Coffee Grinder Review

Experts say grinding your own beans is best

Coffee experts and enthusiasts say that for the freshest brew, you should grind your own coffee beans at home; in fact, coffee aficionados agree that pre-ground coffee can be stale right out of the bag. Two options are available for consumers who want to grind their own coffee beans: blade grinders and burr grinders. Blade grinders use a spinning blade attached to a motor to cut the beans into small pieces, while burr grinders have two gears that crush the beans into particles. Experts say that burr grinders, though they're more expensive, are the best for getting the fine grind needed for espresso. Blade grinders, on the other hand, are also useful for grinding spices, although they must be cleaned very thoroughly between uses to avoid unwanted flavors in your coffee.

We found only a handful of professional coffee grinder reviews in print and online. However, there's a large and enthusiastic community of coffee lovers on the Internet, and we found hundreds of up-to-date user reviews. The most informative reviews come from users posting to coffee-enthusiast websites such as WholeLatteLove.com and CoffeeGeek.com, and from owners at Cooking.com and Amazon.com. Most are fanatical about coffee and mince no words when reporting on their grinders' design and performance. We found the most knowledgeable reviews for burr grinders on CoffeeGeek.com, while Viewpoints.com and Epinions.com are more helpful when it comes to blade-type coffee grinders.

ConsumerReports.org tested six inexpensive coffee grinders in 2009, including three blade grinders and three burr grinders. Although the review is no longer published on ConsumerReports.org, a short video on the coffee grinder testing conducted by ConsumerReports.org can be found on ABC7.com. One burr grinder is listed as a top pick and another blade grinder is recommended as a more affordable option. Not included, however, are details of testing methodology or a complete list of models tested. The ConsumerReports.org coffee maker roundup includes several grinder/brewer combination units. We cover the combination units in our report on coffee makers.

Some older reviews still proved useful in evaluating the best coffee grinders. In its December 2001 issue, Cook's Illustrated magazine rates nine coffee grinders ranging in price from $13 to $50. Editors grind 2 ounces of coffee in each model and brew 40-ounce pots of coffee in an automatic-drip coffee maker. While we appreciate editors' attention to grinder capacity, ease of cleaning, temperature increase during grinding and amount of coffee dust generated, this article is of little use to those who own pump-driven espresso machines and need a finer grind, because the test did not include higher end burr grinders.

The Cook's Illustrated article debunks some coffee-grinding myths, however, such as the notion that blade grinders heat coffee beans more than burr grinders do, resulting in the evaporation of flavorful oils. Using an infrared thermometer, editors found that burr grinders, not blade grinders, cause the greater temperature increase. What's more, they found that temperature increases did not adversely affect flavor.

We found some useful feedback from owners on the cooking-enthusiast site Chowhound.com, which has a discussion board for amateurs and experts to share information about all things cooking. An article from 2010 printed in The New York Times mentions a few coffee grinders, but the article is primarily focused on discussing the Toddy Brewing System, used to make cold-brew coffee. An LA Weekly blogger also discusses the importance of freshly ground beans in a quality cup of coffee. Editors recommend two coffee grinders, although one has been recently discontinued.