Can there even be a real battle between entry-level burr grinders? We can assure you that there can be, and the Capresso Infinity and the Bodum Bistro give you different grinding perks at a budget. The Infinity is simpler on the outside, but it is durable and with an intelligent motor. The Bodum Bistro, on the other hand gives you grinding guidance and a stepless grinding scale. It’s Bodum Bistro vs Capresso Infinity time, so let’s learn more about these two electric grinders.
Article summary
Bodum Bistro
Key features:
- An electric grinder
- 12 grind settings
- Stainless steel conical burrs
- Timer
- A 7.75-ounce bean hopper
- Borosilicate glass coffee collector with silicone lid
- Available in multiple colors
Pros
Intuitive from bottom to top
Comes in many colors, meaning that you can pick your favorite
Uses a friction clutch technology that makes the grinding gear be more durable and perform well
The borosilicate coffee collector is user-friendly and no-slip with the rubber band around it
Grinding is time-based and started by a timer for more accurate coffee quantities
Cons
Loud when operating
In spite of the static-free glass of the hopper and the grinds container, there is still static electricity
Grinds fast and produces more heat that reduces the natural aroma and flavor of the coffee
Durability issues
Capresso Infinity 565.05
Key features:
- Stainless steel housing
- Stainless steel conical burrs
- 8.8-ounce bean hopper
- Plastic static-free coffee collector
- 16 grind settings
- Electronic timer
Pros
Operates really quietly thanks to the slow-rotating motor
Preserves the aroma of the beans with the slower motor that doesn’t let a lot of heat to build up while the grinder grinds
A large bean hopper and 16 grind settings for greater flexibility and convenience when you’re making coffee
Grinds very consistently
A durable, stainless steel housing
Cons
This model of Capresso Infinity comes in one color only — stainless steel
Our pick: The Capresso 565.05 Infinity
The Bodum Bistro is fun, but the Capresso 565.05 Infinity is a durable stainless steel grinder and it has a motor that rotates slowly to not heat up the beans and destroy their aroma and flavor. The grinder also has a bean hopper with a capacity larger than that of the Bodum Bistro.
About the Bodum Bistro
The Bodum Bistro is a nice electric entry-level grinder that has 12 stepless grinding settings, which means that you can fine-tune your grind between settings. The grinder does a good job grinding coffee for French press, pour-over, and other brew methods that require coffee to be ground coarser. There’s a good chance that it can grind you coffee for espresso machines as well, but only if they are low-end.
In terms of its design, the Bodum Bistro is made of plastic, but with both the hopper and the coffee container made of borosilicate glass to reduce static electricity. We find it interesting that the grinder has a mechanism that reduces friction between the conical stainless steel burrs as well; this makes for smoother grinding!
The Bodum Bistro comes with a silicone lid for the hopper that has an engraved grinding guide. This grinding guide tells you what the relation between the seconds on the grinder’s timer and the cups of coffee is, which is really useful if you don’t want to go through the entire guess game of finding that out. Marked as well are different brew methods so that you can grind accurately depending on them! There’s, furthermore, a nice rubber band around the coffee collector— a nice touch for an easier grip and slip prevention. What a user-friendly grinder!
Coming in multiple colors, the Bodum Bistro is a nice choice for anyone who’d like to see a grinder in red, black, white, or some interesting copper nuance.
If you’re in the search for a pretty-looking, user-friendly grinder, this one is a good choice.
About the Capresso 565.05 Infinity
When it comes to the Capresso 565.05 Infinity, you’re getting an intelligent grinding machine in a compact stainless steel body. This is an electric, conical burr grinder with solid burrs made of solid steel, and in between the burrs is where the magic happens.
As soon as you turn the knob for the timer of the Capresso Infinity, the beans in its 8.8-ounce plastic hopper begin to turn into coffee grounds. The 565.05 Infinity doesn’t grind like other grinders in the market, however, and this has to do with the grinder’s motor. This motor rotates slowly, which translates into less heat that could impact the aroma of the beans. That said, the grinder will not only start fresh with fresh coffee beans— it will give you fresh coffee grounds as a result as well.
Because the motor turns slowly, the grinder is also much quieter than a lot of other grinders in its class— a nice thing to have in mind if you have a lot of sleepy heads in your home which you wouldn’t want to wake up while grinding.
The Capresso 565.05 Infinity is a beautiful option for grinding coffee coarser or finer. Espresso? Well, yes, but if you’re using an entry-level espresso machine and pressurized filter baskets, which is understandable for an entry-level class grinder. With its 16 grind settings and the little static build-up on the hopper and the coffee collector, however, you can count on the Infinity for the best entry-level grinding experience.
What we most like about the Capresso 565.05 Infinity is that it’s durable and with a way worthy motor— two very important things to consider when picking a grinder.
Similarities between the Bodum Bistro and the Capresso Infinity
Both the Bodum Bistro and the Capresso 565.05 Infinity are electric, not manual, and use conical steel burrs to grind coffee. They are both compact and follow the classic design of an entry-level grinder, with a bean hopper on the top and a coffee collector at the bottom. The two grinders also have timers, multiple grind settings, and are made of materials that qualify them as static-free. All these features make them an easy way from fresh coffee beans to a cup of good coffee.
Differences between the Bodum Bistro and the Capresso Infinity
In spite of the similarities, the differences between the grinders are far more noticeable, even at first sight. While the Bodum Bistro has a silicone lid and a rubber band for its user-friendly coffee collector, the lid of the Capresso 565.05 is made of plastic and the design of its coffee collector is simpler.
Like its lid, both the hopper and the coffee collector of the Infinity are made of plastic in comparison to the hopper and the coffee collector of the Bistro which are made of borosilicate glass. The glass components of the Bodum Bistro aren’t, however, as static-free as they’re advertised, and they are more prone to breaking, putting the whole durability of the grinder in question.
While the Capresso 565.05 Infinity has a motor that rotates at less than 450 RPM, the motor of the Bodum Bistro turns fast, heating up the coffee beans as it grinds and sacrificing their aroma and flavor. In this case, even the friction clutch that is part of the design of the motor of the Bodum Bistro is not enough to give you coffee grounds as fresh as the Capresso 565.05 Infinity can.
The Infinity, furthermore, has a larger 8.8-ounce hopper. When it comes to the Bodum Bistro, the grinder has a 7.75-ounce hopper, which is smaller than the one of the 565.05 Infinity. The Bistro, however, has some other things that make it an interesting choice, like the grind stop button and the lid with the engraved grind guide.
Still, even though the Bodum Bistro is interesting, it just doesn’t meet the quality, quietness, and durability of the Capresso 565.05 Infinity. It might come in more colors, but a stainless steel housing and a slow, quiet motor do make the Infinity a better choice.
Which one should you go with?
Go with the Capresso 565.05 Infinity if you want to have a quiet grinder that will preserve the aroma and flavor of your coffee beans and last for long! If you want a grinder that is a bit lacking on durability and flavor preservation, but teaches you how to grind your coffee for different brew methods and quantities, you can go with the Bodum Bistro. We do think, however, that the Infinity comes with a quality rarely found in its class.