I finally stopped burning my coffee by switching to a cheaper grinder

I was using this fancy $200 burr grinder for like 2 years and always got this bitter taste. A buddy at a coffee shop in Austin last month told me his trick. He said to just use a cheaper blade grinder but pulse it instead of holding the button down. Tried it with my $20 one last week and the difference is wild. No more over extraction or whatever it's called. Anyone else find that expensive gear actually makes things worse?

4 comments

4 Comments

sean_cooper584d agoMost Upvoted

You stopped burning your coffee by switching to a cheaper grinder" - I gotta push back on that. That bitter taste wasn't from the burr grinder being too good, it was from you not dialing it in right. Blade grinders give you uneven particles which means some bits over extract and some under extract. You might be getting luckier with the pulse method but you're leaving flavor on the table. Burr grinders need a little patience to find the right setting for your beans and brew method. A $200 grinder can beat a $20 one every time if you actually take the time to learn it.

the_lisa4d ago

James Hoffman did a whole video on this like a year ago. He tested blade grinders versus burr grinders and found that puking blade grinders can actually get you pretty close to burr grinder consistency if you do it right. The uneven particle thing is real but for a lot of people the difference isn't that noticeable in a French press or drip coffee. I have a $30 Cuisinart blade grinder and I just shake it while I pulse and it works fine for me. Not everyone needs to be a coffee snob with a scale and a V60 setup.

linda_dixon494d ago

Hold up, I'm gonna go the other way on this. That bitter taste you were getting was probably from burnt coffee or bad beans, not the grinder itself. Expensive burr grinders give you consistent size, which is what you want for even extraction, but you gotta match it to your brew time. A blade grinder gives you dust and chunks, so sure you might avoid over extraction but you're also leaving a ton of flavor potential behind. I had a cheap grinder for years and my coffee was always muddy and weak. Upgrading to a decent burr one let me actually taste the beans. Have you tried just grinding finer on a burr setup and backing off the brew temp?

joel_clark374d ago

A buddy at a coffee shop in Austin told me" - oh so now we're getting life advice from hipster baristas who probably charge $8 for a pour over? At least you're saving money on the grinder to afford those coffees now.