
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.
"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
When I started developing coffee grinders many years ago, I had a clear vision: I didn't just want to create a coffee grinder. I wanted it to be a tool that would offer perfection in every turn, last for generations and delight every coffee lover. I quickly realised that the key to this lies at the heart of every grinder: in the steel. But not just any steel would do.
The search for the perfect material finally led me to one of our local Alpine regions, which has been renowned for its steel craftsmanship for centuries. Nitro Rex® is made in a place steeped in tradition, where the finest steel has been produced for generations. This special Alpine region, characterised by a long history and exceptional skill, has become the basis for something very special. The experienced local steelmakers have developed a special recipe that makes Nitro Rex® a masterpiece. Every step - from the artisanal cooking of the steel to the careful remelting and final refinement - is carried out with the utmost precision and care.
The combination of centuries-old craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology makes Nitro Rex® unique. While many stainless steels are merely standardised products, Nitro Rex® carries the soul of generations. This historical foundation is complemented by a precise adaptation to the requirements of the speciality coffee world. The lightly roasted Arabica beans with their fine acids and complex flavours place the highest demands on a grinder. The surface of the steel must not only withstand the enormous abrasive loads, but also be absolutely neutral in flavour - and this is exactly what Nitro Rex® offers.
Nitro Rex® is more than just stainless steel - it is a masterpiece of material science and craftsmanship. With over 17% chromium and precisely balanced amounts of vanadium, molybdenum and other precious micro-alloys, this steel has been developed to offer exceptional corrosion resistance, hardness and wear resistance. Its complex remelting process ensures a fine, homogeneous matrix structure and a silver-white surface that is not only aesthetically impressive, but also makes coatings superfluous. Nitro Rex® remains as it was created: robust, durable and absolutely neutral in flavour - for a coffee that retains its full character.
Nitro Rex® forms the centrepiece of our grinders. It ensures the consistent precision and durability that is appreciated worldwide - whether for the finest espresso or coarse filter coffee. Every COMANDANTE grinder is made for people who make no compromises and share a passion for quality, craftsmanship and the perfect coffee.
Nitro Rex® is the result of years of tinkering, many tests and countless cups of coffee. As the father of COMANDANTE, the quality of the steel for our grinders is a matter close to my heart. My aim has always been to ensure the special originality of the respective coffee flavour - without compromise, without distraction, just the pure character of the bean.
When you hold a COMANDANTE grinder in your hands, you are also holding a piece of this quest for perfection. And even though I am proud of how far we have come, I know that there is always more to discover. The path to the perfect cup of coffee is a journey - and I am delighted that we can embark on it together.
Not all plastics are created equal. At Comandante®, we use advanced materials with purpose. QTP® is our high-performance techno-polymer – a robust long-chain polymer matrix reinforced with quartz nanoparticles. It looks and feels like ceramic but delivers super-composite strength. Engineered for durability and precision, it’s also food-safe and water-resistant. Discreetly cutting-edge, it’s built to perform.
