Best Commercial Coffee Grinder: Buyer’s Guide

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Our informative buyer’s guide will help you decide on the best commercial coffee grinder for your business.

Australia is a land of coffee fanatics. We take pride in our favourite hidden coffee spots, supporting local roasters, and having one of the most discerning crowds of coffee enthusiasts on the planet.

From the local suburban bakery, to the newest third-wave café, we’re brewing a lot of great tasting coffee.

While the simple coffee bean is always the star of the show, and beautiful coffee machines take centre stage on your favourite café countertops, it’s the step in between that makes all the difference - grinding the coffee.

The best coffee is made with freshly ground beans. And that means aiming for the most consistent grind. Having little to no difference in particle size and texture is the clearest path to enjoying each coffee’s unique taste and aroma. So making sure you have the right commercial coffee grinder is a crucial step if you want to keep those coffee loving customers coming back.

Whether you're just starting out, on the hunt for an upgrade, or looking to add a little coffee to your menu, there’s a professional coffee grinder model out there for you.

This buyer’s guide will help you understand the ins and outs of commercial coffee grinders, and which one will best suit your needs. Our guide will cover various models, features and what to look out for when making such an important purchase. We also take a look at used commercial coffee grinders, and if that could be the right choice for you.

Drawing on a wealth of knowledge from our in-house coffee experts, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about buying your next commercial coffee grinder.

Here’s what our commercial coffee grinder guide covers

Commercial coffee grinder terminology
What are the main things to consider when buying a commercial coffee grinder?
Automatic vs semi-automatic or manual coffee grinder
Second-hand coffee grinder or new?
How much does a commercial coffee grinder cost?
Some of the best commercial coffee grinders
Top questions to ask before you buy
Commercial coffee grinder FAQ

Commercial coffee grinder terminology

Hopper: The canister that holds your whole coffee beans before grinding. This is directly linked to your commercial coffee grinder.

Doser: A container that catches the coffee after it’s ground. With the flick of a lever, this mechanism portions out the coffee into identical amounts for your desired brew method.

Burrs: Abrasive surfaces that grind coffee beans with high consistency. These have a greater uniformity than bladed coffee grinders, and are particularly useful for the coarse grinds used in french press and pour over coffees.

Flat Burr: A disc shaped burr that produces extremely consistent grinds.

Conical Burr: A cone shaped burr that grinds coffee well, but not as consistently as a flat burr.

Volume: This term refers to the amount of coffee you sell each week. A cafe with high volume will go through 40 kilograms and above each week, with around 60-70 doses sold from each kilo of beans.

Automatic: Pre-grinds coffee into doser. This coffee is ready to go at any time. Perfect for high volume venues.

Semi-automatic: Only grinds once the barista has loaded the desired container/portafilter and turned the grinder on. Better for low volume or specialty venues.

Stepped Grind Adjustment: Defined steps on a commercial coffee grinder’s adjustment mechanism. There are no inbetween settings.

Stepless Grind Adjustment: An adjustment mechanism with no defined grind sizes or settings. These offer more control to the user as they allow ultra-fine adjustments of the commercial coffee grinder.

Retention: The amount of coffee that gets stuck in the grinder after grinding. This becomes greater when coffee is ground finer, meaning that espresso grinders generally have higher rates of retention.

Uniformity: This refers to the consistency of ground coffee. A higher rate of uniformity means that all grounds should be almost identical in particle size. A commercial coffee grinder with excellent uniformity will produce better, repeatable cups.

Coffee Shop

What are the main things to consider when buying a commercial coffee grinder?

Type of coffee

Before you dive in and purchase that slick new commercial coffee grinder, you’ll need to ask yourself:

What type of coffee will I be serving?

While it may seem like a very basic question, it’s one that holds great influence over the equipment you choose for your venue.

With Australian coffee enthusiasts having a much more discerning and diverse palette than ever before, you’ll need to decide whether your café will be busting out high volume, for the masses type coffee, or will you be looking to get into the high end world of seasonal varieties and rare single origins.

And, how will they be served?

Do you need an espresso grinder? A filter grinder? Maybe an all-rounder?

Some commercial coffee grinders are aimed at specific brew methods for particular types of coffee, so having a solid idea of your coffee origins, brew methods and your target customers is essential before making such an important purchase.

Coffee consumption, how much coffee are you selling?

So now that you know what coffee you’ll be serving your customers, how much coffee do you think your business might sell each week?

The commercial coffee grinder you choose might have to come from a purely pragmatic standpoint. Is your business a dedicated café that has a central focus on serving up only the best coffee? Or is coffee an after thought that pairs well with the rest of your menu?

A great commercial coffee grinder must be able to effortlessly and consistently grind at peak times as well as when it slows down. For a high volume venue that is using over 40kg of coffee per week, you’ll need to look into a grinder that fires up quickly after each shot, holds its temperature well and can maintain a consistent particle size all day, every day.

If your venue is slightly smaller or has a focus on alternative brewing methods, you probably don’t need the most advanced cooling system on the planet, or the largest bean hopper. Omitting these extras can bring down the cost of your commercial coffee grinder, making them a much better financial choice.

Which burrs will you use?

Coffee

Forget about all the bells and whistles for one moment.

Let's talk about the one item that will make or break any great commercial coffee grinder - its burrs.

These are the components that grind your whole beans into ready-to-brew coffee powder. Choosing the right ones is extremely important.

When it comes to professional commercial coffee grinders, you’ll have two choices:

Flat burrs
Conical burrs

Each type has its own pros and cons, and it really ends up being at your discretion which one will work better for your business.

Flat burrs

Flat burrs are two abrasive metal discs that sit on top of one another. They grind the beans horizontally and do an excellent job at it. With a high end set of cast steel flat burrs, baristas enjoy an extensive amount of control over the grinding process. And the end result is a supremely uniform grind.

But if you’ve got grand plans for a nice quiet relaxing café or restaurant, these bad boys can stir up quite a bit of noise compared to conical burrs. And as you’ve probably guessed, with higher quality comes a higher price tag. Although, a premium quality set of flat burrs will be durable for quite some time, so that’s definitely worth considering.

Conical burrs

As the name suggests, conical burrs are abrasive cone-shaped bits of steel. One burr sits within the other, grinding beans in a vertical fashion.

As a cheaper alternative to their flat cousins, conical burrs don’t produce as consistent a grind. It all comes down to the design, really. When dealing with conical burrs, you’ll have to account for both parallel alignment and concentricity. Any little bit of wobble and your grind uniformity goes right out the window – this is something you don’t have to worry about with flat burr grinders.

But if you’re pumping out latte after latte, these might be a wonderful choice for your business.

Why’s that?

Commercial coffee grinders with conical burrs don’t heat up as much, meaning that baristas don’t need to worry about constantly adjusting the grind size if the morning rush seems to never slow down, or if the weather turns a tad too hot (yup, that’s right - a little extra heat or humidity can seriously affect the cup you brew).

So if you’re looking to save a little money and time, all while getting those cuppas out by the truckload to your loyal customers, then conical burrs might be just for you.

“Consistent, uniform coffee grounds extract at the same rate. Coffee grounds of different sizes extract at different rates. For balanced coffee, you need uniform grounds” - Javapresse

Grinder footprint

Commercial coffee grinder dimensions are another factor that comes into play.

It’s critical that you find a grinder that slots right into your workspace, and does it safely.

With such a wide variety of sizes available, finding one that is comfortable for your staff – and safe for your customers – should be high up your list of considerations.

Luckily, all manufacturer and dealer websites list out each coffee grinder’s dimensions, meaning you can bust out that tape measure and shuffle your venue around until you know what’ll work.

Doser

For anybody serious about coffee, they know that the best coffee comes from freshly ground beans. It’s essential to the coffee experience.

Couple this with the right amount of coffee in the portafilter, a flash coffee machine and a talented barista, and any café can set up a conveyor belt of top notch brews from open to close.

But when you're busy, how do you make sure the right amount of coffee is going into each shot?

That’s where doser-grinders come in.

These types of commercial coffee grinders have a couple of extra moving parts that help you craft a repeatable brew. With multiple cups worth of coffee already ground and in the doser chamber, all you need to do is flick the doser lever and the right amount of coffee will tumble into your portafilter every time. This takes away the stress of dosing by eye, levelling off and possibly extracting a poor shot.

Sounds like a winner, right? Almost.

If the morning rush dies off quicker than expected, you may be left with a bunch of coffee in the doser chamber that if left unused, will go stale. So it’s definitely worth considering how much coffee you plan to sell, how fresh you want each cup to be, and whether or not you can absorb the cost of having to possibly throw away stale coffee.

Electronic Doser

If you’re looking to serve only the freshest coffee and cut down on waste in your venue, it may be worth looking at electronic dosing grinders.

This lot of machines will grind your whole beans on demand with the simple push of a button. There’s no dosing chamber required as all of your freshly ground coffee lands straight in a portafilter.

Simply choose your shot size (single/double), set your dosing time, and you’re good to go.

If the timing is a little off and you need a little more coffee in your basket, then add it using the manual grind feature. And just like that, you’ll have the freshest shot possible without the stale aftermath that can come with doser chamber grinders.

Dosing system

Commercial coffee grinders come in two distinct dosing systems:

Time
Gravimetric (weight)

Time

These grinders measure the right amount of coffee by time. Once you dial in your morning shots, just set the grind timer and leave it there. It's some good old fashioned set and forget. This is the most common method by which commercial coffee grinders dose their coffee. It does however have its drawbacks.

The grind consistency can be directly affected by:

Bean density
Humidity
Total amounts of beans in hopper

The difference caused by these factors can be minute, but if you’re seeking precisions, you may want to consider a gravimetric grinder.

Gravimetric

Gravimetric commercial coffee grinders measure the ground coffee’s weight as it falls into the portafilter. Like the timed grinders, you dial in your desired setting and adjust as the day goes by.

Grinding by weight produces a much more uniform grind particle and is better when trying to nail a specific brew ratio. You’ll always end up with the same amount of coffee in your basket, regardless of bean density, the weather, or how full your hopper is.

Aesthetics

Is your space a well designed feast for the senses in a hip, inner city pocket? Or maybe you’re trying to attract a certain type of coffee connoisseur?

If so, you’re in luck.

With so many coffee grinders to choose from, finding the right style of commercial coffee grinder will go a long way to drawing the right crowd to your business. From lean, mean, modern grinding machines, through to early 20th century Italian style pieces, aesthetics play a big role in helping your customers feel comfortable in your space.

And as more clued up coffee drinkers settle on their go-to brewers, having a bit of coffee equipment eye candy behind the counter couldn’t hurt.

Insurance, warranty, repairs and cost of parts

As an expensive bit of kit for your venue, it’s critical that your grinder is covered under your business insurance. This will make life a lot easier if it’s stolen or accidentally damaged.

A warranty on a new grinder is essential. The majority of commercial coffee grinders come with a 12 or 24 month warranty on defective parts, but no associated labour.

For any information on repairs and services, it's best to have a detailed chat with the manufacturer or dealer from whom you’re purchasing. They can help with any questions relating to service schedule, and potential cost of repairs and parts.

Like most things, if you choose to shoot for the stars with a high end model, costs will understandably rise. And if parts are hard to come by, well your grinder may end up out of action for some time, severely hurting your business.

Usability and cleaning

Depending on the type of café you have, you may need a machine that is easy to use without too much training. Staff without extensive knowledge on commercial coffee grinders may need a walkthrough. And that’s time you might not have.

Some grinders require minimal effort in dialling in the right grind size with a simple set and forget system. This means your staff are able to simply test out the machine each morning and concentrate on brewing the best coffees throughout the day. For a bustling corner shop that pumps out 40kg of coffee a week, this is the right way to go.

But if you’re running a third-wave coffee place that has only the most knowledgeable coffee tragics working behind the counter, picking up an advanced grinder would be the way to go. After all, you want to serve only the best, right?

Either way, you’ll want to make sure your grinder is easy to clean.

Leftover grinds can produce a nasty, stale smell - severely altering the taste of your precious coffee. And if there are some hard to reach parts of the grinder, you may find yourself having to deep clean areas of your machine more often than you’d like - a sure fire way to eat into your time and ultimately, your profits.

Settings, features and functionality

Researching the core features of any potential coffee grinder will help you make the right choice when it comes time to buy.

At the end of the day, it’s the barista who needs to be comfortable with the gear they’re working on. Have a chat with them and find out the essentials and the deal breakers alike.

Does the grinder have:

The correct burrs for your brew methods?
Large hopper for retail or industrial quantities?
Doser attachments?
Temperature control for flat burrs?
Stepped or stepless grind adjustment?
Timed or gravimetric dosing?
Digital display to index grind settings?
Automatic or semi-automatic dosing?

Getting the right balance of features, form and function will ensure that any barista hustling behind their new grinder will produce only the highest quality cups of coffee - every single time.

“Heat makes coffee beans less brittle, creating a coarser grind even if you haven’t changed the grind setting” - Matt Perger

Auto v semi automatic commercial coffee grinders

Automatic commercial coffee grinders

Grinder

In the fast paced world of a busy city café, it’s essential to get the best coffee to your customers as quickly as possible.

Automatic grinders are the answer to this problem.

These grinders automatically grind your beans once a certain amount of doses have been used by the barista. These can vary in number from grinder to grinder, and can also be set by the operator themselves.

This means you’ll never have to stress about forgetting to grind new beans and leaving your customers waiting again.

Semi-automatic coffee grinder

If you are running a smaller volume or specialty café, a semi-automatic commercial coffee grinder will suit you well.

These grinders allow the barista to choose when the beans should be ground, and the weight or time of the grind. This is essential for venues that are committed to grinding fresh before every shot or pour-over.

Semi-automatic commercial coffee grinders are great for reducing coffee waste, and will always provide the freshest brew possible, always leaving a smile on each customer’s face.

Buying a second hand commercial coffee grinder

With the ever expanding world of used items on sites like eBay, Facebook, Amazon and Gumtree, there are plenty of used commercial coffee grinders for sale.

For some, finding a pre-loved coffee grinder is the best value for money option.

There are many reasons why you might consider buying a used commercial coffee grinder. You might be:

A new venue
A small pop-up café
Looking to add coffee to your existing menu
An office with a fairly large staff size
A business on a budget

While the options are plenty, it’s best to be careful on private sale websites. Without knowing the exact mechanical condition, service history and burr condition, you may find yourself handing over your hard earned money for a machine that just doesn’t work.

If you choose to go the second hand route, look to buy from a reputable reseller if possible. These places come with limited warranties (sometimes up to six months) and still provide services to pre-loved grinders. And if you have the chance, always inspect your machine in person.

You could also check out a safe bet like SilverChef’s Certified Used coffee grinders.

Our Certified Used range of equipment – which has everything from fridges to deep fryers, and of course, commercial coffee grinders – comes from our Rent-Try-Buy® customers who have the option to finance new equipment from a dealership, and then return it to SilverChef after 12 months. This means many of our used coffee machines are less than 18 months old; and have had just one owner. They also come with a warranty for additional peace of mind.
With Certified Used, you get assurance that the used commercial coffee grinder is in good condition and will serve the purpose you need it for.

How much does a commercial coffee grinder cost?

So what’s this shiny new grinder going to cost you?

Well, it depends.

Just like their hardworking countertop teammates – the coffee machine – commercial coffee grinders can vary wildly in price.

For those on the hunt for a brand new commercial coffee grinder, you’re probably looking at a $1,200 entry point. This will get you a reliable, feature-light, automatic conical burr doser-grinder. It won’t set the world on fire but it will keep those caffeine seeking customers of yours more than happy.

At the other end, those of you who are in the market for a top of the line experience – one that oozes extravagance – well, you’ll have to dig a little deeper.

Some grinders can fetch up to $10,000. For this amount of money, you’ll never be left wanting. These grinders will include digital touchscreens, patented temperature control and advanced gravimetric measuring. Your grinds will be perfect every time, and your brews will be the highlight of your adoring customers’ day.

If that all sounds a little too much, and buying used isn’t an option, you can always look into SilverChef’s financing options.

SilverChef offers flexible finance options including Rent-Try-Buy®, where you can choose your commercial coffee grinder, rent it for the first year, and get flexible options during and at the end of 12 months. This includes being able to upgrade to a bigger and better model if demand for your coffees grows; or purchase the grinder if you know you want to keep it. At the end of 12 months you also have the option to return the coffee grinder to us, if it no longer suits you.

As with everything you buy, you get what you pay for with a commercial coffee grinder, however you don’t need to overspend on a machine which has features you don't need or can work at a capacity beyond your requirements.

Best commercial coffee grinder brands

There’s a bunch of amazing brands out there crafting all kinds of commercial coffee grinders. Here are some of the best.

Premium commercial coffee grinders

Mahlkonig

Mahlkonig claims to be the king of grinders.

They’re not far off.

Crafted in Hamburg, Germany, this company has not put a foot wrong as the frontrunners in both espresso and specialty coffee grinders. These are the best of the best – iconic machines that adorn countless bars and venues the world over.

The company is seen as a pioneer and innovation success story. Their patented Disc Distance Detection lets you ‘set the degree of fineness based on the actual distance between the burrs’. And their massive (up to 120mm!) cast steel burrs produce the most consistent uniformity of any grinder on the market. Its exclusively designed burr geometry is built for high demand cafés while simultaneously enabling perfect extraction for a superior taste experience.

Their visionary ‘grind on-demand’ approach has influenced what coffee drinkers expect in each cup. If you have a discerning customer base, showcasing one of these tank-like masterpieces is going to light up the eyes of anybody who steps into your space.

With an incredibly wide range, Mahlkonig has options for any of your commercial grinding needs.

Their grinders can be used for:

Espresso
Filter
Specialty Coffee
Deli/Retail
Industrial grinding

Of course, quality like this doesn’t come cheap. And a top of the line grinder can cost close to $7,000. And for their mid-range offerings, you’re looking at $3,000 - $4,000.

But, you get what you pay for – control, quality and durability that’s unsurpassed in the commercial coffee grinder world.

Victoria Arduino

A brand synonymous with premium quality café equipment, Victoria Arduino’s lineup of commercial coffee grinders won’t disappoint. The company claims to ‘push the boundaries of grind control in terms of temperature stability, precision and increased production.’

Their flagship model – ‘Mythos 2’ – is possibly the most advanced grinder on the market today. It includes micrometric settings, a clump crusher and high end steel flat burrs, so this beautiful beast will get it right every time.

Hitting the dizzying heights of around $5,000, the Mythos 2 is best suited in the hands of expert baristas. And with fully customisable feature sets available, you can really make the machine your own. It includes patented ClimaPro technology, allowing you to set the exact grinder temperature in between 30 - 50 degrees celsius. So no more hot burrs, and no more bad espresso. The Mythos 2 also includes Victoria Arduino’s patented Gravitech weight system, so getting the right dose has never been easier.

These grinders were designed to accompany their Black Eagle coffee machine, and what a pair they make. The allure of a sleek, all black countertop is one that many espresso bars have fallen for. And with good reason — it’s simply stunning.

When it’s all said and done, if you’re looking for a top end centrepiece for your venue, your search could be over.

Fiorenzato

Straight out of Mestre, Italy, Fiorenzato grinders have become a shining light of creativity in the espresso world.

With a fine balance of tradition, quality and innovation, these grinders have embraced modern technology to stay one step ahead of other manufacturers. With Fiorenzato’s XGI ‘smart’ grinders, you can now measure your dose by weight, allowing for the highest level of precision when crafting each espresso.

Couple this with their patented Inverter System and you’ll have access to absolute accuracy and consistency for grinding. All while remaining as quiet as possible – something your customers will truly love.
If all that gadgetry seems like overkill, then Firoenzato has still got you covered.

They sell a wide range of traditional coffee grinders, including:

Doser-grinders
Filter grinders
On-demand grinders
Retail/deli grinders

And while the company claims that every espresso is ‘a work of art’ the same could be said about the gorgeous stylings of their grinders. Floating somewhere between the Italy of old and contemporary silhouettes, these machines will add a touch of modern class to any café, hotel or restaurant.

So if you’re a forward thinking business who could do with an easy-to-use partner for your coffee machine, Fiorenzato has you sorted.

Anfim

Anfim hand build their grinders in the coffee mecca of Milan, Italy. Their range is fully aimed at espresso bars, so if you’re looking to get into the filter coffee game, you may want to look elsewhere.

Claiming to have the most ‘reliable dosers on the market’, they have embraced modern technology but have kept their heart in Italian traditionalism. These grinders showcase a technical know-how and passion for espresso while always keeping an eye on value for money.

Barista’s across the globe note that even under the stress of heavily frequented cafés, Anfim’s range of burrs and high-quality dosers will meet the demands of the modern espresso lover.

All grinders have Active Cool technology and stepless adjustments, giving you greater control over grind temperature and particle size, a key factor in Anfim’s mission to work directly in ‘the heart of good coffee’.

Make no mistake, these are premium commercial coffee grinders. Ranging in price from $2,000 to almost $4,000, they will always get the job done. They look beautiful, work quietly and ultimately – they realise Anfim’s dream of creating a grinder that’s considered a ‘love letter to espresso’.

Compak

Hailing from the sunny streets of Barcelona, Compak craft high-quality, barista-friendly grinders that are easy to use.

Found in cafés across 70 countries, these espresso certified commercial coffee grinders are built to ensure remarkable temperature stability and improved coffee particle size consistency. And thanks to their range of special high-yield steel burrs, you’ll never be left wanting for all the wonderful aromas and flavours of your blends or single origins.

Aiming for as little retention as possible, Compak grinders have introduced their own screwless burr technology which means no more stale coffee deep inside the grinder, and no more slightly off espresso shots. This also helps to reduce static and minimises clumping ‘shot after shot’.

All of this comes wrapped up in a lean, functional design. Large grind adjustment markings, and clear LCD screens on their premium models mean that even the greenest of baristas can get started on them in an instant.

Entry-mid level commercial coffee grinders

Mazzer

Handcrafted in Italy, these hardworking grinders feel right at home in just about any setting. With a brand focus on reliability and quality, your business won’t have to worry about its new grinder running out of steam and breaking down at the wrong moment. Ever.

With a longstanding commitment to engineering, Mazzer grinders are mechanically simple, easy to maintain and will stay strong in the busiest cafés for decades. With nothing more than a regular change of your burrs, you could very well have the same grinder in your venue until the day you decide to shut up shop.

Functionally, Mazzer’s commercial coffee grinders are simple to use, and any barista will be able to jump right in and start pulling brilliant shots. With its patented Memory Track System and efficient automatic dosers (optional) you’ll have a hard time not delivering the right amount of coffee every time.

As for style, the entire Mazzer range shares an unpretentious look that can fit in nicely at any café, restaurant or bar. Minimal design and well regarded logo mean that anybody who walks into your venue and sees these grinders knows they’re in good hands.

And what about the price tag?

Mazzer produces some of the best value for money commercial coffee grinders in the world today. With entry level models coming in at around $1200 new, there’s an option out there for even the freshest and smallest of new coffee businesses.

Macap

This Venice based company offers a great selection of products that include:

Traditional grinders
Instant grinders
Specialty grinders

Simplicity is the name of the game here. Macap produces a handful of machines that do what they do, well. There’s a distinct lack of special features and wizz bang gadgets to be found on their products.

But that shouldn’t scare you away. In fact, it works to their benefit. Their products make it easy to get the best out of your coffee. And baristas have noted that many of their machines ‘feel like an extension of themselves’.

For anybody looking for a sleek, minimalist design for their new coffee venture, these guys punch well above their weight. Clocking in at a reasonable price point of around $1500, and with a slim footprint to boot, they’ll make a welcome addition to an espresso bar or specialty coffee house.

Summary

All of these commercial coffee grinders are of an excellent quality, and you won’t go wrong with any of them. As long as you know what features you need, the amount of space you’re working with, and how much you can spend, all of these brands will have something to offer.

“Very fine control is essential for espresso; for filter coffee, a little more space between the settings is fine” - Market Lane Coffee

Commercial coffee grinder FAQs

What is the best commercial coffee grinder?

This depends entirely on your own needs. Some venues require absolute top of the line precision, others don’t. If your customers expect only the best, then you may want to pick up a Mahlkonig, Victoria Arduino or Mazzer. Just make sure that you get in touch with an expert to find out which grinder will work best for your business.

How often should you clean a commercial coffee grinder?

Commercial coffee grinders require a regular cleaning schedule so that they can operate at their best. Dusting off any loose grinds should be an every day practice. Wiping out the hopper and grinding chamber should happen once every one to two weeks. And a deep clean, where cleaning fluid is run through the grinder, should happen every 3-6 months. This will make sure no stale coffee is left behind, damaging both the grinder, and the quality of coffee it produces.

How often do I need to change the burrs on my commercial coffee grinder?

Each coffee grinder comes with a recommendation from the manufacturer of how long the burrs will last. These should be taken with a grain of salt. If your coffee grinds are becoming inconsistent and your brews aren’t as good as they should be, it might be time for a change. Have a look at:

Your grind particle size
How sharp or dull the burrs are
Espresso shot times - are they inconsistent?
Are your espresso shots tasting dull no matter what?

Checking in regularly with these parts of the grind process will give you a clearer sense of when it might be time for change.

How do I adjust the grind size on a commercial coffee grinder?

To find the right grind size, adjust your dial in small increments. By monitoring your grind setting regularly, you’ll never have to adjust more than a couple of millimetres. If all other factors remain equal (dose, tamp, water temperature), adjusting your grind size by around three millimetres either way (coarser/finer) will alter your espresso shot time by roughly 3 - 5 seconds.

How do I program my commercial coffee grinder?

This depends entirely on the commercial coffee grinder you decide to purchase. Some grinders use simple dials with very little modern technology, while others are highly advanced with LCD screens, temperature control and the ability to save specific settings. Your best bet is to talk to your local dealer or directly with the manufacturer about each grinder’s own programming requirements.

Thanks for reading our Commercial Coffee Grinder Buyer's Guide

This guide has hopefully helped you understand what to look for, so you can narrow down your decision about what really is the best commercial coffee grinder for you.

If you’d like the advice and guidance of a professional, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at SilverChef – we have dedicated coffee industry experts available to support you.

Prefer to dive straight in and start looking at the commercial coffee grinders available from our Certified Used team? Shop our range of commercial coffee grinders.

Want to know about finance options and what your rental payments could be? Find out more about Rent-Try-Buy® and Lease-to-Keep™.