Conical Burr Grinder

Conical burr grinders are generally considered the absolute best for home grinding.  Once priced only for those seeking a high end coffee grinder, the cost have come down significantly in recent years.

How Do Conical Burr Grinders Work?

Conical grinders consist of two different sized cylinders like the ones pictured here.  The substance to be ground, in this case freshly roasted coffee, is spun between the two cylinders which slowly grind it to smaller and smaller bits.  The grind size is consistent as larger chunks cannot fall completely through the grinder until the process is complete.  The fact that the beans are ground slowly means that there will not be any very small dust like grounds that can clog up your coffee filter during brewing.

Burr grinder surfaces are generally made of a hard metal like steel or aluminum.  There are however, many disposable grinders found in supermarket spice isles that have hard plastic or acrylic grinding surfaces to be more cost effective.

The Pros Of A Conical Burr Grinder

They generally are the most adjustable and produce the most consistent sized grounds while not overly heating the coffee during the grinding process.  They grind slower than other types of coffee grinders, which do not produce as much friction to heat the coffee beans.

Prices have dropped considerably in the past few years.  It used to be difficult to find a good conical burr grinder for less than $150, but there are many models available these days that cost around $75.