Ceramic Vs Steel Burrs

Which is better ceramic or steel burrs.

Ceramic vs steel burrs.

Both of these burrs handle your roasts pretty much equally. Find out as whole latte love. If you re not doing espresso then you don t have worry about the ceramic burrs since the steel are designed for a courser grind. The ceramic burrs are just as durable.

The best burr coffee grinders on amazon use either ceramic or steel burrs. V60 1 point 4 years ago. With regards to tasting espresso specifically we have noticed that the ceramic burrs produce a traditional espresso flavor profile. They are great for blends and particularly coffees roasted for espresso.

Or so the argument goes. Coffee beans and heat. Since ceramic and steel burrs have different heat conducting abilities. Ceramic burrs transfer less heat compared to steel ones this means that the type of burr used can affect the taste of coffee.

I haven t noticed this myself and i m not sure the argument would even apply to hand grinding. Ceramic burr are less thermally conductive than steel this means these burrs transfer less heat than steel burrs see below on heat. However the differences come in the price tags and durability. First off ceramic burrs run a bit cooler compared to steel burrs or in other words they don t heat up as fast or retain heat as much as their metal counterparts.

And this heat is the problem according to most coffee. Grinding coffee generates heat. Ceramic vs steel burrs the basics. Just think about how many ceramic artifacts we have from ancient history baratza suggests that they are great for blends and espresso providing a traditional espresso flavor profile ultimately as with the burr shape the ceramic vs steel issue is going to be about personal taste.

Don t try and swap between espresso and drip either you ll pull your hair out and never get consistent results. The key advantage that ceramic burrs have over their steel alternatives is that they are much harder. Ceramic burrs are more brittle than steel so you could chip the ceramic burr if a very hard rock was hiding in the beans. Coffee grinders can use flat or conical burrs made of steel or ceramic materials.

On the other hand stainless steel burr grinders tend to cost less up front but their blades will warp and become blunt faster than ceramic ones. Ceramic burrs run a little cooler than steel burrs and there are some coffee experts who think the extra heat burns off some of the oils and impacts the flavor of the coffee. Ceramic burrs are harder than steel and last on average about twice as long as steel burrs. That means your first steel grinder probably isn t going to be your last one.

The main thing that impacts the cost of a grinder is whether it is automatic or manual though not the blade material.