How to Choose the Right Coffee Grinder
Buying a coffee grinder seems like a simple task: you need a device that will grind coffee beans. What difference does it make how he performs this task? Quite a lot actually, depending on what you brew and what kind of coffee you like.
Here’s what you need to know before purchasing a coffee grinder, as well as a few options to consider.
Two different types of coffee grinders
There are two main types of coffee grinders: blade grinders and burr grinders. You can think of the former as a miniature blender that grinds the beans into powder, whereas instead of blades, burr grinders have a series of sharp discs or cones that rub against each other, crushing the coffee beans caught between them.
These different methods can result in noticeable differences in the ground beans and therefore the flavor of your cup of coffee—and most agree that burr grinders are preferable.
“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that burr grinders are almost always better than blade grinders because they produce a more even grind, and a more even grind makes for better-tasting coffee,” says Maciej Kasperowicz, director of coffee at Trade Coffee and is one of only 400 certified Q-graders—or trained coffee graders—in the world.
The downside, of course, is that burr grinders are typically significantly more expensive than blade grinders, so you’ll have to pay a premium for the benefits of a better-tasting cup.
Keep in mind that the type of grinder you choose can affect not only how your coffee brews and tastes, but also how you clean it . Blade mills can be cleaned by running store-bought tablets or regular rice through them, while burr mills must be disassembled and wiped down. And you need to clear both; If you don’t, coffee and oil particles left on the blades or burrs can “go rancid and lead to an off-flavor,” says Kasperowicz.
Choosing the right grinder
Before choosing a coffee grinder, Kasperovich advises first considering the most common grinding methods. Some, for example, are better than others at making espresso powder.
For pour-over or automatic drip coffee, he recommends the Baratza Encore , but doesn’t think it “has a wide enough range of adjustments once you get to the finest grind” to make it suitable for espresso.
If you’re looking for a great espresso grinder, he suggests the Baratza Sette .
If you want something modest and customizable, consider the Fellow Ode , for which you can buy upgraded burr sets if you want to change its capabilities in the future.
Before you buy anything, check the manufacturer’s website to see if the brand you’re interested in sells replacement parts. If you’re going to invest in fashion gear, you’ll be able to fix it if it breaks, but not all brands offer replacement parts. (This is another reason why Kasperovich prefers Baratza.)
Should you use hand sanders?
Some old-school coffee aficionados sing the praises of hand grinders, but Kasperowicz sees them more as a travel tool than an everyday tool. “I think some people who are just getting into coffee have this romantic idea that hand-grinding will improve the taste of your coffee,” he says. “While there are certainly some truly high-quality manual grinders out there, there is nothing about manual grinding that equates to higher quality in and of itself.”