If you drink coffee regularly, then you probably know that there’s a wide range of possibilities that allow you to prepare coffee just the way you like it. After picking your favorite coffee beans, you need to grind them to get them ready for your favorite brewing method. Grinding fresh coffee beans guarantees the strongest flavor and aroma, providing you with a rich cup of coffee that will help improve your mood. If you’re thinking about investing in a coffee grinder, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself. Are burr coffee grinders better?
The short answer is yes, burr coffee grinders are better than traditional grinders. They give you more control over the coffee grind size, aren’t nearly as loud as blade grinders, and are exceptionally durable.
Keep on reading to learn more about burr grinders.
Are Burr Coffee Grinders Better?
Burr grinders will allow you to grind the coffee beans of your choice, so you can have total control over your coffee. After picking the right roast and type of beans, you will have to grind them to an adequate consistency to allow for proper brewing and extraction. There are several types of grinders that you can use to grind coffee beans, but burr grinders are better.
A burr grinder contains abrasive plates or burrs that can be flat or conical. One of them rotates around, while the other remains stable, grinding the coffee beans in between. Here are some of the benefits of burr grinders.
Benefits
- Burr grinders grind your coffee beans to uniform-sized particles. This will guarantee better consistency of your coffee cup and help you avoid clogging problems.
- These grinders are flexible, so you can choose to have your coffee ground to coarse or fine, depending on the coffee machine or espresso maker you’re using. When you’re using a French Press, you can grind your coffee to be very coarse to allow for better brewing, or you can choose a finer ground if you’re using a drip brewer.
- Burr grinders don’t grind the coffee too fine. When the coffee grounds are too fine, they over-extract and the resulting coffee can be quite bitter. They can also create particles that are not too big, so they won’t take too much time to extract and might make your coffee taste weak.
- Burr grinders have multiple speed settings. Other grinders might be too fast, increasing the heat around the coffee grounds and static energy. This will make the coffee grounds to stick to the grinder, making the clean-up process more difficult. By choosing the slowest speed, you’ll be protecting the coffee beans from the extra heat that might affect the taste and flavor.
- The way the coffee beans are ground allows for the best taste and aroma. Professional baristas usually use burr grinders because they guarantee the richest flavor in an espresso shot. The grounds’ consistency means that the beans will be extracted at the same time to allow for uniform flavor and aroma.
- These grinders are exceptionally durable. Whether you’re buying a manual or mechanical grinder, yours will last for a long time.
What is a Burr Grinder?
Burr grinders are quite popular due to the consistency, high-quality, and uniformity of the coffee grounds that you can use to prepare your favorite cup of coffee. The two revolving blades or burrs are located in the middle of the grinder and the beans are crushed in between. One of the blades moves, while the other stays stationary to deliver uniform-sized ground coffee.
Types of Burr Grinders
There are two types of burr grinders that you can find on the market, and both deliver consistent performance and high-quality coffee grounds. Depending on the type of burrs, you can choose grinders that have flat or conical blades.
Top Tip: You can also choose between manual and electric grinders. Manual grinders are designed to produce uniform coffee particles and are quite simple to use. Electric grinders are more convenient to use, especially if you’re grinding a large amount of coffee.
Conical Burr Grinders
These are the standard burr grinders. They use a cone-shaped burr in the center and another outer serrated burr to grind coffee uniformly. This design doesn’t cause any heat that might affect the coffee grounds, so it’s suitable for home use and professional baristas.
However, these grinders might not produce extremely uniform ground coffee. This adds more dimension to your coffee and might affect the brewing process when you’re preparing an espresso shot, but it won’t affect the taste of your coffee.
Flat Burr Grinder
Flat burr grinders are less common than conical burr grinders. They feature two donut-shaped burrs that face each other to grind the coffee beans in the middle.
Author Note: The coffee grounds produced are more uniform and symmetrical. These grinders are usually used if you want to prepare uniform espresso shots that you can use as a base for other more creative drinks.
However, flat burr grinders are louder than conical burr grinders. They also use more energy and produce more heat that might affect the flavor of your coffee.
How to Choose the Best Burr Grinder?
There are several models of burr grinders on the market. Here are a few things you need to think about before buying your next burr grinder.
Material
Burr grinders can be made of ceramic or steel. Ceramic grinders are more expensive, but they don’t heat up fast. This will guarantee that the ground coffee won’t oxidize. Steel heats up, but it’s more affordable.
Operation
Burr grinders are either manual or electric. Manual grinders are more portable and can be used on the go. If you’re fond of preparing Turkish coffee, a manual grinder might work for you. It can still produce uniformly-ground coffee. Electric grinders are more convenient to use, and there are several settings that you can pick.
Hopper Size
This is the compartment where you keep the coffee beans. If you live in a busy household where you need to grind coffee for several people, you need to make sure that you choose a big hopper, so you won’t have to grind several batches of coffee.
Grind Settings
It’s a good idea to pick a burr grinder that can be adjusted to several grind settings. You can choose between coarse and finely ground coffee for the brewing method you prefer.
Why Should You Buy a Coffee Grinder?
Most avid coffee grinders prefer freshly ground coffee over pre-ground coffee. You can still buy pre-ground coffee at your local coffee shop after picking the coffee beans and having a barista grind them for you. You can also buy pre-ground coffee from the supermarket, which can be even easier.
Author Note: However, grinding your coffee at home guarantees that it will be fresh, strong, and full of flavors. Here are a few reasons why investing in a coffee grinder will be a good option.
Investing in a Coffee Grinder
- Pre-ground coffee might be easy to obtain, but it deteriorates quickly. The coffee becomes stale, loses some of its complex flavors, and generally becomes weaker. While this might not be a big deal if you’re looking for a regular cup of coffee, it will hugely affect the taste if you want to drink an exceptional shot of espresso that is full of aroma.
- Freshly ground coffee has a strong and fresh odor. It’s much stronger than pre-ground coffee, which tends to lose its flavor over time. If you have been using pre-ground coffee for a long time, you’ll definitely feel the difference.
- Pre-ground coffee can be too fine, so its over-extracts affecting the overall taste of the coffee. Finely ground coffee can be quite bitter.
- Finding a grinder will give you more control over the size of the grinds. There are several ways to brew coffee, and the grounds’ size will allow you to prepare coffee the way you want it. On the other hand, buying pre-ground coffee will limit you to one brewing method.
- After grinding coffee beans, they tend to oxidize, losing some of the aroma and flavor that give your coffee beans their character. Pre-ground coffee has been oxidizing for a long time, so the espresso shot you prepare will be weaker. Although freshly ground coffee would still oxidize, it hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for a long time.
- Coffee beans get their flavor from the oils that cover the beans. These oils are soluble in water, and the moisture in the air will affect the flavor and aroma of the beans. The storage and handling process of pre-ground coffee will affect these oils. However, if you grind your coffee beans on the spot, only a small amount of these oils is lost, creating the rich crema on top of your espresso shot.
- Pre-ground coffee can pick up flavors and odors from the supermarket or your kitchen before you get a chance to prepare your coffee. When you grind coffee on the spot, your coffee beans will always smell fresh.
Wrap Up
Grinding coffee beans guarantees that they will retain all the rich flavors and intense aromas that allow you to enjoy an exceptional cup of coffee whenever you like. Burr grinders are better than blade grinders because they produce uniformly-ground coffee beans that can be used to brew different types of coffee.
Stay caffeinated friends!