What's the best way to get the best shot from your espresso machine? Get yourself a conical burr coffee grinder. Well, you may be thinking "what's the difference between a conical burr grinder and a regular coffee grinder?". Plenty. It could mean the difference between a disgusting, bitter cup of espresso and a sip of heavenly nectar.
A regular coffee grinder is fine if you are using it to grind coffee for your regular drip style coffee maker, but that's about as far as it goes. If you want espresso or Turkish coffee, a regular grinder can't grind finely or evenly enough to get the results you need.
A regular grinder uses steel blades, which produce heat and inconsistent grounds. The burr coffee grinder uses two circular shaped steel wheels, in the shape of the letter "O" to grind the coffee beans. It grinds much slower, thus eliminating the heat and inconsistent grind of the blade style grinders. Also, it's much quieter, which is a big plus.
Well, that's out of the way. You need a conical burr coffee grinder! Next question - which one? As with any other appliance, the first place to start is with your own personal needs.
How much do you want to invest? What quantity do you need to process at one time? How many different settings do you require? Most units start with a choice of 16 settings, some have as many as 40. The different settings produce grinds appropriate for espresso, Turkish coffee, french press, drip or percolate. Hopper sizes vary, average being 8 ounces. Yield of ground coffee can be from 4 ounces to 15 to 30 and so on. Some use timers only and some have on and off switches.
The higher end units, like Gaggia and Pasquini, have a "doser" built in that lets you consistently measure the correct amount for just the right shot of espresso coffee.
Now that you know the conical burr coffee grinder secrets, you will be able to select the unit that's right for you. Some of the top brands are Gaggia, Pasquini, Jura Capresso, Baratea, Cuisinart, Breville, KitchenAid and Krups. Now, go find your perfect match.
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Breville Barista Express BES860XL machine with grinder List Price: Sale Price: $580.00 You save: $219.99 (27%) See Reviews For This Product  |
DescriptionWith its integrated conical burr grinder and dosing control, The Barista Express delivers the optimum path from espresso bean to thick crema in less than two minutes. Non-pressurized cafe style single-wall filters allow for experimentation of grind size, grind amoung and tamping pressure to explore the art of espresso... |
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Krups EA8250001 Espresseria Full Automatic Espresso Machine with Built-in Conical Burr Grinder, Piano Black List Price: Sale Price: $694.95 You save: $505.05 (42%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionKRUPS heritage of German engineered kitchen appliances provides functional, rigorous design, technical perfection, performance and quality. Designed and built for those who continuously seek out new gourmet experiences and take pleasure in discovering and understanding how things are done and done well... |
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Saeco 4038 Vienna Plus 15-Bar-Pump Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Graphite List Price: Sale Price: $443.80 You save: $256.20 (37%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe Vienna's put Saeco's patented removable brew group technology into an easy-to-use interface. You can now make espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, and tea all from one machine that grinds, tamps and brews gourmet coffee... |
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Gaggia 8002 MDF Burr Grinder with Doser, Black List Price: Sale Price: $209.81 You save: $39.19 (16%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe Gaggia MDF Grinder is a commercial grade burr grinder equal to those found in Europe's espresso bars and restaurants. Automatic dosing allows a premeasured amount of ground coffee to drop directly into the filter holder... |
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Rancilio Rocky Doserless Burr Grinder List Price: Sale Price: $339.00 You save: $36.00 (10%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe doserless model gives you a fantastic grinder with a chute in place of the doser. The chute reduces the amount of wasted coffee as well as the amount of stale coffee often left behind in dosers. The doserless Rocky looks almost identical to the stainless steel Rocky with the obvious lack of a doser... |
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Baratza Virtuoso Preciso Coffee Grinder List Price: Sale Price: $298.75 You save: $101.24 (25%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe new Preciso Grinder has many of the features of the Virtuoso with the addition of a new burr that are precise and fast. . Features: -400 stepts of adjustment. -2 gm/second grinding speed. -Espresso to Coffee Press range of grind ... |
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Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee/Espresso Grinder Sale Price: $229.00 See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder The Virtuoso™ Grinder was introduced in Dec. 2005. The Virtuoso™ has many of the winning features of the Maestro Plus™ along with commercial grade components, higher performance and sleeker style... |
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Baratza Vario Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder Sale Price: $449.00 See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe Vario is a commercial grinder with 54mm ceramic flat burrs with a throughput of 1.9 grams per second and an innovative, macro/micro grind adjustment with 230 settings. The sleek contemporary design, small foot print, and adjustable for any style of coffee also make it perfect as a home grinder... |
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Baratza Vario-W Coffee Grinder - Baratza 985 List Price: Sale Price: $539.99 You save: $9.01 (2%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionBaratza 985 Vario-W Coffee Grinder. |
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Rancilio ROCKY Rancilio Burr Grinder with Doser List Price: Sale Price: $349.00 You save: $36.00 (9%) See Reviews For This Product |
DescriptionThe Rocky is capable of the entire range of grinds, from the finest Turkish and espresso, to the coarsest French press! Its sturdy die-cast housing is finished in stainless steel. 2 Year Warranty both Parts & Labor |