The grinders – burr or blade? – talking about pour over

BLADE GRINDER

The most affordable grinder and probably the one most of the people start is a blade grinder. It uses the sharp edges of the blades to cut and crash the beans.

The longer you are using it, the thinner will be the coffee grounds but this brings inconsistency. This is also the main problem of this grinder. That in the same grounds you have very thin ones but also coarser coffee grounds.

BURR GRINDERS – CONICAL OR FLAT

The burr grinder is crushing between 2 surfaces the beans. One surface is moving while the other one remains still. Changing the distance between the burrs, is defining with accuracy how fine the grounds will be.

In the burr grinder category there are 2 different types. The conical and the flat burr grinders and they get their names from the shape the burrs have. The conical ones are creating less heat while grinding while the flat ones are famous for making espresso grounds.

As already mentioned in the beginning the biggest negative of a grinder is the inconsistency cause if you have both thin and coarser grounds while making your coffee, they are releasing their flavors in different timings. The thinner are faster and the coarser are slower.

The ideal grind size depends on the brewer you are going to use, talking about pour over. But it stays between medium grind and medium-fine grind. The medium grind resembles sand and it is probably better for the drip method while medium-fine grind resembles to table salt and it is better for pour over. When making your coffee though or when you get new coffee beans most of the times, you need to play a bit with the size and find the proper one (the one you enjoy more) for your brewer.

Handgrinders

ZP6 seems to give very good separation of flavours, clarity to a cup. It doesn´t produce lots of fines, so it doesn´t have a lot of body the coffee. Grinding finer though, could give body to your coffee. It is recommended for light to medium roasts. The 1Zpresso ZP6 delivers elite, flat-burr-like flavor clarity and a robust aluminum build that will not dent during your travels. However, it weighs a hefty 700 grams and struggles with Moka pot brewing because its specialized low-fines burr set results in a thin, watery cup.

Comandante c40 is more expensive than ZP6 and seems to have not an even grind comparing to ZP6. The Comandante C40 MK4 delivers a perfectly balanced conical flavor profile that adds rich sweetness and syrupy body to your pour-over and Moka pot brews. However, its premium steel and wood-veneer build weighs a substantial 600 grams and features a wide outer diameter that can feel bulky to pack in a travel bag.

X-Series: seems to give sweetness, body and balance in a cup. The 1Zpresso X-Pro or X-Ultra grinders deliver a sweet, highly balanced conical flavor profile and an exterior top-adjustment dial that makes switching between your daily pour-over and Moka pot incredibly fast. However, their compact 615-gram aluminum frames feel significantly heavier to pack than budget options, and the magnetic grounds catch-cup on the Ultra model can accidentally pop open if bumped inside a tight travel bag.

1zpresso seems to be a smooth grinder in operation and it includes also cleaning tools. Very quiet and easy to adjust as well. It needs approximately 23 sec. for 30g of coffee. The 1Zpresso lineup features incredibly precise aluminum hand grinders that effortlessly bridge the gap between sweet Moka pot texturing and bright pour-over clarity. However, their premium metallic weights (ranging from 380 to over 700 grams) require a conscious tradeoff against ultra-lightweight travel gear like the KINGrinder P2.

Timemore gets quite close to 1zpresso but it is more compact, so ideal for travelling. The Timemore Chestnut C2 or C3 grinders are incredibly budget-friendly and offer a sharp, lightweight aluminum build that won’t dent easily inside a travel bag. However, their internal plastic stabilizers produce a higher amount of fines that can muddy your pour-overs, and their small bean capacity makes grinding 20 grams of coffee a tight squeeze.

The KINGrinder P2 is incredibly lightweight at 330 grams and offers excellent bimodal grind consistency that delivers a sweet, heavy-bodied cup contrast to your flat burrs. However, its budget ABS plastic body can scuff easily during travel, and its large 33-micron adjustment steps make precise espresso dialing difficult.

For regular grinding more than 60g, an electric grinder is definitely recommended.

Electric grinder

Fellow Ode Gen 2 is one that is highly and often recommended for pour over. Very consistent grinding and no static cling. The Fellow Ode Gen 2 is a dedicated countertop grinder with premium 64mm flat burrs that deliver exceptionally vibrant, high-clarity pour-overs. It is an AC-powered electric machine weighing 4.6 kilograms.

The DF64 Gen 2 is a popular desktop alternative that matches the Fellow Ode 2’s 64mm flat-burr clarity while adding the ability to grind fine enough for your Moka pot. The DF64 Gen 2 weighs a hefty 6.7 kilograms due to its solid aluminum body and large internal motor. It delivers an exceptionally clean, high-clarity cup with distinct flavor separation and low bitterness, though it naturally pushes a slightly heavier body and richer texture than the ultra-clean Fellow Ode Gen 2.

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