best conical burr grinder Conical Burr Coffee Grinders

Grinding your own beans for your coffee is a great way to enhance your morning cup. There are a variety of grinders on the market.

This OXO niche grinder uses conical burrs to produce a grind that works well for drip, French press and espresso. This grinder is a great choice for beginners, but hardcore coffee geeks will want an even more precise grind.

OXO Brew

If you're planning to make your own coffee at home, then you already know that it requires a good grinder to give you the best flavor. But a quality burr grinder can cost upward of $200, which may be prohibitive for someone who isn't sure if they'll use it frequently or not. The OXO Brew is a great option for anyone who wants to enjoy freshly ground coffee without having to spend hundreds of dollars.

The design of the OXO Brew may not be flashy but it looks solid. The stainless steel body has a permanent water reservoir at the rear and a thermal caafe in the front. The carafe and tank are designed in such that the structure is able to fit into smaller kitchens. The controls are placed below the carafe to minimize the clutter, and there's a light that informs you when it's heating or making.

In our tests, the Oxo was consistently brewed. The water temperature was within a precise range--197.4 F to 205 F--for the entire test period, as measured by thermocouples located in the grounds basket and the water tank. Its brewing time was also close to the time that the Specialty coffee machine and grinder Association recommends for a good drip.

Another advantage of the OXO Brew is that it has the single-serve feature that lets you to brew the coffee directly into your mug. This isn't an option that's available in other high-end models, and it can be an enormous benefit for those who like to make their own individual servings of coffee, but do not need the hassle of making an entire carafe of coffee.

The only downside to the OXO Brew is that it doesn't come with a clock or an automated start time, which could be a hassle for those with a busy schedule. In addition, the water tank can be difficult to get rid of due to its lid that has to be slid off to access the reservoir. It also has an inbuilt descaler, which assists in preventing mineral deposits from accumulating within the machine.

Baratza Encore ESP

If you're a lover of coffee and are seeking the top burr grinder the Baratza Encore is your top pick. This version of the classic Encore has been re-engineered with upgrades that make it more compatible with a wider range of brewing techniques and offers more flexibility than ever before. It's designed for beginners in home baristas as well as anyone who wants to keep their options for brewing open with a single grinder. It features stepped grind adjustments and simple controls for beginners, with labeled and notched settings for consistency. The M2 Burrs guarantee uniform grinding, and its hopper comes with a quick and easy release feature.

The ESP utilizes a DC motor that has high torque and gear reduction, just like the original Encore. However, it runs at lower speeds to lower static charge and heat. It's also quieter than classic Encore, and it has a new metal plate that increases stability and burr consistency. It is equipped with conical burrs that measure 40 millimeters, similar to those found in the more expensive Virtuoso plus. This allows it to get a better size of grind distribution and uniform shots.

Each step of the ESP's grind adjustment is 9 microns, which gives excellent resolution when dialing in espresso, and smaller grinding for pour over. It comes with a dosing cup that is compatible with both 54 and 58 mm portafilters which improves the ergonomics of manual dosing. The grinder can be used with the traditional grounds bin if you prefer a hopper-based workflow.

One downside of the ESP is its inconsistency in back-to-back consistency tests, however, it is still superior to other grinders in this price range. The stepped settings can be inconsistant, making it difficult to locate the ideal setting for your particular brewing process. However, the ESP is ideal for various brewing methods and offers an amazing value for its versatility.

The Encore ESP is also a bit more expensive than some of the other models on this list, but it's worth the extra cost for its incredible flexibility. It can grind espresso and filter brews and also utilize the shims included to improve its performance when pour over the brewing.

Baratza DF64

The Baratza DF64 is a good grinder that works well with espresso and pour over brewing. The burrs can be upgraded to improve performance, and the hopper is large enough for a variety of sizes of grinding. The DF64 is also simple to use and maintain with only a few moving parts. This is an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for a high-quality, affordable grinder.

The DF64 Gen 2 is a significant improvement over the previous model and is expected to be difficult to beat by any other grinder in the same price range. The new model is more attractive to the eye. It has a simple, flat-rounded base that can support up to The cradle can hold 20 grams at one time. It also has an elastic bellows that is able to push air through the grinder when you do your dose to push out excessive grinds and to reduce retention.

One of the major problems with the original DF64 was popcorning, which is when coffee beans bounce upward out of the burrs instead of grinding down. This is a common problem with hopper-based grinders that can affect the consistency of your grind. The new DF64 has a much-improved anti-popcorning system that eliminates this problem.

Other issues with the DF64 included a poor quality build, a loose design that caused gaps around the edges of the hopper, a heavyweight, a mandatory use of bellows, regular alignment challenges, a plastic adjust collar that mis-threaded easily, vinyl wrap instead of powder coating, and the all-but-mandatory need for two aftermarket upgrades (anti-popcorning, declumper). The DF64 Gen 2 addresses these issues and many more.

The DF64 has a powerful 250W motor that spins the burrs at about 1,400 RPM. This is a little faster than the Encore ESP, but it’s still slower than other popular burr grinders like the Mahlkönig EK43. The DF64 is also less noisy than the Encore ESP, making it easier to work with in a busy cafe environment.

The DF64 has an easy-to-read, step-by-step adjustment system that allows you to fine-tune your grind size for different brewing methods. It also comes with a wide selection of burrs, which makes it possible to experiment and find the perfect grind for your particular coffee bean. The DF64 also has a convenient dosing system, which allows you to direct the ground coffee directly into your portafilter or mug.
Fellow Ode

A popular maker of home coffee equipment, Fellow makes some seriously aesthetically appealing gear. Their kettles, French presses, and other home coffee brewing machines have an elegant and modern matte finish that suits any kitchen aesthetic. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that their grinders look equally as good. The Ode is a sleek and compact grinder with a number of easy-to-use features designed for precise, single-dose brewing.

The Ode is unique among coffee grinders because it uses flat burrs, rather than conical ones. Usually, you only see flat burrs on professional or commercial coffee grinder grinders due to their ability to reduce grind time and heat generation and improve grind particle consistency. The 64mm flat burrs in the Ode also give it a much smoother grind than you would find in a typical home appliance grinder. And they are designed with single-dosing in mind, meaning that the grinder shuts off as soon as the hopper is empty. This helps to prevent over-grinding, which can rob your brews of flavor and aroma.

The hopper itself holds 100 grams, which is enough for one large pour-over or two small cups of espresso. The Ode has a variety of other neat features, including a built-in scale and a cool grind size chart that is mapped out on the underside of the lid. This shows the brewing methods that each setting is most suitable for, with pour-over and cold brews on the fine end of the range, and French press on the coarse end.

Another great feature of the Ode is that it has a quiet, almost purr-like sound during operation and is very fast. The grinder has a high-force spring that knocks excess ground beans and chaff into the catch, which helps to reduce grind retention and make clean-up a breeze. It’s also very easy to disassemble and is compatible with coffee tablet cleaners.

Despite some minor hiccups in the initial launch, the Ode is still a top contender for those looking for an excellent and aesthetically pleasing conical burr grinder. Fortunately, the company is committed to improving the product and recently released the Gen 2 version, which addresses some of the issues with the original. However, for those who want a better-suited grinder for espresso, the Baratza DF64 is an excellent alternative that is both visually and functionally superior to the Fellow Ode.