Rotary and burr coffee grinders: is the difference obvious?

In terms of grinding quality, they may fall slightly short of the finest grind used for making espresso in a carob coffee maker. But, if the coffee maker is equipped with a double-bottom basket (such baskets for forming coffee tablets are included with some household coffee machines), then the Delonghi KG79 grinding is quite suitable for espresso. This milk obviously cannot be used for Turkish milk - Turkish milk requires very fine grinding, which is provided by devices with a rotary knife. For more information about this model, see the instructions for use of Delonghi KG79-KG89 and its drawings.

Of the coffee grinders that can provide almost perfect grinding for espresso, the Rommelsbacher EKM 300 model can be noted. Its design contains higher-quality conical millstones. Main parameters:

Grinding system - millstones.

Maximum continuous operation time – 2 minutes. (This is enough to give coffee to 10-12 people in an office).

Rated power consumption – 150 W.

The capacity of the grain container is 220 g.

The capacity of the container for ground coffee is 120 g.

The number of grinding levels is 12.

Average price 8.5 thousand rubles.

You will find a lot of interesting information in the Rommelsbacher EKM 300 user manual.

What types of coffee grinders are there, their features

Nowadays, coffee grinders are usually divided into two types:

1. Knife or rotary. These devices consist of a housing and a motor located in it and a container for coffee. The housing is hermetically sealed with a lid. Metal or plastic is used to make it. Grinding of coffee beans in knife coffee grinders occurs thanks to rapidly rotating stainless steel blades, which are mounted on a steel rod. The degree of grinding depends on the duration of operation of the knives: the longer the device is turned on, the finer the final product will be.
2. Millstones or millstones. In such products, coffee beans are ground using screw disks made of stainless steel. However, there may be models with cast iron or ceramic discs. A burr coffee grinder is a device, the main components of which are a compartment with a motor and millstones, a reservoir for loading beans and a container for pouring the finished coffee powder. The capacity of the grain container of the milling device can reach up to 0.3 kg. The power of this type of equipment usually varies from 100 W to 1000 W. But the ideal value for it is 300 W.

What are the options on the market?

Want to save time? Choose any coffee grinder from the list below, focusing on your budget. Don't worry about the diameter of the burrs, their shape, or the design of the coffee grinder. Almost all coffee grinders will have some kind of defect or drawback, or rather a “design feature” (many have a problem with coffee residues in the gutter), but they will grind the grain quite well. Isn't that the main thing?

The principle “higher cost - better result” is still relevant. The models presented below have been produced and modernized for several years, which may be an indirect indicator of the right choice.

150-350 euros:

• OE Lido E or Lido ET (manual) – 160 €
• Gaggia MDF (no longer produced, but still sold in some places) - 200 €
• Bezzera BB005 – 280 €
• Rancilio Rocky S – 280 €
• Eureka Mignon MCI – 300 €

400-900 euros:

• Fiorenzato F4 E nano – 400 €
• Compak K3 Touch – 400 €
• Quamar M80E – 490 €
• Macap M4D – 530 €
• Mazzer Mini Electronic – 680 €
• Rocket Fausto – 730 €
• Lynweber HG-1 (cool manual) – 900 €

1000-2000 euros:

• Mazzer Super Jolly Electronic – 1000 €
• Ceado E37S – 1250 €
• Anfim Super Caimano – 1250 €
• Compak K10 Conic – 1600 €
• Mazzer Kony Electronic – 1600 €
• Mahlkönig K30 Vario— 1700 €

from 2000 euros

• Mazzer Robur Electronic – 2100 €
• Mahlkönig EK43 – 2300 €
• Lynweber EG-1 – 3000 €
• And a few more expensive models that make no sense to write about.

Please note that the list does not include Delonghi, Hario, Vitek, Bork, or Krups - guess why. I did not indicate some other brands and models well known in coffee circles, so as not to complicate your choice. Prices are indicative without taxes.

I chose the Quamar M80E. Middle price segment with a claim to a slightly higher class. Flat metal millstones 63 mm. Electronic control. No extremely negative reviews. The model was updated in 2016. Made in Italy.

Pros and cons of a blade coffee grinder

Rotary coffee grinders are quite in demand among the population. This is due to their following advantages:

• financial inclusion;
• compact dimensions make it easy to take the device with you if necessary;
• simplicity and ease of use, especially if you need to grind a small amount of grains.

The disadvantages include:

• inability to control the degree of grinding;
• heterogeneity of grinding of the resulting product;
• a high probability of charring of the grains, and the use of burnt raw materials will certainly negatively affect the taste of the drink;
• lack of dispenser;
• inconvenience of collecting ground coffee due to knives;
• the grains and the finished powder are in the same container;
• fragility of the motor (usually fails within a year);
• frequent breakdowns of body elements made of plastic;
• the impossibility of using other products for grinding, since it will not be possible to clean it well - an extraneous odor will remain.

Professional burr coffee grinders

By professional we mean devices that are capable of grinding coffee beans in large volumes. Some types of milk may be intended for use in coffee shops, others - in enterprises specializing in the sale of ground coffee.

Before choosing a specific model, carefully study its purpose, dimensions and capabilities. Otherwise, you will take up half the space of your kitchen with this device, and when you try to grind beans for a cup of coffee, you will see that it does not grind less than a kilogram of beans per use. And instead of grinding for your favorite espresso, it only gives you grinding for Turkish coffee.

For your home, you can easily purchase a professional coffee grinder designed for use in coffee shops. Some models of the Spanish brand Cunill have proven themselves well. Milks of this brand have been produced since 1957 and their production is well established.

For example, for home kitchens they often buy the TRANQUILO model, which can be seen in many coffee shops (for home use it is chosen not for its high performance, but because it grinds coffee beans with high quality). Main parameters:

Height – 38 cm, depth – 28 cm, width – 14 cm.

Power 270 W.

1 electric motor with thermal protection, 1300-1650 rpm.

Protection class: IP21 (what is a protection class, read GOST 14254-2015).

Millstones made of tempered steel, diameter 60 mm.

Durability of millstones: 500 kg.

Hopper capacity: 0.5 kg coffee beans.

Dispenser capacity: ground coffee is sent directly to the receiving device of the coffee machine.

Dispenser adjustment: 5 g - 12 g.

Continuous operation time – 30 minutes.

Duration of rest, at least: 10 minutes.

Weight - 10 kg (some versions weigh less due to the replacement of metal with plastic).

The average price is 15 thousand rubles. There is a newer model on sale called Cunill Tranquilo TRON at a price of 23 thousand rubles.

More information about the CUNILL TRANQUILO model and other milks of this brand can be found in the instructions for the CUNILL Coffee Grinders, which contains photos of various models of the brand and their main characteristics.

It should be borne in mind that using professional milk milks is a little more difficult than those intended specifically for home use. When using the Cunill Tranquilo model, it is not recommended to adjust the grind level if there is ground coffee between the burrs.

Pros and cons of a burr coffee grinder

The millstone has a number of advantages:

• homogeneous composition of the finished product;
• the ability to change the degree of grinding by adjusting the distance between the millstones;
• quiet operation;
• great functionality.

It is also worth noting that thanks to the tightly closing lid on the grain container, unused product can be stored in the device for quite a long time. At the same time, its taste and aroma are preserved.

Attention! Coffee beans ground in a coffee grinder can be used to prepare the drink in any type of coffee maker and coffee machine.

As for the functions that modern burr coffee grinders come with, the most common are the following:

• power lock if the cover is open;
• automatic cord rewind;
• noise protection;
• timer to calculate grinding time;
• automatic shutdown (protecting the device from overheating);
• a mechanism for measuring the required number of beans for a given number of servings of a drink.

Also, according to experts, mill coffee grinders are safer to use than knife grinders, since the cutting unit in them is located inside the device and is not accessible for direct contact. This nuance is especially important if there is a child in the family.

Models with millstones have few disadvantages:

• high cost;
• bulkiness.

Where can I buy

• Not all models (or rather, not even all manufacturers) are officially presented in Russia. In any case, Yandex Market is here to help.
• Used in Russia. I’ll be honest - I’m not a fan of used equipment, only if I got it for free or almost for nothing. However, I assure you that used equipment is in great demand in the coffee community. Coffee grinders are no exception. I want to say right away that the main element that you will want to replace is the millstones. Often, when selling, they will even offer you new millstones along with the machine so that you can install them yourself - the procedure is quite simple. The procedure is quite simple. Price range for millstones: on average 30-60 euros for coffee grinders in the segment up to 1000 euros, and 100-300 euros for more expensive machines.
• Abroad. As it turned out, it is cheapest to order from Germany and the UK. Here is a list of online stores that definitely deliver: stoll-espresso.de, imprezza.de, amazon.de, bluestarcoffee.eu, coffeehit.co.uk. Not only will the price most likely be lower than in Russia (even with the current exchange rate), but as a nice bonus, another 19-22% VAT (local tax) will be deducted from the final amount. The coveted tax deduction occurs either at the end of the purchase process (before payment), as on Amazon, or when you indicate Russia as the delivery address in your profile, as on the Impreza website, or when you add an item to the cart, as on Stoll-Espresso.

A couple more points. Delivery will cost an average of 30-70 euros. The parcel takes 3-4 weeks. Do not forget that according to Russian legislation, the amount of purchases not subject to additional taxes should not exceed 1,000 euros per month per person.

One of the obvious disadvantages of buying abroad is the lack of repair shops that carry out warranty repairs in the Russian Federation (this does not apply to all brands, so I recommend checking before purchasing). No, of course, the warranty will be valid for the standard 1-2 years, but warranty repairs will be carried out in the country of purchase, that is, the device itself will need to be delivered there somehow. But, as far as I understand, the stores understand the strangeness of the situation, meet halfway and send the necessary spare parts for self-repair (of course, delivery is paid separately). Please correct me if I'm wrong somewhere.

Well, to understand the savings. What we currently sell for 690 euros (about 50,000 rubles) by parcel from Germany, including delivery, will cost you 520 euros. That is, the difference is 170 euros or 25%... And this does not take into account promotions, promotional codes and sales.

Which coffee grinder is best for home

Having carefully studied the pros and cons of coffee grinders, you need to make your own choice, focusing on your own needs and tastes. Experts recommend choosing a millstone, as it is more versatile. The beans crushed on it can be used to brew coffee in any way - in a Turk, coffee maker, coffee machine. In addition, the device with millstones allows you to obtain a higher grinding quality, and this is important for preparing some types of invigorating drinks, for example, espresso, mocha, cappuccino.

Well, generally speaking, when choosing a coffee grinder, you need to focus on what kind of coffee you like, how many cups you drink per day and how you prefer to prepare it. If you need equipment in order to prepare 1-2 servings of drink every morning and grind a small amount of nuts or cereals once a month, then it would be more advisable to purchase a knife-type model. For true coffee lovers, it is better to spend a lot of money and buy a millstone so as not to limit yourself to your favorite drink.

Household appliances Coffee grinder

Why is it better to buy a freestanding coffee grinder?

At a certain point, you will feel that your drink is missing something, provided that your hands are in perfect order. There are few options: either change the coffee machine or coffee grinder. If you love espresso-based drinks, then congratulations - you will need to improve both your hardware and your hands

Although no... Perhaps it’s worth going the other way and talking about the main disadvantages of an automatic coffee machine with a built-in coffee grinder:

1. Espresso, Americano, cappuccino (but not every model allows you to automatically add milk or milk foam to the drink) - that's all you can get. The French press, Turk, pourover, Aeropress will be left out... because the built-in komefolk cannot grind grains into a separate container.
2. If the coffee grinder in your automatic coffee machine breaks down, you will only be able to drink hot water. Or tea. And you will have to take the entire device for repair.
3. If you want to improve your coffee machine, you will have to sell it entirely and buy two new ones. And this will immediately increase the cost of purchase.

All this can be avoided if you have one machine that grinds coffee and a second one that cooks. You can always sell a separate coffee grinder and buy something cooler (and you can always find something cooler).

Bowl capacity

The bowls of rotary coffee grinders hold from 30 to 1,800 grams.

What does the capacity of the bowl affect?

The volume of grains that can be ground at one time.

When the coffee grinder volume is more than 150-200 grams, a separate bowl is used for the beans. In a coffee grinder, not the entire volume is ground, but only part of it. And such coffee grinders always have a dispenser (read about it in pleasant details).

How much capacity does the bowl have?

As I said in the article about manual coffee grinders, it all depends on how much ground powder you need.

If we are talking about coffee, then 7-8 grams of powder are usually used for 1 mug, and for a family of three coffee lovers, a bowl of 30-50 grams will be enough.

If you often indulge in homemade cooking and you need powdered sugar, breadcrumbs, etc., then choose a bowl capacity of 80-150 grams.

When choosing the capacity of the bowl, you must remember that it is highly advisable to load the coffee grinder “to its fullest.” This is necessary for more uniform grinding. If, for example, you pour 1 spoon of the initial product into a coffee grinder with a 50-gram bowl, the grinding will be extremely uneven. If there is one at all.

Selection factors

To choose the best coffee grinder for yourself, you should focus not on the advice of your neighbor Aunt Masha, but on the technical characteristics.

My expert experience suggests the following:

• power - do not chase maximum performance. The optimal result is achieved at 150-180 W;
• capacity - judge logically: the more coffee you need to get at a time, the larger the volume of the bowl should be;
• switching on when the cover is removed is one of the options that guarantees safe operation;
• pulse mode + overheat protection – these are your functions if you want the device not to break down for as long as possible;
• timer – this thing will allow you to grind a measured amount of coffee at a time.

Additional functions of coffee grinders

Some manufacturers equip coffee grinders with various additional functions:

• Double knives to increase the speed of grinding grains.
• Special tilt of the coffee bowl for uniform grinding and better stirring intensity.
• Automatic shutdown function when the motor overheats.
• Protection against turning on the device when the lid is open.
• A special cord winder for convenience in the kitchen.
• Sound insulation for quieter operation of the device.
• Comfortable rubber feet for better grip on the working surface of the table.
• Timer in two versions: to set the grinding time and the number of cups for which the coffee is ground.

Read about the best models of rotary coffee grinders in our previous article. As noted, of the rotary models, only the De'Longhi KG 49 has grinding adjustment with a timer. This unit has three grinding levels.

Bosch and De'Longhi are manufacturers of high-quality equipment that meets high European standards. They produce various household appliances, including coffee grinders. Rommelsbacher is a German manufacturer that produces premium products. The Spanish company Cunill makes coffee grinders and accessories for them. A company with a history of 50 years has proven itself only from the best side. Products of the Russian brand Vitek are manufactured in Chinese factories in the budget price segment. The company produces electric and manual millstone models. Their rotary model includes VITEK VT-7123 ST. Well-known Russian manufacturers of budget equipment also include Scarlett and Axion.

conclusions

Having worked through a whole bunch of technical and practical properties, we came to quite logical conclusions.

Their essence is as follows:

• ENDEVER COSTA-1054 is the simplest sample that can be called a real kitchen horse. Take it if you plan to grind sugar into powder, oatmeal into flour, nuts for pralines more often than coffee;
• Rolsen RCG-150L is an excellent device available at a great price. This is where we can talk about the most appropriate choice for those who want to frequently grind coffee in the morning;
• Bosch MKM 6000/6003 - the purchase will be appropriate if you do not want to start grinding several times a day. The model is an option for those who drink coffee occasionally and with relish.