<p>The most important distinction between blade and burr grinders is the result:</p>

<p><strong>Blade</strong></p>

<p>Coffee beans circulate across the spinning blades. No matter how long or short the grind, there is extreme heterogeneity in particle size--that is, you will find larger bean fragments with near-dust-size ones, with everything in between.  If you use a pour-over or drip brewing method, you might even see whole beans floating to the top. Not surprisingly, you'll get very uneven extraction from these different particles, no matter what the brewing method.</p>

<p>If you grind long enough to decimate all the beans, you'll find a lot of fine coffee dust and sediment in your cup. Too short a grind, and you get a lot of beans and bean pieces that can't present enough extractable surface area to the hot water, leading to a thin, weak cup. Waste of coffee, to be sure.</p>

<p>Also, it's almost impossible to grind any two batches consistently, since grind time is dependent on bean quantity, type of roast, variety of bean--well, <em>everything</em>.  So today you'll get a disappointing cup, and tomorrow you'll get another disappointing cup for some other reason. Therefore I recommend a <em>Conical Burr</em> grinder.</p>

<p><strong>Conical Burr</strong></p>

<p>Beans move through <strong>once</strong>.  When you set your burr grinder to a certain fineness, there will be very little heterogeneity in particle size.  (N.B.  Spend more on the grinder, get a more even grind.)  This allows you to experiment with the grind as well as the quantity until it's perfect for you, then replicate that recipe perfectly every time.</p>

<p>Some tips on finding the right burr grinder for your needs:</p>

<ul>
<li>Prices vary from $50 to $1500 for non-commercial grinders.  I'm happy with my $350 Rancilio, which I've had for 10 years without a hint of trouble.</li>
<li>How you like your coffee matters.  A more expensive grinder will do better fine grinds, as for Arabic-style (i.e. Turkish, Greek, Lebanese) coffee.  If you don't drink that, don't spend more for it.  Most burr grinders perform best in the automatic drip range.</li>
<li>The under-$100 burr grinders still manage to throw a lot of fine coffee dust into the grind.  Do your research before buying.</li>
<li>Consistency in grind is critical to good espresso.  If this is important to you, be prepared to spend as much on the grinder as you spent on your espresso machine.  It's for a good cause.  Why hobble your good machine with sub-par ingredients?</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-05T11:59:24.033Z
2015-05-06T18:31:56.910Z
2015-05-06T18:31:56.910Z
RRosolMD
<p>From the book <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Coffee.html?id=IqJsIcYOPcQC&amp;hl=en" rel="nofollow">Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying</a>, I remember reading that if you use flavored coffee beans in a burr grinder, that flavor is not going to come out, ever. But with a blade grinder you can grind flavored beans, clean it out, and use it again with unflavored beans.</p>

<p>They take up less space than the burr mills than I've seen. An exception would be <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00INJE7FE" rel="nofollow">this little guy</a> but if you want a fine grind you'll be cranking for a long time. </p>

<p>I'm under the impression that, for drip or pour over, the extra consistency of a burr mill doesn't make a huge difference. That is, while a finer grind will get you more extraction, a little variability in the size of the grounds is not the end of the world. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-04T20:40:30.780Z
2015-05-04T20:40:30.780Z
Ben Ogorek
<p>Blade grinders are a bit easier to clean.  Generally you can simply wash out inside and it doesn't require the disassembly cleaning a burr grinder does.</p>

<p>Blade grinders are also less likely to be damaged by inappropriate use or coffee that contains foreign objects (it's been known to happen as urban myth).   </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-09T07:28:07.150Z
I found a small rock in my beans one time... before grinding
Nathan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-12T06:16:15.860Z
And the urban myth continues....
Menelaos Vergis
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-01T18:44:58.267Z
2015-05-01T18:44:58.267Z
Suspended User
<p>There are many blade grinders in the market, and they are usually cheaper than burr grinders.</p>

<p>I've almost always heard and read that burr grinders are the best choice for most of coffee preparations.</p>

<p>So, is there any advantage —besides cost— for blade grinders compared to burr grinders?</p>

<grinder>
Blade grinders: any advantage over burr grinders besides cost?
Nicolás
# Blade grinders: any advantage over burr grinders besides cost?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-01)

There are many blade grinders in the market, and they are usually cheaper than burr grinders.

I've almost always heard and read that burr grinders are the best choice for most of coffee preparations.

So, is there any advantage —besides cost— for blade grinders compared to burr grinders?

**Tags:** grinder


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-05-05. Score: 8

The most important distinction between blade and burr grinders is the result:

**Blade**

Coffee beans circulate across the spinning blades. No matter how long or short the grind, there is extreme heterogeneity in particle size--that is, you will find larger bean fragments with near-dust-size ones, with everything in between. If you use a pour-over or drip brewing method, you might even see whole beans floating to the top. Not surprisingly, you'll get very uneven extraction from these different particles, no matter what the brewing method.

If you grind long enough to decimate all the beans, you'll find a lot of fine coffee dust and sediment in your cup. Too short a grind, and you get a lot of beans and bean pieces that can't present enough extractable surface area to the hot water, leading to a thin, weak cup. Waste of coffee, to be sure.

Also, it's almost impossible to grind any two batches consistently, since grind time is dependent on bean quantity, type of roast, variety of bean--well, *everything*. So today you'll get a disappointing cup, and tomorrow you'll get another disappointing cup for some other reason. Therefore I recommend a *Conical Burr* grinder.

**Conical Burr**

Beans move through **once**. When you set your burr grinder to a certain fineness, there will be very little heterogeneity in particle size. (N.B. Spend more on the grinder, get a more even grind.) This allows you to experiment with the grind as well as the quantity until it's perfect for you, then replicate that recipe perfectly every time.

Some tips on finding the right burr grinder for your needs:

* Prices vary from $50 to $1500 for non-commercial grinders. I'm happy with my $350 Rancilio, which I've had for 10 years without a hint of trouble.
* How you like your coffee matters. A more expensive grinder will do better fine grinds, as for Arabic-style (i.e. Turkish, Greek, Lebanese) coffee. If you don't drink that, don't spend more for it. Most burr grinders perform best in the automatic drip range.
* The under-$100 burr grinders still manage to throw a lot of fine coffee dust into the grind. Do your research before buying.
* Consistency in grind is critical to good espresso. If this is important to you, be prepared to spend as much on the grinder as you spent on your espresso machine. It's for a good cause. Why hobble your good machine with sub-par ingredients?


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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-01. Score: 6

Blade grinders are a bit easier to clean. Generally you can simply wash out inside and it doesn't require the disassembly cleaning a burr grinder does.

Blade grinders are also less likely to be damaged by inappropriate use or coffee that contains foreign objects (it's been known to happen as urban myth).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I found a small rock in my beans one time... before grinding  
> **username_5**: And the urban myth continues....  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-05-04. Score: 4

From the book [Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying](https://books.google.com/books/about/Coffee.html?id=IqJsIcYOPcQC&hl=en), I remember reading that if you use flavored coffee beans in a burr grinder, that flavor is not going to come out, ever. But with a blade grinder you can grind flavored beans, clean it out, and use it again with unflavored beans.

They take up less space than the burr mills than I've seen. An exception would be [this little guy](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00INJE7FE) but if you want a fine grind you'll be cranking for a long time.

I'm under the impression that, for drip or pour over, the extra consistency of a burr mill doesn't make a huge difference. That is, while a finer grind will get you more extraction, a little variability in the size of the grounds is not the end of the world.


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