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Whether your personal Ratio of water to land Rich at 15:1 or softer at 20:1, whether you prefer a bold Sumatran blend or a floral Ethiopian blend, and whether you… Pour team or French press team As a morning ritual, there’s actually another coffee-making ingredient that coffee pros recommend that probably plays a bigger role in a great cup of coffee than anything else.
If you still buy pre-ground beans, or even if you grind whole beans to order using a blade grinder, this is the option for you. For the best coffee results, everyone will be better off using a burr grinder.
“A burr grinder gives you maximum control,” says Kalina Teoh, co-founder and director of education at the company. New York Coffee Project“And it gives you the ability to prepare coffee exactly the way you want it.”
A grinder gives you maximum control over the beans you use to make a cup of coffee – it’s one of the most important coffee tools you can own.
Looking for something to A gift for coffee lovers In your life this season, or looking to pamper yourself for making it this far in the hellscape of 2025? This is a device that can help you enjoy life a little more every day. Here’s everything you need to know about the not-so-secret tool baristas use to create an exceptional drink.
Below, we’ll explain what a burr grinder is and why it outperforms other grinders you’ll find.
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What is a burr grinder and how does it work?
Unlike a blade grinder, which grinds coffee beans by physically chopping them up, burr coffee grinders work by crushing them. Burr grinders rely on two abrasive or toothed discs or plates, known as burrs, which rotate either parallel to each other or concentrically.
Mills are able to grind grains evenly and with fine coarseness.
When the coffee beans are squeezed together, they are crushed to a pre-set size that is determined by the distance between the two blades, and is adjustable to suit the type of coffee being prepared and personal preference.
When using a burr grinder, coffee beans are crushed to a pre-determined size – which is more consistent than a blade grinder.
Why is a blade grinder better than a blade grinder?
“With a blade grinder, there is no way for us to guarantee how the grains are moving inside the grinder, which basically acts like a blender,” Teoh says. “You’re basically chopping the grains and cutting them at different angles,” as they fly randomly into the grinder chamber. No matter how long you run the mill, you’re still likely to get a wide range of particle sizes in the final grind, “from really fine powder sizes to really large rocks,” she says.
Blade grinders do not grind at all. Instead, they cut the beans at different angles, grinding them unevenly.
In comparison, the primary purpose of burr mills is consistency, as the shape of the mill forces the grains to move between the burrs in a specific way. (One of two specific methods, explained below.) “You’re always going to have slightly different particle sizes, no matter what type of grinder you use, but for a Burr grinder, that range is much smaller compared to a blade grinder,” Teoh says.
Flat mills vs conical mills
There is a slight difference in particle size distribution between conical and flat grinders, but both can deliver professional-level results.
Boring mills come in two forms: Flat burr mills, where the circular-shaped burrs are stacked on top of each other in a parallel manner. The beans are then inserted into the inner circle and pushed between the ridges before emerging on the sides. Conical mills consist of one ring-shaped burr and one conical burr, working in combination, the grain passing between them and exiting through a chute below.
Read more: The Fellow Ode brew grinder makes a great gift for coffee lovers
“Both flat burrs and conical burrs are capable of giving you great results,” says Teo, “as long as you are able to understand how to grind your coffee.” Burr grinders of either model may come pre-calibrated for specific styles of coffee, such as pour-over or espresso, or they may have a wide range of grind sizes. However, they will all be adjustable, allowing you to fine-tune the grind to achieve the flavor you want in the final drink.
There are two types of coffee grinders you can choose from: burr grinders or flat cone grinders.
There is a slight difference in particle size distribution between flat and conical mills, which mainly comes down to a matter of preference. “A flat burr gives you a grind where the majority of the particles after grinding are a constant size, and with a conical burr, it gives you two sets of grind sizes, with one set a little finer and the other set a little coarser,” Teoh says.
The argument behind a conical grinder is that this gives you a more complex shot of espresso due to there being two different extraction rates; However, “the Specialty Coffee Association did a lot of research and blind tasting and decided it was too difficult for people to tell the difference.”
The key to choosing a burr grinder is to choose one that suits your use, as some grinders are pre-calibrated to produce a specific combination of grinds for a specific style of coffee: extra fine powder for espresso or large, sea salt-sized grinds for pour-over or French press. Some large capacity grinders offer a wide range of settings for different types of coffee.
Burr Grinders: Good and mid-cost brands
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy a coffee grinder, but make sure you choose one from a reputable brand.
Boring grinders come in either electronic or manual models, and as with any kitchen appliance, you can spend a lot of money on one, but you don’t necessarily have to. Teoh uses a variety of different grinders with Coffee Project New York; Among the professional brands she loves, such as Mahlkönig and Victoria Arduino, there are several brands she recommends for home use:
Of course beans are important
The main purpose of grinders is consistency, so it’s worth having one in your kitchen if you’re a coffee lover.
If you’re thinking about getting serious with a grinder, it’s of course important that you do too Get serious about your beans. Your average supermarket whole bean probably isn’t worth the splurge. In particular, for burr grinders, especially hand-crank models, the darker the roast, the crisper and easier it grinds. So, consider your preferred roast in your purchasing decision.
As for improving consistency and control with your grinder, “buy coffee from your local roasters,” Teoh advises. “They usually roast every day of the week, then serve you fresh coffee. The fresher the coffee, the better the aroma and flavor that results.”