Cooking & Baking
In reply to the discussion: Appreciators of good coffee...need Brand suggestions. [View all]Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Some are hand crank and some are electric and they range from a very small model capable of single cup operation to an Italian made commercial grinder that is as big as a blender.
Any grinder is better than no grinder. Pre-ground coffee loses quite a bit of aromatics in just a few minutes after grinding that you will never get back.
$20-30 coffee grinders are better than nothing, but they arent really grinders at all. They have a blade that spins at a high rpm that pulverize the coffee rather like taking a hammer to the beans.
Burr grinders have opposing burrs that actually grind the coffee. The advantage is lower grinding temperatures, adjustable grind settings, and uniform size to the grinds which result in more even extraction.
In my experience cheap electric burr grinders are a waste of money because they generally dont work all that well and break if you use them much. Theres a few ceramic burr hand grinders that dont cost much and work well provided you dont mind all the cranking.