What is a burr grinder? This type of grinder is the most important piece of gear any home barista should own. If you are serious about home-brewed coffee, make this investment first. In this guide, you will learn about burr grinders, how to use them, and which model to start with.
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Burr Grinder Basics
Burr grinders use metal surfaces (called burrs) that revolve against each other to grind coffee beans (see featured image above) into mostly equal size pieces. The distance between the burrs can be adjusted to produce different size grounds which will can be used in various brewing methods. Some brewing methods require coarse grounds (see picture below) while others require a very fine grind.
A quality burr grinder yields uniformly sized grounds by slicing the beans between the revolving burrs. This very important because the extraction of coffee takes place at different rates depending on the size of the individual coffee grounds. Most grinders on the market use a spinning blade that basically pulverizes the coffee into different size pieces. This will not result in a very smooth cup of coffee.
Coarse coffee from a burr grinder
Investing in a burr grinder will enable you to better control your brewing experience. Most coffee shops will have burr grinders and will grind your coffee for you. However, you ideally want to be doing this at home.
The optimal shelf life of freshly roasted coffee in whole bean form is a few weeks (for best flavor). However, ground coffee’s flavor and aromatic profile breaks down immediately after grinding.
Here are a few reasons to grind coffee at home:
- First, grinding at home enables you to grind just before you brew. This results in a more flavorful and more aromatic cup. You will enjoy smelling home-ground beans for the first time.
- Grinding at home offers you greater flexibility when purchasing and storing coffee beans. Whole beans keep their flavor longer resulting in fresher coffee and less frequent trips to a roaster. There is a significant difference between grinding a day before you brew compared to minutes before you brew.
Burr Grinders vs Blade Grinders
Don’t be tempted to purchase an inexpensive blade grinder. Blade grinders smash coffee beans into uneven particles resulting in over extraction and under extraction in the same cup! You get both ends of the spectrum of bad coffee by using a blade grinder.
Why should you use a burr grinder as opposed to a blade grinder?
- Burr grinders (as opposed to other grinders) enable you to select your grind size depending on brewing method.
- If your coffee is bitter or weak, burr grinders allow you to adjust the size precisely for better extraction.
- Rather than smashing the beans, Burr grinders slice the beans into uniform pieces. These grinders avoid bits of coffee dust that would otherwise ruin your coffee.
- Many of the quality brands of Burr grinders are built to last and will stay with you for many years.
Unfortunately, most people that I know personally who grind coffee at home are using blade grinders. They don’t know what they are missing! If you currently use a blade grinder, you will notice a significant difference by switching to a burr grinder, especially if you drink your coffee black.
Read More: How to Train Yourself to Drink Black Coffee
Choosing a Burr Grinder
Electric Burr coffee grinders can get pretty expensive, but many can be purchased for under $100. The prices are even starting to come down a bit. There are many good choices for burr grinders out there at this price level.
Some of the more expensive grinders have increased durability and can process larger batches faster without overheating. They also may include advanced features such as dosing and LCD displays. These features are nice, but you don’t need them when starting out.
You can also buy manual burr grinders, but I have not tested any yet. If you are a fellow coffee addict and use a manual burr grinder, please recommend one to me. That being said, you don’t need to spend more than $100 on a coffee grinder when starting out.
The Bodum Bistro: A Great Option for Beginners
The grinder I have used for the past several years is the Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Grinder (view on Amazon). This grinder uses conical steel burrs and does a great job at keep the grind size uniform.
The Bodum Bistro delivers offers a very consistent grind and a decent grinding range for the price. The device comes in a variety of colors, just like most of the Bodum line of coffee gear.
You can’t miss it.
The Bodum Bistro is best for processing coffee in small batches but is still capable of grinding enough coffee for a full pot of coffee. You can choose from a coarse grind setting (for a french press) all the way to a fine grind setting (for espresso). There are even convenient icons for reference. This grinder does a particularly nice job for a French press and yields a proper coarse grind.
Grind Size Icons
The Bodum Bistro is a nice grinder to start with, as it is durable, competitively priced, and simple to use. The only downside is that some of the parts are plastic and may not last as long as some of the more expensive grinders out there.
The Baratza Encore: A Solid Upgrade
If you are willing to pay a bit more for durability, consider going with the Baratza Encore (view on Amazon) instead. Although the Baratza is notably more expensive than the Bodum, the build quality is better and will likely last longer. This is still a very affordable grinder.
The Baratza is widely regarded as the best entry level burr grinder out there. If you aren’t a super heavy espresso drinker and don’t need all the bells and whistles of the more expensive grinders, the Baratza is your grinder.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro: The Long Term Investment
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro (view on Amazon) is a notable step up from the Bodum Bistro and the Baratza. This grinder features better quality burrs with a wider grinding range, more power, and an LCD display. Additionally, the Smart Grinder Pro will dose coffee based on cups or shots (for espresso) along with many other conveniences.
Although probably overkill for a beginner, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro is a great option for someone who wants to future-proof their coffee experience a bit. Check out my review below for more details.
Read More: The Smart Grinder Pro Review
Using a Burr Grinder
If you decide to purchase a burr grinder, you need to know a few points about grind settings:
- French pressed coffee uses large, coarse grinds.
- Drip coffee and the Chemex uses a medium grind.
- Aeropress coffee uses a medium to slightly fine grind.
- Espresso uses a very fine fine grind.
Many grinders come with a small brush allowing you to clean out the burrs, as bits of dust tends to build up over time. Using oily beans such as Starbucks beans requires more frequent cleaning to prevent the burrs from jamming.
If your coffee is bitter, adjust your grind to be slightly coarser. The opposite holds true if your coffee seems week, simply adjust it slightly finer. This is a wonderful convenience of owning a burr grinder. You can adjust your coffee to get the best results.
Should You Store Beans in the Hopper?
I recommend storing your beans in a separate airtight container in a cabinet or some other dark place, with few exceptions. There are few reasons for this:
First, exposure to light and open air does affect the shelf life of coffee beans. The best storage containers have degassing valves and protect the beans from light and moisture.
Second, this method of storing beans allows you to measure coffee by weight before grinding. When I brew coffee, I will use a kitchen scale to weigh the beans first, then I drop them into the grinder to get precisely the amount I need. This saves me time and avoids wasting any coffee.
Read More: Measuring Coffee and Water
What about exceptions? Some of the higher end grinders have opaque hoppers and dosing controls. If you go through coffee fast enough, it makes sense to leave your coffee beans in the hopper. This allows the grinder to dose your coffee for you, which can save time at the cost of some precision. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is a good example of this.
The Most Important Coffee Investment
As I mentioned earlier, I believe the burr grinder is hands-down your most important purchase (other than the coffee itself). You could pair a great grinder with a cheap Aeropress or Frenchpress and have great coffee. You could also pair a blade grinder with a very expensive coffee machine and get mediocre and often bitter coffee. The brewing method is of much lower importance compared to how you grind your coffee. I was genuinely blown away when I brewed my first cup of coffee after using a burr grinder.
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Happy Brewing!
Closeup of Burrs from Breville Smart Grinder Pro
maria I
the main problem I see with burr grinders is as you move up in price you get more versatility ( getting an adequate espresso grind), and features ( programming, dosing, porta filter holder) but it doesn’t necessarily get you a “better” grinder for home brewing pour over, French press etc.
Joseph
One thing I have noticed is that more expensive grinders tend to grind more beans without overheating. They also last longer. That being said, I don’t think most people need to spend more than $100-200 on a grinder unless they use a high-end espresso machine.
Han
Espresso should be coarse grinding if not mistaken. But about espresso didn’t mention which kind of brewing coffee equipment get use i . As minipresso fine or coarse also could which I learn from my senior.
Joseph
Thanks for the comment! I didn’t talk about brewing equipment or methods here since I have many other articles that do that (just click on brewing in the menu to see them). Espresso used in an espresso machine needs to be very finely ground. The fine grind is what provides resistance against the waterflow and allows the machine to build pressure. If you use a coarse grind, your water will run straight through and you won’t end up with espresso. That being said, I have not used a minipresso and the instructions for that specific device may be different.