Saachi coffee grinder

The uniform particle size achieved using a coffee grinder can be desirable for coffee preparation.
However, some methods of brewing may be more tolerant of the range of particle sizes produced by a blade grinder; this may be the case for percolated coffee.

Regardless, burr coffee grinders are more suited for keeping the flavor and aroma of the coffee beans intact.[citation needed] This is because burr mills produce less heat from friction compared to blade grinders;[citation needed] this is especially important for coffee aficionados looking to get the most flavor from the freshly ground beans, as heat from friction lessens or taints the natural flavor.

Burr grinders create less friction and require lower motor speeds, which reduces potential flavor loss due to heat.
Burr grinders obtain these lower speeds through two mechanisms.
The lower cost models generally use a small electric motor to drive a series of reduction gears, while better constructed and more costly examples use a larger commercial motor and a belt, with no gear reduction to spin the burrs. The latter example is termed “direct drive”.

The reduction gear versions are noisier and usually do not have the lifespan of the direct drive units.
Electrical powered coffee grinders are available in many variations.
Some grinders are “stepped” meaning that they are fixed by the factory into a set series of adjustments while “stepless” varieties use a worm drive or other mechanisms to offer an infinite number of adjustments within their grind range. Other variations include grinders that are equipped with dosers and others that are “doserless”.

Dosers function as a catch bin to collect the ground coffee and by using a lever, users are able to dose a set amount of coffee. Doserless versions remove the bin and dosing function, and the grinder outputs the ground coffee directly into an espresso machine portafilter or into another container.
The doserless examples normally feature additional functions such as weight based or advance time based grinding in order for a barista to grind for an exact amount of grounds required for a specific espresso shot.

Manual coffee grinders have been largely supplanted by electrically powered ones where the object is simply to get the job done; manual grinders are used more for their appearance, and are often more costly than electric models. An exception is the manual Turkish coffee grinder; these are inexpensive, and can grind coffee to fine powder for Turkish coffee, unlike electric models.
Many grinders are free-standing; some larger coffee grinders are fixed to a wall.