Best Burr Coffee Grinders UK

In this article we check out the best burr coffee grinders that are currently available in the UK market. There are not many things that you can do at home to really improve the taste of your coffee. One noticeable element that you can do, is to stop buying pre-ground coffee, and make the switch to freshly ground coffee.

You really will not believe the difference that can make to the taste of your coffee. One great way of doing that is to use a burr grinder.

With reference to burr grinders, there are three main types:

  1. Manual burr grinders
  2. Electric burr grinders (the most popular)
  3. Burr grinders that are built into coffee machines.

In this article we will be looking at all of those. The most popular are the electric models, so we will look at those first. 

The problem for many buyers, and especially new buyers, is that there are a lot of different brands and models to pick from. Although that is a good thing to make prices competitive, it can also get really confusing.

Hopefully by the time you finish reading this article, we will have removed any confusion and set you on the right path to the best choice for your needs.

So the good news is that, if you are reading this, then a burr grinder is absolutely the best type of grinder to buy. They grind coffee beans really well, retain all of the flavour of the bean, and deliver a consistent grind.

You can also easily adjust the thickness of the grind that you want for the different types of coffee such as espresso, filter, stovetop or machine.

Top 10 Electric Burr Grinders On the UK Market

Just below we have listed the top 10 electric burr grinders that are currently available on the UK market. Beside each grinder name you will see a percentage score - that is the overall average buyer satisfaction rating.

We calculated this average score by researching the various websites that sell this type of grinder, and then calculated the average.

In the table below, you will find the top rated products, with some basic comparison information.

Rank

Grinder Name

Rating

Average RRP

1

Sage Smart Grinder Pro (Highest Rated)

94%

£210

2

94%

£170

3

86%

£95

4

88%

£45

5

90%

£50

6

Dualit 75015 Coffee Grinder

90%

£130

7

Baratza Encore Electric Burr Coffee Grinder

88%

£160

8

Melitta 1027-01 Grinder

90%

£110

9

Cuisinart Professional Burr Coffee

84%

£65

10

Krups G VX2 42 Coffee Grinder

80%

£120

The first thing you may notice is the wide variation in prices. The more expensive options like the Sage and the Wilfa are aimed mainly at the commercial market. So for example, if you owned a small coffee shop, then one of these is ideal. If you want to "really" get into grinding coffee, they are also a good option, as you have a lot of extra features, and grain thickness options.

For most though a burr grinder priced at around £50-75 is an ideal choice for those people who want to grind coffee at home. Below we have done some summary reviews, and have included links to more detailed reviews.

 The highest rated is the Sage Pro burr grinder, but as you can see it is about 3-4 times the price of the De'Longhi or Melitta

1. Best Commercial Burr Grinder - Sage the Smart Grinder Pro

Sage The Smart Grinder Pro™, 165 Watt, Stainless Steel

The best commercial is the expensive Sage by Heston Blumenthal and is called the Smart Grinder Pro.

This one will set you back around £300 depending on where you make your purchase. The beauty of this one is the high quality and you do get a massive 60 grind settings

This grinder is packed with features and really is what I would call the ultimate burr grinder. Clearly the thing that will make most people shy away from this option is the very high price tag.

Grind Quality

This model has 60 grinding options and lets you grind directly into the porta-filter, an airtight container, gold tone filter basket or paper filter.

Ease of Use

This model gives you maximum control over the grind options, but it does have more controls and setting that will take a little time to master.

Value for Money

In our opinion, you won't be able to find a better quality burr grinder on the UK market. and it will last for many years, as long as you have the budget to buy it.

This model takes grinding to a new level as not only does it offer you the wide variety of grains, but is also works out the amount of coffee you need for the perfect shot, or for the French Press or filter if you prefer your brew that way.

It comes with a full LED display and also two grinding cradles suited for espresso filters.

In a few words this model has just about anything you will ever need from a top of the range commercial burr grinder.

So with a good rating like this one along with a price point that most people can afford, it is easy to see why this one is the best selling product.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £180

2. Sage the Dose Control Pro Grinder

Sage The Dose Control Pro Coffee Grinder Electric, BCG600SIL, Silver

This Sage "dose control" model is slightly cheaper than the Sage Pro shown above. This is a stainless steel conical burr grinder. The Dose Control Pro delivers a consistent dose each time you grind.

This one costs around £170. Like the one above it also has 60 grind settings and you can adjust grind times by 1 second increments. 

It is a stainless Steel conical burr grinder efficiently designed to minimise grinding heat and protect the essential oils in the coffee bean

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £170

Grind Quality

This model has 60 grinding options and lets you grind directly into the porta-filter, an airtight container, gold tone filter basket or paper filter.

Ease of Use

This model gives you maximum control over the grind options, and when you find the ideal grind for your needs, delivers that time after time.

Value for Money

This is a high quality burr grinder, and although at the top of the price point, you will own a high quality grinder that will last for a very long time.

3. Wilfa WSCG-2 605768 Coffee Grinder

Wilfa WSCG-2 605768 Coffee Grinder Silver, Steel, Silber

The solid burrs on this model ensure fast and even milling. It is made from high grade stainless steel that guarantees durability for years. It has lots of grinding options and 5 suggested grinding settings, for French press, coffee shop, Aeropress or dripper.

The hopper holds 250 grams of beans, and the convenient container for ground coffee is made of plastic with a UV filter. There is a place for the cable under the grinder. The mill has also been equipped with a motor overload protection system.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £100

Grind Quality

Grinding is infinitely adjustable, and an additional scale makes adjustment easier. The built-in timer allows you to precisely set the dose of coffee every time.

Ease of Use

This model is fairly straightforward to use, and the suggested settings make that a great deal easier.

Value for Money

In our opinion, this is a high end brand and that brings with it a high price tag, and will be too expensive for most shoppers.

4. Melitta Molino Electric Burr Grinder

Melitta Molino Coffee Grinder, 1019-01, Electric Coffee Grinder, Flat Grinding Disc, Black/Red, CD - Molino - red mat

This model is classed as a professional standard grinder and has 17 different settings that allow you to customise your coffee experience.

Buyers say it is very easy to use, with a simple push button system that allows grinding for optimum results. It is also energy efficient, with low power consumption and automatic shut-off.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £45

Grind Quality

Buyers say that this creates a very good consistent grind. With 17 settings, grinds can be done from extra fine to coarse.

Ease of Use

This model is one of the easiest to use with a very simple push button to do the grinding.

Value for Money

In our opinion, this is a popular choice in Europe and is one of the most affordable on the UK market.

5. Best Selling Burr Grinder - De'Longhi KG79

De'Longhi KG79 Professional Burr Grinder

This is the burr grinder that we would recommend, as it is very good quality, at an affordable price, and has thousands of online reviews over a long period of time. There are better quality burr grinders available, but you will pay 2-4 times the price, if you want to own one of those.

As a best seller this one really does sell a lot. It has a removable container and the power cord has built-in storage. It produces a nice consistent grain and overall is just a good buy at a sensible price.

The brand is a very well known Italian coffee brand and they produce some very high quality kitchen products and are especially well known for their coffee products.

This one can quickly grind up to 120 grams of beans (enough for about 12 cups) and comes with a simple to use dial function to set the grain thickness.

It also has a cup selector that allows you to decide how many beans need to be ground.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £45

Grind Quality

This model has 17 grinding options and consistently delivers an even and consistent grind time after time.

Ease of Use

This model is not only very easy to use, but also very easy to clean. The transparent lid makes life easier.

Value for Money

In our opinion, you won't be able to find a better value than this anywhere on the UK market for a high quality burr grinder.

6. Dualit 75015 Coffee Grinder

Dualit 75015 electric grinder

This is another popular model from the Dualit brand and has a stainless steel finish. This is classed as a conical burr grinder and has 10 grind settings.

It has a 250 gram hopper.

It has a powerful 150 watt motor and a 10 portion option control.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £100

Grind Quality

Buyers say that this creates a very good consistent grind. It has 10 settings and overall buyers are very pleased with its performance.

Ease of Use

This model uses a simple dial function to set the grind, and that makes it one of the easiest to use.

Value for Money

This sits at the low to mid-price point for this type of burr grinder, and it is certainly good value for money.

7. Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder 150 Watt

review of the baratza encore

The Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder. Again this is a top of the range grinder with an expensive price tag.

The brand is of course very famous and they make really high quality products.

This is a competitor for the Sage and the ratings are pretty close, though the Sage fairs slightly better.

The Baratza Encore does have a high price tag of around £150, and that is right at the high end for a burr grinder.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £160

8. Melitta 1027-01 Grinder

Melitta Molino Coffee Grinder, 1019-01, Electric Coffee Grinder, Flat Grinding Disc, Black/Red, CD - Molino - red mat

This model sells really well especially on Amazon in the UK. It has a one-button operation and a 12 cup capacity, and has a stainless steel conical burr design.

It has a range of 39 settings for the grind and also has an option for the amount of the grind, from anything from 1-12 cups.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £80

Grind Quality

Buyers say that this creates a very good consistent grind. With 19 settings, grinds can be done from extra fine to coarse.

Ease of Use

Online buyers say that this model is very easy to use, and the selection of grinds make it suitable for all coffee brew types.

Value for Money

This is one of the cheapest burr grinders on the UK market, with a price of around £60.

9. Cuisinart Professional Burr Coffee

Cuisinart Professional Burr Coffee Grinder

This popular brand of burr grinder is classed as a heavy duty coffee grinder. It has burr plates that ensure maximum flavour and aroma. This has 18 grind positions and allows buyers to pick a grind suitable from an espresso to Cafetiere style brewing.

It has a cup quantity selector with auto shut off, and the grinder holds up to 250 grams of coffee beans. It has a 4-18 cup capacity.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £60

Grind Quality

The burr grinding plates have eighteen different settings so you can choose fine ground coffee for your espresso machine, medium for filter coffee or coarse for the cafetière.

Ease of Use

The machine is extremely easy to use as it is fully automatic, simply fill the bean hopper with fresh coffee beans, select the coarseness and how many cups you require and press start.

Value for Money

For a Cuisinart branded grinder, we would normally expect this to be at quite a high price point. However, priced at around £60, we think this is very good value for money.

10. Krups GVX 242 Coffee Grinder

Krups Expert GVX231 Burr Coffee Grinder

This one from Krups is one of the more affordable options for a burr style grinder. You can see that the satisfaction rating is lower but that hasn't put many buyers off.

The brand is really well known and the price point is competitive and it is classes as an entry level burr grinder

That is because it is easy to use with just a couple of controls

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £70

Grind Quality

Buyers say that this creates a very good consistent grind. With 12 settings, grinds can be done from extra fine to coarse.

Ease of Use

This model is one of the easiest to use with a very simple push button to do the grinding.

Value for Money

This Krups model sits at the mid-price point range for a burr grinder.

High End Burr Grinders

There are a couple of other high end burr grinders, but they do come with a heavy price tag. We have included them just below so as you know what is fully available on the UK market.

5 Star Choice - Graef CM 800 Burr Coffee Grinder

Graef CM 800 - coffee grinder

This German Graef made model gets some amazing reviews costs around £200. Prices vary a lot on this model so always shop around for the best value.

This is made with a very high precision and to the very highest of standards. 

Yes it is that good but again this type of quality and design comes with a hefty price point, and sadly out of reach for many people.

The bottom line with this one is that if you can afford it then you should as it is the highest rated on the UK market right now.

It has 40 grinder settings and has a stainless steel conical burr grinder mechanism, and probably one of the best that money can buy.

It is amazing quality and has a nice hopper and the automatic dispenser makes this one very useful.

Check Amazon UK. Average UK Price £200

Top 5 Manual Coffee Burr Grinders

Above we looked at the electric models. You can also get a burr grinder as a manual version. These are often referred to as coffee mills. In essence you turn a handle to grind the beans.

These are much cheaper than the electric ones. The disadvantage is that you have to do the physical work of turning the handle.

That does take a bit of time, but some people do enjoy that task.

Grinder Name

Rating

Amazon Review

Hario Black Mini Mill Plus

92%

Hario Medium Glass Hand Coffee Grinder

90%

Cooko Manual Coffee Grinder

84%

B.PRIME Manual Coffee Grinder

84%

Milu® Manual Coffee Bean Grinder

82%

Why Burr Grinders Are the Best?

Many people decide to buy a blade grinder to grind their beans. They work well and they are a cheaper option than buying a burr grinder.

The burr or conical grinder will deliver netter results in terms of having a uniform grind and a grind that has a smoother flavour. According to the purists, anything ground using a burr system is better than a blade cutting action.

The reasons for that are mainly that burrs squeeze and grind the oils from the bean and it is that which heightens the flavour. Conical grinders also grind at a slow speed and do not generate a lot of heat.

Blade grinders on the other hand chop up the beans and spin very quickly which generates a lot of friction and heat. The combination of a slow heat free grind is that you get better tasting grinds to make your coffee.

When to Grind Your Coffee Beans?

Grinding on the other hand should be left until you need a cuppa, and that is the time to grind your beans. Now some people will only grind enough for a single cup or mug.

Others grind enough to keep them going through the day. Other people, with less time, may grind a week's worth. The good news with a grinder is that you can decide.

If however you want really fresh and vibrant coffee then it should always be ground just before making your brew.

Now I appreciate that is not always possible, but it makes a big difference to your taste buds. The only way to be able to do that, is to own a grinder at home, and then grind whole beans.

Fresher Tasting Coffee With a Burr Grinder

During the actual factory roasting process, when beans are roasted, they are left to cool down. After that they will be allowed to breathe from around 24-48 hours.

They are then packed and sold and will last for quite a long time. If you own a grinder, then you can grind these whole beans as and when you fancy a cuppa.

Most people will buy their coffee in a ground state. That is the way it is sold in many supermarkets and even in good coffee shops. When coffee beans go through the grinding process, they are usually packed into foiled bags.

 Once these have been opened, they can last around 2-3 weeks depending on where they are stored.

Personally I would struggle to tell the difference between beans that have been ground using a blade, and those that have been ground using a burr style.

Many people can though, so clearly they have a finer palette than I do. Those who taste and test coffee for a living most certainly can. We checked on many websites and collected a lot of reviews to see which of the burr grinders, available in the UK, were the best though of by buyers.

Having collected all of that data we came up with the following choices.

Why Pre-Ground Beans Don't Last?

Once a bean is broken up, after it has been roasted, then it will start to go stale. That is because when it comes into contact with the air, it reacts with the oil and other components of the ground bean.

This will make the coffee rather rancid and bitter and it is not a pleasant aroma.

Coffee is expensive to buy and it can go off as quickly as a couple of weeks. That is why it is better in my opinion to buy the beans and grind them at home as and when you need them.

Not only do you get a great fresh taste, but you only use what you need at any given time, so no waste.

If you decide to do that, then you will need some form of coffee grinder. It is pretty clear that the burr grinder is the best of the options available.

If you are dithering as to which type to buy, then why not try the cheaper De'Longhi one shown above. For £35 you can own of the best on the market, and enjoy the wonderful taste of freshly ground coffee.

Burr Grinder FAQ

How long does a burr grinder last?

On average a burr grinder lasts around 5 years. That is based on typical daily use. The length of time will vary really depending on how regularly it is used. The more it gets used the more wear and tear the grinder will go through. Regular maintenance and cleaning will help prolong the life of the grinder.

Can you replace the burrs?

The quick honest answer is no. Most burr grinders are assembled in such a way that getting to the burrs is almost impossible. It is not however a huge concern as burrs are very unlikely to wear out. It is much more likely that the motor will burn out long before there is any damage to the burrs. In coffee shops where commercial machinery is being used, then burrs can be replaced and are during regular maintenance operations.

Where can you buy burr coffee grinders?

You can buy burr coffee grinders in many High Street retailers and online at websites such as Amazon UK. Just be careful though as the majority of grinders sold are blade grinders which are a great deal cheaper. Many people fall into the trap of wanting a burr style grinder, but being tempted by the lower price blade styles.

Where are burr coffee grinders more expensive?

You are essentially paying for the burrs which are made from a more expensive metal and need a lot more engineering. Blade grinders simply have a couple of sharp stainless steel blades attached to a motor. This is a really cheap option where the blades chop up the coffee beans. Burrs are engineered to a very accurate level and then assembled to squeeze the beans. It is more technical to build and the materials are much more expensive.

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