Efficient coffee grinding and brewing are the pillars of a good cafe. Customers should be able to get their choice of brew quickly and at the best quality. Any respectable cafe with a good footfall will want quick coffee grinding matched to specific texture requirements. That’s where the best commercial coffee grinder comes into play.
Fast, convenient grinding and the ability to change the texture/grind-size quickly are important aspects. Reliable operation for a long time is as important.
Finally, there’s the ability to meet the requirements of the cafe. Different commercial establishments have varying requirements and expectations from their appliances/equipment. So, the top pick can vary. Let’s take a look at some high-quality grinders to see where we land!
Top Commercial Coffee Grinders To Consider
- Bunn Commercial Coffee Grinder (Bulk Coffee Grinder 22100.0000 G3 HD)
- Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Espresso Coffee Grinder
- Nuova Simonelli MYTHOS Espresso Grinder 75mm Titanium Burrs
- Rancilio MD 40 ST MD Coffee Grinder semi-automatic
- Mazzer Major Electronic Grinder
- Mahlkonig EK43 Coffee Grinder
- Baratza Forte BG (Brew Grinder) Flat Steel Burr Commercial Coffee Grinder
Editor’s Choice: Bunn Commercial Coffee Grinder
Bunn Commercial Coffee Grinder is an easy to use grinder that works relatively fast and provides great results. Its cost sits in a comfortable range for commercial grinders.
Bunn Coffee Grinder 22100.0000 G3 HD has an encouraging speed, with the capability of grinding a pound of beans in just 30 seconds. An easy-to-operate dial is available for grind-size adjustments on the fly.
Top Commercial Grinders On The Market Reviewed
1. Bunn Commercial Coffee Grinder (Bulk Coffee Grinder 22100.0000 G3 HD)
An excellent price range and dependable performance make this our top choice as a commercial coffee grinder. BUNN Bulk Coffee Grinder 22100.0000 G3 HD often finds acceptance with home users as well. Its commercial and home-use success is largely due to the grinder being rugged and dependable.
This is a flat-burr grinder capable of handling high volumes. The performance claim goes on to say that it can handle a pound of coffee beans in just 30 seconds. That number stands true for coarser grinds, like when this is used as a coffee grinder for French press.
Medium grind for drip coffee or pour over coffee takes longer – about 45 seconds. Espresso takes even more time. Even so, the numbers are undoubtedly impressive.
A dial/knob placed at the front of the machine is used to choose the grind size. There aren’t many grind-size options, so there isn’t much of fine-tuning involved here. Bunn’s Bulk Grinder isn’t a pick for someone who wants very fine control over their grind size. Although the available options do cover most requirements.
One thing to know about this machine: it’s noisy. Like, LOUD. Once you turn this coffee grinder on, it’s likely you won’t hear anything while the machine is running. Thankfully, its speed means the noise doesn’t last long.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Fast grinding – can grind one pound coffee beans in about 30 seconds
- Easy to use, intuitive controls
Cons
- Can be very noisy
2. Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Espresso Coffee Grinder
Rancilio is well-known for its quality espresso machines. I suppose it makes perfect sense for the brand to have coffee grinders aimed for espresso use. Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Espresso Coffee Grinder is excellent for a small shop that expects low customer traffic. Given its low price point, it is easily affordable for home use as well.
Rocky SD claims to convert 7.7 lbs of coffee beans per hour into a fine ground suitable for espresso. The tinted hopper has a capacity of 0.65 lbs. Its tint is intended to keep coffee beans safe from the effects of light.
The machine prefers to empty its grinds directly into a portafilter, though you could use other containers too. A removable fork keeps the portafilter in place during grinding.
Rancilio Rocky SD uses 50mm commercial grinding burrs, draws power from a 166 Watt direct-drive motor, and moves at 1725 RPM. While the machine presents itself as an espresso grinder, it allows settings for other grind levels as well.
The preferred grind size can be achieved by unlocking a lever and spinning the bean hopper. As you move the bean hopper, a scale at its base will let you know how coarse (or fine) the grind is going to be.
Pros
- Low price point makes it useful for commercial and home use
- Powerful and large metallic burr grinders
- Acceptable speed for grinding espresso
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not suitable for establishments with busy footfall
- Chute design needs improvement – risks being clogged while grinding oily beans
3. Nuova Simonelli MYTHOS Espresso Grinder 75mm Titanium Burrs
Nuova Simonelli is a well-known name in the commercial coffee business. Several of their offerings feature amongst the best commercial espresso machines. So it’s no wonder they’ve got a good thing going with coffee grinders as well.
Mythos series of grinders come with a range of features and varying price tags. However, all of them have those reliable 75mm Titanium burrs that give coffee beans an excellent grind. These machines also need professional installation and setup. Nuova Simonelli MYTHOS includes three machines:
The latter is the top-of-the-line offering for this series. It offers quite a range of features, including temperature-controlled burrs, LED-illuminated workplace, clump crusher tech, LCD display, and a lot more.
Most importantly, Micrometric Grind Adjustment feature allows the adjustment of grinding precisely to your preference. Nuova Simonelli Mythos Clima Pro is pretty much the best commercial espresso grinder.
The other models offer a similar set of features, though they’re at a lower price and lack some features. For example, Mythos Plus includes a built-in tamper.
Each of these machines is capable of grinding large volumes of coffee beans in a relatively short time. A large range of features makes them a great pick. Plus, the ability to (very) precisely adjust grind size is a big plus.
Mythos grinders are a great pick and pretty much offer everything to be expected from commercial coffee grinders. They also tend to be somewhat expensive, but the price is reasonable for these high-quality machines.
Pros
- 75 mm Titanium burrs offer great quality and grind quality
- Very precise grind-size adjustment
- Fairly quick grinding
Cons
- Mythos machines require professional setup
- The LCD isn’t intuitive
See pricing and buying options
4. Rancilio MD 40 ST MD Coffee Grinder semi-automatic
Rancilio MD 40 ST MD Coffee Grinder semi-automatic is the more commercially-suited sibling of the Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky. While the feature-set of these machines is similar, they differ in performance and usability.
Hardened steel burrs sit in cast metal mountings and can grind the beans precisely to user requirements. The burrs are backed by a powerful 140 Watt motor that doesn’t concentrate on RPM, but goes slow to avoid heating the beans during grinding.
The machine grinds 7.7 lbs of coffee beans per hour. That’s the same as the Rocky-SD, but this one’s more robust and can better manage its temperature. Of course, it can’t compete with the Nuova Simonelli MYTHOS, but the Rancilio MD 40 ST is good enough for a place with a light to medium footfall.
This one also handles the coffee grounds better. They’re moved to a different chamber from the grinding chamber and are easily emptied into a portafilter or other container.
Rancilio MD 40 ST is far more expensive than the Rancilio Rocky-SD, even if they have similar looks. That’s because this machine is more serious about its job as a commercial coffee grinder.
Pros
- Hardened steel 50mm burrs
- Powerful motor
- Burrs move slow enough to avoid overheating
- Easy to use
- Doser can be adjusted to deliver 5 or 10 grams of grounds per pull
Cons
- Relatively slow compared to commercial grinders in a similar price range
- Works exclusively as an espresso grinder
5. Mazzer Major Electronic Grinder
A well-regarded name in the world of grinders, Mazzer has some real skill to show. These grinders work with massive 83mm stainless steel flat burrs that are great for grinding coffee the way it’s supposed to be! The blade speed is just 1600 RPM, so it goes slow and steady at grinding without overheating the beans.
Mazzer Major Electronic Grinder allows micro-metrical grind adjustment, so it’s easy to get the grind-size of your choice. Made for use in coffee shops, the Mazzer uses a doser to dispense 5.5g to 8.0g as required. Its digital display also keeps a shot counter to keep track of the amount of coffee consumed. Certainly a good choice for coffee shops.
The grinder is suitable for medium to large coffee shops and can keep a steady stream of finely ground coffee going for your espresso needs.
Pros
- 83mm stainless steel flat burrs
- Good grind speed and quality
- Doser dispenses precise amounts and can keep count
Cons
- Can get very noisy
6. Mahlkonig EK43 Coffee Grinder
Another big name in coffee grinding, this is the machine you want when you’re dealing with high-traffic. Mahlkonig EK43 Coffee Grinder is so fast, the bottleneck is more likely to be espresso or coffee production, rather than grinding.
It’s great for coffee shops that want quick and easy grinding. Mahlkonig EK43 is also fairly useful for artisan roasters and other small coffee businesses that may require grinding large batches of coffee. This high-quality coffee grinder could work as easily as an industrial coffee grinder, given its high throughput.
EK43 has 98mm steel flat burrs that do a remarkable job of grinding coffee to the right texture coarseness. Stepless adjustment allows 11 grinding positions for this machine, going from very fine Turkish grind to coarse French press or cold brew.
The burrs move slow enough to avoid overheating, but the large size allows fast grinding. Mahlkonig EK43 Coffee Grinder delivers 21-25 grams of ground coffee per second or 2.8-3.4 pounds per minute. Now those are serious numbers for a fast commercial coffee grinding solution!
Pros
- 98mm steel flat burrs
- Robust and dependable coffee grinder
- Can handle high speeds: 2.8-3.4 pounds coffee grounds per minute
- Has 11 grind size settings
- Can work with other items, including spices
Cons
- Expensive
- Noisy
7. Baratza Forte BG (Brew Grinder) Flat Steel Burr Commercial Coffee Grinder
Baratza is the name when buying grinders for home use. The range extends to commercial coffee grinders as well, and it makes perfect sense for Baratza to be represented here. Baratza Forte BG (Brew Grinder) Flat Steel Burr Commercial Coffee Grinder is quite a pick.
Grinding duties here are handled by 54mm steel flat burrs. It goes for a consistent grind quality and can deliver 5 lbs of coffee grounds per day. Going by other entries on this list, that’s not close to being an impressive number. However, it can be good enough for a large number of coffee shops or cafes.
What really sells this machine is the granular control and ease of use it offers to the user. A large screen at the front lets you manage various features and set your favored options. These include choosing from 260 grind settings. I’d say that’s excessive, but hey, whatever works, right?
Ground beans move to a container that sits on an electronic scale to deliver accurate measurement of the amount of coffee grinds available. Good design and ease of use make this a very useful commercial grinder, even though the overall capacity is lower than its competition.
Pros
- 54mm steel flat burrs
- Easy to use machine with large control panel
- Electronic scale to weigh coffee grounds
- Choose from 260 grind settings
Cons
- Relatively lower capacity (5 lbs/day)
Your Guide To Commercial Coffee Grinders
Burr Grinders Or Heavy Duty Blade Grinders?
The answer for coffee is burr grinders. We want a consistent grind size and that’s exactly what burr grinders deliver. Blade grinders can’t deliver a consistent grind size and you’re very likely to be left with a combination of fine grind and very coarse grind.
Burr Material And Heating Problems
The two most widely used materials for making burrs are stainless steel and ceramic. Though as we see in this list, some other materials (like titanium) may be used as well. There are benefits and negatives of using each of these materials.
Stainless steel can get hot while grinding. In a commercial setting where you’re using the machine often and grinding large quantities, this problem is multiplied. As the metal gets hot, it can char or otherwise damage the coffee beans.
Grinders usually deal with this problem by including fans to cool down the metallic burrs. Often, larger burrs are used so that the greater surface area offers quicker cooling. Larger burrs also offer the advantage of quicker grinding. Another technique is employing lower RPM so the slow-moving burrs don’t get hot quickly.
Overall, there are various levels of effectiveness of these techniques. However, steel also has a relatively longer life and can be fairly consistent.
Ceramic doesn’t have heating problems, which gives it an edge over steel. Ceramic blades are also likely to retain their edge for a longer time. However, they have a higher initial cost, which works against them. In long term use, ceramics require less maintenance than steel, but the initial cost curve seems too much to overcome.
Another problem is that ceramic has a greater risk of breaking. The threat of the more expensive blade also being at the risk of breaking drives people off pretty quickly.
Best Commercial Espresso Grinder
Espresso grinders deserve special attention – and they do get special attention from commercial grinders. Fine grind required for espresso can slow things a bit. And the quality requirements also put a greater focus.
Best commercial espresso grinders often choose to move their burrs at a lower rpm to avoid overheating of the burrs. Also, temperature management options like fans may be used to keep the temperature under control. Many modern grinders include dosers to dispense espresso grinds in the right quantity.
Consider Your Business And Footfall
The key to getting a commercial coffee grinder is that it should be able to handle your customer expectations and expected customer volume. Think of the highest number of customers that are likely to be present in your shop, and choose a grinder that can serve them.
The rush hour is your guide. Your grinder should be able to handle this traffic without a problem. Prepare before you hit the massive footfall.
FAQs For The Best Commercial Coffee Grinder
Are burr grinders really better?
Yes. It is one of the few things people working with coffee (and those who love coffee) can all agree on. Burr grinders are better than blade grinders and are well worth the extra expense. Burr grinders are better at maintaining the flavor, aroma, consistency, uniformity, and overall quality of the coffee.
You can easily work with burr grinders to set grind size for the coffee beans and get consistent results. Blade grinders cannot give consistent results and will result in non-uniform grind sizes.
Do burr grinders wear out?
Burr grinders last a very long time, but they will eventually wear out. Often, the threshold goes for 750-1000 lbs of coffee beans ground before the burrs wear out. It’s a fairly comfortable number and for most users, it will be a long time before the burrs need replacing. Better maintenance and better quality burrs can push up these numbers further.
The Coffee Grinder That Your Business Needs
When choosing a grinder, look at the amount of coffee grounds you want per day, but give special consideration to the rush hour. While this is especially relevant to cafes and coffee shops, it’s as relevant for artisanal roasters and other businesses as well. Coffee grinders for espresso need special consideration and greater attention.
Our top choice for the best commercial coffee grinder is the Bunn Bulk Coffee Grinder. Those looking for espresso goodness can consider Nuova Simonelli MYTHOS Espresso Grinder. A well-priced pick for home use as well as for small commercial settings is the Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Espresso Coffee Grinder.