Best Coffee Grinders 2020: A Guide to Buying a Coffee Grinder in New Zealand

This is the simplest and most affordable way to grind coffee. Manual grinders work similar to pepper mills, they grind coffee beans between two burrs, which are usually made of ceramic. On this type of grinder, the fineness or coarseness of ground coffee will depend on the time you spend turning the crank. To get an extra fine size, say for an Espresso, you will have to keep grinding for longer than for a coarse bean like the one used for French Press coffee.

Manual Grinders Highlights: 

• Great grinding consistency. Since most manual coffee grinders use ceramic conical burrs, they offer excellent grinding consistency
• Simple and durable. The wear of the internal parts is not an issue since manual grinders operate at very low speeds
• Affordable. Generally speaking, manual grinders are cheaper than their electric counterparts

 
Manual Grinders - What We Like:

• Portability. Since they are so compact, you can use them at home or while travelling
• Easy to clean. Its maintenance is not too different from that of a common blender, just open it and clean the burrs
• Ceramic conical burrs. Most quality manual coffee grinders use ceramic conical burrs which ensures optimal results
• Silent operation. No motor, just you turning the handle

 
Manual Grinders - What We Dislike:

• Low capacity. Being compact is great for portability but limits the grinder capacity, therefore, you will have to refill it several times if you plan grinding several cups of coffee
• Time-consuming. Since it’s a manual process you will require more time when compared with automatic/electric grinders, especially while grinding large amounts of coffee
• Requires some muscle. Depending on the amount you require and the type of bean you are grinding, turning a crank to grind coffee can be laborious

Burr grinders working principle is similar to their manual counterpart. Coffee beans are crushed while passing between a moving grinding wheel and a static surface. However, this type of grinder allows adjusting the burr position, enabling precise control of the resulting grind size. Their ability to provide repeatable grinding settings is what set burr grinders apart from the rest. For instance, you can experiment with the recommended settings for different types of coffee and then “fine-tune” such settings to your liking. Once you discover “the perfect size” for your favourite coffee all you have to do is take note of it (analog/mechanical grinders) or store it into memory (digital grinders).

Burr Grinders Highlights:

• Utmost grinding consistency. Burr grinders offer unsurpassed accuracy meaning grains are evenly ground, resulting in better coffee
• A vast number of grinding adjustments. This is the only type of coffee grinder offering grinding adjustments, meaning repeatable, good tasting coffee regardless of bean size
• Maintains flavour. The grinding process does not overheat coffee beans, meaning oily coffee beans with a rich taste

 
Burr Grinders - What We Like: 

• Convenience. Unlike their manual counterparts, all you have to do is selecting the desired grain size and push a button to start grinding
• Reliability. Burr grinders are usually very reliable since they work at a relatively constant speed and have few moving parts
• Best coffee ground quality. No other coffee grinder can offer the quality and accuracy of burr grinders

 
Burr Grinders - What We Dislike: 

• Expensive. The excellent results that these grinders offer come with a high price tag
• Might be difficult to clean. Depending on the brand, this type of grinder might be difficult to clean
• Loud. While it is true that burr grinders are not as loud as blade grinders, they are noisier than many other kitchen accessories
• Slower than blade grinders. Since burr grinders grind only a small amount of coffee beans at a time they are slower than blade-type grinders

Blade grinders operate similar to food processors and blenders hence its name. They use a sharp metal blade to chop coffee beans. In this type of grinder, the only way to control the fineness of the coffee bean is by pushing the power button, checking the coffee ground, and repeating the process again until it reaches the desired size. There are many disadvantages associated with this process though.

​First of all, the process is not repeatable. Even if you time how long the grinding takes, that does not ensure accuracy. Secondly, blade grinders heat up quite quickly causing the oils in the coffee beans to evaporate, almost destroying their flavour. Nevertheless, depending on your expectations and the brand of coffee you purchase, blade grinders enable you to achieve better taste than commercial ground coffee.
 
Blade Grinders Highlights:

• Poor grinding consistency. Blade grinders are quite inaccurate, so do not expect the same results as with burr grinders
• No grinding adjustments. You have to continuously check the firmness of ground coffee to determine when is ready
• Could potentially destroy beans flavour. Since blades heat up pretty fast, they may degrade the taste of the resulting ground coffee

 
Blade Grinders - What We Like: 

• Very fast. When it comes to speed, blade grinders are second to none. Just fill the coffee hopper and press the button for a few seconds to get ground coffee
• Inexpensive. Depending on the quality of the grinder, you can find really cheap units which may serve you well for occasional use
• Multi-purpose. Most blade grinders are designed to be “multi-purpose” allowing you to take advantage of the unit to also chop herbs and spices

 
Blade Grinders - What We Dislike: 

• Inaccurate. When using blade grinders coffee beans are chopped unevenly, some may be too large, some too fine
• Quite noisy. This is the loudest type of coffee grinder of all. To give you some perspective, they even louder than a blender
• Burns the coffee beans. Unfortunately, the heated blades burn the coffee beans, partially destroying their flavour