Come morning, we crave coffee that is aromatic, fresh, pure and vividly strong – coffee as invigorating as that prepared by world champion baristas in specialty coffee shops. But not all coffee made at home will fill the bill, even if you have the most expensive prized coffee beans freshly roasted by your neighborhood coffee roasting company.
Why?
There is a missing piece.
Besides the coffee, the water, the coffee maker, temperature and ratio (water and coffee)….it is the grinder. According to the National Coffee Association, you should always grind your beans as close to the brew time as possible.
And not all grinders are created equal. Many coffee connoisseurs recommend burr or mill grinders because you will get consistently ground coffee.
We had a Krups electric blade coffee grinder that did it’s job, but it’s coffee ground was inconsistent in size. Another reason the electric grinder wasn’t ideal was that ground got stuck in the blade, making it difficult to remove. Some also say that heat from the blade may destroy the flavor of the coffee beans.
Besides consistent size, here are a few more reasons why you need a burr coffee grinder:
- Freshly ground coffee every day
- Start a ritual of grinding coffee before drinking
- Quiet so you don’t have to wake your family or neighbors (manual burr coffee grind only, does not apply to most automatic burr mills)
- Just fun (debatable)!
What is a burr coffee grinder?
Burr coffee grinders have a longer history than the blade coffee grinders. Burr grinders are similar to pepper mills and involve friction to grind coffee beans. There are two types of burr coffee grinders: manual and automatic. Manual means it is hand operated and automatic means it is powered by electricity.
5 advantages of a manual burr coffee grinder:
- Portable
- Great for traveling, camping and RVing
- Smaller
- Usually cheaper than automatic
- No electricity required
3 advantages of an automatic coffee grinder:
- No manual work required
- Faster
- Can grind more coffee at one time
Here are 8 burr coffee grinders to choose from:
1. JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder
Cost: $23.99 at Amazon
has 4 parts: a handle, top reservoir (for beans), ceramic burr grinder and a cup to collect ground coffee. Here are some aspects of the grinder:
- Better coarse grind than fine grind
- The handle may fall off if you are not careful
- May produce inconsistent grind but better than blade coffee grinder
- Great for travel
- Easy to use
- Ceramic burr grinder won’t rust
- Works with Aeropress
Buy it here on Amazon.com.
2. EZE Hand Burr Coffee Grinder
Cost $15.97 at Amazon
This burr manual coffee grinder receives 5-star reviews from Amazon reviewers. Here are what the reviewers are saying on Amazon:
- Lightweight and portable
- Easy to clean
- Handle attaches and removes easily
- Bottom catch container is adjustable and has a window so you can view the amount ground
- Great for traveling and office use
- Affordable
- Easy to grind coarse or fine
Buy it here on Amazon.com.
3. Blisslii ceramic burr manual coffee grinder with scoop
Cost: $23.99 at Amazon
This burr manual coffee grinder receives 5-star reviews from Amazon reviewers. Here are some of the comments:
- Aeropress compatible
- Come with a scoop
- Suitable for camping and traveling
- Has a viewing window so you can see how much you ground
- Portable and takes up little counter space
- Easy to grind coarse or fine
- It has a ceramic conical burr with adjustable grind settings
Buy it here on Amazon.com.
Note: ceramic conical burr grinder means it will not rust nor have a metalic smell.
4. Khaw-Fee Manual Coffee Grinder
Cost: $26.42 at Amazon
This burr manual coffee grinder receives 4 ½-star reviews from over 800 Amazon reviewers. Here are some of the comments:
- Easy to take apart and clean
- It does take a long time to grind the coffee
- The grind is inconsistent
- Very affordable
Buy it here on Amazon.com.
5. Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder
Cost: $62.99 at Amazon
- Ceramic conical burr with wide range can grind
- Static free which means no mess
- Consistent grind
- Works just like a peppermill
- Instructions are in Japanese only
- Easy to clean
- Great for traveling
Buy it here on Amazon.com
6. Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill
Cost: $36.28 at Amazon
- Lower cost than many automatic burr mill
- Some say the ground is not consistent
- Can be loud
- Easy to use
- Easy to clean
Buy it here on Amazon.com.
7. Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder
Cost: $88.22 at Amazon
This automatic burr grinder comes in black, brushed silver and stainless steel. It has a 100-watt commercial-grade conical burr and receives 4-star reviews from Amazon reviewers. Here are some of the comments:
- Consistent even grind
- Not that noisy compared to many automatic burr grinders
- Grind setting is easy to adjust
- Creates static making the grind messy to use
Buy it here on Amazon.com.
Which burr grinder do you have? We would love to hear from you.
UPDATED article. First published on September 28, 2015.
