Coffee grinders can vary in cost from twenty dollars to hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on the type and size of grinder. The accessories and features that the grinder has will also play a part in the cost of the machine. Home grinders can be found for around twenty dollars while commercial grinders with hoppers and automatic features can run into the thousands. The biggest decision is the burr grinder or the blade grinder. Burr grinders are without a doubt the best type of grinder. They do not create friction which in turn creates heat that can scorch the coffee beans and ruin the coffee. Burr grinders operate on a wheel turning mechanism that crushes the beans while they are held stationary. Burr grinders create a consistent grind that can be recreated over and over again thanks to settings that control the grind. The downside of burr grinders is their cost and often their size. In recent years it has become possible to find burr grinders for home use around a hundred dollars and small enough to fit on a kitchen countertop. However, typical burr grinders are large and require more space than the average kitchen has to allocate to a grinder. In addition, these large grinders are also much more expensive, costing upwards of two hundred dollars or more. Commercial burr grinders can run into the thousands. Burr grinders typically have settings for the various grinds of coffee that are needed for different types of coffee drinks. Burr grinder settings can be adjusted from Turkish grinds which are very fine to coarser grinds used in drip coffee makers and French press coffee makers.
Blade grinders are simple coffee grinders that are priced for home use and small enough to store in the pantry when not in use. These grinders tend to create heat which can scorch the coffee beans and in turn alter the taste of the coffee. If properly controlled, either manually or with a timer, these grinders are sufficient for occasional coffee grinding. The best blade grinders will have a timer to help prevent scorching and insure that the proper coarseness is reached without burning the coffee. Blade grinders require time to adjust to the amount of time needed to get the proper grind. Often this has to be judged by sight and timed at the same time. Once the right grind has been determined the user has to remember how long it took so that the proper grind can be repeated, unlike the burr grinders which have settings to make sure the grind can be repeated. Burr grinders and blade grinders are both good choices in coffee grinders. However, if a voluminous amount of coffee is going to be ground or the grinder is going to be used daily, it is probably a good idea to invest in a home burr grinder that will last for many years and just as many pots of coffee.
