The Ultimate Guide to the Best Conical Burr Grinders: From Baratza Virtuoso to Fellow Ode, Unlocking a World of Coffee Perfection

Are you tired of settling for mediocre coffee? Say goodbye to those lackluster mornings and awaken your taste buds with the best conical burr grinder on the market! We've scoured the coffee world to bring you a selection of exceptional grinders that combine fashion and functionality, ensuring the perfect grind every time. From the sleek and stylish Fellow Ode to the high-performance Baratza Virtuoso, we have the top contenders ready to revolutionize your coffee game. Get ready to elevate your morning ritual and discover the best conical burr grinder for your brewing needs.

The Baratza Virtuoso: A Smart Upgrade

The Baratza Virtuoso is priced at $250 and offers a significant step up from the entry-level Encore. This high-end grinder comes with added features that justify the purchase, such as an adjustable digital timer that measures to a tenth of a second and the ability to grind directly into an espresso filter basket. With sharper and sleeker burrs compared to the Encore, the Virtuoso can grind coffee faster and with greater precision. While the Encore works well with standard drip machines, the Virtuoso is a worthwhile investment for those who own an espresso machine or are eager to perfect their pour-over technique.

Fellow Ode and Opus Conical Burr Grinders: Fashionable and Functional Picks

For those seeking a café-quality burr grinder that also adds a touch of style to their countertop, Fellow offers two excellent options: the Ode and the Opus. The Ode Gen 2, priced at $345 and the recipient of the Best New Product award from the Specialty Coffee Association in 2021, is compact, easy to use (simply set the dial to your desired grind size and push a button), and relatively quiet. Food director Chris Morocco personally uses this model at home and praises its ability to contain mess and flyaway chaff, particularly for light roast coffee lovers. Equipped with high-quality stainless-steel flat burrs, it consistently produces outstanding at-home brews. The only drawback to the Ode Gen 2 is that it does not grind finely enough for espresso, so it is best suited for pour-over, drip, and French press coffee.

Delonghi Dedica Coffee Grinder

Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder

The Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder has gained widespread adoration, receiving top marks from reputable sources such as the Wirecutter and CNET. Naturally, we were excited to test it out. This grinder features a manual on-off switch, requiring your supervision throughout the grinding process. Compared to other machines, it was slower, and its coarser French press grind displayed visible inconsistency, including an excess of fine particles.

Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill

The Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill produces reliable results at an affordable price of sixty dollars. While it may not belong in the same league as Fellow or Baratza grinders, it offers a broader range of grind settings compared to our budget winner, Solis. However, accurately measuring the amount of coffee ground can be challenging. Although it provides settings for four to eighteen cups, switching between grind settings often yields significantly different weight measurements. This model is suitable for those who use a drip coffee maker and measure coffee by volume but may not be ideal for other brewing methods.

Capresso Infinity Plus Black Conical Burr Grinder

The Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder proved to be a somewhat messy option. Its coarse grind showed inconsistency, while the medium/fine grind leaned towards being too fine. Additionally, it lacked a consistent method for measuring the amount of coffee being ground.

Breville Smart Grinder Pro

OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is an impressive option with its sturdy and visually appealing stainless-steel housing, user-friendly dial-in controls, clear digital interface, and an array of grind options and add-ons. It offers the convenience of grinding directly into a portafilter for espresso, although it provides fewer grind settings compared to Baratza and KitchenAid grinders. While the setup process was straightforward, the instructional manual required careful reading to become acquainted with the grinder.

Eureka Mignon Notte Espresso Grinder

The Baratza Sette 30 Conical Burr Grinder fell short of our expectations, despite its association with the renowned Virtuoso. While it boasts excellent build quality and the ability to grind directly into a portafilter for espresso, it was challenging to dial in the perfect grind for espresso. The grinder struggled to achieve a satisfactory French press grind, even at its coarsest setting. It also proved to be messy when grinding into a portafilter, especially with a 54-mm portafilter. The grinder's suitability for other brewing methods, such as pour-over, was limited. Overall, the Sette 30 presented too many minor issues to warrant a recommendation.

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Wilfa Uniform Grinder

The Wilfa Uniform Grinder, known as the Eureka Mignon Notte, is primarily designed for espresso grinding. It stands out with its impressive build quality and weighs a solid 25 pounds. One of its notable features is the stepless adjustment of its steel burrs, which allows for infinite grind adjustments. This means you can experiment until you achieve the perfect grind for your taste. To offer stepless adjustments at a lower price, the Mignon Notte has a manual dosing system. You need to hold down a button to turn it on and release the button to turn it off. As a result, you'll need to use a scale every time you brew, which is essential for making the best espresso. However, for the majority of coffee drinkers, this extra step may be a deterrent. Despite this drawback, the Mignon Notte is still a top choice for those who don't mind manual dosing and weighing, as it offers excellent value for money.

Zwilling Enfinigy Burr Coffee Grinder

The Wilfa Uniform Coffee Grinder, distributed in the United States by Lardera, a coffee roaster and importer from New Jersey, offers the reliability and precision you would expect from Scandinavian home products. It performs well across various brewing methods and can even grind fine enough for Turkish coffee, surpassing the requirements for espresso. The only downsides are its large adjustment knob, which makes it challenging to handle unless you have very large hands, and some minor issues with coffee grounds splattering during use. Nevertheless, it's a high-quality and versatile grinder.

The Best Hand Grinder for Espresso: Flair Manual Espresso Grinder

Looking for a manual coffee grinder that provides an arm workout while brewing your morning cup of joe? The Flair Manual Espresso Grinder is Chris's top pick for making the best espresso. Equipped with conical steel burrs and 72 fine-grind settings, this device offers plenty of options for customizing your espresso grind. It features an easy-to-grip silicone body and a convenient thumb rest for smooth grinding. Plus, it's compact and doesn't take up much counter space. Although designed specifically for espresso, it can also be used for other brewing techniques that require a finer grind, such as the Aeropress, Turkish coffee, or coffee made in a moka pot. Whether you're going camping with your Aeropress or simply enjoy occasional espresso, this grinder is a reliable choice.

The Budget Choice That Still Gets the Job Done: Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

If you're new to the world of coffee and not yet ready to invest in a precise grinder that costs over $100, the Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is an excellent option. Priced at , it offers a simple and intuitive design while still delivering consistent quality grinds for home use. Similar to Fellow grinders, the Oxo grinder allows you to adjust the grind from ultrafine to coarse using a numbered dial. However, it only offers 15 settings, which is fewer than the Fellow grinders. While the Fellow models have a default 30-second grind, the Oxo grinder features a separate windup timer that lets you adjust the grind time (up to 30 seconds) for larger batch brews. Although it can achieve a fine espresso grind, it doesn't directly grind into a portafilter, which might result in some messiness during the transfer. Nevertheless, it is a reliable coffee grinder for those who prefer simplicity without sacrificing quality.

Fellow Gen 2 Ode Brew Grinder

For those seeking a more affordable electric coffee grinder with a wider range of settings, the Fellow Gen 2 Ode Brew Grinder, known as the Opus, is an excellent choice. Priced at $195, it offers 10 grind settings, including an espresso grind, making it a worthy upgrade from the Baratza Encore. Its minimalist design and precise functionality set it apart. The Opus incorporates thoughtful features such as a magnetically aligned catch cup for convenient grinding and a smaller "dosing cup" for mess-free transfer of grounds to the portafilter. Unlike the Encore, which is designed for larger bean quantities, the Fellow models are specifically designed for grinding individual doses. This is a great feature for households with different coffee preferences, allowing you to easily switch between dark espresso roasts and light roasts for pour-overs. With one of these sleek machines, you can grind coffee to order and satisfy everyone's tastes.

In the world of coffee lovers, the search for the perfect grind is a never-ending quest. And when it comes to the best conical burr grinder, these top contenders stand out from the crowd. The Baratza Virtuoso takes the crown for its smart upgrade features, while the Fellow Ode and Opus grinders win us over with their sleek yet functional design. For those looking for a compact option, the Delonghi Dedica and Baratza Encore offer space-saving solutions without compromising on quality. The Cuisinart DBM-8 and Capresso Infinity Plus impress with their automatic grind settings, ensuring a consistent brew every time. Meanwhile, the OXO Brew and Breville Smart Grinder Pro take customization to the next level with their wide range of grind size options. Looking for espresso perfection? The Flair Manual Espresso Grinder is the hand grinder of choice. And for those on a budget, the OXO Brew and Fellow Gen 2 Ode Brew Grinder offer affordable options without sacrificing performance. With so many outstanding choices, finding the best conical burr grinder has never been more exciting.