Coffee is enjoyed anytime of the day. Some people enjoy their coffee early in morning, while others enjoy it in the afternoon. There are so many ways to make a cup of coffee. Sure, instant coffee isn’t a problem to make since you only need to mix it with hot water. But what if you’re up for some homemade coffee and you only have coffee beans available? In this article, you will find out the best coffee grinders for coffee lovers like you in 2020!
As much as great coffee abounds, the purists will surely tell you that the only way to enjoy a fresh cup of great coffee is by grinding the coffee grains yourself.
History of the Coffee Grinder
Coffee grinders have been around for ages with its beginning deeply linked to the origins of coffee consumption itself.
Coffee beans have been around since around 900 A.D. and were first used in Yemen. These coffee cherries were picked from coffee bushes and trees. People in the Middle East were known to ground spices and and grains by simply using a mortar and pestle. Coffee beans, although are much tougher to grind, were also grounded by this method.
As coffee beans were traded across the rest of the world, coffee grinders were created to make grinding easier. In Europe, spice grinders were already being used which gave way to the first mechanical coffee grinder.
In the early 1800’s, the first known coffee grinder was mass produced for consumers. By the mid 1800’s, coffee grinders were available to almost every household in America and Europe.
In present time, some still use the mortar and pestle method. However, it takes a great amount to time. For example, to get the consistency of a drip grind, it will take up to 10 hours of grounding.
2 Types of Coffee Grinders
The 2 main types of coffee grinders are the blade grinder and the burr grinder. More details of each type will be discussed the following sections.
Blade Grinder
The blade grinder, also known as the propeller grinder, got its name from the high-speed inner spinning blade used to slice coffee grains to smaller pieces.
Blades in a blade grinder are usually found at the bottom of the reservoir. Coffee beans are poured on top of the grinder. In most cases, a button is found on top or in front of the coffee grinder that you need to push to start the grinding process.
The coffee beans are chopped into smaller pieces as the blades spin. Essentially, the longer the grinding is, the finer the results will be. A few short pulses will give you coarse coffee grounds that is perfect for a French press.
The pulsing part of grinding coffee beans with a blade grinder is important because if you just hold down the button, you will create issues with consistency and heat.
Blade grinders are inexpensive and rather portable. They are usually small in size and simple in build.
Ultimately, blade grinders can offer freshly ground coffee. However, they usually are not able to provide consistent results which could be frustrating in the long run.
Burr Grinder
The burr grinder is the other type of coffee grinder. A burr grinder grinds beans between two burred plates. These plates can be conical or flat depending on the model. One plate remains still, while the other plate rotates around.
A burr grinder’s main advantage is that it grinds coffee beans to a uniform size of particles. This allows for a better cup of coffee, avoids problems in terms of clogging, and gives the ultimate flexibility to grind beans to the texture that fits your taste best.
Conical Burr Grinder
The conical burr grinder is the more common type of burr grinder. The way it processes coffee beans is more efficient. As a result, it tends to be more expensive than the alternative flat burr grinder.
It’s surely a great investment as its slow-speed process ensures the results that blade grinders sometimes fail to deliver. They are silent and efficient in delivering the best coffee, including oilier beans that may often clog other machine types.
Flat Burr Grinder
A flat burr grinder can save you some money upon purchase, whilst still delivering excellent fresh coffee. However, they are noisier than a conical burr grinder and can be a little harder to get the job done.
The higher speed rotation on a flat burr grinder makes these grinders messier than a conical burr grinder. This is something that you should also keep in mind when picking which type of burr grinder to purchase.
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Overall Best Coffee Grinder
Defining what makes the best coffee grinder isn’t particularly easy or straightforward. In the previous sections of this article, we gave a little history of the coffee grinder and we defined the different types of it.
With that in mind, we believe the Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is the best all-rounder coffee grinder. It is reasonably priced considering the perfectly fine coffee ground it can produce.
Since the Oxo Brew is a conical burr grinder, you can expect to have fine and high quality results. It’s silent and efficient with a price tag of only $100. The Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is definitely the best coffee grinder for coffee lovers like you!
Pros:
- Produces high-quality ground coffee in seconds
- Easy to use
- Easy to clean
- Great value for money
Cons:
- Doesn’ have a scale unlike other similar models
- Grinding can get messy
Best Value Coffee Grinder
If you don’t want to break the bank but you still would like to occasionally make a fresh cup of coffee, we’ll steer away from the previous model. Instead, let’s focus on a budget-friendly coffee grinder that can still deliver quality results.
Sitting at just under the $20 tag, the KRUPS F203 Electric Coffee Grinder may just be the coffee friend you’ve been missing out on. Its small yet powerful engine can easily grind those coffee beans in no time at all. This unit can be operated with the press of just one button. The longer the button is pressed, the finer the results will be.
With great overall online reviews, this blade grinder will not only grind your coffee but can also easily grind nuts and even cinnamon.
Pros:
- Unbeatable value for money
- Simple to use with one button does it all
- Versatility
Cons:
- Uneven grind
- Little control over the grinding process
- The blade heat can affect the quality of the end product
Best Electric Coffee Grinder
If you’re aiming for the best electric coffee grinder, the Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is definitely the coffee grinder for you.
With a price tag that is quite steep, it surely offers plenty of configurations and customizations to ensure the perfect grind.
With 40 pre-defined grind settings, a digital timer, and a backlit grounds bin, it’s one of the advanced coffee grinders in the market. You can choose from a range of brew methods that better suit the coffee grains at hand along with the drink you’re aiming for.
As far as coffee grinders come, it’s hard to beat the Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Precise grind
- Over 40 grinding programs
Cons:
- Steep price tag
Best Manual Coffee Grinder
The Comandante C40 MK3 Hand Grinder may just be a rather expensive way to grind your coffee manually, but it’s also one of the very best and most beautiful grinders you’ve ever set eyes on.
As much as the world may rely on machines to do all the heavy work for us, there is something precious and different about manual processes that some people still prefer it than using electricity-dependent machines.
Made from a stainless steel body, thin wood veneer treated with natural wax oil, oak wood handle, and a clear glass container, its design is indeed impeccable.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Extremely easy to use
Cons:
- Steep price tag
- Consistency will vary according to coffee beans
Best Travel Coffee Grinder
Portable in size, appealing in price, and delivers an overall positive experience of producing fresh ground coffee, the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder is the best option for your travel needs.
With a price tag of only $25, it offers adjustable settings to ensure your grind is done exactly the way you want it. Its handy mechanism is silent and efficient, offering one of the best travel grinder experiences available in the market.
Pros:
- Extremely easy to use
- 18 different settings
- Very affordable price
- Lightweight, perfect for travel
Cons:
- Grinding settings may take time to master
Final Verdict
Throughout this article, we have covered some of the most interesting and efficient ways to grind your own coffee. From efficient and easy-to-use electric grinders with a single button, to coffee grinders equipped with pre-defined settings to deliver the perfect ground coffee that suits your taste.
Grinding your own coffee beans brings a feeling of thrill and excitement to one’s cup of coffee. You get a perfectly balanced, strong-smelled drink with every sip. Remember that a good coffee grinder should ensure that it can deliver fine coffee that perfectly suits your needs.
There are a whole lot of coffee grinders for coffee lovers available in the market. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ultimately, the choice is left for consumers like you to make.
What’s your personal coffee grinder favorite? Let us know in the comments section below!
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