The Best Hand Crank Burr Coffee Grinder

Truth be told, I've never been a big fan of manual crank hand coffee bean grinders. I guess the biggest reason being that they always missed the mark in one area or another.

Until now.

First off, a quality hand coffee bean grinder must be a conical burr grinder. If you're not familiar with this term, it refers to how the coffee beans get ground. There are two types, blade grinders and conical burr grinders.

Blade grinders are like a blender or food processor. A blade "chops" the beans into smaller pieces. The downside of any blade grinder is that there will always be inconsistency in the grounds. This happens with electric coffee grinders and manual hand crank coffee grinders. Your coffee bean grinds will range from coarse to a fine powder and everywhere between. It's impossible to get a uniform grind with any type of blade coffee grinder.

A burr grinder (also called a conical burr grinder), uses two opposing gears to grind the coffee beans. Think of it as a set of gears that "crush" the beans as they pass through. The closer the gears (or burrs) are to each other, the finer the coffee beans are ground. The more space there is between the burrs, the coarser the coffee beans will be ground.

Here's an easy way to picture the difference between the two types of grinders. A certain amount of the coffee beans in a blade grinder are in contact with the blade the entire time. The coffee in the bottom of the grinder will keep being chopped finer and finer. The rest of the grinds remain coarse because they stay on top above the blades. The coffee never leaves the grinding chamber until you stop grinding. With a burr coffee bean grinder, the beans pass between the burrs one time. There's one point of contact. Once the coffee beans get crushed between the burrs, they fall into a collection chamber. They don't go through the set of burrs again and will all be the same grind.

The other issue I've always had with manual crank hand grinders is the build quality. I'm from the school of thought that it's better to buy the best quality you can and buy it once.

That's where this manual crank coffee bean grinder really shines. It is a beast. Made from solid machined aluminum and stainless-steel. You feel the weight and quality the minute you pick it up. There's grippy knurling on the parts you need to hold on to. And, the smoothness of the high-quality ball bearings all add up to one amazing coffee grinder. There's no wobble when turning the hand crank. In sixty seconds flat you have about twenty grams of perfectly ground, fresh bean coffee.

So, to wrap up here, let's list out the highlights of the best manual hand crank coffee bean grinder of the year.

• Hardened, stainless-steel conical burr set
• Grind adjustment from French press through fine
• Go anywhere
• Solid metal construction
• Designed for the outdoor enthusiast

Happy grinding and happy trails!