Burr grinder: review, specifications, rating, choice

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 22:35

The aroma of freshly ground coffee and its rich taste - what could be better for a great start to the day? How to choose a coffee grinder for your home so that it is reliable, grinds coffee with high quality and is inexpensive? Consider the features of burr grinders and popular models from leading manufacturers.

What is a coffee grinder and what is it for?

The coffee grinder is an indispensable tool for a true coffee lover. No type of instant coffee will give this drink a maximum of taste and aromatic qualities. Freshly ground and brewed coffee is a great and invigorating start to the day.

This will require a coffee grinder, most often consumers choose a burr grinder. Also, experts do not advise trying to grind something else in it, since it is made directly for this aromatic drink. There are also coffee grinders in which you can make flour from cereals or grind herbs or spices. All this must be taken into account when choosing.

Varieties of coffee grinders

All devices forground coffee can be classified into the following groups:

• Manual units. The name itself speaks for itself: everything is done manually and takes a long time (in about 1-5 minutes you can grind coffee for one cup), but such a burr manual coffee grinder with adjustable grinding degree is inexpensive.
• Knife-type rotary machines, during which a special metal knife cuts the grains, resulting in a non-uniform grinding, the degree of which is difficult to adjust, such a device is inexpensive, the design itself is simple and reliable.
• Millstone. Even grinding is ensured, as the grinders grind the coffee beans into powder, the degree of grinding is easily adjusted.

Also, coffee grinders can be divided into professional and household machines. Their difference lies in the amount of ground coffee and additional features. Naturally, professional installations have these qualities and the number of functions is higher.

Professional coffee grinders can be with plane-parallel and canonical burrs. The difference between them lies in the number of revolutions, productivity and the volume of ground coffee for a certain period of time. But, most often, they are used in restaurants and cafes where you need to prepare a large amount of coffee per day.

How to use a coffee grinder?

Before you decide on the choice of a burr grinder model, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for using the machine. It is not recommended to make powdered sugar or grind oily foods (nuts). In the first case, the sugar melts andsticks to the knives, and in the second one there is a greasy mark in the bowl, which may further affect the quality of the grinding of the coffee itself.

The best option is to grind the grains just before brewing so that the drink does not lose its aroma. The grinder is opened and unplugged from the mains only after the grinding process is completed as a precaution.

Features of burr machines

Burr grinder reviews (both consumers and professionals) are mostly positive. At the same time, all devices can be divided into two groups depending on the principle of operation: manual and electric.

In manual devices, conical millstones are built in, one of them rotates, the other is fixed. The advantages of this type are not burnt raw materials, grinding degree adjustment, low cost and ease of use.

Coffee grinder with ceramic burrs, which has an electric drive, grinds and grinds coffee beans depending on the selected grinding program (there can be up to 16). But such millstones are considered the most fragile, although within 10-30 seconds, ground coffee for several cups is ready. The advantages of such a device include higher quality and uniform grinding, less time, but higher cost than manual counterparts.

When comparing metal and ceramic millstones, the latter have a significant advantage. Metal washable after grinding from 250 to 500 kg of coffee, ceramic - over 1000 kg.

WhenWhen choosing, you also need to pay attention to power. For home grinding, devices with a power of 100 to 300 watts are suitable, professional installations - up to 600 watts. Noise levels are the least emitted by a coffee grinder with conical burrs, but it works more slowly. It is also important that the coffee grinder has the option of automatic shutdown when clogged, protection against overheating (in this case, a fan must be built in) and overload.

Inexpensive burr grinders. Advantages and disadvantages

While reviewing burr grinders from budget options, some features can be highlighted. All inexpensive models are made of simple materials. Most often, plastic or stainless steel is used for their production, but this does not mean that they will not last long.

The advantage of budget models is that they are all electric, so grinding is fast. Almost all modifications come with a sufficiently voluminous bean bowl, so you can grind a large amount of coffee at once. The control of such devices is simple, which is suitable even for a beginner.

Vitek and Delonghi coffee grinders can be noted among budget and high-quality models. Despite the low cost, they will serve for a long time. Among the shortcomings, one can note the noise during operation, the degree of grinding depends on the quality of the millstones in the apparatus. In addition, these coffee grinders are prone to accidental malfunctions, so you need to be extremely careful when using the machine.

What to look for when choosing?

When choosing a coffee grinder, you should be guided by the following criteria:

1. Before choosing a burr grinder, make sure it comes with a special measuring cup or other measuring device (this will allow you not to overload the machine, which in turn will positively affect the quality and duration of its work).
2. Millstone. Better, better and more durable are ceramic millstones or titanium-coated options. Additionally, it is worth noting the diameter of the millstones (the larger they are, the higher the productivity of the device).
3. Degree of grinding - it varies depending on the model, there can be from 6 to 14 different options.
4. Revolutions - the speed of rotation of the millstones per minute (the higher the speed, the faster the grinding process, but if the revolutions exceed 1000 per minute, then the ground coffee will turn out burnt and as a result the drink will be bitter).
5. Additional options. Automatic coffee dosing and shutdown after grinding, timer, dispenser and overheat protection).
6. Power. For home use, devices with a power of up to 150 W are suitable).
7. Price category. Electric machines with a variety of options can not be cheap, but the price of the best manual burr coffee grinder from leading manufacturers is not a budget option.

Additionally, you should pay attention when choosing the security system of the device and the absence of unpleasant odors (especially plastic) during operation.

How to choose a coffee grinder

Home burr grinders are less functional and smaller than professional machines.

To choose a machine for home use, you should start from the following factors:

• the size of the bowl for beans (the maximum it should be designed for 100 grams of product, no more, it is unlikely that you will need to grind a kilogram of coffee at once at home);
• power (prefer an average value of 100-150 W, more power can burn the grains and get a bitter taste of the drink);
• case material (plastic heats up less, but metal is more durable and reliable).

Among the machines for grinding coffee at home, the following models are distinguished:

UNIT UCG-112	budget model, the bowl is designed for 50 -70 gr. grains (grinding takes place in 3-4 minutes), power - 150 W, compact model, has a nice design, no grind adjustment;
VITEK VT-1542	budget option, does not make noise during operation, power - 130 W, cup is designed for 70 gr. (grinding takes place within 4 min.), production material - steel and plastic, users note the not very convenient on/off button;
POLARIS PCG 1017	cup is designed for 50 gr. coffee (grinding takes 2min.), power - 170 W, low noise, you can grind both coffee and sugar, it is inconvenient to pour coffee, and, accordingly, to clean the bowl if a different product is used for grinding;
ERISSON CG-M12S	budget burr grinder, power - 75 W, adjustable grinding system (2 levels), weight - 3.5 kg, low noise, removable bowl for pouring ground coffee;
"MIKMA EKMU IP-30"	compact (only 730g), 30g bowl power - 115 W, no additional options.

Overview of famous coffee grinder manufacturers

Coffee grinders vary greatly in price. It depends not only on the functionality of such a machine and its design, but also on the manufacturer.

Most popular coffee grinder manufacturers:

• Bartscher (Germany) - the products of this company combine quality, diverse functionality, a wide range of models, among which there are not only budget options, but also professional installations.
• DeLonghi (China) - despite the fact that Chinese products are not particularly popular among consumers, the DeLonghi burr coffee grinder is of high quality, functionality,versatility, long life and a mid-range price point that could be a great option for the home.
• Fiorenzato (Italy) - products of this brand are of high quality, original and beautiful design, reliability, many models of this company belong to a number of professional installations, therefore they are in a high price category.
• Macap (Italy) - the company has been manufacturing coffee grinders for over 90 years, its products are exported to more than 50 countries, which once again proves the reliability and high quality of coffee grinders.
• Quamar (Italy) - specializes in the manufacture of professional machines that have high power, performance, reliability, but are easy to use.

Rating of burr grinders

Based on feedback from both consumers and professionals, you can rank coffee grinders. This will help potential buyers make the final choice and familiarize them with the features of each model:

11th place - VITEK VT-1548 coffee grinder:

+ easy and convenient to use, it is possible to choose a certain dosage of servings, 4 degrees of grinding coffee beans, a pulsed grinding mode that protects both the engine and the millstones from overheating;

- makes a lot of noise during operation, sometimes coffee beans are simply ground into powder.

10th - Delonghi KG 79:

+ you can adjust the degree of grinding, the classic design of the device, does not make noise in the processwork, compact, plastic body;

- a rectangular bowl into which it is difficult to pour coffee beans with a spoon and, accordingly, to get ground coffee, the grind is too coarse for the Turks, in this case it is better to choose a Delonghi burr grinder of any modification, rather than a rotary one.

9th place - Rommelsbacher EKM 300:

+ automatic coffee grinder with high power, large bean container, dispenser, low power consumption and German high quality;

- makes noise during operation, sometimes overheats, cleaning the millstones is not very convenient.

8th place - BORK J800:

+ has high power, has a variety of options, can grind not only coffee, but also spices (25 grinding degrees), digital display and backlight, original design;

- high cost, when overheated, an unpleasant smell of oil appears, lightly roasted grains grind poorly.

7th place - Nivona NICG 130 CafeGrano:

+ low power but large bean container, measuring spoon included, small size (3.4kg weight), low power consumption, easy to operate;

- the timer function sometimes does not work correctly, and the finest grinding does not always correspond to that.

6th place - Tescoma Handy:

+ manual coffee grinder but with different functions, made of plastic, ceramic, metal and silicone, the body is strong and shockproof;

- labor intensive when grinding, since everything is done by hand, high cost, and the model is presentedonly available in white.

5th Place - Tima Manual Coffee Grinder:

+ budget option, interesting design, compactness, reliability and ease of use;

is a small bean container, and the gold-plated edging on the body is easily scratched and erased

4th - Erisson CG-M12S:

+ affordable price, two speeds, the ability to adjust the degree of grinding (9 options), the body is made of durable material;

- inconvenience when cleaning the tray, automatically turns off after a minute of operation to cool down, sometimes not all grains are ground.

3rd Place - First 5480:

+ budget coffee grinder for home use, standard features, timer and grind level adjustment, durable and shockproof housing;

- overheats a lot, the elements of the device often fail.

2nd place - Manual coffee grinder "Limeira":

+ domestically produced coffee grinder, inexpensive, excellent design and functionality, reliable, easy to use;

- there is a backlash in the handle, coffee beans are often clogged between the millstones and are inconvenient to clean.

1st place - Bosch MKM 6000/6003:

+ excellent price/quality ratio, wide functionality, high power, classic design, durable body, low power consumption;

- makes noise during operation, if used for a long time without interruption, the device may overheat.

Conclusion

There are many variations on the coffee grinder market, from manual models toautomatic and professional options. There are many factors to consider when choosing a burr grinder. In addition, more and more modified new items appear every year.