Coffee is an expensive hobby, especially when you’re into both espresso AND filter coffee. Not only will you need special coffee gear, but also a grinder that can handle both tasks. To get the most from your morning cup of coffee, grind your beans within minutes before brewing.
BEHOLD the Kitchenaid burr coffee grinder!
As far as quality goes, the answer is almost exclusively burr, but if you’re looking for a cheap option, then blades may be better. Using a burr grinder will always give you a better quality cup of coffee. While Kitchenaid’s Blade grinder is best in its own way, we’ll be taking a look at the Kitchenaid Coffee grinder review.
Is it the real deal or just a bunch of hype?
Let’s find out.
Before you buy
The KitchenAid Burr coffee grinder is an expensive coffee maker that is made from heavy-duty materials. It starts at $200, so it’s going to cost you a pretty penny, but it seems to be on sale often, too, so it might be worth checking out. If you’re willing to keep an eye on it, you might be able to get it for a good price.
In terms of function, this burr coffee grinder has got basic features but nothing special over cheaper models. However, it’s one of the best-looking coffee grinders out there with its high-quality steel build. It looks like an odd combination of a stand mixer and a prop plane, but it‘s still a piece of kitchen eye candy. As such, it may seem like more of a status symbol.
About the Kitchenaid Burr Grinder
This model of KitchenAid has been in production for years and is well known among coffee aficionados. You can find Kitchenaid Coffee Grinder reviews from folks who have been using theirs for decades ( and they’re still going great).
It’s a simple, no-frills grinder with no fancy features but it promises a consistent, high-quality grind every time. It’s not just a one-time purchase, but rather an investment that you’ll be able to use for years to come.
Kitchenaid Burr Grinder Features
It’s surprising that this coffee grinder doesn’t have that many unique features despite its high price. It offers a good product, but aside from how well it looks, it seems lagging behind its competitors in a similar price bracket.
Design
Without question, the most striking feature of the KitchenAid is its design. Indeed, it looks like a piece of art. And if you don’t know what a coffee grinder looks like, you might not realize it’s one at first glance. It’s definitely a lot different from most other mills, but it’s unique for a good reason.
It’s unfortunate that the design quality of this product comes before its usability. Although the design of this model looks cool, it’s actually not the most practical. You may find using the glass bowl that collects the ground coffee beans difficult. It’s hard to hold onto, and it has a glass unit that’s static-resistant but fragile. However, you can just use a regular bowl instead if you want.
The top part of the unit is slightly better than the bottom, though there is still room for improvement. For example, the lid doesn’t thread onto its glass portion; therefore, when you lift up the lid, it pops off too quickly.
You may find it slightly difficult to fit into a cabinet. It has a cast-steel body and steel burrs, which are both durable and strong. However, they’re quite heavy.
Coarseness
To choose the coarseness of the KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder, there’s one big dial on the end of its mixer. Sadly, the dial only has 15 settings, common in most other grinders in its price range.
Note that although the unit only has 15 settings on the coarseness dial, the burrs are independently adjustable by removing the dial and following the instructions in the Owner’s Manual. You can achieve the finest possible grind by doing so.
It works well when it’s working correctly, producing a consistent, high-quality grind that makes excellent coffee from espresso to French Press. However, the unit can get clogged affecting the final quality of the grind.
Quality
One of the persistent problems with this unit seems to involve its quality. It seems that the latest version of this model doesn’t meet the quality standards of previous ones. Some people report little to no trouble using their KitchenAid Coffee Grinder, but others report problems with it, including snapping screws and feeding issues.
Despite the fact that the body of this unit seems to be made out of cast steel, it may have been manufactured by a company that has lower quality standards than others. While I can’t guarantee that you won’t be disappointed by this product, there are enough negative customer reviews for you to question if you should buy it.
Noise
One of the surprising strengths of this KitchenAid grinder is that it’s relatively quiet. It has a heavy steel casing that keeps vibrations to a minimum, so any noise stays trapped inside. If you’re looking for a coffee grinder that doesn’t wake up a sleeping household, then you might want this one.
Static
If you’re used to grinding your own coffee, you may be familiar with the issues it can cause when static electricity builds up. Luckily, the KitchenAid comes with a glass reservoir and a hopper. These glass compartments prevent static cling, which helps keep your kitchen from getting messy.
Temperature
An important factor to consider when buying a Kitchenaid Burr Coffee Grinder is its resting temperature. Metal conducts heat well, so it heats up quickly. Due to this, the KitchenAid may be more likely to overheat than similar plastic units.
The KitchenAid mill only goes up to a maximum grinding speed of 450 rpm. This is slightly slower than most other grinders in its price range. This is probably to lower the operating temperature of the device.
Overheating coffee grinders can not only affect the taste of your coffee, but they can also be dangerous. If an electric coffee grinder becomes too hot, it can malfunction and even cause injuries.
Cleaning
Unfortunately, cleaning this device is a bit of a chore. To clean the grinder, remove the knob at the front of the device and clean the inside from that point. It’s quite small, so it can be difficult to access any clogs or blockage inside.
Some KitchenAid Coffee Grinder reviews claim that using raw rice instead of coffee beans can help keep the grinder clean. Don’t use this method because it can damage your grinder. However, there are grinder-cleaning pellets available specifically for that purpose.
It seems that this KitchenAid grinder requires a more proactive cleaning regimen.
Blockages
Burr grinders are capable of becoming blocked, but because of its shape and design, the Kitchenaid grinder seems to be resulting in more frequent blockages than others. So, even though you’ll have a beautiful piece of art, you may have to spend some extra time cleaning it out.
Measurements
Kitchenaid Burr Coffee Grinder doesn’t have a programming interface, but you can control it by turning it on and off using a switch and adding the number of beans you want to the hopper. The hopper can hold up to 7 oz of coffee beans, slightly less than the standard for most coffee grinders. It also doesn’t include a timer or automatic shut-off. Some may find it simple and hassle-free. However, it’s an important improvement that many users will appreciate!
Customer Service
To make buying less daunting, the staff of KitchenAid have reportedly been helping out with customer service.
The KitchenAid grinder comes with a risk-free one-year limited warranty. If it happens to fail during its first year, you can get a refund or replacement for free, including shipping charges. Thus, on the bright side, there’s almost no risk if you want to give it a go.
Accessories
The KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder includes a cleaning brush and a scoop for measuring out coffee grounds. Plus, you can purchase the spare reservoirs and hoppers separately if your current ones break.
The Verdict: Should You Buy?
Overall, I’d say you should think twice before buying this Kitchenaid Burr Coffee grinder. It should be reliable, but there are too many reports of bad experiences to justify spending more than $200 on it. It has a good design, but apart from that, it also creates reasonably good ground coffee when it works. The only problem is getting a working unit, but if you do, you won’t regret it.
Unless you’ve got a real passion for the design, I‘d recommend skipping this unit. However, you can give it a shot considering Kitchenaid’s good customer service.
If you are thinking about buying a KitchenAid burr coffee grinder, consider taking a look at the Baratza Virtuoso+. The Baratza Virtuoso+ costs the same as the KitchenAid but has 40 coarseness options instead of just 15 in Kitchenaid Burr Coffee Grinder.
Baratza is known for its excellent customer service and the high quality of its products. If the reviews are to be trusted, KitchenAid may not be holding its top designation as it was for many years.
Read Next: The Rise of the Baratza Encore Grinder – Is it Worth it in 2022?
A die-hard coffee aficionado, Habiba has been crazy about caffeine for almost as long as she can remember. For her morning brew, she relies on a French Press, which is a part of her daily morning ritual that also involves grinding and meticulously weighing coffee and water for the perfectly crafted morning cup. To better inform this article, she included insights from various coffee experts.
