20 Trailblazers Leading The Way In Best Burr Grinder

How to Choose the Best Burr Coffee Grinder

A grinder is among the most essential tools in the coffee-making arsenal. Which one should you purchase?

Burr grinders crush beans between two revolving, serrated surfaces rather than slicing them using blades. They're considered to be superior to blade grinders. What characteristics should you be looking for in the burr mill?

1. Conical Burrs

As its name implies, a conical burr grinder has one circular burr ring that is inside another one with sharp teeth. This shape allows for a more efficient grinding process, since the burrs rotate around an axis. The angled teeth are more efficient in cutting beans evenly and produce less heat. This is a good thing since too much heat can cause bitter flavors in your coffee. Conical burrs are also more durable than flat burrs. Flat burrs can be susceptible to warping and dulling quickly, which results in unevenly ground coffee. They are also more brittle, meaning that small stones and other debris can damage the burrs over time. Flat burrs also produce more noise and require regular maintenance and cleaning.

A lot of burr grinders available on the market claim to be "burr grinders," but they have flat burrs or no burrs even. These "false burr grinders" come with large flat teeth, and are often coupled with motors that have weak components that produce inconsistent grounds. They are not true burr grinders and, despite what some enthusiasts believe, don't produce the same quality of grind as real burr grinders.

Some experts disagree with this claim however, others believe that the type and size of burrs used in a coffee grinder can affect the final flavor. These theories are mostly based on anecdotes but they have a powerful hold on the minds and hearts of commercial coffee grinder enthusiasts. Some believe that conical burrs bring out the unique flavors of exotic beans while flat burrs mellow and enhance darker roasts.

This may or may not be true, but it is important to consider if you wish for your grinder to have a significant impact on the quality of your coffee beans grinder. Only by testing the grinder with the beans you intend to use can you be sure. The overall design of the grinder and its operating features will have a larger impact on the final cup of coffee than the kind of burrs. This is the reason it's crucial to assess a grinder based on other factors like the reputation of the brand and customer reviews.

2. Convenience

The Baratza Encore is a burr grinder that many coffee enthusiasts swear by. Many reviewers have praised it as a "time-tested choice" that is a great value for money and is suitable for pour-over, drip, French press, and cold brew.

The grinder employs rotating metal burrs instead of blades to grind the beans, which produces more uniformly sized grounds than a blender or another burr grinders, according to the company. The burrs also produce less heat, which preserves the bean's aroma and flavor.

Blade grinders however, can produce excessive heat and unevenly-sized grounds which can affect the taste of your cup. Burr grinders are also known to be quieter than blade grinders, but this may vary based on the model and brand.

Some burr grinders use flat burrs instead of conical burrs. These are two discs that have cutting edges facing each opposite. We do not recommend them for espresso because they tend to be more difficult to calibrate and are generally less expensive than a high-end burr grinder with a flat-burr like the Fellow Ode Gen 2 or the Baratza Virtuoso+.

A few of the grinders we've tested allow users to choose how long the machine will grind for a specific amount of time, which is helpful when making espresso. Some grinders, like our top choice Baratza Sette 270, have an integrated timer that's precise to only a fraction of one second. However, this feature isn't essential for all brewing methods and most under-$200 burr grinders operate on what amounts to an improved version of a windup timer.

The most affordable models in our selection, like the Porlex II and the Capresso Infinity--use manual burrs. This means you'll need to crank them by hand to grind your coffee. This takes more effort, but is a good option if you're looking for an easy, compact, and affordable option that doesn't require electrical power.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is another option for those who want to save money and uses a burr grinder. It's louder than the other models we've tested but is still a good choice in the event that you're okay with some noise. The more quiet a grinder is likely to generally be the more expensive. This is due to the upgraded materials and sophisticated soundproofing technologies.

3. User-Friendliness

A burr grinder is a tool that is recommended by every expert for those who are just getting started with home coffee making. These grinders produce an even, finer grind than your standard blade grinder, and will help you create brews with better balance in flavor, body and acidity. They are generally more reliable. As you would imagine, a top-quality burr mill can cost anywhere from $200 to $200 and can be difficult to use.

So, we talked to experts and got their recommendations for the easiest-to-use electric burr grinders on the market. They recommend the OXO conical burr grinder for many people as well as those who don't wish to spend a lot of money. It comes with multiple settings to accommodate a variety of brewing methods from pour-over, French press, to drip coffee. It also was a success during our tests.

It's also quieter than some other grinders that we tested, and it doesn't create the same amount of heat as other grinders do. This is important since too much heat can damage the delicate aromas of your beans.

The OXO grinder's main drawback is that it's designed in grinding at the coarse end of its range, which can be a problem for espresso. If you're making espresso, a higher-end burr grinder like the Baratza Encore might be a better choice.

Manual burr grinders, which are powered by cranking, are simple to use and are great for those who consume only a cup or two of coffee per day. They're a great option for those who travel or need to make a single serving of pour-over.

Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Director of Test Kitchen, loves the Fellow Ode Gen 2 Burr Grinder. It has 41 settings that can be easily adjusted and produces a wonderful brew using any method--except for espresso (the flat-stainless steel manual coffee grinder burrs don't grind finely enough). It's easy to use by anyone so long as they're not frightened by a few messes or chaff flying around.

4. Cost

A quality burr grinder will cost you about a hundred dollars but it's worth the cost. 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 pieces of ground coffee that end up smaller than the officially designated grind size you select) however it won't be noticeable to most average drinkers and is a minor cost to pay for delicious, consistent coffee grounds.

Flat burrs, that are two discs with cutting teeth facing one another, are less common in home units, however they are preferred by hardcore coffee enthusiasts due to their ability to produce a more uniform grind size which is ideal for espresso and French press. They can be expensive and you may need to purchase new burrs each time you change the type of brew you use or the amount of roast.

The Baratza ESP offers the most cost-effective combination of price and capability for a burr mill, according to our experts. It's less than $200 which is far lower than the majority of other models that don't offer the same level of capabilities. It is equipped with a 64-mm flat brewer set that's perfect for all methods of brewing. It is easy to upgrade to other sets, including the ones from SSP.

The OXO is another affordable option with a good performance record in our tests. The burrs aren't as precise as those in pricier models, but it does have multiple settings that perform well for drip and French press, and its user interface is simple. While true coffee enthusiasts may require a more sophisticated model but the OXO is a great entry point for the majority of people.

We also tested a couple of manual burr grinders for those who prefer to grind their coffee by hand. These are great to take on trips and for those who only require one or two cups of coffee at a time. These models, which use the same grinding mechanism as electric burr grinders, operate with a crank instead of motors and are typically more quiet than electric models.