However the differences come in the price tags and durability.
Ceramic vs steel burrs.
The main thing that impacts the cost of a grinder is whether it is automatic or manual though not the blade material.
The best burr coffee grinders on amazon use either ceramic or steel burrs.
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.
That means your first steel grinder probably isn t going to be your last one.
Coffee beans and heat.
Grinding coffee generates heat.
Both of these burrs handle your roasts pretty much equally.
Ceramic burrs are more brittle than steel so you could chip the ceramic burr if a very hard rock was hiding in the beans.
The ceramic burrs are just as durable.
They are great for blends and particularly coffees roasted for espresso.
V60 1 point 4 years ago.
And this heat is the problem according to most coffee.
Don t try and swap between espresso and drip either you ll pull your hair out and never get consistent results.
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.
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.
Coffee grinders can use flat or conical burrs made of steel or ceramic materials.
Is one type of burr better than another.
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.
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.
Ceramic burrs are harder than steel and last on average about twice as long as steel burrs.
Which is better ceramic or steel burrs.
With regards to tasting espresso specifically we have noticed that the ceramic burrs produce a traditional espresso flavor profile.
1 grinder 1 purpose.
Ceramic vs steel burrs the basics.
Since ceramic and steel burrs have different heat conducting abilities.
The cup flavors are complex and usually have more body and mouth feel in comparison to the steel burrs depending on the coffee.
Or so the argument goes.
The key advantage that ceramic burrs have over their steel alternatives is that they are much harder.
Ceramic burr are less thermally conductive than steel this means these burrs transfer less heat than steel burrs see below on heat.