My coffee journey started off with a cup of regular drip coffee filled almost halfway with French vanilla creamer. Believe it or not, I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in my 30s.
However, once I started, I became a full-fledged coffee connoisseur. I started trying different types of coffee, experimenting with already ground beans, and then, finally, wanted to grind my own.
This led me on a quest to find the very best coffee grinder on the market, which led me to write this Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder review.
Let me start off this review with some information on the machine itself. It’s very lightweight and takes up a small amount of space on my counter. I tend to keep some beans in the top section (the bean hopper, in Mr. Coffee parlance) so that I can have freshly ground coffee every morning.
It’s really easy to just hit the button and not have to deal with pouring coffee beans before I’m completely awake. In fact, nothing wakes me up quite like the smell of freshly ground coffee, not to mention actual brewed coffee. But moving on here’s the rest of my review.
One Important Thing You Need to Know
“What’s that?” You ask. Here’s the answer: you need to know exactly what a burr mill grinder is. After all, that’s a major part of the device, and consequently, this review.
A burr grinder uses grinding plates instead of blades. One good way to picture this is by comparing a blade grinder to a blender. You’re going to end up with inconsistent chunks of beans by using this method.
Plates are more precise and allow for a nice controlled grinding method. You’ll have more consistent results, something that matters. Also some places will inform you that it’s impossible to get a burr grinder for less than $100.
This Mr. Coffee unit proves that this is false.
Now, onto a device breakdown: some basics on the device.
Features of the Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder
- Measures 12.8 by 8.4 by 7.9 Inches
- Weighs 4.3 ounces fully assembled
- 18 customized grinding settings
- Grinding chamber and bean hopper are both removable
- Bean hopper holds half a pound of coffee beans
Advantages
- The Mr. Coffee company sells replacement parts for the grinding chamber and bean hopper
- The grinding chamber and bean hopper come off for easy cleaning
- 18 handy grinder settings mean that you can control the grinding process
- No review is complete with mentioning the brand itself- Mr. Coffee is known for its reliable products
- The device uses plates, rather than blades, to grind the coffee, which results in better-tasting coffee
- The Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder is hands-free, so you won’t need to hold anything in place while it grinds your beans
Disadvantages
- Sometimes ground coffee seeps into the machine itself during the grinding process
- The device’s body is made of flimsy-feeling materials
- The bean hopper and grinding chamber are made of plastic, not glass
- At times the grinding process is uneven, resulting in sections of finely ground and coarser ground beans, despite the grinding settings
- The controls are analog, not digital
Comparison
The most important part of this review is the comparison. The device is easy to transport and very lightweight. Its 18 different settings mean that I can make everything from espresso to regular drip coffee, simply by switching out the beans and changing the settings.
However, I do need to mention another device. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro, a high-end option, is quite different than the Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Grinder, as it should be.
The Breville model has 60 different grinding settings, as well as a timer for extra power. The controls are digital, as opposed to the analog ones on the Mr. Coffee machine.
The Breville also claims to have a vacuum-like set up to ensure that air doesn’t get into your ground coffee. This makes it much tastier. Of course, the downside to the Breville machine is the price – the Breville Smart Grinder Pro sells for hundreds of dollars, while the Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder is far less expensive, usually under $50.
So, when it comes to the comparison portion of my review, for price alone, the Mr. Coffee model wins. The Breville is also quite a bit larger than the Mr. Coffee – it’s 15 inches tall and weighs 6 pounds, versus Mr. Coffee’s smaller stature and lighter weight.
Verdict
For the next part of my review, I’m going to tell you why I like this device so much. The price is very hard to beat, especially when you consider how many different grinding settings you receive for under $50.
Although the more expensive units may have fancier features, I view that as just one more thing that can break. The simpler models are best, especially when all that you want is a simple cup of coffee.
The price, the features, and even the removable parts (the bean hopper and grinding chamber) make this coffee grinder a must-have, in my opinion. You can’t go wrong.
My final verdict in this review is that the device is great for those on a budget who are dipping their toes into the world of grinding their own coffee. Sometimes you don’t need a fancy a model; you just need freshly ground coffee to enjoy every morning.
