To make the ultimate cup of coffee, you have to start with freshly ground coffee. Grinding your own coffee beans fresh will release the full flavor and aroma of the bean. You can even enhance or change the flavor of your coffee by grinding it to different textures. To achieve coffee greatness, you’ll need to equip your home (or office) with the right coffee grinder. In addition to great tasting coffee each and every time you brew, owning a coffee grinder can save you money in the long run, as you’ll no longer have to shell out big bucks for high-end coffee blends. You can simply grind your own beans and experience coffee excellence each time.
In order to help consumers make a quicker, better buying decision, we invested over 34 hours preparing this buying guide, comparison chart and list of the nine best coffee grinders.
Best Overall: Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder
The Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky is a professional grade coffee bean grinder. Built for heavy-duty use, this solidly built machine can process up to 7.5 pounds of beans an hour, which is comparable to the machines used at most specialty coffee shops.
This sturdy machine is designed for continuous, around-the-clock use, and is the perfect compliment to a Rancilio espresso machine or any similar type of coffee maker. The high-speed motor easily grinds beans, and the fact that it’s relatively quiet is also a plus. While some noise is to be expected from any type of coffee grinder, most users will probably find themselves surprised at how little noise comes from this machine.
In addition, the Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky offers several grinding styles, including powdered coffee for a more Mediterranean styled coffee, to a very coarse ground coffee for a very robust flavor. It’s also fairly easy to use: simply turn the hopper to your desired setting and start the machine. And for those who desire espresso ground coffee in their larger coffee makers, this unit will accommodate vessels of up to 7.5 inches in height to catch the ground coffee, so you’re not restricted to only making fresh coffee for an espresso machine.
Best “2-in-1” Coffee Maker & Grinder: Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control
The Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control is the perfect machine for people who love the taste of fresh ground coffee and the convenience of an “all-in-one” machine. The Breville BDC650BSS is a coffee grinder AND coffee maker that grinds the coffee beans just moments before the water is released into the machine. The benefit of brewing the coffee almost instantly after the beans have been ground is that it captures the aroma and essential oils that are in the beans, which can dissipate quickly. The end result is the ultimate cup or carafe of coffee each and every time you brew.
The programming allows you to set the unit for any time, allowing you to grab a fresh cup of java whenever you want. You can also program the unit to handle a single cup or create a full pot. Additionally, the stainless steel carafe that it comes with has a tight seal that keeps the coffee at a steady temperature, allowing the coffee to retain its quality while you enjoy the full pot.
Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
The Baratza Virtuoso is an innovative coffee grinding machine with European flair. Designed with an eye-pleasing conical bean hopper and sleek body, this machine creates ground coffee in a variety of styles with high precision.
Built for the ultimate coffee lover, this coffee grinder protects the coffee beans while grinding to ensure that the flavor and oils in the beans remain intact before brewing. To do this, the Baratza Virtuoso has designed the machine in a way that keeps any heat from the motor away from the beans as they are being ground. This ensures the beans or the grounds always retain their flavor.
In addition, the Baratza Virtuoso sets itself apart from similar coffee bean grinders through its design and manufacturing. The use of specialty 40mm conical burrs and a unique motor that replicates the perfect grind each and every time makes this machine a preferred choice for specialty shops and those who enjoy European style coffees.
4 Breville BCG820BSSXL Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Bean Grinder
The Breville BCG820BSSXL Smart Grinder Pro is a superior coffee bean grinder that offers 60 different grind settings. The grinder uses stainless steel conical shaped burrs for precise and even grinding. Grind time can be adjusted in 2 second intervals to ensure that you have the exact grind that you desire for your coffee. In addition, the bean hopper is tinted to help beans remain fresh when being stored. The hopper holds one pound of beans at a time, and can be removed for storage or left on the machine for convenience.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro’s unique burr design allows for an even grind, and the stainless steel material used to create the conical burrs reduces heat and static electricity, minimizing the loss of grounds when using the machine.
Additionally, its sixty different grind settings is enhanced by the fact that you can specify the length of time desired for each round of grounding. This ensures that you get exactly what you want from your coffee grounds and that you’ll never have to settle for less.
5 Best Value: Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
The Baratza Encore, in our opinion, offers the best “bang for your buck” of any coffee grinder currently on the market. This is a superb entry level model, and is a great choice for people who are just beginning to explore the world of fresh ground coffee. Offering 40 different grind settings from very fine to very coarse, the Baratza Encore has many of the finer qualities that you would typically find on higher end machines. This unit features conical burrs and a variable speed motor that runs quietly and smoothly, regardless of how many batches you grind in a row.
This high quality grinder is also sturdy and durable enough to be used frequently and on a continual basis. Even experienced coffee connoisseurs will probably be impressed by how well this grinder performs. And with forty distinct grind settings, you can create powdered coffee for espresso or Turkish coffee, or even grind it very coarse to use in your French press.
In addition, the Baratza Encore’s steel burrs are conical shaped, like those preferred in the European coffee grinders. This shape allows for a more even grind, regardless of how the bean is roasted. Also, the burrs are designed to reduce static build up in the grounds, ensuring less waste. The stainless steel also allows for easy clean up.
6 Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Coffee Bean Grinder
The Capresso 560.01 Infinity is a small, 100 watt coffee bean grinder that offers 16 distinct grind settings. This streamlined grinder can hold a half pound of coffee beans, and the grounds container will hold up to four ounces of coffee at a time.
This unit was designed for those who enjoy the rich and full flavor of freshly ground coffee, but do not necessarily want a large variety of grinding styles. The grinder offers four settings for extra fine, fine, regular and coarse grinding. These settings are great for everything from extra finely ground coffee for Turkish java or espresso, to extra coarse grinding for French press use.
The Capresso 560.01 Infinity’s steel, conical shaped burrs are designed to grind beans evenly, even when making powdered coffee for Turkish-style blends. Moreover, the unit’s motor design reduces static buildup, and prevents heat from transferring to the beans.
7 Best Budget Model: Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Burr Coffee Grinder
The Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind is a terrific entry level coffee grinder that just about anybody can afford. This unit offers 18 individual settings for your coffee beans, from very fine to extra coarse, and allows users to dial in the amount they wish to grind, from 4 to 18 cups of coffee at a time. This dual purpose coffee bean grinder also works very well as a grain mill.
The grinder uses steel disc burrs, which aren’t quite as good as conical burrs, but can still provide a fairly consistent grind. These burrs will evenly distribute the beans in the grinding area and grind each bean in the same manner. The grinding area is easy to clean, and you’ll never have to worry about stale coffee building up in the interior of the machine.
Additionally, the Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind has 18 grind settings and will allow you to grind enough coffee for up to 36 cups in only about a minute. Also, the unit’s hopper, which can hold upwards of a half pound of beans, can double as a storage unit for your coffee.
8 Best Mini Coffee Grinder: KitchenAid BCG111OB
For those of you who just want a good cup of fresh coffee every now and then, take a look at the KitchenAid BCG111OB. This extra-small coffee grinder can create fresh coffee grounds that can be used in any standard coffee maker. The unit’s clear top cover is a multi-purpose item that not only serves as a measuring cup to help you determine the right amount of beans to use, it also serves as the “start button” which you press down on to start the grinding when locked into the machine.
One downside of this grinder, though, is that it only has a single setting. This makes it extremely simple to use, but does limit your options as it doesn’t allow you to change styles of grinding. Another drawback of the KitchenAid BCG111OB is that it’s a “blade” grinder, which means that it doesn’t use burrs. You can read about the negative aspects of blade coffee grinders in the buying guide section, but the bottom line is that they’re not nearly as good as a conical burr grinder, or even a disc burr grinder.
9 Best Manual Coffee Grinder: Hario MSCS-2TB Skerton
For those who like to hand grind their coffee, we recommend the Hario MSCS-2TB Skerton. This little gadget is lightweight and portable, making it great for coffee drinkers who are always on the go. Made from sturdy ceramic and Hario glass, this manual coffee grinder provides a certain level of consistency in the grinding that one would only expect from a mechanical machine.
Key Features
The Hario Glass company has been making quality glass products for nearly 100 years, and this hand coffee grinder is a perfect example of their style and quality craftsmanship. The grinder is easy to use, well-made and requires no batteries or electricity – only a little muscle power. It’s a great option for those who are new to coffee grinding and want an inexpensive way to try it out, or who just want a portable way to brew fresh coffee wherever they go. Read reviews on Amazon >
Buying Guide: How to Select the Best Coffee Grinder
For many people, the only way to start the morning is with a cup of freshly-brewed coffee. For true coffee aficionados, it’s imperative that the coffee be freshly-ground as well. Pre-ground coffee that has been sitting on a grocery store or pantry shelf rapidly loses its flavor and gets stale, because the oils of the coffee beans have already been released. In the world of coffee, these oils are all-important, because they contain the full flavor of the bean.
Experts tell us that within 30 minutes of crushing a coffee bean, most of the flavorful oils have already evaporated. This results in a significant loss of flavor — and it’s the reason that the coffee you drink at home never tastes as good as the freshly-ground brew at your favorite coffee shop. Even if you grind your coffee at the grocery store, it’s a sure bet that the flavor oils will have all evaporated by the time you get the bag home.
Connoisseurs know that the best way to keep coffee fresh and flavorful is to purchase whole bean coffee and to custom grind each and every pot at the time that you drink it. This may seem time consuming and inconvenient, especially if you’re in a hurry to get to work or school, but a good coffee grinder will do the job in mere seconds, so it’s well worth taking a bit of extra time in order to get a freshly-ground cup of coffee at the peak of its flavor.
Different Types of Coffee Grinders
Although a coffee grinder may seem like a basic piece of equipment, all coffee grinders are not alike; grinders perform differently depending on the structure of the blade mechanism, as well as the power and wattage of the motor. While a basic, inexpensive coffee grinder may be satisfactory for some people, others may prefer to look for a higher-quality machine. Before you shop for a coffee grinder, it’s a good idea to acquaint yourself with the different types available:
Seven Factors to Consider When Shopping For a Coffee Grinder
Whether you opt for a blade grinder, burr grinder or conical burr grinder, there are a few more factors to consider as well:
1. Capacity: Larger coffee grinders tend to cost more, no matter which style you choose. If the bean container and the grounds container both have a greater capacity, expect to pay more.
2. Dosers: A doser measures and deposits a consistent dose of coffee grounds from within the grinder chute. The mechanism is located in the grinding chamber and is operated with a lever. A doser is primarily used when large amounts of coffee need to be regularly ground; because of this, a doser will only work properly if the chamber contains large amounts of coffee. Coffee shop employees generally use grinders with dosers because of the large amounts of coffee they have to grind and brew during the day, but for most homeowners, a doser is a disadvantage because most people want to grind only one pot at a time for ultimate freshness.
3. Wattage: The wattage of the motor will determine the power and speed of the grinder. Some blade grinders features high-wattage motors, but this can be a drawback if the speed and friction cause the beans to heat up. Likewise, some burr and conical burr grinders also feature a higher wattage for more speed and finer grinding.
4. Noise: Some grinders are noisier than others. If you can’t take the noise of a coffee grinder early in the morning, or if you’re afraid of waking anyone up, you might seek out a brand that features a quiet motor.
5. Compactness: While coffee grinders come in different sizes, most of them are built very compactly, because most consumers don’t want a grinder to take up valuable counter space. Some grinders, however, have designs that are more streamlined and compact than others, so this may also be an issue for you if counter space is limited.
6. Extra Features: Some burr and conical burr grinders have features such as a built-in timer and adjustable speeds; expect to pay more for these features as well.
7. Pricing: The blade grinder is the least expensive of all coffee grinder types; a decent blade grinder can be purchased for under $30. Next up on the price ladder is the burr grinder, which has become somewhat less expensive during the last couple of years. A good burr grinder can be found at around $50, although some brands hover closer to $100. Until recently, a conical burr grinder cost considerably more than the other two types of grinders, and usually started at around $200. Recently, however, conical burr grinders have come down in price, and a decent one can now be purchased for around $100, depending on the brand.
Whether you choose a blade grinder, a burr grinder or a conical burr grinder, you’ll find that you can taste the difference right away between pre-ground coffee that’s been sitting on the shelf getting stale and coffee that you’ve just ground yourself. By investing in a quality coffee grinder, you’ll be able to enjoy a cup of your favorite brand of coffee without having to leave home and go to a coffee ship. While it may take a little bit of time and money to purchase a coffee grinder, the level of in-home luxury you’ll get in return is priceless.
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