Coffee Grinder Buying Guide

Here you will find a guide on the different types of coffee grinders to help you decide which one is best for you. All are capable of grinding your coffee beans but there are some things to consider when purchasing a grinder. You can spend a lot of money on an excellent espresso machine and have fresh coffee beans, but if your grinder is not good enough your final result will be anything but pleasing to your taste buds. This is often the biggest thing overlooked by people trying to make good espresso at home. They think as long as the beans are ground fresh it will taste good. So they purchase a less expensive grinder to go with their good espresso machine and quickly find out that they are unable to produce the quality of espresso the machine was created to make. There are 3 main things that contribute to the quality of the grind.

How much the grinder heats up the beans as they are being ground.
How evenly the grinder grinds the beans.
How fine the grinder is capable of grinding the beans.

If the grinder heats up the beans too much it will extract the flavor from the beans and may result in a somewhat bitter or burnt taste. If the grinder does not grind evenly or is unable to grind the coffee fine enough the espresso will not taste as good as it could and you will be hard pressed to get that wonderful crema. Crema is a dark golden foam on top of the espresso that is produced during the brewing process. This is the mark of an excellent espresso and should be your goal. There are basically two types of grinders, the blade grinder and the burr grinder. The following is a brief description of each highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.

Blade Grinder

Blade grinders are the most common type of grinder found in retail stores. These grinders use a sharp metal blade that spins at very high speeds to grind the coffee. The longer you grind the coffee the smaller the grind will be. There are some very negative results that come from this type of grinding process, especially if you are trying to grind beans for brewing espresso. The blade does not grind evenly and you end up with coffee that is ground from very course to very fine. Blade grinders typically are unable to grind the coffee fine enough for espresso. The speed at which the blade spins causes the beans to heat up more than a burr grinder. The longer you have to grind the coffee will also increase the temperature of the coffee. For these reasons we do not recommend this type of grinder.

Burr Grinder

The burrs in a burr grinder are the two metal parts that grind the coffee. They come in two types, flat plate and conical. Flat plate has two flat, round metal plates that are serrated on one side. A conical burr grinder has a cone shaped design. With both types only one of the burrs moves while the other is stationary. Both types do an excellent job of grinding the coffee evenly and consistently. Most burr grinders are capable of grinding the beans fine enough for true espresso and even Turkish coffee. They operate at lower speeds than a blade grinder and heat up the coffee less. For these reasons we highly recommend a burr grinder especially if you are making espresso.

Dosing Grinder

A dosing grinder has a compartment that holds the ground coffee in it. It features a lever that when pulled will dispense only a certain amount of ground coffee (about 7 grams, enough for a single shot) directly into your portafilter. This is the type you would most likely see in a cafe or restaurant. The advantage here is that there is no measuring and you will consistently use the same amount of ground coffee each time. It can also reduce the time needed to prepare an espresso. One disadvantage to the dosing grinder is if you are only preparing 1 espresso and you have ground more coffee than what is needed the left over coffee sits in the container. Your next espresso the following day will not be as fresh of a grind. Cafes and restaurants are continually brewing espresso all day so this would not be a concern for them.

Non-Dosing Grinder

A non-dosing grinder will either have a chute that the ground coffee comes out of or a container that collects the ground coffee. In the case with the chute you have the option of grinding directly into a bag, portafilter, or some other device. If it grinds directly into a container you will then need to measure out the desired amount or just empty the container into your bag, filter, etc.

Stepped Adjustment

A grinder with stepped adjustments allows you to turn a knob or the bean hopper to adjust the grind. As you turn it you will hear a click as you reach the different settings on the grinder. Each click represents one level of adjustment. Some stepped grinders require you to push and hold a lever or button as you turn the adjustment knob.

Stepless Adjustment

A stepless grinder has an infinite number of adjustments without any preset stops like the stepped grinder has. You have very precise control over your grind setting and are able to fine tune your grind for the perfect espresso. One disadvantage with stepless is if you change your setting and then wish to go back to that setting again it may be harder to find because there are no preset stops.

Unless you are truly seeking the perfect espresso or money is not an issue a stepped burr grinder will do just fine. Stepless grinders are at the high end of the price range from about $325 to $995.

High Speed & Low Speed

Another difference in burr grinders is “high speed” and “low speed”. As the name implies a low speed grinder operates at a lower speed. The advantage here would be the issue of heat as we discussed above. The coffee will be exposed to less heat with a low speed grinder. A low speed coffee grinder will usually be quieter when grinding.

Well there you have it. Probably more information than you wanted on coffee grinders. We hope this guide has helped you in your quest to find the right grinder. If you are also in search of the right espresso machine check out our buying guide on espresso machines.

Check out our qualty line of Coffee Grinders.