EmailBurr grinder or blade grinder?
According to Better Homes and Gardens, "Most experts agree that coffee should not be ground until it is to be brewed." If you want the freshest coffee flavor, you should purchase whole beans and grind them at home as needed. Consumers should consider the type of brewer they intend to use, as well as how much coffee they intend to brew, before deciding on the most suitable grinder for their needs.
Coffee grinders are divided into two major types -- blade and burr -- based on how they grind. Blade grinders, which are inexpensive and easy to use, use a spinning blade attached to a motor. Not only are blade grinders easy to clean, but they can also do double duty as spice grinders (as long as you clean them thoroughly between uses). Reviews say they work well for automatic-drip coffee makers, which don't require a very fine or perfectly consistent grind.
Burr coffee grinders are larger, heavier and more expensive than blade grinders. While a good blade grinder can cost $20, the price of a quality burr grinder starts at $90 and rises quickly. Burr grinders work like pepper mills, grinding a few coffee beans at a time between grooved metal disks. One disk rotates while the other remains stationary.
If you own an espresso machine, you need a burr grinder, as blade grinders simply cannot produce a fine enough grind. In professional tests, automatic-drip coffee made from burr-ground beans had a better mouth feel, but the tradeoff is a slight bitterness. Experts say that very finely ground coffee that's exposed to water for several minutes -- rather than the seconds it takes to pull an espresso shot -- can be overextracted, or leach bitter flavors into water. Coffee should be ground even more coarsely for French presses, which expose beans to water for even longer periods than auto-drip coffeemakers.
Here's what reviews say about choosing a coffee grinder:
- Go with a burr grinder if you use an espresso machine. Some burr grinders can grind coarsely enough for French-press coffee, while others cannot.
- Blade grinders are best for automatic-drip coffee makers. Blade grinders can't grind finely enough for espresso machines, and the grind itself isn't very consistent. While this is fine for auto drip coffee, it's not sufficient for espresso machines. You can improve a blade grinder's evenness by grinding in brief bursts, stopping periodically to shake the grinder. Although many manufacturers recommend running a blade grinder for 10 to 15 seconds, testers found that grinding for 20 to 25 seconds improved coffee's mouthfeel.
- Assess your counter space. Burr grinders take up more space on the counter and weigh more than blade grinders, but some are more compact than others. Burr grinders that approach commercial quality, such as the Mazzer Mini, can weigh more than 20 pounds and measure as much as 17 inches in height.
- Decide how much coffee you want to brew in a day. If you want to pull several espresso shots daily, you may want a burr grinder with a doser, which can hold ground coffee in a receptacle. If you plan to brew several pots of automatic-drip coffee a day, choose a blade grinder with a large capacity, such as the Krups Fast Touch 203, which has a 12-tablespoon capacity, or enough for about one-and-a-half 40-ounce pots.
- Timers are worth consideration. If you want to multitask in the morning, choose a grinder with a timer that you can walk away from, but be aware that the grinder's idea of an adequate grind may not match your own.
- Blade grinders are easier to clean. Most blade grinders can be wiped out with a damp paper towel, but burr grinders are more difficult to clean. Coffee-enthusiast websites such as CoffeeGeek.com and WholeLatteLove.com provide detailed instructions for cleaning some high-end models.
- All burr grinders produce static. If you can't stand the mess, look for a grinder with glass components instead of plastic.