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Question: Do you think this is the case for all blade grinders vs. burr grinders, or only some blade grinders being unable to produce consistency? Legit asking

Question: Do you think this is the case for all blade grinders vs. burr grinders, or only some blade grinders being unable to produce consistency? Legit asking because you've got me wondering out loud if it is worth the upgrade at our house. What I've noticed with our cheap blade grinder is that there is a set number of seconds I need to hold down the button to get a consistent grind - not too long or its powder, and not too little or it is still chunky beans. My own experience is that the bean quality is the single defining difference between a good cup and a not so good cup, and so long as I'm not going completely cheap on the coffee, a French press and an electric kettle start the morning right. But - you've got me questioning whether I could create greater consistency with a different grinder.

dfxm12 6y ago
I've only used a couple blade grinders (think like a $19 Hamilton Beach grinder) so I can't speak to if there are any super fancy ones, but it is inherent in their basic design that you won't necessarily get uniform coarseness from the grounds. The blades chop up the beans basically at random as they fly around in the grinder. Compare this to a decent burr grinder (like a $99 OXO) which the beans all fall through and get caught in the burrs in the same way. $80 is a big difference (to me, anyway), so I feel bad suggesting someone else spend that, but I can say I taste the difference between the two, and I've made up for it with the fact that I no longer feel the need to treat myself to a nicer cup of coffee from a coffee shop on a Friday morning. The other benefit of getting a burr grinder is that you can dedicate the blade grinder to whole spices. Having a little residual cardamom in your coffee might be agreeable, but that's not the case for cumin or cayenne. :) Good point about the beans. I didn't think about that because I've been buying the same beans from my grocery store's bulk bin for years. These same beans have seen every grinder and brewing gadget that's come through my house.
- poulsbohemian 6y ago
  This is an excellent clinical trial you've undertaken though, given that you've used the same beans with both grinders and have noticed a distinct difference. Guess I need to watch the Black Friday specials this year for a burr grinder.
AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
If you don't wish to pay for a burr grinder (which is fair--mine was a cool $140 when I bought it, but it's paid for itself), you can carefully manage the use of a blade grinder to get a better grind size. See the below videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8igZyhNFw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8igZyhNFw https://youtu.be/O7LAzSKgeoQ?t=278 https://youtu.be/O7LAzSKgeoQ?t=278 It's more involved, but can save you some money if you don't want to buy new equipment.
- poulsbohemian 6y ago
  ah ha! This was excellent, thank you so much for posting it. Two things stood out: one, I was already doing the shake-and-grind without realizing that someone had studied it and two, that Krups grinder is the one I've been using because my partner was convinced it was a better grinder than the old cheap one I was previously using. This was a super helpful video!

dfxm12 6y ago

I've only used a couple blade grinders (think like a $19 Hamilton Beach grinder) so I can't speak to if there are any super fancy ones, but it is inherent in their basic design that you won't necessarily get uniform coarseness from the grounds. The blades chop up the beans basically at random as they fly around in the grinder. Compare this to a decent burr grinder (like a $99 OXO) which the beans all fall through and get caught in the burrs in the same way. $80 is a big difference (to me, anyway), so I feel bad suggesting someone else spend that, but I can say I taste the difference between the two, and I've made up for it with the fact that I no longer feel the need to treat myself to a nicer cup of coffee from a coffee shop on a Friday morning. The other benefit of getting a burr grinder is that you can dedicate the blade grinder to whole spices. Having a little residual cardamom in your coffee might be agreeable, but that's not the case for cumin or cayenne. :) Good point about the beans. I didn't think about that because I've been buying the same beans from my grocery store's bulk bin for years. These same beans have seen every grinder and brewing gadget that's come through my house.

poulsbohemian 6y ago
This is an excellent clinical trial you've undertaken though, given that you've used the same beans with both grinders and have noticed a distinct difference. Guess I need to watch the Black Friday specials this year for a burr grinder.

AdmiralAsshat 6y ago

If you don't wish to pay for a burr grinder (which is fair--mine was a cool $140 when I bought it, but it's paid for itself), you can carefully manage the use of a blade grinder to get a better grind size. See the below videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8igZyhNFw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8igZyhNFw https://youtu.be/O7LAzSKgeoQ?t=278 https://youtu.be/O7LAzSKgeoQ?t=278 It's more involved, but can save you some money if you don't want to buy new equipment.

poulsbohemian 6y ago
ah ha! This was excellent, thank you so much for posting it. Two things stood out: one, I was already doing the shake-and-grind without realizing that someone had studied it and two, that Krups grinder is the one I've been using because my partner was convinced it was a better grinder than the old cheap one I was previously using. This was a super helpful video!