Begin with the burr
Burrs are usually treated like commodity items – functional and standardized. They’re tucked away inside the grinder, rarely celebrated, seldom questioned. But what if the burr geometry held the key to unlocking hidden taste potential, something roast curves or brew methods can’t fully reveal?
For over a decade, Comandante® founder Bernd Braune has been working on innovative concepts for conical burr sets. At our Bavarian Burr Lab, our engineers have been pushing the boundaries of machining technology and developing pioneering tooling to achieve them.
Lab Series gives you more freedom to experiment and explore flavor possibilities. Global brewing styles and taste preferences are subjective and, like coffee itself, wonderfully diverse. Embrace this diversity, confidently explore what tastes best to you, and enjoy not just the result, but also the journey getting there.
Also In the box:
- 1 × Crank with oak knob, lacquered black*
- 1 × Polymer Bean Jar, transparent
- 1 × Glass Bean Jar, dark, with lid
- 1 × Comandante® Wrist Band, small
- 1 × Merino wool felt mat
See Burr information below:
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NITRO BLADE BURR
Original Game Changer
"Back in 2005, I started my small specialty coffee roastery – drawn in by the incredible flavors and outstanding cup qualities that specialty coffee had to offer. Those early years were filled with roasting, cupping, and traveling to connect directly with producers at origin.
Roasting and brewing in the field was manageable. But precise grinding – the key to truly tasting and deciding on a coffee – was the real challenge.
None of the hand grinders I tried gave me the clarity or consistency needed. I kept dreaming of EK43-level performance in a compact format I could carry deep into the mountains. I just needed a grind I could trust.
Most conical burrs at the time were designed for electric grinders. Nobody had really considered what a manually operated precision burr would require: superb grind quality, smooth torque, comfortable ergonomics, clean particle distribution – and ultimately, absolute taste clarity.
Then came Cup of Excellence. It shifted the coffee world’s focus toward extraordinary cup quality and flavor expression.
The bar was rising. This new era of specialty coffee needed a grinder with a true specialty burr to match.
So I started building one. And after years of prototyping, testing, and investing in serious lab equipment, it finally came together. In 2015, I launched my first Nitro Blade® based hand grinder: the Comandante® C40 Mk3. I handed a few early prototypes to friends – who soon went on to win major brew competitions. Nitro Blade® quickly earned its reputation as the Original Game Changer.
Ten years later, Nitro Blade® is still the gold standard. Built to last, engineered for clarity, and trusted by champions and home brewers alike.
I’m so glad you’ve got one in your hands now. Welcome to the journey, and to a community that truly loves great coffee and fine craftsmanship. Enjoy every cup!"
– Bernd Braune, Founder
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HAMMER HEAD BURR
"A completely new burr geometry for just one type of coffee? Sounds a little crazy.
It all started with a tiny lot of Yellow Pacamara beans from my old friend Erwin. They had a rare, uniquely vibrant taste – dense, floral, juicy, velvety complex – but only if you hit the grind just right.
So I asked myself: What if there were a burr geometry tailored specifically to unlock the full character of these exceptional beans?
A wild idea? Absolutely. But when you’ve got a fully equipped burr lab and CNC machine, and the freedom to explore, you just do it. Because you can.
What emerged was Hammerhead®: a burr forged with a distinctive Hexagonal Block Blade geometry, inspired by the iconic shape of the hammerhead shark. It’s engineered to handle the size and density of larger beans like Pacamara with remarkable precision, elevating their full-bodied sweetness and fruitforward complexity.
Ohhh, I love Yellow Pacamara. And I love my Hammerhead® burr.
Over the years I kept refining it – tweaking geometry, teeth, and angles – until it performed beautifully across a wide range of coffee types.
Today, this funky-looking thing is a versatile, high-performance burr that delivers outstanding grind quality – whether you’re brewing a chunky Pacamara, a petite heirloom, or anything in between. It embodies the precision and performance that define Comandante®.
What began as something personal and experimental became too good to keep to myself. If you love it dense and juicy, with defined fruit clarity and structured sweetness, Hammerhead® might just be the perfect match.”
– Bernd Braune, Founder
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TIGER SHARK BURR
“I’ve always believed that burrs are more than just tools for grinding coffee—they’re precision instruments, capable of so much more than we give them credit for. Most people think about burrs in terms of espresso or filter coffee. But what happens when you push the limits? When you take them into the wild, on expeditions, and need them to do more? That’s how TIGERSHARK® was born.
It all started with light-roasted coffee beans. Their higher density bio-substance and their reduced brittleness change the way they fracture during grinding. They make it hard for traditional burr geometries to produce good grind results, demanding a different approach to cutting and crushing our beans.
But I didn’t stop there. Out in the field, on camping trips and expeditions, I found myself grinding more than just coffee—green spelt grain and rye for porridge and flatbread. After years of testing, tweaking, and rethinking burr mechanics, I landed on something special:
The Double Shark-Tip Blade Structure.
Inspired by the precision and force of a tiger shark’s bite, this unique dual-row blade system cuts cleanly through semi-elastic, high-density materials, from Nordic roasts to sturdy grains. It doesn’t just crush—it slices, fractures, and refines with incredible efficiency.
And because an expedition grinder should be built to handle anything, I crafted TIGERSHARK® from our high-performance stainless steel alloy Nitro Rex®. It’s razor-sharp, incredibly durable, and fully washable, so I can rinse it clean after grinding whatever I need—no worries, no compromises.
I made TIGERSHARK® for adventure. For the ability to grind whatever I need, wherever I go. And after years of using it in the field, I can confidently say—this burr is a little beast. I never leave for an expedition without it.”
– Bernd Braune, Founder
