Looking for the best coffee grinder? You’ve definitely come to the right place. Below we’ve listed five coffee grinders that are all a cut above the competition. If you’re an espresso aficionado there’s no better way to brew delicious coffee than by grinding your own beans.
But before we take you to our selections – which range in price from $289 to just $22 by the way – let’s quickly discuss why finding a good coffee grinder is so important.
Want Great Tasting Coffee? You MUST HAVE a High Quality Grinder!
Here’s the simple truth, if you don’t grind your coffee yourself you are NEVER going to taste all that a top-shelf coffee has to offer.
Why? The flavors and aromatics found inside coffee beans are highly volatile – which means already ground coffee can go stale – that is lose its flavor – in days, hours, possibly even minutes.
That’s right, many experts claim that grinding coffee just 10 minutes before brewing can cause it to lose a noticeable amount of flavor.
That’s why grinding immediately before brewing is essential to truly enjoying flavorable coffee – and why finding the perfect coffee grinder for your circumstances and budget is so important.
That also means those grinding machines at the supermarket are a waste of time. Plus, you never know what coffee was put in them before yours and could leave trace amounts in your grounds, further ruining the taste.
The Different Types of Coffee Grinders
When selecting a coffee grinder, you will first need to decide which type of grinder you want.
There are two main types:
Burr Grinder
A Burr Grinder basically grinds coffee beans between two burred plates. The chief advantage of the burr grinder is that it grinds coffee beans to a uniform size. This type of grinder can also give you greater control of the coarseness or fineness of your grounds, which can be important when you are brewing different types of coffee or espresso.
Blade Grinder
This type of grinder is generally less expensive than a burr grinder but for that cheaper price you must trade consistency in your coffee grounds. While burr grinders produce much more uniform grounds, grounds from blade grinders are often very inconsistent in size, ranging from a fine powder to large chunks.
One way to look at choosing between these two types of grinder is this: a burr grinder is your best option but a blade grinder is better than nothing at all.
As we said earlier grinding beans at the supermarket is not a good option and no matter how securely packaged pre-ground coffee is it will never come close to tasting as good as freshly ground coffee.
What Else Separates a ‘Good Coffee Grinder’ from the Also-Rans?
In addition to producing a consistent grind, a high quality grinder should:
Have versatile settings – look for a grinder that will allow you to produce super fine grounds (for Turkish and espresso brews) as well as coarser grounds (for drip and French press)
Be easy to clean – as a general rule grinders that are designed so individual parts can easily be wiped clean are easier to clean than units that stay totally together
Have a deep lid – this feature applies more to blade grinders, look for models with deep lids as this is their ground coffee receptacle and a deeper lid can help prevent spills
Operate (relatively) quietly – while no grinder is silent, some are definitely much quieter than others and remember you may frequently be using your grinder in the morning when others are asleep so you don’t want a grinder that is going to “wake the dead.” Blade grinders are typically the loudest machines. Manual grinders are typically the quietest.
Have solid construction – the grinder should feel solid and well put together. In particular when you are buying a more expensive model you are buying it to last for years, so some of the things you might want to look for include an all-metal drive train and stainless steel construction.
Our 5 Top Rated Coffee Grinders
To save you time, we have carefully studied hundreds of grinders and found five that we believe offer the best performance and features for the best price.
Best Burr Coffee Grinder under $100
1. Capresso Infinity Review
The commercial-grade Infinity grinder handles 8-1/2 ounces of beans at a time and has sixteen different settings, four each in the following four categories: extra fine, fine, regular, and coarse. The grinder also offers:
A built-in timer that sets the grind for anywhere between 5 and
60 seconds
Burr design that slows down the gears and reduces the amount of friction and heat to preserve coffee’s flavor and aroma
A coffee container that holds up to 4 ounces of grounds and remains sealed during grinding
Bean container and upper burr lift off for easy cleaning
Gear reduction motor grinds slow with reduced noise and little static build-up
(appox. cost – $89.95)
Best Manual Coffee Grinder
2. Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder Review
Allows you to view coarseness/fineness of a grind through the transparent bottle, and then easily make grinding adjustments by turning a knob. Additional features:
Easy to clean with disassembled parts
Slim design saves space and makes it easy to store
Made from beautiful ceramic mill so doesn’t rust
Produces consistent grind for perfect, fresh coffee
(approx. cost – $22.80)
Best Home Coffee Grinder
3. Baratza Preciso Review
This beautifully designed conical burr coffee grinder has received high marks from coffee experts as an exceptional grinder for the increasingly popular manual brew method.
Features a micro-adjust system that allows you to dial in a grind like a commercial grinder. This system includes 40-grind adjustment options, plus a second micro-adjustment level that further divides each of the 40 steps into 11 distinct settings.
Boasts a coffee throughput that is 1 gram/second faster than most other 40mm conical burr grinders – which makes it exceptional for espresso.
Finally, this grinder comes equipped with the innovative PortaHolder, which allows you to grind your espresso hands-free, directly into the portafilter for quick setup and cleanup.
(approx. cost – $289.99)
Best Espresso Grinder under $200
4. Baratza Virtuoso Review
So consistent at both the coarse and fine ends of the grind range that many consider it to be in a class all by itself.
The keys behind its consistent, smooth grind are an efficient DC motor that helps keep beans cool even during extended grind times and a combination of electric and gear speed reducers that slow the burr to 450 RPM, ensuring a smooth bean feed and reducing noise, heat and static buildup.
Additional features include:
A convenient front-mounted pulse button that allows for grinding directly into an espresso filter basket
A 60-second timer that enables you to easily replicate the ideal grind time
Sculptured metal top and base that give this grinder an expensive, elegant image
(approx. cost – $229)
Best Entry Level Burr Grinder
5. Baratza Encore Review
The Encore gives a great grind for drip/manual brew and also grinds fine enough for espresso.
Features 40 individual grind settings, from fine to coarse. Also has an efficient DC motor that keeps your beans cool even during extended grind times and a unique combination of electric and gear speed reducers that slow the burr to 450 RPM, ensuring a smooth bean feed and reducing noise, heat and static buildup.
Another feature of note with this model is a convenient, front-mounted pulse button that makes it easy to grind on demand into your brew basket.
(approx. cost – $125.99)
Now the Decision is Yours …
Considering how important a good and timely grind is to the ultimate taste of coffee, the purchase of a grinder should not be taken lightly.
You can rest assured that any of the five best coffee grinders named above will help ensure you enjoy excellent taste and aroma from your coffee or espresso.
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