Since I started making coffee at home, I have wondered which coffee grinder to buy. What is the difference, and which of the two is the better option?
In this article, I will compare both coffee grinders so you can make the best decision possible!
Quick Answer: What is the difference between a burr and a blade coffee grinder?
The main difference between a burr and a blade coffee grinder is consistency. Burr grinders crush beans between two burrs for a uniform grind, ideal for pour-over and espresso brewing.
Blade grinders chop beans unevenly with fast-spinning blades, making them suitable for coarse brewing methods like French press or cold brew.
I will get into the difference between the two coffee grinders, the price difference, and which of the two I would recommend buying.
Make yourself a nice cup of coffee, and let’s get into it!
Do coffee grinders make a difference?
Yes, coffee grinders make a difference. If you want to make Your Dream Coffee at home, I would suggest buying a coffee grinder so you can grind fresh coffee every day.
This is where a coffee grinder comes in very handy. You can choose a coffee grinder that fits your budget.
The difference between pre-ground coffee and grinding fresh coffee at home is out of this world. You get so much more flavor.
In my opinion, you are better off buying a budget-friendly coffee grinder and inexpensive coffee beans instead of a pricey bag of pre-ground coffee.
The difference in taste is insane because the moment coffee is ground, it starts losing flavor. Let me tell you a little about the burr grinder:
What is a burr coffee grinder?
A burr coffee grinder is a coffee grinder with burr stones, and there will be two burrs in each coffee grinder.
The burr mills will work in a counterclockwise direction to ensure an even coffee grind.
A vast majority of coffee lovers prefer burr coffee grinders over blade coffee grinders.
Burr coffee grinders come in different shapes and sizes. There are manual burr coffee grinders and electric burr coffee grinders.
I purchased a manual burr coffee grinder when I began grinding coffee at home. I use the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mini Slim at home.
The coffee grinder is easy to use and holds up to 40 grams of whole-bean coffee in its container.
There are many manual coffee grinders available for you to try, so take a look around and choose one that suits your budget and needs.
What is a blade coffee grinder?
Now that you know that a burr coffee grinder uses burr mills to grind your coffee beans, let’s move on to the blade coffee grinder.
Blade coffee grinders are electric and come in various sizes.
A blade coffee grinder uses one or two blades that spin at high speeds, essentially breaking down everything it comes into contact with.
The blades spin really fast, so you will have a good grind in about 10 to 15 seconds.
Although you will have ground coffee in no time, the coffee beans will not be as consistent in grind as they are with the burr grinder.
This is because the blades crush everything they touch, even the already smaller pieces of coffee.
Most of the time, you end up with finely ground coffee near the bottom of the blades, leaving whole coffee beans at the upper level.
This is why most coffee enthusiasts prefer to grind their coffee with a burr grinder to achieve a consistent grind.
I got gifted a small blade coffee grinder, which I will showcase a bit further down. The blade coffee grinder is easy to use, as I simply need to press one button to start it.
I will compare the outcomes of both coffee grinders below, so you can see the difference between using a burr grinder and a blade grinder.
How does the coffee grind differ between the coffee grinders?
Now, let me show you what both coffee grinders can do.
As I have not been using an electric blade grinder for long hours, I still prefer using the manual burr grinder that I have had for a while.
When grinding with a manual burr grinder, you need to free up some time to grind your coffee.
When I’m making one cup of joe, I grind coffee for about a minute or two at most. When I’m making more than one cup of coffee, it will take a bit longer. This is where the blade grinder comes in handy.
Down below you can see the result of grinding coffee with a burr coffee grinder:
As you can see in the photo, the coffee is ground pretty evenly, and there are not many big chunks of coffee in there.
This coffee is ground is used to make French press coffee. This way, I can really show you the difference.
Let’s move on to the blade coffee grinder:
I have pressed the button to start this little machine for roughly 10 seconds, and now I have ground coffee beans for the French press.
You can see that the coffee beans are unevenly ground. There are still some pretty big chunks of coffee beans in there.
Most people use a coarse coffee grind to brew their French press coffee, so it doesn’t make a significant difference when using a blade grinder.
The larger chunks of coffee will not significantly impact the flavor of your French press coffee.
However, if you want to brew coffee with a pour over coffee brewer, such as a Chemex, you may want to consider purchasing a burr grinder instead.
Pour over coffee is a bit more sensitive to the wrong coffee grind. The flavor will be significantly impacted.
If you want to learn how to brew coffee using a pour over coffee brewer like the Chemex and Hario V60, you can click the links.
This will take you to the beginner brewing guides I’ve written about the coffee brewers!
Which coffee grinder is right for me?
If you are still unsure whether to buy a blade or burr coffee grinder, let me help you by putting everything together.
Down below, you will find everything you need to know about the blade coffee grinder and the burr coffee grinder:
Why you should use a blade coffee grinder
A blade coffee grinder is ideal for people who prefer to enjoy French press coffee and cold brew coffee.
These types of coffee tend to be less impacted by an uneven coffee grind. The blade coffee grinder can grind fresh coffee beans at a super-fast speed.
If you want to brew your own coffee at home while using fresh whole coffee beans, but still want a quick cup of joe, the blade coffee grinder is perfect for you.
The blade coffee grinder will grind your coffee beans in about 10 seconds by pressing just one button.
The blade coffee grinder is also easy to clean. Most of the time, there is also a small brush in the box.
Simply give the coffee grinder a quick swipe with a clean, dry towel, and use the small cleaning brush to clean underneath the blades.
Another plus that matters for most people is the price of the blade coffee grinder.
These blade coffee grinders can be found for as low as $19.99 up to $49.99 for the higher-end models.
The higher-cost blade coffee grinders have more room to grind larger amounts of coffee at once and are more durable than cheaper options.
Whether you choose a cheaper blade grinder or something on the higher end, you will still have a fast coffee grinder.
Why the burr coffee grinder is the better option
A burr coffee grinder is best suited for people who prefer to spend a little more time brewing their coffee at home.
You need to account for at least 5 to 10 minutes before you can get your caffeinated cup of joe.
It will take some time to get used to the different grind sizes on the burr coffee grinder.
However, once you find the perfect grind size, you will likely stick with it for some time.
This coffee grinder yields the best results for a finer, even grind, ideal for pour over coffee. These coffees taste best when an even coffee grind is used.
Although the amount of time it takes to brew your cup of joe is longer than using a blade grinder, the flavor difference will be immense.
Using an even grind of coffee reduces the likelihood of under- and over-extracting your coffee.
However, you will also need to use the correct amount of water and maintain a suitable water temperature to achieve the perfect cup of coffee.
If you don’t feel like spending the time and energy grinding your coffee beans by hand, you can also look into an electric burr grinder.
These machines start at around $69.95 and can reach up to $249.95 for the higher-end ones.
The prices of electric burr coffee grinders can be quite steep for most people out there (myself included).
This is why I purchased the manual burr coffee grinder I mentioned at the beginning.
It set me back about $40, but it is still going strong and delivering an even coffee grind every day.
Final verdict
In this article, I put the burr coffee grinder and blade coffee grinder to the test by grinding coffee beans.
I prefer using a manual burr coffee grinder when brewing a small batch of coffee at once.
The blade coffee grinder is only used when I need to brew a big batch of French press coffee or make cold brew coffee at home.
This is where an electric coffee grinder comes in handy.
If you want to put those freshly ground coffee beans to the test, you can check out the beginner brewing guides I’ve listed below.
It’s a great way to learn how to brew coffee when you’re just starting out with home-brewing coffee.
Which coffee grinder do you use at home, and which one are you interested in buying?
Let me know by leaving a comment down below!
If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top.
4 Comments
I agree. The blade grinder is not ground and usually makes dust that filters through the filter. Which is good in cold brew. It’s not really a burr it’s more of a planetary helical gearset wide burr. Thank you for your research in this. I wonder what type of grinder is in the grocery market. It sounds like burr much like what they use in coffee shops. I like coffee shops. I like stands. I like church coffee with egg whites and have you tried that ever? You do not even need a grinder. Sometimes I crush the bean between my fingers. For some reason I do not count coffee beans dipped in chocolate as coffee consumption. I hope you enjoy your coffee as much as I do.
Hi John,
Thanks for leaving a comment!
I love drinking my daily coffees, and it’s great to hear that you have so many different ways of getting your coffee consumed.
-Jeffrey
I”ve never used a burr grinder so I can’t speak to it’s relative merits. Recent I got a grinder in the first place is that I like Turkish Style coffee which is a very very fine grind. I was unable to get that level of grind from Supermarket coffee those machines are set to coarse. For this application of blood type grinder works fine the difference from what the article describes is that instead of trying to grind the beans in 10 seconds you grind them fourth 25 to 30 seconds the result is an evenly ground very fine grind coffee with no large particles.
A benefit of doing it this way coffee aficionados would probably sneer at -you get the exactly the same flavor drip style coffee using half the amount of beans.
I believe it’s worth noting that unless you get the grinder completely clean that means not just the visible dust but cleaning all the residual oil from the machine that oil will turn rancid and any grounds that you make after that bitter and sour.
Hey Paul,
It’s nice to hear that you’ve gotten a coffee grinder of your own.
I also like to clean my coffee grinder, so I know my coffees will taste the best they can.
Please let me know if you have any other questions, as I’d be happy to help!
-Jeffrey