Alexandra Ramirez
Best Coffee Grinder Reviews
When it comes to coffee grinders, there is an agreement between the experts and the amateur coffee lovers and that is, the best coffee is the coffee with the freshest grind. If you are so concerned about the best brews especially for specialty coffees like espresso then you can’t joke with your coffee grinder.
The best in the market are Burr coffee grinders when it comes to specialty coffees, which blade grinders are the best bet for drip coffee.
Why you should trust this report?
We have scoured the web to find you the perfect coffee grinders by looking at expert reviews from top sites like Coffee Detective and life hacker. We poured through expert reviews and research in a bid to provide you with the best information necessary to make a decision as to the kind of coffee grinder you should purchase. We read through popular forums and current customer reviews on popular forums like the Kitchn which shows the difference between blade and burr grinders and user insights provided on CoffeeGeek which reviews blade grinders that are popular among mothers in North America.
This reviews also contain a buyers’s guide that would help you in knowing what to look out for when you decide to make a purchase. We also took the liberty of including some major features that comes in different coffee grinders and why you should always go for a burr coffee grinder when your desire is for creating espressso and blade coffee grinders for those who just want a hot cup of coffee at regular intervals.
1.) Best blade coffee/spice grinder
Krups F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder
[thumbnail target=”_self” src=”https://www.reviewdots.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Krups-F203-Electric-Spice-and-Coffee-Grinder-700×912.jpg”]This simple to use and all black designed spice and coffee grinder has top ratings in most online malls where it is listed. It comes with a basic grinder that delivers top performance and at a price that doesn’t bore a hole into your pocket.
It is quite durable as past customers are still using theirs years after they made the initial purchase online. It is also versatile as it doesn’t just grind the coffee beans but can also grind other items like spices, nuts and seeds.
The Krups F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder is a simple design and affordable coffee grinder and one of the most reviewed blade coffee grinder on the market.
With this coffee grinder, there are no settings to configure. Nothing fancy to flick on other than a button that needs to be pressed until you get the amount of grind that you want. The results are consistent too, based on reviews from current owners. The Krups F203 comes in an oval shape with a flat lid in an all-black construction. This design enhances the speed and uniformity in the results.
The Krups F203 electric coffee grinder is simple and quite versatile too. You can use it to grind coffee beans, spices, seeds and even nuts. The ease of use is also something that must be pointed out. Once the beans have been poured in, you plug the grinder, cover it up with the lid and press the button. It’s that simple.
The singular issue that we noticed from past customers is that the Krups F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder could be difficult to clean as sometimes, you might have particles stuck under the blades. It is advised that you buy a nylon brush to use to clean in between the blades or you could buy more than one piece and have one dedicated to coffee and the other two for spices or nuts. That way you can avoid blending the items together.
The Krups F203 is sturdy and performs very well even for those who use it on a daily basis. This is one of those grinders that are affordable and would last you for a long period of time. It is small and compact enough to fit into a cupboard and attractive enough that you can forget it on the counter and not feel ashamed when friends come over.
This grinder is only available in black
Buy this Krups 203 Coffee Grinder On Amazon
2.) Best burr coffee grinder
Baratza Vario Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder
[thumbnail target=”_self” src=”https://www.reviewdots.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Baratza-Vario-Ceramic-Burr-Coffee-Grinder-700×1480.jpg”]When it comes to the Baratza Vario Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder, we have nothing but praise for it. It’s a powerhouse and strong performer that cost more and delivers more than expected. This best burr coffee grinder is suitable for both personal and business use. We believe that this could be the only grinder that you would ever need. It is designed in a ceramic flat shape with a 1 year warranty, grind settings, and weighs 9 pounds. With uniform and consistent results, this is a coffee grinder that you should consider.
The Baratza Vario is a ceramic burr coffee grinder with over 230 presets and it is a top performer that continues to deliver impeccable results in spite of the price, which is a bit expensive.
It is durable and versatile enough to produce fine coffee grinds for specialty coffee like expresso and Turkish brews as well as French press, also called press pot.
For newbies, there is a bit of a learning curve. Having many functions to choose from means you would have to spend some time learning what each one does. For some the front panel could be a bit difficult to understand. The hopper is non-removable; you can’t just swap it for another. You have to empty it to change the beans. The only plus for new users is that it is highly repeatable on any setting and you don’t have to tweak in between grinds.
It looks small and compact but its results would amaze you. Most premium burr coffee grinders are usually very heavy and bulky but not the Baratza Vario. It has a lot of admirers due to its sturdy build which is quite appealing as well as being very functional. We believe that it would last for many years but it only comes with a 1 year warranty.
Buy the Baratza Vario Burr Coffee Grinder On Amazon
3.) Best Cheap burr coffee grinder
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder
The Capresso 560.01 Infinity is for those who want an affordable burr coffee grinder similar to the Baratza Vario Ceramic Coffee but think it’s a bit pricey. It grinds consistently as some of the more expensive models. It has 16 preset settings; it can grind espresso, French press and drip coffee. There is a notion that its slow motor preserves flavor.
4.) Best Manual Coffee Mill
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton
For fans of French press and pour over coffee who are aficionados of the meditative process of manually grinding coffee beans, this is a ‘must have’. It does an excellent job on grinding beans evenly and is greatly admired for being the best manual coffee mill.
This manual coffee grinder gets one better over electric coffee grinders with its versatility and its efficiency with coarser grinds. We found out that it’s a much better alternative with its grind consistency. It has more positive reviews from French press and drip coffee drinkers than from espresso lovers.
It is quite simple in design and portable. It’s a manual model so you would have to expend some amount of energy to get it going. It uses a bit of muscles especially at the forearms and also takes between 30 seconds to six minutes depending on the grind and the quantity.
This manual coffee grinder comes with grind settings but it doesn’t come with a user manual. Most customers said they found helpful videos on how to use it on YouTube. When it comes to cleaning, you can take the grinder apart and put it in the dishwasher but most users advise you rinse it with warm water only and you are done.
5.) Best coffee grinder for espresso
Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder
[thumbnail target=”_blank” src=”https://www.reviewdots.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Rancilio-HSD-ROC-SD-Rocky-Coffee-Grinder-700×1053.jpg”]
For espresso lovers, picking the perfect coffee grinder is an activity they don’t joke with. For them, the grinder has to be perfect else another World War looms in the house. The Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder is a perfect coffee grinder for espresso lovers. It comes with a whopping 55 settings and a 2 years manufacturer’s warranty. Quiet and powerful. Those are the two adjectives that describe this coffee grinder.
Even though it is a bit on the high side, the Rancilio Rocky could last you for 10years or more, which is an extreme value for money when you do the numbers. It is built as a ceramic flat burr grinder that produces consistent results especially for espresso drinkers who find this grinder as a grinder to have in the kitty.
We can lay out a long list of adjectives to describe the performance of the Rancilio Rocky but it still won’t be enough. It comes with 55 settings that delivers consistent and effective grind that current customers believe is unmatched by most save the more expensive, commercial grades.
The HSD-ROC-SD model is a doserless models and it is quite easy to maintain and use, once you get the hang of it. The machine itself is very intuitive – so the learning curve would be short. It also comes with an instructional manual which helps you get going once you unbox the grinder. The Rancilio Rocky doesn’t have static electricity so the grounds don’t fly around as in other models and it doesn’t make a mess after usage.
6.) Best Travel Coffee Grinder
Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder
The Porlex Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder is manufactured as a ceramic conical burr grinder that exceeds expectations even though it comes wrapped up in a small package. It comes with a stainless steel exterior and you would be correct if it looks like a travel mug to you. It is easy to use and it produces a fine grind, whichever way you want. This Porlex Coffee Grinder is small in size and doesn’t weigh much – perfect for frequent travelers who love to brew their own coffee.
Types of Coffee Grinders
Coffee Grinders are a must in today’s world, especially for those who love to have the perfect, fresh grind from quality beans. There are two major types of grinders and we would be looking at them below, what they do and how they do it.
We would also take a look at dosers and doserless grinders. One is for those who like to keep the coffee beans in the grinder while the other one grinds them all at once. Last but not least, we would look at how to buy a coffee grinder
Burr Grinders V Blade Grinders
The difference between these two is in their mode of operation. A Blade Grinder chops the coffee beans with a spinning blade attached to the motors. Coffee Grinders that use blades are usually more affordable than the Burr Grinders. You would also find them having a plastic case, a simple push button with a bit of multiple settings. What makes them truly unique is their versatility. Blade Grinders don’t just grind coffee beans but they can grind other items like spices and nuts. One of the best blade Grinders in our list above is the Krups F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder (put a link here)
Burr Coffee Grinders are for serious coffee aficionados – the espresso lovers and their likes. Burr Grinders use a gear system (two gears) which crushes the beans into smaller particles. They usually have ceramic burrs and they could come in either conical ceramic burrs or flat plate ceramic burrs. Coffee experts believe that there is no major difference in the grind quality between the two styles (burr and blade grinding), so the difference is little and it’s only in how they go about achieving a fine grind.
Burr grinders tend to be more expensive than their blade units, as you must have noticed and the higher price is due to the desire to get a more precise grind from the beans – a necessity for special brewing techniques like the Turkish brew or expresso. They also tend to come in premium metal construction and they could be bulky in size. Many users who go for the upscale burr grinders do so because they expect it to last them for years.
Dosers V Doserless Grinders
Most users who don’t use their coffee grinders often prefer doserless grinders because it doesn’t keep the beans in the machine during and after a grind. Dosers are a chamber that is divided into sections that rotates so that each one can be filled in a step-by-step sequence with a single dose of coffee beans. So when a section is filled, you can take your freshly brewed coffee from it. This is usually suitable for owners who drink several cups of espresso in a day. But for users who would like to brew fresh coffee before leaving the house for work – they tend to prefer doserless grinders so the beans don’t sit in the machine for too long and get stale for being exposed.
How to Buy a Coffee Grinder
There are so many things to consider before buying a coffee grinder for your home and we would explore them here. There are some things that you should know from the start:
a.) Ease of use.
Is ease of use a concern for you? If you want to simply brew a fresh cup without going through the hassle of cleaning, it is better you go for a blade grinder. We have reviewed a couple of blade grinders in this report.
b.) What do you need to grind?
If you are as in need of a grinder for spices or nuts, then you don’t need to spend lots of money on a coffee grinder. A low end blade grinder would do the trick or better still, you can check out food processors to help with that.
Are you a Coffee Aficionado?
Blade grinders tend to grind coffee with a blade at an incredible speed but it doesn’t preserve the flavor or fragrance. If you want to brew a specialty coffee, you would have to look into burr grinders which are best known for specialty grinding like espresso and French press.
The best coffee grinders have a couple of features that sets them apart. Knowing them could guide your buying decision when you decide to make a choice.
1.) Consistent grind.
Getting a consistent grind each time you use a grinder is very important as the grind ensures you don’t have any sediments in your coffee. Burr grinders would provide a consistent grind from the same setting each time you use the coffee grinder. Blade grinders would always provide consistent grinds and without leaving any leftover behind in the grinder.
2.) Versatility.
One of the reasons why most people buy high end burr grinders is because it handles more than regular coffee beans; it handles coarser grinds for French press and finer grinds for Turkish and espresso brews. It grinds the beans gradually preserving the flavor and making the coffee as enjoyable as possible.
3.) Noise Pollution.
If you have a blender that handles some part of food processing in the house, it would be detrimental to have another blade grinder that can wake adults and let’s not forget kids. Blade grinders tend to make a lot of noise when they are grinding and this could be a distraction when you are using it in the office. An alternative would be to look into a manual coffee grinder, if noise is a problem. Blade grinders tend to grind coffee with a blade at an incredible speed but it doesn’t preserve the flavor or fragrance. If you want to brew a specialty coffee, you would have to look into burr grinders which are best known for specialty grinding like espresso and French press.
Doser or Doserless Sections?
Doser refers to a chamber that separates the grinder into sections which rotate so that each one can be filled with enough coffee beans per section which makes it possible to grind enough for several cups of coffee. The advantage of doing this is that it allows you to get freshly brewed espressos easily and you wouldn’t have to keep replacing the beans every time you want a cup of espresso. The problem is that some users don’t like their beans sitting in the machine for the fear of it getting stale. In this case, doserless machines are much more preferred.
Elsewhere in this report
