Which Coffee Grinder Is Right For You?

The right coffee grinder can help you make a cup of coffee that tantalizes your taste buds. It can also help ensure your coffee gets evenly extracted (that means the water reaches and extracts all the grounds) while helping to avoid clumping. But there are many different types of coffee grinders available, and the one that’s right for you depends on your preferences, how often you use it, and the type of brew you’re making.

In general, blade grinders have compartments where you place the beans and a spinning blade that chops them into a variety of particle sizes. They can be cheap, which makes them accessible to beginner brewers, but they often lack the precision needed for great coffee, because you have to guess how long to grind for a particular consistency.

Burr grinders, on the other hand, have two cone-shaped burrs with ridges that crush and cut the beans into a consistent size. These are generally pricier than blade grinders, but they offer more control and often have settings that adjust for the specifics of your brewing method.

This KitchenAid model is a popular choice with home brewers, says Elliott Foos, who used it when he worked at the coffee shop attached to chef Flynn McGarry’s Lower East Side restaurant Gem. “It produces an insanely consistent grind with no clumping and it’s very sturdy,” he says. The stainless steel container is etched with measurement markings and can be secured to keep the grounds fresh, and it has anti-static technology that keeps the grounds from sticking to surfaces. It’s quiet, easy to clean, and comes in cream, black and pastel blue colors that look good on the counter.