Making coffee at home is easy—but you need the right tools to make coffee as well as your local coffee shop. Here are my picks for the best coffee grinders that’ll help elevate your coffee game.
Electric Coffee Grinders
An electric coffee grinder takes whole beans and grinds them up into small particles with just a push of a button.
The way the coffee is ground will affect the flavor of your coffee. If the coffee is ground inconsistently (different sizes), the coffee will taste off. If the coffee is ground consistently (same sizes), the coffee will taste much better since the coffee will be brewed at the same rate.
Barista’s Tip: Make better coffee every morning by freshly grinding your own coffee beans. It’s the single best investment to taking your coffee game to the next level.
My Pick for Best Electric Coffee Grinder:
• Type: Burr
• Number of Grind Settings: 40
• Best for: Drip machine, Pour over, French press, Cold brew
The absolute best entry level burr grinder. It’ll grind coffee consistently.
What to Look for When Buying an Electric Grinder
- Burr grinders
There are two main types of coffee grinders: burr and blade. A burr grinder uses adjustable grinding discs which produces ground coffee that’s uniform in size. A blade grinder chops coffee beans, much like a food processor, and it produces ground coffee that can be uneven in size. (Ahem, not what you want.) Get a burr grinder if you can afford it since it’ll perform better than a blade grinder. - Consistency
There’s a cost to a grinder that produces consistent and precise coffee grounds. Expect to pay more for burr grinders (entry level would be around $90-$120) and ones that have multiple settings. - Grind settings
To make drip coffee you’ll need a finer grind than to make French press or cold brew. The more expensive grinders will have a wider range of grind settings, which is crucial for making espresso, but if you’re making drip coffee or cold brew, you don’t need a ton of settings. - Noise
Sorry to break the news but all burr grinders are pretty loud. If you’re looking for one that doesn’t make as much noise, take a look at blade grinders.
Other Recommended Electric Grinders:
• Number of Grind Settings: 16
• Best for: Drip machine, Pour over, French press, Cold brew
A burr grinder that’s under $100. It’s compact and it makes slightly less noise than the Baratza Encore.
• Number of Grind Settings: 15 (plus micro settings)
• Best for: Drip machine, Pour over, French press, Cold brew
Another burr grinder for under $100. Like other burr grinders, this is loud too.
• Number of Grind Settings: 30
• Best for: Espresso machine, Drip machine, Pour over, French press, Cold brew
This is an entry level espresso grinder for home baristas when you’re ready to upgrade from the Baratza Encore. Includes a digital timer and a wider range of grind settings compared to the Encore.
• Number of Grind Settings: 60
• Best for: Espresso machine, Drip machine, Pour over, French press, Cold brew
A higher end burr grinder with 60 settings and an LCD display. Comes with additional accessories like portafilter cradles to measure coffee for espresso machines.
• Number of Grind Settings: 1
• Best for: Drip machine, Cold brew
Under $20, which should let you know it’s a blade grinder. (Burr grinders cost closer to $100.) It’s quieter than burr grinders and can grind up to 9 tablespoons of coffee beans, enough to make 12 cups of coffee. But really, you shouldn’t grind that many at a time since you’ll get a lot of uneven sized ground coffee. No grind settings—just grind it for longer to get finer ground.
• Number of Grind Settings: 1
• Best for: Drip machine, Cold brew
A quiet blade grinder (compared to the burr) with continuous and pulse grinding.
Expert Tips
- Some grinders can hold enough coffee for you to pour a whole bag of beans. Your coffee will stay fresher and your grinder cleaner if you keep your coffee sealed in the bag instead of leaving it in the grinder. Measure out the amount you want to use each time into the grinder.
- If you travel a lot, consider a manual hand grinder. You can throw it in your bag wherever you go. But it does take some work to grind.
- A lot of coffee brewing guides include information on how coarse or fine a grind should be. You might see words like, “the texture of coarse sea salt.” If you’re unsure of what that setting is on your grinder, throw a few beans into the grinder. You can then test the grind without wasting a whole brew’s worth of coffee.
- Coffee particles can get stuck in your grinder. If you’re switching between coffees, try grinding a small amount of the new coffee to “flush” the grinder. You’ll get rid of some of the old coffee stuck in the grinder. This will also “season” the grinder with your new coffee.
Questions You May Have
Burr grinders evenly grind coffee into uniform sizes. Blade grinders chop coffee into different sizes. If your coffee grounds are different sizes, you’ll get an uneven brew that won’t taste as good.
You can test the grind size by throwing a little bit of coffee into your grinder. But you’ll need to brew at least one cup of coffee to see if that’s the right grind size.
An electric grinder will grind your coffee automatically. All you have to do is push a button. A manual or hand grinder needs to be cranked with a handle to grind coffee. An electric grinder is good for home use, while a manual grinder is good for travel.
This usually means that your grind size is too coarse. Water can move through the grinds quickly because the coffee grinds are larger. Try grinding your coffee a little finer by adjusting the grind setting.
This usually means that your grind size is too fine. Water is getting stuck in the grinds, and extracting the bitter parts of the coffee. Try grinding your coffee a little coarser.
In general, coffee beans for espresso should be ground finely and coarsely for a French press. Coffee beans for a pour over should be in the middle.
Nope, what’s “10” on one brand’s grinder is a different coffee grind size than a “10” on another brand. Check your grinder manual to get the recommended setting for your brewing method (drip, pour over, cold brew, etc.).
Use 1 -2 tablespoons of ground coffee to make 1 cup (8 oz.).
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