The Best Coffee Grinder - A beginners guide to finding the best grinder for you
There are hundreds of coffee grinders on the market — this guide will help you find the best for your budget, lifestyle, and preferred brew method.
The recommendations listed here are the results us researching and compiling data on coffee grinders since 2019, Yoji's personal expertise as a barista, and from the thousands of emails we've received from coffee lovers with feedback and suggestions for our grind size tools.
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Best overall coffee grinders
Best coffee grinders for espresso
Best coffee grinders for pour over / V60 / drip coffee
Best coffee grinders for AeroPress
Best coffee grinders for French Press
Best small electric coffee grinder
Best manual coffee grinder for home use
What makes a good coffee grinder?
Consistent grind size A consistent coffee grind size is probably the most important factor that determines the quality of your final cup.
Durability Quality design and durable materials are more likely to produce a consistent grind size after years of use.
Ease of use Grinders are typically simple machines, but in a few cases they can be needlessly complicated.
Value for money Some coffee grinders cost over $4000. They probably grind coffee really well — but not twenty times better than a $200 grinder.
Popularity Of course, there are popular bad grinders, and unpopular good grinders. However, popularity means more online resources, a stronger community for troubleshooting, and ease of finding replacement parts.
Important notes before you buy a coffee grinder
Most important: choose a grinder that works for your preferred brew method.
Ensure your grinder produces the correct size for your brew method.
Not all grinders suit every brew method. Espresso needs fine grounds, while drip coffee requires medium or coarse grounds.
If you drink espresso and buy a grinder that can't produce fine grounds, it will be useless.
Read the notes for each of our recommendations to confirm it will work for your preferred brew method.
Always buy a burr grinder (not a blade grinder)
Different brewing methods require different sized grounds.
For instance, making espresso requires fine grounds, while french press requires medium to coarse grounds.
A burr grinder can grind beans down to a particular size, while a blade grinder smashes the beans into irregular chunks.
People still enjoy coffee they make from a blade grinder, but if you want to make quality coffee, you need consistent grounds.
Our top picks
These grinders will perform very well in most home-use environments, able to grind consistently for a wide range of brew methods, as well as being well-established companies with a large community of users.
Affordable grinder for most brew methods
BaratzaEncore
A very versatile and affordable grinder. It has 40 settings that can grind fine enough for brew methods like moka pot, to coarse French press and cold brew. Although it isn't an espresso focused grinder, it can grind for pressurised baskets.
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Baratza offer an espresso capable version of the encore: The Baratza Encore ESP.
Espresso focused all-rounder
Breville (Sage)The Smart Grinder Pro
With 60 settings and a whole host of programmable features, this grinder is capable of producing very good espresso grounds as well as coarser methods such as AeroPress and pour over.
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Consistent manual grinder for all brew methods
TimemoreC3 ESP Pro
This manual grinder can grind consistently for most brew methods including espresso. With up to 90 settings, it can grind coffee relatively fast compared to other hand grinders and punches above its weight, considering its low price.
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King of hand grinders
ComandanteC40 MK4
Despite its old school design, the Comandante is still one of the best performing grinders in terms of grind quality, uniformity and durability. It rivals even the best electric grinders with precision engineering and materials. This grinder easily makes up for its price tag and some usability snags with the quality of its grind profile.
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1Zpresso's flagship model for most brew methods
1ZpressoK-Ultra
With a burr set specifically designed to brew for both espresso and pour over, this model can grind consistently and uniformly. Although 100 settings is low for a 1Zpresso grinder, it outclasses most hand grinders on the market in terms of grind range.
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Best espresso hand grinder
1ZpressoJ-Ultra
This espresso oriented grinder has the most adjustment levels of any other 1Zpresso model, as well as having the smallest micron adjustments at 8 microns vertical movement.
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Best Electric Grinder
Product recommendation
FellowOde Brew Grinder Gen 2
Probably one of the most stylish of affordable home coffee grinders, the Fellow Ode has 31 settings capable of grinding anything coarser than Moka pot (medium fine grind).
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Product recommendation
BaratzaEncore
A very versatile and affordable grinder. It has 40 settings that can grind fine enough for brew methods like moka pot, to coarse French press and cold brew. Although it isn't an espresso focused grinder, it can grind for pressurised baskets.
* If you make a purchase through these affiliate links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Product recommendation
FellowOpus
A great entry-level grinder for multi-purpose brewing, from espresso to French press. For its price, this grinder produces very consistent coffee for anyone who uses multiple brew methods at home.
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Best Grinder for Espresso
Product recommendation
1ZpressoJ-Ultra
This espresso oriented grinder has the most adjustment levels of any other 1Zpresso model, as well as having the smallest micron adjustments at 8 microns vertical movement.
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Best grinder for pour over/V60/drip
Best grinder for french press
Best grinder for AeroPress
Best small electric grinder
Best manual coffee grinder for home use
Product recommendation
Image: Honest Coffee Guide
ROKGrinderGC
ROK are more well known for their hand powered espresso machine — but they also have a brilliant hand grinder. It can grind consistently over a wide range. It’s powered using a vertical motion using a long arm - this is much more comfortable than the typical horizontal motion.