The Best Burr Coffee Grinder

Buying Guide

Coffee grounds are a necessary purchase for making coffee at home. But once coffee beans are ground, it has a shelf life. Some shops let you grind beans in the store, taking them home and enjoying them later. But even that can take away some of the freshness you’d get if you ground them the same day you enjoyed the coffee.

That’s where a coffee grinder comes in. With a coffee grinder, you buy whole beans and grind them in batches, using one batch before grinding the next. If you have a small household, you can find grinders that will let you grind just enough beans for a few cups of coffee. Since this process typically takes less than a few minutes, it will only add a little extra time to your morning cup but could make a big difference in taste.

There are two types of coffee grinders: blade and burr. With the blade grinder, a blade cuts the coffee beans into fine particles. A burr grinder has two cone-shaped burrs with ridges. This is the preferable grinder type for coffees like espressos because it can create a uniform size. But that consistency can also make a better-tasting cup of coffee all around.

• The first thing to look at when shopping coffee grinders is capacity. If you plan to grind large batches to enjoy throughout the week, you might want one with a larger capacity. But a 4-cup grinder can be better if you prefer to make a fresh batch every day.
• Look at how long the grinder takes to make the serving size you need.
• A grinder should offer your choice for the size of each ground. The more choices, the more you can dial in your size to exactly what you prefer.
• Some grinders remember the last setting you input so that you can repeat the same choice, or dial it slightly up or down, the next day.
• If you plan to store your grinder on the counter, how it will look alongside the rest of your appliances is important. If you’ll slide it under a counter between uses, make sure it’s lightweight enough to do so easily. Either way, you’ll likely want to consider how much space it will take.
• Grinders can be relatively noisy. Some are quieter than others. Keep this in mind, though, if you have a small house and are concerned about waking others when you’re grinding in the morning. Conical burr grinders are quieter than flat burr grinders, but the conical ones are usually more expensive.