Equipment Review: The Best Coffee Grinder and Our Testing Winners (Burr vs. Blade Coffee Grinders)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- Coffee aficionados have long debated the best brewing method, but is the secret to great coffee all in the grind?
Buy Our Winning Burr Coffee Grinder: bit.ly/3V9EzPQ
Buy Our Best Buy Burr Coffee Grinder: bit.ly/4dNABUq
Buy Our Winning Blade Coffee Grinder: bit.ly/4breeTb
Behind the Testing: cooks.io/2Uo3bDg
Full Testing Details and Ranking Chart: cooks.io/2G09BoD
Watch more equipment reviews: • Equipment Review: The ...
Check our our Is it Bad? series: • Is It Bad If I Don't S...
If you want the freshest, most full-flavored cup of coffee, we always recommend grinding your own coffee beans. It’s best to do this right before you brew, as our testing has shown that the beans begin to lose flavor and aroma within an hour of being ground.
Home coffee grinders come in two styles: blade and burr. A blade grinder works like a tiny food processor, with a rapidly spinning blade that chops coffee into smaller and smaller fragments. You have to hold the grind button down, time the grind, shake the grinder periodically to distribute the beans, and visually inspect the coffee to see if it’s reached the desired consistency.
A burr grinder, by contrast, operates like a pepper mill-it forces each bean to pass through a gap of a particular size. While a blade grinder has one chamber where you load, grind, and dispense the beans, a burr grinder consists of three components: a hopper where you feed in the beans, the grinding chamber, and a removable container that holds the grounds so you can transfer them to the coffee maker. You simply switch the machine on and whole beans are pulled from the hopper through two gear-like metal rings (called burrs) that spin against one another to crush the coffee. The setting you choose on the machine determines the space between the burrs and thus the size of the grind. Since each bean passes through the burrs and gets crushed only once, it’s a more precise process than using a blade grinder.
Burr grinders are the gold standard in the coffee industry, but now household brands such as Breville, Hamilton Beach, and KitchenAid are offering them for home users. To find out more about this popular grinding method, we tested 10 models priced from $29.86 to $199.99, all with metal burrs and at least eight grind settings, and compared them to our favorite blade grinder from Krups ($17.99).
Tasting the Difference: Is Grind Evenness Important?
But how much does grind evenness really affect your cup of coffee? To find out, we brewed three batches of coffee using the same beans ground in the most even burr grinder, the least even burr grinder, and our top-rated blade grinder, which achieved up to 46 percent medium pieces. We kept all the variables the same except for the grinder. A panel of 21 tasters then sampled the coffees in a blind tasting.
The verdict was surprising: Though we identified flavor differences in the batches of coffee, each made a good cup and tasters were split on which one they preferred. To verify these surprising results, we conducted this test three additional times. We also brought in coffee tasting experts, and they came to the same conclusion.
So if the evenness of your grind doesn’t matter all that much, why is the coffee industry so excited about burr grinders? With their range of settings and streamlined designs, which require the beans to pass through the grinder only once, burr grinders can guarantee consistency day after day in a way that blade grinders can’t. Ultimately, we think a good burr grinder is best for home brewing, too, since these machines are easy to use and take the guesswork out of grinding. And even though grind evenness isn’t the most important factor in how your coffee tastes, we also gave an edge to grinders that were more even, since they left no whole or partially processed beans in our grind (a waste of good coffee).
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America's Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
americastestkitchen.com
/ americastestkitchen
/ testkitchen
/ testkitchen
/ testkitchen
I never in my ten years of watching RUclips, I have never witnessed a more thorough and satisfying review, literally! You answered every single question I had, and then gave me answers to questions I didn't but definitely would have later. I'm overwhelmed at how good that was. Thank you.
@foodeater42 For a short 7 minute video, it was indeed VERY thorough, and too the Point.
Read the title. (Burr vs Blade) Not how to Make Coffee... If you want to learn how to brew a cup of coffee, you should look that up. I'm sure there are plenty of videos explaining just that. I'm always amazed on no matter how much time and effort is put into these types of video reviews, (long or short) there is always somebody taking the time to complain about how they made them. I don't ever see the complainers making their own video review?
ATK over thinks everything - in a good way; they're like the NASA of cooking.
@@KZ-1155 sorry...but you are wrong and foodeater42 is right. Wake up.
@@deevnn WHATEVER DAVE!
Hmm, almost 7,000 likes!
and little over 300 dislikes?
There's one in every crowd.
@ the time i was buying my first coffee grinder and didn't know anything about all the different types of grinders.
I watched tons of videos and read many articles.
This Video helped allot in my decision on which type to get.
As the Title of the Video States......
Burr vs Blade?
They are only trying to show some of the differences between the two types of grinders...
So why don't you and Foot-Oder or what ever your new found friends name is go shack up & make your own Videos if this one has so much misinformation?
7,000 of us disagree with the two of you!
@foodeater42 that is why they took a broad pool of testers ranging from newbies to professionals. And a second round of professionals only if I heard it correctly. Still the preferences were split between blade and burr. So it's not really just taking their word for it. Of course, they didn't disclose the numbers and the people, that would have been even more thorough.
I'm so pleased this person is still presenting these reviews. She's professional, knowledgable and to-the-point. Excellent delivery of the info you need and want. ATK is fabulous and a trusted resource for me.
I was impressed with the large number and range of grinders they tested, and that they looked at usability as well as grind quality, but the huge issue is that they didn't carry that methodolgy into the taste testing or results.
They don't say how the coffee was brewed (I guess Chemex or batch brewer from the look of it) for the taste testing so despite all that time and effort spent on comparing machines and grinds they then don't test the others popular home brew methods (e.g. pour over, espresso, aero & French press) - that makes the results next to useless for a lot of us. Of course all the different grind results from the machines are going to taste 'good' (and of course all different) if it's all just batch brewed.
This was a thorough test of grinders' usability and grind quality, but only for drip/batch/Chemex. And to say (twice) that grind consistancy ('eveness') of grind 'doesn't matter' is just wrong.
you wouldn't know trust and quality if your life depended on it. fucking suckers. i hope i don't get complimented and thanked by you. it's a worthless fucking approval by an idiot.
heeheemanofHK maybe you should take a xanax and lie down, dear. You obviously have issues that go well beyond finding the right coffee grinder. Perhaps the Psychiatry Today youtube channel might be a more productive resource for you.
@@north.by.northeast These RUclips videos are just trailers for the actual paid content on the website. Maybe they go into these details over there. They do give detailed test results for each product. I'm not willing to pay for that though.
@@north.by.northeast They provided evidence that the grind consistency does not matter. They did blind taste tests. Do you have any scientific evidence of blind taste tests showing that grind consistency does matter? Until you can provide higher quality test results, ATK has the most reliable info I've seen.
I'm inclined to believe that coffee purists are like audiophiles, and they imagine differences in quality due to the placebo effect.
Dear America's Test Kitchen: your dedication and thoroughness is a service to us all. Well done, and thank you.
you excel at Marketing and Bullshit. you reviewed mostly shit garbage grinders and then the best shit garbage is still jesus christ Fuck Me garbage.
They literally provided no individual reviews or comparisons
deV14nt indeed. If they’d done all that, I would not have watched, and I bet most other people wouldn’t have either. This was an ideal way to quickly review several competing devices at once. That’s the way ATK always does their reviews, and it’s why I watch them.
@@robsemail But their conclusions don't match anyone else's, I don't believe them, and they did nothing to prove otherwise. Enjoy your blade grinder. Meanwhile the best cup of coffee I had ever had at home was from doing nothing more than being given a burr grinder.
@@samsun01 Sorry you can't afford even the cheapest model. Who would cuss at a woman's review? Ahh, a broke liberal.
It's amazing how you take days or weeks of research and distill it all into a few minutes with a no-nonsense approach. I love how you stay impartial, and when there's little difference in the performance, of the products as in this review, you just say so, even though you're human and obviously have your own preferences. I rate your review methods best on youtube. Please keep your standards up, it's appreciated.
I've had my manual Krups coffee grinder for many years now. Still working like new and coffee is great! Thank you for your good reviews👌
This is one of the best comparison reviews I've ever seen on RUclips... And I've watched a lot of RUclips reviews. Thank you so much, you have a new subscriber.
I now own both of the recommended grinders here and love them both. These thorough reviews are so incredibly helpful and make the buying process so much easier. I really can’t say thank you enough!
Please let Lisa do every video test from now on. I love this woman. She should have her own show
Baratza Encore all the way for a first grinder. I love this person and her reviews, she does an excellent job and is professional and knowledgeable. Please keep the reviews coming, they are a tremendously valuable resource.
Happy to see our Sifter being used at 3:40 :) Glad to provide a way to calibrate and compare grinders to the fine folks at America's Test Kitchen! Interested to see how you will use our new specialty coffee KRUVE EQ glassware. Cheers!
link! link! link!
Excuse my ignorance but what exactly is it that your sifter does? Thank you for your reply
Thomas Charter Grinders don’t put out completely uniform grounds. Some pieces are big and some are really fine. To get consistent extraction (all your cups taste the same) and proper extraction (the brew pulls out all the good parts of the bean and none of the bad), you need to be able to control how consistent the grounds are. For the best results, you could either buy a very nice grinder (several hundred to several thousand dollars), or use the Kruve sifters which have a number of different hole sizes. It works like a coin sorter and you throw away the grounds that are too big or too fine.
I was so pumped to see they used a Kruve! My next question would be which sieves they used! #coffeenerd
@@wassssupprod I believe this is it or very similar. I could not find this exact product on Amazon. www.krahics.com/interchangeable-silver-sieves--measure--home-twelve-sifter-cafes--calibrate--brewers--kruve-great-refine-or-12-accurately-baristas--for-grinds--coffee-helps
Thanks so much for being so through, clear and unbiased. I’m in the market for a grinder and really didn’t know where to start. Your work makes it easy for me!
AMAZING review. I wish all reviews could be so thorough and so well explained.
The Baratza machines are incredible. My Encore had a plastic ring break (about 6 years of almost daily grinding). I called them and they sent a new one for a nominal cost. Yes, you can fix ti yourself. Two years later a gear stripped inside. Called again and they said I could fix it rather than send it to them. About $20 in parts and a few days later I was back grinding. Incredibly they encourage you to fix your machine and have a YT channel to show how. That is customer service and standing behind your product. Worth the money anytime.
Lisa, that was another GREAT presentation.
Curious to James Hoffman's thought on these results from the blind taste test.
Me too, he would say there should be more grinders and higher quality ones
He is pretentious and would say all of these are garbage.
I'm watching this 4 years after its release and I'm super stoked because the best buy is the same KRUPS grinder I used for 5-6 years! They also came to the same conclusion I did which was that you have to shake the thing throughout the grinding!
I've had the KitchenAid grinder with glass container for over a decade. Never once had a close call dropping or breaking it. Easy front grind adjustment and super simple on/off switch, with a large hopper and container. Heavy, built like a tank too. No complaints.
And the Kitchenaid is quiet, without the static cling that absolutely drove me nuts with the Baratza Encore.
Lisa McManus is a national treasure.
No doubt
You are so professional, concise, and informative. I love your reviews!!
What an absolutely amazing analysis. The attention to detail was impeccable here. Thanks for this.
Also I'd argue consistency in ground coffee intended for esspreso would have a noticeable difference as you would be able to taste the coffee pucks that channeled badly.
absolutely, but for espresso you'd probably go to more specific channels (think James Hoffmann and the like) and also spend quite a bit more (the breville grinder seems to be decent, but you'd probably want a very different range of products to test), most people are likely here for french press / filter coffee so I don't think such testing would've been practical / relevant to them and telling people that they'll have to splurge out several hundred buckaroos on a niche zero or a weber for their $30 mr coffee would be more than pretentious
That was super thorough. Thank you very much for this wonderful review!
I absolutely LIVE for these videos! Keep up the great work
Y'all are amazing. Thanks for showing people how to properly test things and deflate unnecessary hype.
Worth mentioning as well that the makers of the Encore have a pretty legendary customer service reputation, and that the grinder itself can be easily disassembled and user-serviced if a part breaks.
I've upgraded the internals of my old Encore myself, and I can attest to Baratza's excellent service. The Encore has been my pour over and Aeropress grinding workhorse for around the last 5 years.
Unfortunately, my Baratza Virtuoso broke enough times that I gave up and bought the Breville Smart Grinder Pro.
@@yoschmoyo I used to have a Virtuoso as well, and it wore out after 10 years of hard use. Since I only make drip coffee, I got the KitchenAid and learned to be careful with its glass container. I would prefer the Breville for espresso, for obvious reasons. The main problem with the Breville is that parts can be scarce.
I want to confirm this. Their replacement parts are dirt cheap and their customer service is perhaps the best I've experienced.
@@ChristianMercadoAcevedo: I have just recently went into chat with Breville, and they have updated their site a few days ago. Everything is in stock, and they are well supplied with parts. So my information may be a bit dated. This would make both the Breville Souse Chef food processor and their Smart Grinder Pro among the best for the price, as well as the most affordable countertop home appliances to keep and maintain.
Great review! I already knew which burr grinder won. I've had my Baratza Virtuoso since the day it was released. I bought it directly from Baratza LLC. The Baratza owners/inventers (Kyra & Kyle) provided free improvement upgrades for the first few years. After around 15+ years of daily use, I have had ZERO problems! This is an excellent machine. I highly recommend it.
@krazmokramer I have the Baratza Sette 270 for espresso and it's amazing. I also bought it directly from Baratza and I plan on getting the Encore for the occasional pour over.
Really appreciate the amount of actual testing that goes into these videos.
The way you described all with details are stunning and amazing! Thank you!
I have Krups that I've used for years now. I like the fact that I can have multiple uses for it and not just coffee
Good point Jojo
This is what I call product review 👍 liked, subscribed and bought the product (krups) from link provided in description. Keep up the good work 👍
This is easily the best review format I've seen on RUclips! Well done to your team!
We've had our Capresso Infinity for YEARS. Probably ground a metric ton of beans with it. Absolutely love it. It's quiet and consistent.
I wanted to see what was the rating of the other grinders, since I just have access to a handful of those.
My KRUPS grinder (came in white back in the day) works like a charm. Late '90s and still going strong. 👍
We have had one that my husband has used for many years.
I have a Krups, was thinking I need to upgrade to a burr, but now not so much. Mostly use an Aeropress now with a paper filter, if I'm feeling particularly finicky on the rare occasions I use my french press I have a hand powered burr grinder that cost less than a third of the electric ones, gives me something to do while I wait for the electric kettle.
I still have a krups like the one shown and it works unlike a $45 burr grinder that only lasted a few months before it just died. If you're satisfied with the results that's good to hear. Even though my burr died and it wasn't super consistent it was less hassle to get fairly even grinds from and if I invest in the future I'll be looking into another burr grinder. I have found some people can taste a difference while others can't. I admit to a point I can't tell a huge difference either but I love consistent easy results. Have a good cup and a great day.
My only complaint about blade grinders is that they make a lot of powder, not good for french press
I also have a krups blade grinder at least 25 years old and works just fine. A little rotate and shake while grinding gives really good results without big chunks.
This is a purely effective and well thought out review. So much went into this review and it comes across that way. Thank you!
I’m a novice to the art of coffee! I appreciate this well organized and educational video. America’s Test Kitchen can always be called upon for organization and educational videos!
I've had the Breville burr for 7 years, still going strong, my favorite.
No problem with the bean impeller wearing out? I've heard that happens with those since it's a plastic part.
@@DrewBoggess none so far.. I keep it clean.
@@CocoaBeachLiving Sweet. Btw, if it ever does wear out and the beans aren't feeding correctly, there's a 3d printed part you can order for like 20 bucks. I've honestly thought about ordering one or 2 just in case they stop selling them. lol
@@DrewBoggess good to know, do you have a link to the part? Thanks, It's a definitely one of the easiest, low maintenance burr grinders I've owned 👍
@@DrewBoggess much appreciated 👌👍
Excellent work, ATK!
You guys do the most amazing comparisons ever. Thank you.
I love your reviews. I purchased a carbon steel fry pan based on your reviews and subsequently retired my heavy cast iron skillet. Now I'll buy a coffee grinder using your review as a guide. Thanks so much for a very helpful channel.
Do what they say: get a Baratza Encore. Simple, efficient, makes great coffee.
I own the Encore and love it for the reasons given. Thumbs up!
dang this was a great video! really interesting notes about the blind taste test. i'd love to see more in-depth coffee content like this in the future!
one of the most thorough reviews ive ever seen. Thanks
I bought my Krups so long ago I can't recall where or when I got it (I've lived where I am now for 26yrs). I'm not saying it's 20+ yrs old, but easily 15. Still going strong grinding that coffee.
i really love my Bodum Bistro grinder. Big fan
I love your reviews and scientific experimentation. I trust this channel when making my purchases. Saves me a ton of money! Many thanks.
Wow Ms McManus and all of your colleagues! What an amazing and informative video. Great work!
I'm buying your top pick, based pretty much on this review. I'll let you know how it goes...
Edit: Two weeks later. I'm happy with my purchase.
One factor you left out: static. How easy is it to empty the hopper in dry winter conditions? This is where the simple design of the Kitchen Aid glass hopper excels. Plastic hoppers (especially the squarish ones with tight corners) are devilishly hard to empty without wiping with your finger or getting coffee everywhere. If you have the discipline to keep it on the counter, a glass hopper is superior in this regard. Otherwise excellent review. I own the Kitchen Aid Burr for home and also the Krups blade for travel...but my favorite travel grinder is a Hario Skerton hand cranked ceramic burr grinder. Works in the woods!
I have the bodum for coffee beans, and I now use the krups for spices. I used the krups for years for coffee and truth be told, I much prefer it. My husband bought the bodum and he prefers that. Good point about potential glass break in the container.
I really enjoyed this. Very informative and to the point. Thank you.
And for 3 days after ATK's staff went on an insane cleaning binge
LOL! Cleaning up coffee grounds isn't simple!!!
@@patriciawickholm3617
It's a caffeine joke.
I've had a Krups for almost 2 decades. Still going strong!
Which model
@@jianhoang type 208, made in Hong Kong.
Paul Smith I got a Krupa almost 10 years ago. drink coffee basically every day sometimes twice a day. still works perfectly even with a small chip in the lid!
Me too.
All Krups users...see my comment just added 5 minutes ago. I also have a Krups blade grinder I bought in 1985...still works fine.
The Krups burr grinder in this review is a winner in my book.
Thorough yet brief and to the point. Top notch review!
Fantastic, no nonsense review. Very interesting to hear that the coffee experts ended up with a split decision. We’re always told that the blade grinders burn and ruin the beans so a burr grinder is an absolute must for good coffee.
I have the cruisinart burr grinder. I paid $50 and I love it. It has gotten louder after a year and a half.
Yes I have the Cuisinart as well, the one they tested according to the video. I have used mine almost daily for over five years and it is still going although the start switch is getting a bit finicky now. It was also about $50, not sure why it was not the best buy in this ATK video?
I started with the better Cuisinart model but gave up as the static was too troublesome and I love my capresso..
I love my Cuisinart but I bought it knowing that while it would improve my drip coffee, it wouldn’t give me the fine grind I needed if I was making espresso. It suits my budget and my needs. I have a lot of respect for my old workhorse Krupps, but cold brew with the Cuisinart is now a breeze.
I got mine for $30 thanks to Kohl's sale and extra coupons.
I clean it with uncooked rice every once in a while to prevent the oils gumming it up or getting rancid.
Good information. I would have appreciated knowing the brew method for the blind taste test. It should probably be mentioned that the only burr grinder in the lineup that is truely capable of producing grinds fine enough for espresso is the Breville.
Why do you say Breville only? Do you have experience with all the others?
With blade grinders, I always held it at a 45 degree angle and did 1-2 second pushes of the button before shaking. Fixes the issue of leftover whole beans every time.
great informative video without all the coffee snobbery. you cleared up and answered some of my questions about burr and blade grinders without having to suffer through the drone of a coffee buzz word laced lecture. thxs.
This is okay for drip coffee, French press, etc., but did this even address why you DO want a high quality burr grinder for espresso?
I love America's Test Kitchen.
This is everything I have ever wanted to see. As someone who really loves analyzing things to a t, this is anazing
I've had the Krups blade grinder for years! Love it!
Good review, but I think you left one important thing out. You said consistent size that you dont get for the spin grinders really didn't matter for taste, etc, but how was this coffee brewed? It really does matter for French press and especially for Chemex which I both use. In the French press, the fine ground particles that you get a lot of from the spin grinder slips through most French press screens and tastes off I think, and clogs up the Chemex filter making the process painfully slow at best. Thanks, very helpful.
I use the Krups, amazing grinder. 5/5 stars! :)
Love this no nonsense spot on review. Awesome!
Wish this would have came out years ago. Would have helped me save a lot of time researching burr grinders. I spent lots of time reviewing them but it payed off. I got the capresso infinity. It works great and I have had it for years now too. I'm glad I came to the same conclusion that the experts came to also.
I have a Krups grinder and it grinds course, medium and espresso. I love it.
Don’t let James Hoffmann see this
EDIT: IT WAS A JOKE JESUS CHRIST PEOPLE
@Google User paper filters filter out the oils which result in a cleaner cup compared to a metal filter
loool
He made a video about getting decent results with a blade grinder.
I think that James Hoffmann would actually approuve of this video. Further, everyone agrees with the top pick.
James would get a little kick out of the amateurism of this, and then would mostly be bothered by this reviewer's total lack of awareness of how to make good specialty coffee at home. Yes, buy the Baratza, although get the new Virtuoso+.
wow.. what a great concise , full range data collection and simple and easy to understand methodology... excellent tips and having the coffee tasters both pro and amateur confirm flavors... well done on this video.. presentation and conclusion leaves no room for complaints.. keep up the great work
I absolutely love how much thought America's Test Kitchen puts into these reviews.
The thoroughness of this is awesome. Thanks!
Ahhhh, no it isn't....
FANTASTIC INFORMATION!!! Thank you
I can rely on this woman to give me the straight and critical information that I need. Plus, they thoroughly test everything on site.
My Capresso Infinity has been going strong for years now and I routinely will grind for a cup at a time. Easy to clean as I vacuum out with my shark powerful vacuum and there is little left on the burrs.
Excellent video for someone like me who is not a coffee geek, but still searches for a more consistent cup of coffee, be it French press, drip, or espresso. I moved to a burr grinder from a blade grinder a few years ago, and I agree that the burr grinder is superior mainly for the consistency. I believe I can taste the difference. It has been sobering to discover that my burr grinder cost me about 1/5 of what the top of the line costs. I like it anyway.
For those watching this video, please do not waste your time or money on a blade grinder, unless you also plan on using it to grind spices. Putting spices through a burr grinder will ruin it for coffee use. If anything, buy a blade grinder for your spices and buy a burr grinder for your coffee. Also, please don't skimp on the cost of a coffee grinder. As shown in the video, cheaply made and cheaply designed grinders will cause you headaches and mess. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is a good example of what one should consider buying, especially if you want to eventually graduate from making drip & french press coffee to espresso in the future.
What is the practical difference between 40 grind settings and 16? If tasters can't come to a consensus between dramatically uneven grinds from a blade grinder, how could a 1/40 size difference matter?
I have had the capresso infinity for more than 7 years and I am well pleased with it although I have the stainless steel model.
Grind size changes how well coffee is extracted. The bigger particles dissolve slower than small particles. When you have a wide variety of particle sizes you will get small particles that are overextracted and add a bitter taste and bigger particles that are underextracted and add a sour taste to your coffee. So if you want a coffee that is sour and bitter, go for a blade grinder.
Because pretentious
It's for espresso. Too fine you clog a non-pressurized basket; Too coarse and the water drips through too fast. Pressurized baskets make bitter espresso, in comparison, and it's what the cheap machines all now use. The good stuff, an art, is sweet and creamy with no sugar added. Most Americans have not achieved this, so they think they hate espresso and disguise the bitter shots with lots of milk and sugar and call it cappuccino, lattes, etc., which are also not as good, but disguise the bitter well.
For American coffee, this review is right on. No real difference.
I wish someone would finally come up with an expensive model that has the ideal 739 paint ticks near the infinite dial so that I can ... ummm ... still just twist the dial to any position I want...
Outstanding review!! Thank you.
Thanks for the info per coffee grinders, I already ordered a Krups coffee grinder.
Find me a coffee grinder that DOESN'T make coffee dance on a caution of static electricity and hop all over my counter. I've had 3 Cuisenart models (the Burr on the far left) over the years. Rock solid.
kinugrinders.com/index.php?page=m_home_page.public.home_page&Block=HOME&Language=none#
ruclips.net/video/oOzcSrhwT7M/видео.html
First of all perfect test/review for the average everyday coffee lover, with even some explanation for those who want to get more in the know. I especially liked that you did test with more and less dense coffee.
However, as you mentioned roasters and professionals multiple times, you raised a question in me: What water did you use? Assuming most of your viewers are not deeply into coffee it would make sense to take tap water. That in itself can widely vary in TDS and composition within one city, not even mentioning worldwide.
However I doubt aforementioned professionals wouldn't have recommended water from RO systems or alike.
Thank you for your answer in advance and keep up the great work your team does!
Love you videos, Lisa! Thumbs up!
Thank you, from all my research this is best video for reviewing coffee grinder
I mean I think this works well for coffee, but for espresso the size & consistency really does matter
Exactly! Who would buy a $200 burr grinder for making coffee in a $50 dripper?
@@dontblameme6328 Its a fundament before you get the esspresso machine
Yassss Lisa! Love your videos!
So helpful! Thank you so much for all the research
My Krups grinder reliably ground my daily brew for a little over 30 years when it died of worn-out brushes. Riveted together, the motor wasn't intended to be maintained -- but then again, it served me faithfully for 3 decades, outliving by a few months the person who gave it to me.
I bought a Krups less than two months ago as a spice grinder. $11 shipped online. I don't drink coffee. I've been using it to grind whole spices, including spices of very varying sizes (like tiny cardamom seeds and cinnamon sticks as big as will fit in the grinder together) for blends like garam masala. I'm only making fine grinds, but I've been very satisfied. It grinds fine and quite evenly for my cooking. I don't get powder like you get from commercial grinders, but it's totally adequate for my cooking, disappearing into my soups, sauces, curries, and other foods and adding abundant flavor. And it's so cheap and small that if I did drink coffee it would be no big deal to have another one for coffee (to prevent my spices smelling like coffee). It cleans well and easily. I had thought I might be better off with a washable interior, but actually I find it unnecessary. A minute of wiping with a damp (not wet) paper towel cleans the grinder well. A cheap paint brush, of dollar-store quality, can also work well, and are sometimes sold as grinder cleaning tools. I purchased and extremely cheap ($0.40) small shaving brush that is perfect for brushing the spices out and actually fits inside the machine when closed. I clean, dry, and then put the brush in the grinder and the lid on top. Also, if I keep shaking and flip the machine upside down before taking the lid off most of the grounds stay in the lid to begin with. You could get away even with just a dry paper towel or clean napkin. I'm glad I bought it.
I read this comment in Lisa's voice
Paelorian Whenever I grind sonething hard to remove, I follow it up by grinding a teaspoon of oats to clean out my Krups grinder.
For espresso, you will want a better grinder such as my Rocky but these will do fine for drip, pour over, French Press, percolator(yuk), etc. Fewer machines can grind fine enough for Turkish coffee.
The Encore and Breville Smart Grinder will work for espresso on their finest setting but I much prefer the Virtuoso (step up from the Encore) or of course you can go even more pricy like the Rocky if you want. Whatever you do don't use a blade grinder for coffee. Even a cheap burr grinder will make coffee taste a lot better.
Breville Smart pro works great for espresso. Certainly not a coffee shop but home use. Plus more easy to switch to a grouse setting for grinding french press then right back to setting dialed in for whatever beans I have in for espresso. Great kit for half the price.
I have the Kitchenaid and yes the container is glass, but on purpose so static electricity does not build up and spew grounds everywhere like those with a plastic hopper. It is an excellent grinder, and works well and produces a great cup of coffee.
Unless you want espresso. The kitchen aid is not very capable. Especially on good machines
Wow, this is so thorough and gives "do your homework" vibe. I love it, thank you so much.
The Encore is a solid choice for pour-over and filter coffee. None of the grinders tested are sufficient for espresso, however. And the lack of any Eureka models is a shame.
I've had a Baratza for 12 years... excellent grinder!
Mo n I love hearing about good, solid appliances you buy once and never have to replace. Do your research on what you buy and they pay for themselves down the line
Really? Damn am a super coffee geek and my baratza vario which is a 500 dollar while it produced good tasting coffee was crap in reliability departmnet i had to chenge the belt on it to many times, i bought a ceado e6 and it has been a tank! I wouldlnt buy a baratza again personally
Dr. Zebra get a ceado they are tanks!
@@gigi9467 surprised to hear... I use it for espresso, french press and will even grind coffee for friends (drip) on it, and no issues at all... I paid around $250 CAD for mine and not a single issue... but good to know about another brand
Mo n am tougher on them its all about the espresso maybe thats the difference but my baratza didnt last, mu ceado e6p on the other is a tank
Cool…I have a manual burr grinder that I use to make 1 or 2 cups of coffee. I was thinking of getting the Krups blade grinder and after seeing this, along with several other recommendations for it, I think I’ll just go with it. Thank you for the reviews!
Very helpful, thank you. A similarly thorough review of hand grinders would be fantastic.
Interesting. I watched this video a long while back. Despite their recommendations, I bought a KitchenAid burr grinder -- the one with the glass container that they broke. Why? Well, I only use two brewing methods: pour over, and French press. (French press about 80% of the time.) I found another review that pointed out that the KitchenAid yields very consistent course grind compared to most other home grinders. Yes, there are better commercial grinders for course grinds, but the difference is minimal at best. After a couple of years, I have been very satisfied with my choice, which, by the way, does cost about twice their recommended burr grinder. Somehow I have managed to avoid breaking the grounds container, but if I did, there are third-party plastic containers available. You can also buy replacement glass containers from the KitchenAid website. Also, coffee does not stick to glass so much as in most plastic hoppers. So, what's not to like?
You should consider that KitchenAid considers this grinder to be non-repairable. Unlike a lot of better KitchenAid appliances, if it were to stop working, they do not sell spare mechanical parts, INCLUDING THE BURRS. Although it uses a flat vertical burr configuration (the choice of the best commercial grinders), burrs do wear out. You can't buy replacement burrs for this KitchenAid. I don't know how much coffee you have to grind before they wear out, but after almost two years, the grind quality has not degraded. (I generally, grind about 2 oz. of coffee per day, and more on the weekends.) Given that KitchenAid considers this appliance non-repairable, an extended replacement warranty might actually be wise for this grinder.
Here's the lesson: when professional testers are trying to compare things like this and are working to provide recommendations for a somewhat wide audience, they are not going to consider subtle nuances of interest to individuals coffee drinkers. Yes, they brought in coffee experts, but experts in French Press brewing are pretty rare. (You just don't see French press in the commercial environment very often.) They failed to note that excessive fines in a course grinds are a colossal disaster for French press and cold brewing methods, contributing to a bitter brew. To be brutally honest, this fact puts both of their top choices out of the picture for French press fans. I suppose you can forgive them for missing this; I would have been surprised had they taste tested using French press coffee. Still, it seems a bit strange exclude a grinder from consideration, because someone in a busy test kitchen managed to bump the grounds container off the counter. Also, both of their recommended grinders will heat up the coffee due to the high speed motors used in those particular grinders. This is, perhaps, not big deal if you buy you coffee beans at Costco, but for that special $60 per pound coffee that you buy for Christmas and other special occasions ... just don't do it, please. In fact, heat would have been a lot less of a problem for several other grinders that they tested.
)
You are absolutely right about the importance of having very few 'fines' in French Press Coffee. I think French Press coffee has the absolute best taste because the coffee oils are not filtered out by paper filters. I have struggled to get a good cup of coffee because of the fines. The burr hand grinders do not do really well because the top burr (which is used to control coarseness of grind) is not supported on the bottom of the burr. This causes the burr to 'wobble' when grinding--leading to inconsistent grind. I have found a hand grinder that has fewer 'fines'. I press the coffee and let it sit for a couple of minutes before decanting into my cup. The 'fines' make the coffee taste like mud if I pour right after pressing. Let the testers drink that!!
Fresh ground coffee that I purchase a local roaster is not much better, and the roaster's idea of how coarse a French Press grind should be is all over the place--to fine, too coarse, just right!
unless you're making drip coffee you don't want a blade grinder...
I've had one of those capresso ones for years now, works great.
My little Krups blade grinder (their blade winner) is now about 30 years old. Not only does it still worked like new, they haven't even changed the design after all this time. I suppose you can't improve on perfection! However, I didn't know about the shaking technique, so I will try that next time to see if it will prevent some of the sticking of fine grounds on the bottom. Great review!
Have had a Kitchen Aid model A9 burr grinder for years. Still works great and grinds perfectly.