You can spend the rest of your life collecting coffee equipment but according to an expert I spoke with, none is more important than the grinder.
Whether you adhere to the golden ratio for coffee and water -- a robust 15:1 -- or prefer a gentler 20:1, control over your coffee balance and the best possible flavor extraction starts with an even grind, and not all grinders deliver.
If you're still buying pre-ground beans and feel ready to take the leap, or you're getting by with whatever coffee grinder found its way onto your countertop so many years ago, a grinder upgrade is one of the best investments you can make for better brewing.
"A burr grinder gives you maximum control," Kaleena Teoh stresses. Teoh is co-founder and director of education for Coffee Project New York, and praises burr grinders for "giving you the power to brew the coffee exactly the way you want it to be."
A burr grinder gives you maximum control over the beans you use to make a cup of coffee -- it's one of the most important coffee tools you can own. Patrick Holland/CNET
Looking for something to gift a coffee lover in your life this season, or you simply want to treat yourself for making it through 2025? A burr grinder is one coffee tool that pays immediate dividends to your morning pot or cup. Here's everything to know about coffee professionals' not-so-secret tool for a better brew.
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What is a burr grinder and how does it work?
Unlike a blade grinder, which grinds coffee beans by actually slicing them, burr coffee grinders work by crushing them. Burr grinders rely on two abrasive or notched discs or plates, known as burrs, which rotate either parallel to one another or concentrically.
Burr grinders are able to grind beans evenly and to a precise coarseness. Kuzmik_A/Getty
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