Be On The Lookout For: How Best Burr Grinder Is Taking Over And What C…

How to Choose the Best Burr Coffee Grinder

A coffee grinder is a vital device in the coffee maker's arsenal. But which one should you buy?

Burr grinders grind beans between two serrated, rotating surfaces instead of cutting them with blades. They're generally considered to be superior to blade grinders. But what are the features you should be looking for in a burr grinder?

1. Conical Burrs

As its name implies, a conical burr grinder has one circular burr ring inside another one with angled teeth. This shape permits more efficient grinding, because the burrs are arranged around an axis. The conical teeth are more efficient in cutting beans evenly and produce less heat. This is a good thing since too much heat can cause bitter tastes in your coffee. Conical burrs also last longer than flat ones. Flat burrs are prone to warping and dulling quickly, leading to unevenly ground coffee that is not evenly ground. They are also more brittle, meaning that small stones and other debris can damage the burrs over time. Flat burrs also generate more noise, and require more frequent 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 whatsoever. These "false burr grinders" have large flat teeth, and are often paired with weak motors that produce irregular ground. These are not true burr mills and contrary to what some people believe, don't offer the same grind as real burr mills.

Some experts do not agree with this assertion, but others believe that the size and type of burrs used in a coffee grinder can affect the final taste. These theories are mostly anecdotal but they have a powerful hold on the minds and hearts of coffee enthusiasts. Some believe that conical burrs help bring out the distinctive flavors of exotic beans, while flat burrs enhance dark roasts.

This could be the case. However, it is something you should consider when you are deciding whether your grinder will have significant impact on the quality of your espresso. The only way to determine for sure is to test a grinder out with the beans you will be using it with. The overall design of the grinder and its operational features will have a larger effect on the final cup of coffee than the kind of burrs. This is why it's important to assess a grinder based on other criteria such as the quality of the product and customer reviews.

2. Convenience

The Baratza Encore burr grinder is one that many coffee lovers swear by. It has been praised by a number of reviewers as a "time tested option" that is a great value for money, and well-suited for French press, French drip, and cold brew.

The grinder uses burrs that rotate instead of blades for grinding the beans, resulting in larger, more uniformly-sized grounds as compared to a blender or burr grinders, according to the company. The burrs also produce less heat which preserves the flavor and aroma of the beans.

In contrast, blade grinders can create excessive heat and unevenly sized grounds, which affects the flavor of the final cup. Burr grinders are also quieter than blade grinders. However, this may vary by model and brand.

Some burr grinders use flat burrs instead of conical burrs. These are two discs with cutting edges that are facing each other. These grinders are not recommended for espresso as they are difficult to calibrate. They're also cheaper and less difficult than high-end flat-burr grinders like the Fellow Ode Gen 2 and the Baratza Virtuoso+.

A few of the grinders we've tested permit you to control how long the machine will be grinding for a particular period of time, which is handy if you're brewing espresso. Others, including our top choice the Baratza Sette270 a built-in intelligent timer that can provide the precision of a split second. But this feature isn't necessary for most brewing methods, and the majority of grinders under $200 are based on an upgraded version of a windup timer.

The cheapest models, such as the Porlex II or the Capresso infinity, utilize manual burrs. This means you need to turn them by hand yourself to grind your coffee. This is more laborious, but is a great option if you are seeking a simple, compact and inexpensive alternative without electricity.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is another option for those who want to save money and uses a burr grinder. It is louder than other models that we have examined, but it's acceptable if you don’t mind some sound. The more quiet a grinder will be, in general, the more expensive it is. This is due to the upgraded materials and sophisticated soundproofing technologies.

3. Ease of Use

If you're just beginning to explore the world of coffee-brewing at home there's one piece of equipment that everyone agrees is necessary that's a burr grinder. These grinders create a much more consistent, finer grind than you get from your standard blade grinder and allow you to make drinks 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.

So, we talked to experts and got their recommendations for the easiest-to-use electric burr grinders available on the market. They recommend the OXO conical burr grinder to a lot of people as well as those who don't want to spend a fortune. It has multiple settings that allow it to manage a variety of brewing methods from pour-over, French press, and drip coffee. And it did well in our tests.

It's also quieter than other grinders with electric motors we've tried, and doesn't produce the same amount of heat as others do. This is important because excessive heat can ruin the delicate aromas of your beans.

The OXO grinder has one disadvantage It grinds the best on the coarser side of the spectrum. This can be a problem for espresso. If you brew espresso, a more advanced burr grinder such as the Baratza Encore might be a better option.

Manual burr grinders that are powered by cranking are easy to use and ideal for those who drink only about a cup of coffee every day. They're an excellent choice for those who travel or need to make a single portion of pour-over.

Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Test Kitchen's director, loves the Fellow Ode Gen 2 Burr Grinder. It has 41 settings that are easily adjustable and produces a wonderful beverage using any method - except for espresso (the burrs made of flat steel don't grind precisely enough). It's simple to use by anyone for as you don't mind some messes or chaff that fly away.

4. Cost

A good burr grinder can set you back about a hundred dollars however, it's well 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 produce a small amount of fines (the tiny pieces of coffee ground that are smaller than the officially designated grind size you choose) however it won't be noticeable to most average drinkers, and it's a small price to pay for excellent-tasting consistent coffee grounds.

Flat burrs, that are two discs that have cutting teeth facing one another, are less common in home units but are favored by coffee geeks for their ability to produce a uniform size of grind that's perfect for espresso and French press. They can be expensive and you may have to purchase new burrs each time you alter the type of brew you use or the amount of roast.

The Baratza ESP is the best combination of cost and capabilities for a burr mill, according to our experts. It's priced at less than $200 and is far more affordable than many other models that have similar capabilities. It has a 64-mm flat burr set which is perfect for all brewing methods and easy to upgrade with other sets, like the ones from SSP.

The OXO is a great, affordable option that has a good record in our tests. Its burrs aren't quite as precise as those of higher-end models, but it comes with multiple settings that perform well for drip and French press and its user interface is easy to use. The OXO is a great starter model for most people. Coffee enthusiasts who are serious may want a more sophisticated model however, the OXO is suitable for those who are.

We also tested a few manual burr grinders for those who prefer to grind their coffee by hand. They are ideal for traveling and for people who only require one or two cups of coffee at a time. These models employ the same grinding mechanism as bistro electric coffee grinder burr grinders, but work using a hand crank instead of motors. They are also usually quieter than electric models.