From crushing the coffee beans for espresso to the French press, you’ll need a durable grinder that can grind the perfect size with stable grinding quality. Blade and burr grinders are among the most popular grinders available for grinding coffee beans.
Blade grinders chop the coffee beans but produce uneven grind, while the Burr grinder can grind all sizes for each coffee brewing method with consistency in grind size. And for the grinding system and size, a Burr grinder is better than a blade grinder.
But that’s not all! You must compare all the features in between before having a final call. So, Blade grinder vs Burr grinder: which is right for you?
We are here to help you with the comparison of blade grinders vs burr grinders, including their operating capacity, grinding system, durability, cost, and control. Keep reading till the end to learn all the facts about these two grinders.
The Basic Differences between Blade and Burr Grinders
Blade and burr grinders have different grinding mechanisms. One of the most remarkable dissimilarities between blade and burr grinders is their workability. Also, it takes less time to grind coffee beans with burr grinders than the blade ones [1].
How Does Blade Grinder Work?
Electric blade grinders are common in household kitchens. A good quality blade grinder has a high-speed blending capacity that chops your coffee beans and spices into random large cubes to powder [2].
It features stainless steel blades and grinds the beans with a low heat capacity (depending on the quality). With the good quality propeller blades, it’ll take 10 to 15 seconds for the medium ground and 8 seconds for the coarse ground.
How Does Burr Grinder Work?
Burr grinders include two rotating discs made of stainless steel or ceramic that crush coffee beans and make desired-size coffee grinds. Along with perfect grind size, it offers consistency.
Some of the burr grinders have variable speed options to control speed by the user. It requires 15 to 20 seconds for the finest coffee dust, 10 to 15 seconds for medium powdery form, and 8 to 10 seconds for large chunks.
Types Of Burrs Grinder
Two burr grinders are available: flat wheel and conical. The most effective burr grinders are the conical ones because it comes up with inner cone-shaped and outer saw-toothed discs to grind the fine coffee texture.
Moreover, it keeps the consistency of the coffee flavor. On the other hand, a flat-wheel burr grinder works with razor-sharp circle-shaped burrs with the highest grinding capacity.
The Pros and Cons of Blade Grinders
Here are the benefits and limitations of blade grinders.
The Pros and Cons of Burr Grinders
Following are the pros and cons of burr grinders.
Comparison Between Burrs & Blade Grinder
| Features | Blade Grinder | Burr Grinder |
| Durability | Lasts for 5 to 10 years | Lasts for 12 to 15 years |
| Cost | $12 to $50 | $35 to $150 |
| Control | Low | High |
How to Choose the Right Grinder for Your Coffee Brewing Method?
There are more things you should consider while selecting a grinder according to your coffee brewing techniques. These include-
Grind Size
One of the most important things you’ll need for every coffee brewing method is the grind size. You have to match the grind size to your coffee brewing ideas. Otherwise, it’ll be challenging to make refined brewing coffee.
For instance, it requires coarser grounds for dip methods like French press and cold brew. And you can try a regular drip coffee brewing with a medium coarse grind.
Thus, it’ll need a medium sea salt grind for machine drip and siphon. On the other hand, the fine grind can make a Moka pot method like espresso.
Flexibility
While choosing a grinder, you must check the system settings. For example, Blade grinders come up with one-touch settings that won’t let you choose the varieties of coffee grind sizes.
On the contrary, Burr grinders have different settings for various grind sizes. You can try the Turkish coffee pot method to cold brew with these settings.
Texture And Flavor
When it comes to brewing coffee, it’s necessary to consider the texture and flavor. The texture and flavor depend on the brewing method.
For instance, to brew refined coffee with a creamy texture, pick a burr grinder that makes the finest coffee dust and keeps up the genuine flavor. And a blade grinder can be used for cold brew or pour-over coffee texture. But it can’t make the espresso or Turkish pot coffee perfectly due to the lumpiness.
Material
You should look into the materials of the grinder for long-lasting use. Additionally, it matters for brewing quality too. Most grinders are made of high-quality stainless steel.
Check whether the blades and jar materials are stainless steel for choosing blade grinders. And to pick the burr grinders, you must also consider the stainless-steel or ceramic discs and containers.
Speed
We suggest looking into the grinder’s speed to understand the grinding quality as well. You can try different coffee brewing if your grinder has several speed settings.
In particular, the blade grinder includes only one-speed condition. But some burr grinders have different speed capacity that helps to experiment with all brewing techniques.
Should You Spend More Money on a Higher Quality Grinder?
Yes, you should, quality matters! Spending money on a premium grinder is one of the most effective decisions that can change your coffee brewing instinct.
High-quality grinders ensured durability, flawless workability, robust build quality, and better grinding capacity than average grinders or blenders.
However, it depends on your love for coffee and whether you should invest more money in a long-lasting grinder. Hence, it’s worth buying a top-quality grinder that makes your coffee brewing more interesting.
Here are some of the best burr grinders available.
OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Quiet & not messy
- Automatic shut-off
- Built-in timer &15 grind settings
FAQs
Here are some mostly asked questions answered about blade and burr grinders.
Can you use a blade grinder for espresso?
Yes. But it takes extra time to prepare coffee beans for espresso with blade grinders. As you can’t customize the speed or size on this grinder, you need to grind the coffee beans on repeat to make the fine coffee dust.
How do I know if my grinder burr needs replacing?
When the burrs are grinding inconsistent lumps and not making powdery form, you need to change the burrs. Also, replace it if the burr isn’t sharp enough to make a soft coarse grind.
Are burr grinders hard to clean?
No. After every use, you can easily clean the burrs and jar with cleaning wipes. If you grind coffee beans often, clean the grinders deep twice a month, washing jars and burrs with soapy water.
Conclusion
Comparison of Blade grinder vs burr grinder will help you to select the best choice for your kitchen. Whether you’re drinking regular coffee or love experimenting with coffee brewing methods, good quality, and reliable grinder is a must-have appliance.
We highly recommend the burr grinder for its consistent texture, amazing grind size, and flavorful taste. However, a blade grinder can chop coffee beans on average. But it’s quite difficult with the grinder blades. That’s it. Now choose the convenient grinders that match your budget and requirement.
Coffee Gears that I Use Daily
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
This is my favorite grinder when I’m at home to start my day with the perfect cup. It delivers excellent grind consistency & offers versatile settings. The price is also reasonable. I recommend this grinder to all my fellow coffee enthusiasts. Check it out on Amazon now.
VSSL JAVA Manual Hand Coffee Grinder
I travel a lot, but can’t take Baratza with me. So, I carry this fantastic manual hand coffee grinder made by VSSL. It’s compact and lightweight, and its crank handle comes with a convenient carabiner feature, making it the perfect on-the-go companion for me. Get yours on Amazon today.
Coffee Scale
I rely on my trusty digital scale to measure the exact amount of coffee grounds and water for the perfect flavor and strength. Whether I’m at home or on the go, this scale is a must-have. Available on Amazon, get your hands on one and elevate your coffee game to the next level.
References
- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/a-Coffee-grinder-used-for-this-study-showing-b-close-up-of-blade-and-c_fig1_287525597
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