Burr Grinder of Excellence (Review And Buying Guide)

One of the finest things you can do to enhance your coffee and espresso game is to convert to a burr grinder. Freshly ground coffee is not only more fragrant and rich than pre-ground coffee, but it also provides access to a world of subtle and seductive fragrance components that are typically totally gone within the first 30 minutes after grinding. It is true that making the ideal cup of coffee is difficult without the assistance of a dependable burr grinder.

The ideal burr grinder will be one that provides the greatest levels of consistency and grind adjustment while being reasonably priced. We combed the internet for coffee grinders that fit this criteria, then compared them side by side to offer you our top ten list.

In this step-by-step burr grinder buyers guide, we provide some of the things we learnt along the road, so grab a cup of Joe and sit in for a nice read.

Breville BCG820BSSXL The Smart Grinder Pro

We’re starting with a flagship product from one of the largest brands in the coffee industry. Breville has been producing compact kitchen appliances for years, with a focus on high-quality performance and a plethora of features. The Smart Grinder Pro is an excellent illustration of this. It not only has more grind settings than nearly any other automated coffee grinder, but it also has a stylish brushed stainless steel chassis. The sleek design and easy-to-clean surfaces make it the kind of gadget you’ll want to keep on the counter next to your coffee or espresso machine.

Of course, a burr grinder must be more than simply attractive in order to make the top 10. Here is where the remarkable grind setting capabilities of the Smart Grinder Pro come into play. The user may not only choose from 60 exact computer-controlled grind size options, ranging from espresso to french press, but they can also manage the grind timing in 0.2 second increments. This is one of the sharpest dose control systems we’ve seen, and it’s no surprise that this model is popular among coffee connoisseurs.

The LCD display is well-illuminated, and the controls are simple to use. It also allows you to measure volume by shots (for espresso) or cups (for drip coffee or french press). It’s a little more expensive than some of the other grinders we looked at, but it’s obviously worth the extra money.

Key Characteristics:

Digital Electric is the style.

60 Grind Settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 18 ounces

The Bottom Line: The Smart Grinder Pro is one of the most costly burr grinders on our list, but in terms of functionality and grind settings, it just cannot be better.

 

Secura Electric Burr Coffee Grinder Mill

This blender offers a more restricted approach to freshly ground coffee. The Secura Electric Grinder Mill is a simple approach to fresh coffee that saves the buyer a lot of money on total retail price by skipping the fancier bells and whistles like the LCD screen and digital timers. It’s not the biggest, quickest, or most exact burr grinder on the market, but it’s one of the finest overall values we’ve seen.

Given that the average for any electric coffee grinder is roughly 10, 17 click-wheel grind settings isn’t too awful for a cheap device. There is enough settings to produce any basic kind of coffee, but it may be insufficient for the coffee enthusiast seeking a genuinely professional degree of customization. In fact, if you just need a burr grinder for espresso, there are various types available that can produce a finer grind.

Our favorite feature is the small size. The Secura electric mill stores comfortably on the countertop or in the cabinet, with a footprint no larger than a regular breakfast saucer. This also makes it quite portable, and the light weight (just 2.87 lbs) means it will fit easily into your baggage for your next holiday or business trip.

Key Characteristics:

Automated Electric Style

17 grind settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 12 oz.

The Secura Electric coffee grinder is not great for espresso, but it is unquestionably the finest cheap grinder on the list.

 

Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

The Baratza Encore Burr Grinder is perhaps one of the most popular coffee grinders of all time, with many design awards and hundreds of positive reviews. It’s no wonder that it’s also one of the best-selling grinders in the prosumer category. It isn’t nearly as pricey as the Smart Grinder Pro, but it is much more sophisticated than other entry-level grinders, which have sacrificed critical functionality in order to be more economical.

Despite the absence of a digital display, the Baratza Encore manages to deliver up to 40 distinct grind settings thanks to professional-grade conical burrs and a strong DC motor. What we like most about the grind adjustment mechanism is how straightforward it is. All it takes is a simple twist of the bean hopper to fine-tune the grinds to your liking.

Because of its tiny size, the Encore is ideal for smaller kitchens and RVs. The large and tall hopper makes it a little uncomfortable for suitcase travel, but the hopper can be removed if you want to compress the entire thing down even more.

The best part about Baratza grinders is that they are built with entirely replaceable components, much like professional coffee grinders. This not only saves money in the long term, but also avoids the detrimental waste of having to replace an entire unit whenever it fails.

Key Characteristics:

Automated Electric Style

40 Grind Settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 12 oz.

The Bottom Line: The Baratza Encore is a higher-end starter grinder with replacement components and a complete 1-year guarantee.

 

OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Integrated Scale

Even the fancier automated electric coffee grinders, in general, require a timer to calculate how long to operate the motor, and hence how much ground coffee to produce. Although this approach has previously worked, it seems that it was insufficient for OXO. Their Conical Burr Grinder is one of the only versions on the market with an incorporated scale, allowing the user to grind coffee by weight as well as time. The obvious benefit here is that committed coffee enthusiasts may now get an even more consistent grind. The less obvious but equally crucial benefit is that this scale instructs the motor to shut off when no beans are present, preventing the kind of dry-run overheating that may permanently damage a coffee grinder.

We’d anticipate a digital LCD readout at this pricing, but the grind-setting selection (38 in total) features a pleasant click-action wheel that gives us confidence in our ability to get consistent results. It is also simple to change between grinding measuring modes, such as Grams Mode, Cups Mode, and Manual Mode. Manual mode is useful if you want to make little changes to your preferred settings.

The integrated scale probably accounts for the most of the increased cost for this item, but the high-torque motor also contributed significantly. Reduced speeds imply less heat accumulation, which is a problem with certain high-speed grinders and may contribute to taste and fragrance loss.

Key Characteristics

Automated Electric Style

38 grind settings

12 Cups Capacity of the bean hopper: 125 grams

The Bottom Line: The OXO grinder is an excellent alternative for someone who brews a lot of coffee since it has an integrated scale and a high-torque motor.

 

Baratza Virtuoso+ with Digital Timer Display

Despite it may seem to be quite similar to its sister, the Encore grinder (scroll up if you missed it), there are a few crucial distinctions that distinguish the Virtuoso+ unique.

The burr style, in our view, is the most important distinction. The Encore makes use of Baratza’s patented M3 burr, whilst the Virtuoso makes use of the M2. Although the difference between these two burr designs is subtle, the M2 has a steeper cutting edge that enables it to offer a more consistent uniform grind. As a result, espresso enthusiasts and fans of Turkish coffee will want to pay close attention.

The Virtuoso’s M2 burr also increases its speed by roughly 50 RPM. Because of the shorter grind time, the burr will not get as hot, which might harm the final taste of your coffee. (For more information on why this happens, see our purchasing guide). Of course, it also means that you won’t have to wait as long for that first cup of coffee in the morning.

The front panel of the Virtuoso is brushed stainless steel, as opposed to the black plastic of the Encore. This adds some weight, but it also makes cleaning easier. The grind bin lighting is a fantastic innovation that we hope will be adopted by the competitors.

The only drawback we could find was the pricing, which may be too expensive for certain customers. But, for the serious home barista, the price is really rather reasonable.

Key Characteristics:

Digital Electric is the style.

40 grind settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 120 grams

The Bottom Line: A high-quality home burr grinder.

 

Homend Automatic 110V Electric Burr Coffee Grinder

We can undoubtedly state that the Homend automated coffee grinder understands how to stand out from the pack. Most of the burr grinders we looked at used the same basic design, with just slight variations. The Homend grinder, on the other hand, has its own distinct style that is likely to appeal to a certain aesthetic. The design resembles something from the 1950s, but the conical burr structure adds a hyper-modern aspect that is required for high-quality coffee.

The Homend grinder performs a fantastic job of rotating between grind settings, but keep in mind that there are only eight. Also, depending on who you ask, the fine grind setting is not fine enough for certain espressos and definitely not fine enough for Turkish coffee.

One advantage of the metal casing is that the motor is muted greatly as a consequence of the thick metal shell. This makes the Homend grinder very quiet, something you may not anticipate from a device of this size.

As compared to other models, the copper motor and grind components result in a significant reduction in static charge accumulation.

Key Characteristics:

Automated Electric Style

8 grind settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 18 ounces

The Bottom Line: The Homend grinder lacks grind settings but makes up for it in design and longevity. It is a quiet grinder that is ideal for early risers.

 

Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Espresso Coffee Grinder

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that we have to offer cautions for several of the models in our evaluation about their ability to produce an espresso-level grind. As you may know, espresso machine grinds must be very fine, and most entry-level burr grinders can only go so far. For such circumstances, the Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD is available, and it also happens to be one of the most consistent and dependable coffee grinders we could locate.

The Rancilio particularly excels when it comes to bulk grinding. The engine can handle longer grinding sessions, which means that more beans may be ground in a shorter length of time without worrying about heat accumulation. Although it is unlikely to handle the volume of a busy coffee shop, it may be the ideal espresso grinder for the workplace or a big family.

Anybody who opens a Rancilio grinder can expect to come into contact with some loose coffee particles. This is because each unit is tested with actual coffee beans before being sent out, assuring that you will not get a faulty product.

Key Characteristics:

Electric espresso grinder style

55 Grind Settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 120 grams

The Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD is a stylish prosumer espresso grinder that can handle bigger volumes of beans.

 

Capresso 565.05 Infinity Stainless Steel Conical Burr Grinder

When we heard that Capresso claimed that the 565.05 was the quietest burr grinder you’d ever use, we were suspicious. After all, the body design and metal shell don’t seem to be noteworthy. It turns out that their marketing department is correct. The Capresso 565.05 is unquestionably a quiet grinder, thanks to a slow-turning reduction motor. In reality, it is one of the slowest spinning motors in its class, depending on high torque and friction reduction to produce high-quality coffee.

A cleaning brush and a measuring spoon are also excellent additions to the package. Most packages also contain 1 pound of Capresso East Coast Blend whole bean coffee, which further adds to the overall value.

This device has been promoted as the finest coffee grinder for Turkish style coffee, and thus far, it seems that they are correct. The extra-fine grind setting is finer than standard espresso. Nevertheless, using this setting turns the coffee into pure dust, and it’s difficult not to lose some in the grinder each time.

Key Characteristics:

Automated Electric Style

16 grind settings

8.8 ounces of bean hopper capacity

The Bottom Line: A quiet, easy-to-clean burr grinder capable of reducing full coffee beans to dust.

 

Mazzer Mini Electronic Coffee & Espresso Grinder

The Mazzer Mini is in a class of its own. This is a near-perfect commercial-grade espresso grinder that is tiny enough to fit on your kitchen counter. Although this is the most costly burr grinder on our list (by a wide amount), it is also true that no other grinder achieves this degree of grind performance. It can handle single-cup and multi-batch volumes of coffee beans with ease, and its incredibly efficient low-speed engine is both silent and heat-resistant.

The aluminum shell is attractive and simple to clean, but it has a propensity to retain some of the richer coffee oils that may come off the beans. It is not as robust as stainless steel, but it is more than enough for residential usage.

Mazzer’s extensive range of replacement and upgrade components ensures that you will have this grinder for the rest of your life. There are lots of methods to further personalize an already remarkable equipment, such as redesigned burrs or larger hoppers.

Key Characteristics:

Automated Electric Style

Grind Adjustment Dial: A stepless micrometrical adjustment dial

Capacity of the bean hopper: 120 grams

The Bottom Line: A top-of-the-line commercial-grade home grinder for hardcore espresso enthusiasts.

 

KRUPS GX5000 Professional Electric Coffee Burr Grinder

Although we favor the performance of conical burrs over flat disc burrs in general, we will make an exception for the KRUPS GX5000. Flat burrs, on the other hand, are better suited for big commercial grinders and less suitable for household grinders. The GX5000, on the other hand, uses flat burrs without the difficulties of coffee grounds loss and friction accumulation. At the same time, it makes full use of the extra speed provided by a set of flat burrs, which means it doesn’t take long to grind enough coffee for a complete 12 cup batch.

What we particularly like is how simple it is to remove the top burr and clean the interior of the grinder. Some units make cleaning so tough that it becomes a chore, which means it won’t happen as often. The provided brush is a wonderful touch, however the bristles are a bit frail for cleaning. Something stiffer may be more effective.

One disadvantage of flat burrs is that achieving the proper grit might be more difficult. Percolator and French press coffee may be difficult to make when certain particles are finer than others and hence over-extracted. As a result, we suggest the GX5000 for largely ordinary drip coffee rather than anything unusual.

Key Characteristics:

Automated Electric Style

9 grind settings

Capacity of the bean hopper: 8 oz.

The Bottom Line: The KRUPS GX5000 is an excellent entry-level flat burr grinder that is both quick and simple to clean.

 

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Burr Grinder

The 10 burr grinders we evaluated above are the ones that piqued our interest, but they are by no means an exhaustive list of all the fantastic grinders accessible to coffee enthusiasts. Choosing the best burr grinder for your family will need some research into what makes these devices tick.

We’ll go over some of the most crucial factors to consider while looking for a coffee grinder down below.

Burr Grinders vs. Blade Grinders: Why You Should Upgrade Now

If you are new to the world of freshly ground coffee, it may be beneficial to have a rudimentary grasp of how these grinders function. More precisely, why burr grinders are superior than blade grinders for fresh coffee. And, surprise, they are.

Blade grinders are the more conventional kind of coffee grinder and are still widely available on the market. They function more like a juice blender, with revolving metal blades swiftly slicing and chopping the coffee bean into smaller fragments. Although this is a very efficient method of destroying a coffee bean, it does not result in equally sized coffee particles.

Consider what happens when you put ice in a blender and turn it on. What does the ice look like after a few seconds? You’re probably dealing with a mixture of large boulder-like blocks and smaller shards and fragments, all the way down to tiny snowflakes. The same is true when using coffee beans. The ground coffee will include both big and little bits, which is a major issue.

The huge chunks are removed insufficiently, whereas the microscopic particles are extracted excessively. As a result, the bitterness is strong and the tartness is unpleasant.

Burr grinders give more constant particle size, whether you want finely ground coffee for espresso or bigger ground coffee for a French press or percolator.

First Things First: The Anatomy of a Burr Grinder

The Hopper, often known as the bean container or just the cup, is the location where the coffee beans are put into the unit’s top. These hoppers have capacities ranging from 60 to 120 grams, which equates to 6 to 12 cups of coffee depending on how strong you want it. Since static charge has little effect on the whole coffee bean, the hopper is nearly often constructed of plastic rather than glass.

Burrs are the most critical component in coffee grinding, much as a nice sharp knife is in meal preparation. Simply described, burrs are two revolving surfaces made of ceramic or stainless steel. The beans are gently but continuously crushed down as they move through these surfaces. The size of the grind is determined by the distance between the burrs.

The coffee grinds are collected in the Grind Bin or Grind Cup after passing through the burrs. The majority of these chambers are constructed of plastic, however more sophisticated ones use glass or metal to reduce static cling.

The Motor is what drives the whole megillah. Although it might seem that a quicker motor would yield better results, this is not always the case. Slower motor speeds reduce heat accumulation, which may wreak havoc on the final taste of the coffee bean.

Grind Settings & Adjustability

A fantastic coffee grinder is one that can be modified to generate various types of coffee grinds, enabling the user to enjoy varied strengths and styles of coffee from day to day, whether it’s a strong Caffe Americano or a light cappuccino. The user may get finer or coarser coffee grinds by adjusting the distance between the two burrs.

The number of grind settings available on any one grinder may vary greatly. The most costly burr grinders may have up to 60 unique graduated grind settings, however some of the less expensive ones only have 8 while still offering everything from fine grinding to coarse. The number of grind settings you need is totally depending on how much control you want over your extraction rate.

It is important to note that the number of grind settings offered on a certain grinder is not always an indicative of its overall quality. A grinder with 60 settings might function badly whereas a grinder with 12 settings can blow your socks off. That is why it is critical to investigate these devices in depth to get a true sense of what you are getting into.

The exact mechanism used to modify the burrs differs somewhat depending on the style:

Electronically Stepped Settings

Some of the more expensive and professional burr grinders will include a digitally controlled grind wheel that will automatically change the burrs depending on your button press. Stepped in this context denotes that each setting has a distinct burr width. This is in contrast to stepless settings, which we shall discuss shortly.

Electronically controlled stepped grind adjusters are a huge time saver and provide excellent consistency from batch to batch. Nonetheless, because of the higher expense that is normally associated with this functionality, many customers continue to utilize manual stepped models.

Manually Stepped Settings

The same system of specified and corresponding burr widths outlined above applies to manually adjusted grinders. The only difference is that you twist a dial or the unit itself with your hand to manually adjust the burr width.

Manually stepped settings are equally as dependable as those handled electronically, although they are generally far less expensive.

Stepless Micrometrical Settings

Some grinders lack clearly defined stages, instead relying on a more fluid mechanical design that permits burrs to be changed in increments too tiny to be reliably measured (micro-metrical). As a result, estimating how many options are accessible is difficult. Nonetheless, there are often certain marks surrounding the dial that assist the operator in achieving uniformity and reproducibility across batches.

A stepless model has the advantage of being more subtly adjusted and hence a fantastic present suggestion for the obsessive coffee lover.

Burr Shape: Conical vs. Flat

Conical Burrs have one conically formed ring within another, both having jagged edges that face each other. The entire coffee beans are fed down through the burrs and ground to the required level.

Flat Burrs feature two opposed plates that are parallel to the ground and face each other. The entire coffee beans are dropped in between the areas where the same grinding activity takes place.

It is reasonable to assume that both conical and flat grinders are capable of providing excellent results. The variations in performance are primarily a matter of taste, however some argue that one kind may be superior than the other for certain types of coffee.

Conical burrs, for example, are often preferred by baristas because they are regarded to be more forgiving and simpler to dial in. Flat burrs, on the other hand, are noted for their amazing speed and ability to handle larger quantities of entire beans without accumulating too much heat. Moreover, some individuals feel that conical burrs are better at bringing out the sharper and brighter tastes of citrus and black fruit, whilst flat burrs are better at bringing out the fuller, deeper notes of nut and dark chocolate.

All of the coffee grinders on our list, with the exception of the KRUPS GX5000, have conically-shaped burrs.

Motor Size & Speed

While looking at coffee grinders, you may come across comments on motor size and motor speed as they relate to grinding performance. Although you may believe that more RPM Equals better coffee grinding, this is an oversimplification that may benefit from some clarity.

Low Speed Coffee Grinders are great for a variety of reasons. They have smaller and hence less expensive motors. Furthermore, the slower speeds reduce the possibility of heat buildup, which has been shown to degrade the overall flavor of the final coffee product.

High-speed coffee grinders provide exactly that. This substantially speeds up the grinding process, which is critical in commercial situations where huge quantities are handled. As a result, high-speed coffee grinders often use flat burrs, which can process more beans per second than conical burrs owing to their larger surface area.

Modular Construction & Replacement Parts

Burr coffee grinders, like other kitchen equipment, come in a variety of build grade levels. The higher-level grinders use modular construction, which they almost certainly picked up from their commercial-scale counterparts.

The issue with commercial equipment is that company owners don’t want to invest in something that they won’t be able to repair in the future, therefore manufacturers provide replacement parts for almost every component of the machine.

Household coffee grinders, on the other hand, have always been a little stuck in their design. In other words, if anything fails, you’ll probably have to replace the whole system and wait for a replacement.

Currently, an increasing number of organizations provide replacement components, as well as upgrades and alternatively sized parts for additional product customization.

Q: What’s the difference between a $40 burr grinder and a $300 burr grinder?

A: This is one of the most often asked questions when individuals are looking for coffee grinders. Since cheap grinders are so cheap and luxury grinders are so costly, determining what is worth the money and what isn’t may be difficult. Happily for you, dear reader, we have guaranteed that every grinder on our list matches our price-to-quality benchmark. In other words, we thoroughly screen our items to ensure that we are not suggesting any product that is just an internet money grab.

Having said that, the more costly prosumer level burr grinders provide some evident and substantial advantages. The most evident is construction materials, since stainless steel is a superior material for practically every component of a burr grinder, from burr to external paneling. You will almost certainly receive a better motor as well as features such as modular design and automated grind timers.

Conclusion: The Best Burr Grinder for Coffee & Espresso

Good coffee is very subjective. As a result, the ideal cup of coffee does not exist, at least not on a global scale. As a result, we can only rank the best burr grinders based on how well they combine performance, quality, and affordability for the typical customer.

The OXO BREW Conical Burr Grinder is our top recommendation in terms of overall value. It is reasonably priced, energy efficient, and quite quiet for its class. The integrated scale is a convenient feature that we believe other manufacturers should consider.

The expert coffee enthusiast, on the other hand, may choose something with a few more bells and whistles. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is the only way to go for the discriminating coffee enthusiast. Its LCD reading, as well as its innovative dose management mechanism, are unrivaled in the market.