Coffee Grinders 101 - The Basics

Ready to level up your coffee game and start grinding your own beans?

If so, you're in the right place. Here's a brief lesson on the basics of coffee grinders to get you started. Once you've got the basics down, learn why freshly ground beans can make better coffee.

Not all coffee grinders are created equal.

At their core, coffee grinders take whole beans and reduce them to grounds of varying granularity. Manufacturers use different methods, materials, and form factors to accomplish this. Unlike mankind, not all grinders are created equal.

Searching for your next grinder can feel daunting because of the many options on the market. (We're biased, of course, but we don't think you can beat the Vivaant Manual Coffee Grinder.)

If you take the time to understand the different grinding mechanisms and their pros and cons, you can narrow your options and get one step closer to finding your perfect grinder.

A Review of Coffee Grinder Mechanics

Here are the most common coffee grinders on the market with a summary of features, pros, and cons:

Blade Coffee Grinders

• found mostly in economical electric grinders
• can produce inconsistent grounds
• operate similarly to blenders and food processors
• chop coffee beans rather than grind them

Burr Coffee Grinders: Three Main Types

Most burr coffee grinders use one of three types of burrs:

Flat Burrs

• limited to electric grinders
• produce uniform results
• pricey

Conical Burrs

• found in both electric and manual grinders
• high quality steel burrs, capable of producing most uniform results
• does not require high speed for grinding

Ghost Burrs

• found in commercial and industrial grinders
• designed to produce mostly coarse grounds

Burr Material: Ceramic vs. Metal

For coffee grinders that use burrs to grind beans, ceramic and metal are the two most common burr materials, with stainless steel being the most common metal.

I understand that some people believe ceramic burrs are less prone to heating during grinding than steel, and therefore less likely to affect the taste of the coffee. However, evidence to support this belief is hard to find, and even if it were true, the effect would be negligible in all cases except when grinding large quantities of coffee beans at once, such as in an industrial setting.

Ceramic burrs, when new, are less sharp than their stainless steel counterparts. However, they hold their edges longer, and you don't have to worry about corrosion or rusting with ceramic.

That said, ceramic burrs are more fragile and therefore more susceptible to chipping than stainless.

Good stainless steel burrs are significantly sharper than ceramic when new. However, they can dull over time. Stainless is less prone to rusting than ordinary steel because of the chromium in the steel, but you should still dry off the burrs after cleaning to avoid any chance of corrosion.

Electric Coffee Grinder or Manual Coffee Grinder?

When it comes to powering your grinder, you have two options: Electricity vs. Elbow grease.

Electric Coffee Grinders:

Electric coffee grinders come in options for every budget, are fast and efficient, and work well for grinding in large quantities. Electric coffee grinders are convenient because they require no manual labor; as long as you have a nearby power outlet, you'll be good to go.

On the downside, electric coffee grinders can be noisy and hard to clean. Higher-end electric coffee grinders can be costly. Also, if you take your coffee beans off-grid, you might be out of luck.

Electric coffee grinders typically use either blades or burrs.

Electric coffee grinders with blades work like blenders and food processors: you're not really grinding your coffee beans, you're chopping them. The problem is that they can produce inconsistent particle sizes, resulting in coffee grounds that may be too fine or too coarse for your brewing method.

Manual Coffee Grinders:

Manual coffee grinders give you the flexibility of grinding cordlessly. They tend to be lightweight, compact, and portable; so, if you travel frequently or camp for long durations, manual coffee grinders may be a good option.

Manual coffee grinders also generate virtually no heat compared to their powered counterparts (although, as we mentioned above, this is likely a non-issue for most people in most cases).

Disassembly and cleanup of manual coffee grinders are a snap, as many components can be separated for easy cleaning.

One downside of manual coffee grinders is that they can be slower than electric grinders, making it difficult to produce large quantities in a reasonable time frame.

Of course, if you are opposed to expending a bit of manual labor to get your morning brew, a powered coffee grinder may be a better fit.

When choosing the best manual coffee grinder, consider ergonomics, grind capacity, ease of grinding, burr material, grind consistency, and portability. For manual grinders, stainless steel burrs are generally the best all-around option for efficiency and consistency.

Weighing Your Coffee Grinding Options

When weighing your options, one of your primary considerations should be the brew method you'll use most often.

For example, if you're primarily grinding for cold brew coffee, avoid an electric coffee grinder around the $50 price point. Why? Because it will probably have an inexpensive grinding mechanism (most likely spinning blades), resulting in an unpredictable grind that makes it hard to get the grind you want. (Overgrinding coffee beans tends to result in a bitter cold brew batch.)

However, that same inexpensive electric coffee grinder could be well-suited for espresso applications.

Summing Up

When choosing a coffee grinder, just like in life, your decision might come down to personal preference.

Whatever coffee grinding method you choose, we know that freshly ground coffee beans make a better cup of coffee than store-bought grounds any day of the week.

What are your thoughts, preferences, and experiences? Do you currently grind your own coffee beans? What's your favorite method? Let us know in the comments below; we'd love to hear from you.