Best Conical Burr Coffee Grinders
Grinding your own coffee beans is a great way to improve your morning cup. There are a myriad of different kinds of grinders.
This OXO grinder makes use of conical burrs to produce a grinding system that is suitable for drip, French press and espresso. This grinder is an excellent choice for novices, however, hardcore coffee geeks will want an exact grind.
OXO Brew
If you're into making your own coffee at home, then you already know that it requires a good grinder to give you the most flavorful coffee. A quality burr mill can cost up to $200, which is expensive for those who don't know whether they'll utilize it. This is why the OXO Brew is an excellent alternative for those who want to enjoy freshly ground
red coffee grinder without spending hundreds of dollars.
The design of the OXO Brew isn't flashy, but it looks sturdy and expensive. The stainless steel body comes with a permanent water reservoir in the rear, and a thermal caafe in the front. The tanks and carafe are shaped in such that the structure can be easily incorporated into smaller kitchens. The controls are located below the carafe in order to minimize the clutter, and there's a light that informs you when it's heating or making.
Oxo consistently brewed well in our tests. The temperature of the water remained within a narrow range--197.4 F to 205 F--for the entire test according to thermocouples located in the grounds basket and the water tank. Its brewing time was also close to the time that the Specialty Coffee Association recommends for an excellent drip.
Another benefit of the OXO Brew is it comes with a single-serve function that allows you to pour a cup of coffee directly into your cup. This feature is not found in other models that are more expensive. It's an advantage for those who wish to make individual portions of their coffee, but aren't keen on the hassle of making the entire carafe.
The only downside to the OXO is that it has no clock or an automatic start time. This can be a problem when you are on a strict schedule. The water tank is difficult to get out of because it has a lid which needs to be slid to access the reservoir. It comes with a built-in mineral descaler that can help keep mineral deposits from building up inside the machine.
Baratza Encore ESP
If you're a lover of coffee and are seeking the top burr grinder the Baratza Encore ESP is your top pick. This version of the classic Encore was redesigned to incorporate upgrades that make it more adaptable to a wider range of brewing methods and provide more versatility than ever before. It's designed for beginners in home baristas as well as anyone who wants to keep their options for brewing open with a single grinder. It has a an adjustable stepped grind and simple controls for novice baristas as well as marked and notched settings to ensure consistency. Its M2 Burrs ensure uniform grinding, and the hopper comes with a quick and easy release feature.
The ESP uses an
mini electric coffee grinder motor with high-torque and gear reduction, similar to the original Encore. However it runs at lower speeds to lower heat and static charge. It's also quieter than the classic Encore and has a new metal plate that improves stability and burr consistency. It's fitted with 40mm M2 conical burrs similar to those found in the more expensive Virtuoso Plus, which helps it get a better distribution of grind size and more reliable shots.
Each step of the ESP's grind adjustment is 9 microns, which provides high resolution when dialing in espresso, and finer grinding for pour over. It has a new dosing cup that is compatible with both 54 and 58 millimeter portafilters, which improves the ergonomics of manual dosing. The grinder can be used with the traditional grounds bin in the event that you prefer a hopper based workflow.
One drawback of the ESP is its inconsistent performance in back-to-back consistency tests, however, it is still superior to many other grinders in this price range. The stepped grind settings can also be inconsistent, making it difficult to determine the ideal setting for your particular style of brewing. However, the ESP is ideally suited to many brewing methods and provides a remarkable value for its versatility.
The Encore ESP costs a little higher than other models, but its versatility is worth the cost. It can grind for espresso and filter brews, and also use the included shims to optimize its performance for pour over brewing.
Baratza DF64
The Baratza DF64 grinder is a good one that works well for pour-over and espresso brewing. The burrs can be upgraded to improve performance and the hopper can be large enough for a variety of grind sizes. The DF64 has only a few moving parts, making it simple to maintain and use. It is an excellent choice for those seeking a top-quality grinder for a reasonable price.
The DF64 Gen 2 is a massive improvement over the original version and will have a hard time being defeated by any other grinder at the same price. The new model comes with an entirely new appearance that is more appealing to the eye. It has a simple, flat, rounded base that can hold up to The cradle can hold 20 grams at one time. It also comes with an hose made of rubber that pushes air through the
ceramic grinder to push out any grinds that are not needed.
One of the major problems with the original DF64 was popcorning, which is when coffee beans bounce upward out of the burrs instead of grinding down. This is a common problem with hopper-based grinders that can affect the consistency of your grind. The new DF64 has a much-improved anti-popcorning system that eliminates this problem.
Other issues with the DF64 included a poor quality build, a loose design that caused gaps around the edges of the hopper, a heavyweight, a mandatory use of bellows, regular alignment challenges, a plastic adjust collar that mis-threaded easily, vinyl wrap instead of powder coating, and the all-but-mandatory need for two aftermarket upgrades (anti-popcorning, declumper). The DF64 Gen 2 addresses these issues and many more.
The DF64 has a powerful 250W motor that spins the burrs at about 1,400 RPM. This is a little faster than the Encore ESP, but it’s still slower than other popular burr grinders like the Mahlkönig EK43. The DF64 is also less noisy than the Encore ESP, making it easier to work with in a busy cafe environment.
The DF64 has an easy-to-read, step-by-step adjustment system that allows you to fine-tune your grind size for different brewing methods. It also comes with a wide selection of burrs, which makes it possible to experiment and find the perfect grind for your particular coffee bean. The DF64 also has a convenient dosing system, which allows you to direct the ground coffee directly into your portafilter or mug.
Fellow Ode
A popular maker of home
Coffee grinder Compact equipment, Fellow makes some seriously aesthetically appealing gear. Their kettles, French presses, and other home coffee brewing machines have an elegant and modern matte finish that suits any kitchen aesthetic. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that their grinders look equally as good. The Ode is a sleek and compact grinder with a number of easy-to-use features designed for precise, single-dose brewing.
The Ode is unique among coffee grinders because it uses flat burrs, rather than conical ones. Usually, you only see flat burrs on professional or commercial grinders due to their ability to reduce grind time and heat generation and improve grind particle consistency. The 64mm flat burrs in the Ode also give it a much smoother grind than you would find in a typical home appliance grinder. And they are designed with single-dosing in mind, meaning that the grinder shuts off as soon as the hopper is empty. This helps to prevent over-grinding, which can rob your brews of flavor and aroma.
The hopper itself holds 100 grams, which is enough for one large pour-over or two small cups of espresso. The Ode has a variety of other neat features, including a built-in scale and a cool grind size chart that is mapped out on the underside of the lid. This shows the brewing methods that each setting is most suitable for, with pour-over and cold brews on the fine end of the range, and French press on the coarse end.
Another great feature of the Ode is that it has a quiet, almost purr-like sound during operation and is very fast. The grinder has a high-force spring that knocks excess ground beans and chaff into the catch, which helps to reduce grind retention and make clean-up a breeze. It’s also very easy to disassemble and is compatible with coffee tablet cleaners.
Despite some minor hiccups in the initial launch, the Ode is still a top contender for those looking for an excellent and aesthetically pleasing conical burr
smart grinder pro. Fortunately, the company is committed to improving the product and recently released the Gen 2 version, which addresses some of the issues with the original. However, for those who want a better-suited grinder for espresso, the Baratza DF64 is an excellent alternative that is both visually and functionally superior to the Fellow Ode.