KitchenAid Burr Grinder Review: Almost an All-Rounder for Grinding Your Coffee Beans

I’ve been meaning to write a KitchenAid burr grinder review for quite some time. So, I recently jumped on Amazon and bought one to test out. I must say that I’m really glad I did, seeing as the KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder is now a permanent fixture in my home.

Let’s just say that if you’re in the market for a solid burr coffee grinder that’ll deliver consistent results every time, you might want to keep reading. Plus, you aren’t going to have to break the bank to afford one of these babies.

Sounds too good to be true? Well get this: the KitchenAid coffee grinder is advertised as being suitable for all preparation methods, including espresso. OK, that’s enough teasing. Let’s get down to business!

KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder Review Overview

It’s quite difficult for me to choose clear winners in my guide to the best coffee grinders. Because the best grinder for espresso doesn’t necessarily have to be the best choice for French press or pour-over grind settings. The incredible Rancilio Rocky is a prime example.

Listen, not everyone needs a professional appliance with stepless grinding and all the bells and whistles. In fact, even affordable entry-level models often have a lot going for them.

Ultimately, even though I try to objectively evaluate a grinder, my gut feelings play a significant role in my overall rating.

With that in mind, the KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder didn’t immediately strike me as being something I’d like. Sure, its $139.95 price tag didn’t give me a stomach ache, but something about the way it looks made me suspicious.

However, during my KitchenAid coffee grinder review I was pleasantly surprised by its ease of use, grinding results and overall performance. In fact, the KitchenAid grinder now lives on my kitchen counter. At least for the time being.

Here’s a quick look at what we’re dealing with:

KitchenAid markets this grinder as an all-rounder that’s suitable for everything from espresso to French press. However, we know from experience that a grinder rarely delivers on that promise.

Still, I’ve lately been pleasantly surprised by a couple of affordable models that really can do it all. The awesome Fellow Opus immediately springs to mind. A little later I’ll let you know whether or not the KitchenAid can compete in this regard.

Ultimately, the KitchenAid grinder is going to appeal to an entry-level audience. I’m thinking of someone who has just bought a home espresso machine or drip coffee maker and wants a decent first burr coffee grinder.

KitchenAid Coffee Bean Grinder Features

Let’s keep the ball rolling in this KitchenAid coffee grinder review by looking at the features that set it apart from the competition.

Size and Design

Whenever I think of KitchenAid, I can’t help imagining those high-end stand mixers that get baking fans all weak in the knees. However, as I already mentioned, the manufacturer’s coffee grinder doesn’t have the same visual appeal. In fact, it looks a whole lot less professional than its similarly priced competitors.

That said, I found the KitchenAid grinder to be really well-made and durable, despite all the plastic in its construction. Thanks to its substantial weight, the grinder felt nice and solid sitting on my counter, and I was able to press buttons and make adjustments without the thing moving around.

As you can see, I tested the Matte Black model during my KitchenAid coffee grinder review. However, there are a few other colors to choose from:

At the time of writing, you’ll pay the same amount for all of these. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more popular colors increase in price over time.

Bean Hopper

The KitchenAid burr coffee grinder is equipped with a generous 12 ounce (340 gram) bean hopper. That’s all very well, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving your coffee beans in there for more than a couple of days.

For starters, the hopper isn’t really UV-tinted, or if it is, the coating is barely noticeable. What’s more, I wouldn’t trust the bean hopper’s lid to be fully airtight. With that in mind, make sure to get hold of a decent coffee storage container – it’s the only way to go!

Incidentally, the bean hopper is super easy to remove when you want to switch out your beans or give it a good cleaning. My only complaint is that the plastic feels rather flimsy, so I’d be careful as you’re removing or reinstalling it.

KitchenAid Burr Grinder Settings: Stainless Steel Conical Burrs

The stainless steel conical burrs performed admirably during my KitchenAid coffee grinder review. I’ll go into a little more detail later. For now, though, I’ll say that having a whopping 70 grind adjustment settings is a real bonus.

What’s more, you have the option to expand your grinding range by using the micro-adjustment latch on the upper burr. While this is a cool feature to have, most users probably won’t ever need to take advantage of it.

What’s more important is that removing the upper burr is a piece of cake, so maintaining the grinder and keeping the burrs free of dust and coffee buildup won’t feel like a chore.

User Interface

An intuitive display is an advantage on any device, even if I could easily cope with the KItchenAid coffee grinder without it. The digital screen shows the grind size, the programmed dose and the grinding time in seconds. You’re able to adjust the time in 0.2 second increments, as well as program the time setting for each dose amount. So far, so good.

When it comes to adjusting the grind, it’s complete amateur hour. Sure, physically adjusting the grind using the collar is easy. But instead of doing what literally every other manufacturer does and using smaller numbers to denote finer grind size, KitchenAid decided to go rogue.

So, as the grind size number on the display increases, the actual grind size decreases.

As you might imagine, this is needlessly confusing, especially if you’ve used literally any other coffee grinder on earth. I don’t know who signed off on this, but I’d like to ask them a few questions. Still, I guess at least the KitchenAid grinder keeps you on your toes!

Dosing

As I just mentioned, the KitchenAid employs timed dosing, which is a real plus. Still, you’ll want to use a coffee scale as you’re setting the time for any given portion size. And remember that you’ll need to recalibrate when you switch to different coffee beans.

When you’re grinding for espresso, you can take advantage of the detachable portafilter cradle which is compatible with both 54mm and 58mm portafilters. While that’s really handy, the manufacturer hasn’t added a grind-on-demand contact switch, so you’ll have to start grinding by hand. That’s not a huge deal, but it reinforces the idea that this grinder isn’t quite up to snuff for serious espresso preparation.

For all other brewing methods, there’s a very nice grounds collection container that fits seamlessly into place. I’ll discuss its merits a little later.

How to Use the KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder

Getting to grips with the KitchenAid coffee grinder might take a little time, especially if you’re used to a different burr grinder. Still, the KitchenAid is remarkably intuitive (apart from the back-to-front adjustment settings) and you’ll be up and running in no time.

Start by rinsing the bean hopper and collection container, before drying them thoroughly. Then, plug in the grinder and add freshly roasted coffee beans to the hopper.

After setting your grind size, use the dose selection dial on the side of the grinder to set the amount of ground coffee. You’ll also see the respective grind time displayed. At this point, you can adjust the time by moving the collar underneath the user interface.

Next, it’s simply a case of hitting the Start/Stop button to initiate grinding.

As I mentioned earlier, you can easily program the grinder. Still, I’ll leave it to the user manual to explain how that’s done.

My Observations

As I’ve said elsewhere, in my opinion, it doesn’t matter if a grinder has conical burrs or flat burrs. As long as no blades come into play, everything is fine in terms of grind consistency.

Take a couple of my favorites, the Baratza Sette 270Wi and the Eureka Mignon Silenzio, for example. The former is equipped with conical burrs, while the latter has disc burrs. And both deliver exceptionally precise and consistent results for espresso.

Let me make this clear: the KitchenAid coffee grinder produces fairly convincing ground coffee for espresso. That said, the thing obviously struggles at the finer end of the spectrum, making a lot of noise and creating more heat than it should. And that’s less than ideal in terms of aroma preservation.

However, when grinding for a Chemex or drip machine, the KitchenAid works more quickly and efficiently. I’d say that as a filter coffee grinder, the KitchenAid performs like a champ. And that’s why it’s still in my kitchen, sitting right next to my beloved Moccamaster.

Moving on, you benefit from two things that often annoy me about other entry-level grinders:

Finally, given that this is a grinder with stainless steel burrs encased in plastic housing, its operating volume is really pleasant. We’re talking about 72 decibels, but you don’t “hear” them in that screechy annoying way. This is another reason why I now use the grinder on a daily basis for my morning cup of joe.

How to Clean the KitchenAid Coffee

Cleaning and maintaining the KitchenAid coffee grinder is as easy as could be. The main thing to take care of is brushing the burrs to keep them free of coffee oil and dust.

When you take the grinder apart for the first time after a week’s use and reach for the enclosed brush, you’ll notice how little coffee residue is hanging out inside. Like I said, the anti-static technology really works.

Where coffee grinds practically always stick to the sides or on the lid on other collection containers, everything slips easily to the bottom here. Seriously, the material is as smooth as glass.

Theoretically, you could pre-grind beans and store them in the very secure lidded container. But that isn’t the way to store coffee. Then we could put the removable bean hopper and beans in the cupboard. Of course, no one does.

In general, it is not an issue to get to the burrs and vacuum or brush them regularly. Here, as always, you should be careful not to cut yourself!

KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder Specifications

	KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder
Manufacturer	KitchenAid
Name	Burr Coffee Grinder KCG8433
Type	Electric coffee grinder
Grinder	Stainless steel conical burrs
Grind levels	70
Power	150 watt
Voltage	120 volt
Weight	6.0 lb / 2.7 kg
Dimensions	15.0 x 5.0 x 8.3 in / 38.1 x 12.7 x 21.0 cm
Suitable for	Espresso, moka pot, AeroPress, pour over, drip machines, French press
Accessories	User manual, grounds container with lid, portafilter cradle, cleaning brush
Current price on Amazon	$139.95

KitchenAid Coffee Grinder vs Baratza Encore

Thus far, I don’t think I’ve mentioned the Baratza Encore even once in this KitchenAid coffee grinder review. Still, I’m fully aware that lots of you want to know how the two compare. After all, the Encore has achieved legendary status in the entry-level grinder segment, not least because it performs so consistently.

To be honest, I’m a huge fan of the Encore. However, as I’ve already mentioned a couple of times, the KitchenAid now sits proudly on my kitchen counter.

With that said, the Baratza Encore will continue to sell like hot cakes thanks to its suitability for just about every preparation method other than espresso. Plus, its $149.95 doesn’t hurt its popularity any. Interestingly enough, the Seattle-based manufacturer just released the updated Baratza Encore ESP, which sells for around 50 bucks more. Check out my review if you want to learn more about what’s happening there.

See Also: Baratza Encore Review 2024

KitchenAid Coffee Grinder vs Baratza Encore Comparison Chart

	KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder	Baratza Encore
Manufacturer	KitchenAid	Baratza
Name	Burr Coffee Grinder KCG8433	Encore
Type	Electric coffee grinder	Electric coffee grinder
Grinder	Stainless steel conical burrs	Stainless steel conical burrs
Grind levels	70	40
Power	150 watt	240 watt
Voltage	120 volt	110 volt
Weight	6.0 lb / 2.7 kg	6.8 lb / 3.0 kg
Dimensions	15.0 x 5.0 x 8.3 in / 38.1 x 12.7 x 21.0 cm	13.8 x 4.7 x 6.3 in / 35.0 x 12.0 x 16.0 cm
Suitable for	Espresso, moka pot, AeroPress, pour over, drip machines, French press	French press, AeroPress, Chemex, cold brew
Accessories	User manual, grounds container with lid, portafilter cradle, cleaning brush	User manual, grounds container with lid, cleaning brush
Current price on Amazon	$139.95	$149.95

Verdict: KitchenAid Coffee Grinder Review

At the time of writing this KitchenAid coffee grinder review, the asking price makes it extremely competitive, especially in comparison with grinders like the Baratza Encore ESP, Fellow Opus and Breville Smart Grinder Pro.

Clearly, the KitchenAid offers more functions than the original Baratza Encore, as well as solid construction, a wider range of grind settings and outstanding performance.

Having put the thing through its paces, I can say the KitchenAid is a fantastic option for those looking to invest in a grinder that’s significantly better than most at this price-point.

Still, like most other grinders promising an all-round solution for every brewing method, the KitchenAid is clearly oriented in one main direction. And in this case, it’s toward the coarser end of things.