teeth cut the beans more evenly and creates less heat, which is a good thing because excessive heat can result in bitter flavor notes in your coffee. Conical burrs are also more durable than flat burrs. Flat burrs are susceptible to warping and becoming dull quickly, resulting in unevenly ground coffee machines with grinder that is not evenly ground. They are also more brittle, which means that small stones or other debris could damage the burrs over time. In addition flat burrs create more noise and require more frequent cleaning and maintenance.
Many burr grinders that are sold on the market call themselves “burr grinders,” yet they have flat or no burrs. These “false burr grinders” come with large flat teeth and are often paired with motors that are weak and produce inconsistent ground. They aren’t genuine burr grinders, and, despite what some enthusiasts believe, don’t produce the same quality of grind as real burr grinders.
Although some experts do not agree with this, others believe that the type of burrs in the grinder have an impact on the final taste of the coffee. These theories are largely anecdotal however they hold gained a strong hold on the minds of coffee enthusiasts. For instance, some believe that conical burrs can bring out the individual flavors of exotic beans, while flat burrs can mellow and enhance dark roasts.
This may or not be true. However, it is something you should consider in the event that your grinder has significant impact on the quality of your espresso. Only by testing the grinder with the beans you plan to use can you be certain. The overall design of the grinder and its operating features will have a greater effect on the final cup of coffee than the design of burrs. It’s therefore important to consider other aspects when evaluating the grinder, including its reputation as well as customer reviews.
2. Convenience
The Baratza Encore burr grinder is one that many coffee lovers swear by. Many reviewers have praised it as a “time-tested choice” that offers great value for money and is suitable for pour-over, drip, French press, and cold ceramic coffee grinder.
According to the company, the grinder uses rotating burrs made of metal rather than blades to crush beans. This creates more uniform ground than a grinder or other burr grinder. Additionally the burrs produce less heat when they grind and preserves more of the bean’s aroma and flavor.
Blade grinders, on the other hand, can produce excessive heat and unbalanced-sized ground which can affect the taste of your finished cup. Burr grinders are also quieter than blade grinders. However, this may differ by model and brand.
While most of the burr grinders that we test have conical burrs, there are some that make use of flat burrs (two discs with cutting teeth facing each other). We don’t recommend these for espresso as they can be difficult to calibrate and are generally less expensive than a premium, flat-burr burr grinder like the Fellow Ode Gen 2 or the Baratza Virtuoso+.
Some of the grinders we’ve tested allow you to choose the length of time that the machine will grind for a specific amount of time. This is helpful when making espresso. Some grinders, including our top choice Baratza Sette 270, have a built-in timer that is precise to a fraction of a second. This feature is not necessary for the majority of brewing methods, and most burr grinders that cost less than $200 use an upgraded version of the windup clock.
The most affordable models, like the Porlex II or the Capresso infinity, utilize manual burrs. This means that you have to turn them by hand yourself to grind your coffee. This requires more effort however, it’s a good option if you’re looking for simple, compact coffee grinder and affordable option that doesn’t require electricity.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro uses a burr mill and is a reasonable alternative. It’s louder than the other models we’ve tried however it’s still acceptable in the event that you’re okay with a bit of noise. In general, the pricier grinder is more quiet it’s likely to be due to improved materials and sophisticated soundproofing technologies.
3. Easy of Use
If you’re just beginning to explore the world of home coffee brewing there’s one piece of equipment that experts agree is essential is a burr mill. These grinders provide a smaller, more consistent grind than what you can get from a regular blade grinder. They also allow you to make beverages that are more balanced in flavor, body, and acidity. They also perform the job more consistently. As you’d imagine, a top-quality burr mill can cost anywhere from $200 to $200 and is difficult to use.
We asked experts for their suggestions on the easiest mini electric coffee grinder burr grinders you can use. They recommend the OXO conical burr grinder to a lot of people as well as those who don’t want spend a fortune. It comes with multiple settings to handle a variety brewing methods from pour-over, French press, and drip coffee machine and grinder. And it performed well during our testing.
It’s also quieter than some other grinders with electric motors we’ve tried, and does not produce more heat than other grinders do. This is crucial, since excessive heat can damage the delicate aromas in your beans.
The OXO grinder has only one flaw that it is best suited to grinding at the more coarse end of its range. This can be a problem for espresso. If you’re looking to make espressos, a burr grinder with more advanced features like the Baratza Encore may be a better choice.
Manual burr grinders that run by cranking are easier to use and ideal for those who consume only a cup or so of coffee a day. They’re a great option for those who travel or need to make just one serving of pour-over.
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Test Kitchen’s director, loves the Fellow Ode Gen 2 Burr Grinder. It comes with 41 settings that are easily adjustable and produces a wonderful beverage using any method – except for espresso (the burrs made of Steel Coffee Grinders aren’t grinding finely enough). It’s easy for anyone to use so long as they don’t mind a few messes or chaff flying around.
4. Cost
A quality burr mill will cost you around a hundred dollars, but is definitely worth it. The grinding mechanism is simple enough that even a beginner can figure out how to get the most out of it, and you’ll save money in the long run by ditching the pre-ground coffee and bad-for-the-environment coffee pods.
Conical burr grinders are the standard in electric home units, and they’re a great choice for most people just starting out with this whole grinding-your-own-beans-at-home thing. They can produce a bit of fines (the tiny bits of coffee ground that are smaller than the officially designated grind size you select), but it won’t be noticeable to most average drinkers, and it’s a small price to pay for great-tasting, consistent coffee grounds.
Flat burrs are two discs with cutting teeth that face one another. They are less common but are preferred by coffee geeks due to their ability to give a consistent size of grind, ideal for French press and espresso. They can be costly and you might have to buy new burrs each when you change the type of brew or the level of roast.
According to our experts, the Baratza offers the most cost-effective combination of price and capabilities for burr mills. It’s priced at less than $200 and is cheaper than other models with similar capabilities. It comes with a 64-mm flat burr set which is perfect for any brewing method and is easy to upgrade with other sets like the ones from SSP.
The OXO is a good affordable alternative that has a great track record in our tests. Its burrs may not be as precise as those of higher-end models, but it comes with several settings that work well for drip and French press and its user interface is simple. While true coffee lovers may require a more sophisticated model however, the OXO is a great starter for most people.
For those who prefer to grind their beans manually We also tested a handful of manual burr grinders that are ideal for those on the move and who need to make just one or two cups at one time. These models, which employ the same mechanism for grinding as electric burr grinders work with the use of a crank rather than motors and are typically quieter than electric models.