What’s The Difference Between A Burr Grinder and Blade Grinder?

For the lovers of coffee, grinder is a familiar tool and it is indispensable for them. There are two blenders at the disposal of coffee lovers which they can make use of to grind their coffee beans. Anybody that has been taken coffee for a while will know that to get a good blend you need a good grinder; it is as simple as that. Some of us grew up to see how mummy grinds coffee using the blade grinder, just like how the normal blender works, put in the coffee, cover the lid and turn on the blender to get the blades rolling and in the process blend the coffee beans. So, what is the real difference of blade grinder vs burr grinder.

Blade Grinder vs Burr Grinder

The blade grinder is one of the two types of grinder that is used to grind coffee; the blade grinder is just like the normal blender with a blade in the center that propels when the blender is turned on. The burr grinder named also as hand coffee grinders is what you would find in a vintage manual coffee grinder at an estate sale or somewhere in your grandmother’s kitchen. It is usually made up of two revolving abrasive surfaces in between which the coffee is ground.

Below amongst others are the differences between a blade grinder and burr grinder:

• Burr grinders are made up of two revolving abrasive surfaces or burrs to grind the beans evenly, just a few at a time. Blade grinder on the other hand has single centered blade to smash beans into smaller and smaller pieces, thereby leaving an uneven blend.
• Burr grinders works slowly by drawing the beans through the grinding mechanism a few at a time. While Blade grinders are somehow aggressive; they work at a very high speed and are not adjustable like the burr grinder. The process of grinding (the speed of the blades) could sometimes overheat the beans thereby leaving an unwanted flavor behind.

• Burr grinders are more controllable and produce a more consistent and uniform grind which enables the water to evenly extract the flavor and create a better cup of coffee. Blade grinders produce an inconsistent and un-uniform blend. This means that the burr coffee could be easily adjusted depending on the size of grind you want.

• A blade grinder is the best choice if you want to prepare Turkish coffee, it will be better than most of the burr coffee grinders, which don’t have a Turkish setting, and even if they have it, it’s not really fine enough.

• Burr grinders cannot be use for pre-ground coffee, whereas a blade grinder will do the job for you.

• Most of the blade grinders require that the operator keeps doing one or two things during the grinding process, but with a burr grinder you just put on the engine and wait a few seconds for your coffee.

• The blade grinder is the most common and inexpensive of the two grinders, it is easy to clean and maintain compare to the burr grinder.

If you decide to change your blade grinder to a burr grinder, it is important to avoid buying burr grinders that are cheap because it will eventually turns out to be a great disaster. If you can’t afford a better burr grinder, it is advisable you stick to your blade grinder till you are able to get a good one. It is also better to buy the ones that have been used by one or two people and satisfied the brand has been good, or else you will be buying something that will turn out to be a great mistake, don’t be a tester.

There are also some types of grinders out there that tend to look like burr grinders, but they are actually just mills. They don’t have very good consistency like a normal burr grinder but also work fine for some sorts of coffee makers. These kinds of grinders should only be used as last resort, for instance, like while you are waiting to purchase your new grinder. It is not advisable to use these kinds of grinders on a regular basis; they can be used just on emergency cases.

In conclusion, the major difference between blade and burr grinder is actually the grinding mechanism. Blade grinders use its blades located in the grinding chamber to smash the coffee beans and grind it, while the burr grinders have gear-like disc which grind coffee beans. The burrs ground coffee beans by rotating against each other.

You may choose to use a blade grinder or a burr grinder depending on your preferences and budget, what is important is to have a grinder handy in your kitchen. By having a grinder in your kitchen you will be able to avoid stale coffee from coffee stores. You will also enjoy fresh coffee with its full flavour and aroma of your coffee.

Grinding and brewing your own coffee at home makes it possible to enjoy your coffee without spending on ground coffee.

Author Courtesy: Denis Lubbojanski