Best Conical Burr Coffee Grinders
Grinding your own beans for your coffee is a great way to enhance your morning cup. There are a variety of grinders.
This OXO grinder is equipped with conical burrs that produce the perfect grind for French press espresso, drip coffee and French press. For those who are serious about coffee, they may require more precision from this grinder, but it's a great option for those who are just beginning.
OXO Brew
If you're interested in making your own coffee at home, you probably know that it needs a quality grinder to give you the most flavorful coffee. However, a good burr grinder can run upwards of $200, which may be prohibitive for someone who's not certain if they'll be using regularly or not. This is why the OXO Brew is a great alternative for anyone looking to enjoy freshly ground coffee without spending hundreds of dollars.
The design of the OXO Brew isn't extravagant, but it looks solid and expensive. The stainless steel body comes with an in-built water reservoir that is permanently located at the rear and a thermal caafe at the front. The carafe and tanks are designed so that the body can be fitted into smaller kitchens. The controls are concealed under the carafe, reducing the clutter. There is also a light to let you know when it is heating or making.
Oxo consistently brewed well during our tests. The water temperature was within a precise range--197.4 F to 205 F--for the entire test run, as measured by thermocouples located in the grounds basket and the water tank. The brewing time was very close to the Specialty Coffee Association's recommended times for a quality drip.
The OXO Brew also comes with a single-serve function that lets you brew coffee directly into your cup. This isn't something you can find in other models with a higher price and can be a big benefit for people who want to make their own portions of coffee but don't need the hassle of making a full carafe of coffee.
The only drawback to the OXO is that it has no clock or an automatic start time. This can be a problem when you are on a tight schedule. The water tank can be difficult to get out of because it has a lid that has to be slid in order to access the reservoir. It comes with an integrated descaler that helps to avoid mineral deposits from accumulating in the machine.
Baratza Encore ESP
The Baratza Encore is the most popular burr mill available for coffee lovers. This version of the original Encore is redesigned with improvements that make it compatible with a broader range of brewing techniques and provide more flexibility than ever before. It's for home baristas who are just beginning their journey and anyone who wants to have a range of brewing options on one grinder. It features the ability to adjust the grind in a step and has simple controls for beginner baristas as well as notched and labelled settings for consistency. The M2 Burrs guarantee uniform grinding, and its hopper comes with a quick and easy release feature.
The ESP makes use of a DC motor that has high torque and gear reduction, similar to the original Encore. However it operates at lower speeds to lower heat and static charge. It's also quieter than classic Encore and comes with a new plates made of metal that improves stability and burr consistency. It is equipped with conical burrs of 40 millimeters similar to those that are found in the more expensive Virtuoso plus. This allows it to attain a greater grind size distribution and consistent shots.
Each step of the ESP's grind adjustment is 9 microns. This gives high resolution when dialing in espresso, and more precise grinding for pour over. The new dosing cups can be used with portafilters of 54 and 58mm. This enhances the ergonomics of manual dosing. The grinder can also be used with traditional grounds bins for those who prefer a hopper-based workflow.
The ESP's inconsistency in tests of consistency is a problem but it still performs better in comparison to other grinders at this price. The stepped settings can be inconsistent as well making it difficult to find the best setting for your specific brewing method. However the ESP is ideal for various brewing methods and offers an amazing value for its versatility.
The Encore ESP is also a bit more expensive than many of the other models on this list, but it's worth the extra expense for its incredible versatility. It can grind for espresso or filter brews as well as utilize the shims included to optimize its performance for pour-over the brewing.
Baratza DF64
The Baratza DF64 grinder is a good one that works well for espresso and pour-over brewing. The burrs are upgradeable to increase efficiency and the hopper can be used to accommodate a variety of different grind sizes. The DF64 has few moving parts, making it easy to maintain and use. It is a great option for anyone seeking a top-quality grinder for a reasonable price.
The DF64 Gen 2 is a massive improvement over the original version and should be difficult to be beat by any other grinder in the same price range. The new model comes with a new appearance that is more appealing to the eye. It is a flat-rounded base that can withstand up to 20 grams of beans at a single time and a single dose cradle. It also has a rubber hose that pushes air through the grinder to force out any extra grinds.
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.
small coffee grinder Coffeee 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 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 grinder. 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.