A Guide to Purchasing the Best Burr Grinder
What is a burr grinder?
Burr grinders are used to grind coffee beans in a uniform size, which is essential to producing great coffee. Grind size is determined by the width between the two burrs, into which a few beans are dropped and ground at a time. Having a burr grinder can make preparing coffee a lot easier, since different methods of preparing coffee require different grind sizes.
FAQ
Why should you buy a burr grinder?
The main advantage of a burr coffee grinder is that it grinds the beans to a uniform size. This produces a better cup of coffee, prevents clogging, and allows you to grind beans to the right consistency for the coffee maker or espresso machine you are using.
How do you choose a burr grinder?
A cup of coffee can make or break things in your life. A good one can kick-start your day full of energy and good vibes. On the other hand, a bad one can be a great mood spoiler for the day. When it’s about excellent coffee brewing, you must switch from pre-ground to fresh ground. In the freshly-ground coffee, you will have all the flavors intact and you can use it for a longer period. You must keep it in mind that ground coffee gets stale once it is kept for a longer period. Don’t worry for all that? If you are a coffee lover and feel that a lot can happen over a cup of fresh coffee, you need the best burr grinders for your kitchen. There is a variety of these available on the e-commerce sites. But you need to know, what’s best for you. We have gone through thousands of customer reviews, to bring you a handy and useful buying guide for burr grinders.
What is the difference between a burr blade vs. a burr grinder?
A burr grinder grinds coffee using two revolving abrasive surfaces, while a blade grinder uses a propeller-like blade similar to a blender. Burr grinders produce better results when it comes to grind size and flavor than burr blades. Additionally, they are well known for their quality, consistency, and uniformity.
Types of Burr Grinders
There are various types of burr grinders available on-line:
Some have conical burrs, while others have flat burrs. The ones with conical burrs often use cheaper motors. The conical blurs have the advantage of having a larger surface area and shedding the heat faster and more quickly than flat burrs.
Important Features
What are the things to consider when buying a burr grinder?
As you decide to invest in a burr grinder, you will come across thousands of options on e-commerce sites. But, you can’t make a random decision for buying the best burr grinder. You will need to research a bit about the blades, their spinning speed, the material of the grinder and other features related to its utility.
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Check the type of grind: Choose your burr grinder based on what kind of coffee you want to brew. There are different grinders available on the market for espresso and drip percolators, or for both, that are available with many grind settings.
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Check the container: Go for a grinder that comes with a storage bin. Search the market for the product which has two storage units, one at the top for coffee beans and one at the bottom for the ground coffee.
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Go for easy assembly: Select the product whose compartments can be easily removed for cleaning purposes, especially the upper compartments. The tougher the assembly, the more time you lose.
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Ensure easy portability: Look for a portable burr grinder, if you are a coffee lover and would love to have a freshly brewed coffee on the way to camping. When you pack your luggage for a trip or camp, ensure you pack your mini-portable grinder.
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Consider your budget: Determine your budget before you step towards buying this product. The market has many budget-friendly grinders, besides the automatic and expensive ones.
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Materials: Is it made up of ceramic or steel? You must buy the one made up of steel or harder material. Ceramic grinders are breakable and can be damaged easily.
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Selector Options: Does the burr grinder provide selector options? There are grinders which provide as many as 18 grind selector positions. So, you can actually choose how you want your coffee to be—ultrafine to coarse.
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Automatic or manual: Is it fully-automatic or does it require being operated manually as well?
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Stepped or step-less grinding plate: Does the burr grinder has a stepped or step-less grinding plate?
How to take care of your burr grinder?
Keep your burr grinder in good working condition with these tips:
- Cleaning: Clean your burr grinder at least once a week, depending on your usage. Unplug your grinder before disassembling the parts. Scrub all coffee grounds and dust that is clinging to the inside of your grinder with a soft brush. Before reassembling the plastic pieces, wipe them down and dry them thoroughly. Keep the metal pieces dry. Do not run anything under water or spray anything inside the grinder.
- Cleaning with pellets: For a deeper clean, use grinder cleaning pellets. Do not use rice to clean your grinder because it is much harder than pellets, which can cause damage to the motor. Rice is also a starch, so grinding it up may result in a gross residue that is difficult to clean.
- Remove Grease: Grinder plastic surfaces can retain oils and coffee residue, hence it is advisable to remove the bean hopper and scrub the inside surfaces well. Rinse and wipe down your grinder's chamber as well, especially those corners that tend to collect coffee grounds. Also wipe the inside of the hopper with a clean, dry cloth to remove any oils that will cause the hopper to become sticky and smelly.
- Parts Replacement: The burrs will need changing after a certain amount of use. In general, if your grinder has replaceable burrs, you should switch them out every three to five years.
