It’s no secret that the specialty coffee world prides itself on the ability to control numerous variables when drinking coffee. One of the most important variables is grind size and consistency. Without a doubt, burr grinders are leagues ahead of blade grinders. Burrs will actually grind, while blades will do more chopping. Blades aren’t useless, but much less effective as burrs.
Unfortunately, burr grinders can be very expensive, especially if you’re hoping to brew espresso. Many people just stick to blade grinders for the much lower cost. Fortunately, there are several simple things you can do to make your blade grinder more effective.
Tonx created a good video with some tips on how to use a blade grinder to it’s fullest potential:
- Give it a shake while grinding
- Grind a few more coffee beans than you would normally
- Brew coffee for a little less time
- Grind in short pulses instead of just holding the button down (not in the video)
Somehow I missed this video from Tonx. Thanks for sharing Garrett.
Glad I was able to help!
I’ve used blade grinders for years….stumbling onto these tips by trial and error…I constantly shake while grinding, which also helps keep the temp down. But I’m now thinking it’s time to move on to a burr grinder. Thanks for an informative and good-looking site!
So … what if you want the coffee REALLY finely ground? Seems like a blade grinder might be OK then? Since it creates lots of fines, what if you just keep going until it’s ALL finely ground? A friend of mine uses a blade grinder in conjunction with his Aeropress, and I thought the resulting coffee was pretty good. My favorite methods are ones that tend to use coarse grinds (immersion/French Press), so blade grinders have never been a good choice for me – it’s just too hard to get anything resembling even with one.