Burr Grinders

Dedicated coffee enthusiasts not only grind their coffee at home to retain freshness, but prefer burr grinders to blade grinders. Burr Grinders completely crush coffee beans into identically sized pieces. This provides the perfect surface for an even extraction of the oils from the coffee and avoids the ill-proportioned grind that can under or over-extract. Over-extracted coffee tastes bitter and too strong, while under-extracted coffee tastes weak and thin.

Burr grinders come in 2 main forms: Flat-Plate Burr Grinders and Conical Burr Grinders. Flat-Plate Burr Grinders’ burrs that are plate-shaped and lie atop each other, while Conical Burr Grinders’ burrs are formed in 2 interlocking cones. Some believe that the Flat-plate Burr Grinders provide greater consistency and life because of its ability to operate at faster speeds and others maintain Conical Burr Grinders wear more but provide a greater grind consistency and slower operating speed. In reality they both work quite well (depending on brand and proper maintenance) and the difference is negligible.