GoKawiilIf you've been drinking coffee long enough, you probably have your routine -- a favorite method, whether that's drip, espresso, or pour-over and a small collection of tools to match. But the brewer is just one piece of the puzzle. What ends up in your mug is shaped by a handful of factors, and one of the most overlooked is grind.
Getting the coffee-to-water ratio right matters -- experts point to a golden ratio as the target -- but grind size is just as consequential. Too coarse or too fine, and even great beans fall flat.
Most experts recommend grinding fresh at home, but not all grinders are created equal. The best ones produce a consistent, even grind that gives you more control over the final cup. That means a burr grinder.
What is a burr grinder, and how does it work?
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
Unlike a blade grinder, which grinds coffee beans by slicing them, burr coffee grinders crush them. Burr grinders use two abrasive or notched discs or plates, known as burrs, that rotate either parallel to one another or concentrically.
"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."
Burr grinders are able to grind beans evenly and to a precise coarseness. Kuzmik_A/Getty
As the coffee beans are squeezed between them, they're crushed to a preset size determined by the distance between the two burrs, which is adjustable to suit both the type of coffee being made and personal preference.
When you use a burr grinder, the coffee beans get crushed to a predetermined size -- which is more consistent than a blade grinder.
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