The 8 Best Coffee Grinders for Fresh Coffee At Home, According to Our Tests

Our Favorite Coffee Grinder

While we were impressed by the performances of several of the grinders we tested, nothing came close to the Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder. This model produced consistent coffee grounds every time, making it reliable and functional. It is small, perfect for a countertop or cabinet storage, and easy to clean. Overall, it was our favorite of every coffee grinder we evaluated.

Factors to Consider

Blade Type

As we mentioned before, the type of blade is the most important decision you will make when purchasing a coffee grinder because it affects the quality and consistency of your grind, and subsequently, the overall body and flavor of your cup. With three main kinds to choose from, it can be difficult to know which is best for your lifestyle and preferred brew.

Burr: We are partial to burr grinders because they tend to produce more uniform and precise grind settings and generate less heat in order to preserve the beans’ flavor and aroma. Burr grinders also come in conical or flat shapes.

• Conical grinders have cone-shaped burrs that fit inside each other. They tend to produce less heat than flat ones, are more affordable, and are quieter. This is the type of blade you'll find most often in coffee grinders intended for home use.
• Flat burr grinders, on the other hand, have two flat discs with serrated edges that rotate against each other to crush and grind the coffee beans between the two surfaces. They are very precise, produce the most uniform and consistent grinds, and can oftentimes churn out a range of grind sizes.

It's hard to go wrong with a conical burr grinder because they work great for a variety of brew methods. But if you are a big fan of espresso and usually prefer a concentrated shot of coffee in the morning, you might appreciate the more uniform grind of a flat burr grinder, which is great for espresso extraction.

Blade: That said, a blade grinder offers affordability, convenience, and speed. Because blade grinders employ just a single blade, similar to a blender, they are often less effective at breaking coffee beans into pieces small and uniform enough to brew good coffee. If you are not looking for the highest quality brew and would prefer a quick, convenient cup of coffee in the morning, a blade grinder may be the better option.

Manual: Finally, a manual or hand grinder will offer some of the most consistent grinds around, though they are a labor of love. Manual grinders typically employ a small conical burr-type blade to crush the beans, similar to those you'll find in a larger electric model. Due to their compact size, however, manual grinders cannot handle as many beans as the electric ones.

Hopper Size

This is primarily something to weigh in your decision if you’re looking to make large quantities of coffee at once. Many coffee grinders only fit enough coffee beans to produce grounds for one or two cups simultaneously, and it can be a pain to repeat the process over and over again while making breakfast or entertaining company. This may also impact the grinder's overall size and your coffee grinder's storage capabilities. Whether your kitchen has room for a larger grinder (along with, say, the rest of your coffee station equipment), is something to consider, and a coffee maker with a built-in grinder might even suit your needs best.

Settings

The number and range of settings on a coffee grinder can be significant depending on how you plan to make your coffee. Different applications exist for different coffee grind settings, like the extra-fine powder of good espresso or the coarser texture needed for brewing in a French press. With a broader array of settings comes a greater variety of options for your coffee-making, but if you plan on primarily utilizing one or two (like if you know you’re a pour-over fan for life), the number of settings matters a little less. In that case, the accuracy and consistency of the grind you’re specifically looking for are much more important.

How We Tested Coffee Grinders

To find our winners, we tried 21 coffee grinders in total, running them through tests and observing their performances before our “best” of each category was chosen. Of all the models we put to the test, 11 were electric, while 10 were manual, and a majority featured a burr-style grinder. With the help of coffee expert Nathan Pocus of Domestique Coffee, we evaluated each grinder individually to determine the overall range, uniformity, quality, and taste of the grounds they produced.

Grind Uniformity and Range: The first test was a grind screening to determine grind uniformity and range for grinders with optional settings. Prior to beginning this test, we used a Baratza Virtuoso+ grinder to grind 15 grams of whole coffee beans using settings 14, 20, and 26. These grinds served as our controls for calibrating the other models by sight, especially if they did not include setting descriptions or instructions. We then used each grinder to grind beans into fine, medium, and coarse grounds. We observed and recorded how uniform and consistent the grind was for each model. For blade-style grinders without specific settings, we recorded how long they took to produce each level of grind. 

Quality and Taste: The next step was a blind taste test to determine which coffee grinders produced the most full-bodied and flavorful cups of coffee. After grinding the beans and using an OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker to extract our brew, we smelled the coffee and described the aroma. We then proceeded to tasting and asked ourselves the following questions: Does the coffee taste acidic? Does the coffee taste bitter? Does the brew taste slightly sweet or have semi-floral notes? In addition to describing any other flavor profiles brought out by the extraction, we also assessed the intensity of the coffee, noting whether it tasted too strong or too weak, or if the coffee was well-balanced.

Ease of Use, Care, and Cleanup: Lastly, we cleaned each coffee grinder based on the manufacturer’s instructions, observing and recording how easy or difficult it was to clean and disassemble. We also recorded how loud each grinder was while in use; if it included any design features that protect the quality of the coffee beans when in storage (such as a tinted external bean hopper); if the coffee grinder included any anti-static design features that dispel the static charge generated by the grinding process; and how easy it was to adjust the settings/burrs (if applicable) in order to control how coarse or fine the ground coffee was.

The top coffee grinders we tested were easy to use, featured practical and thoughtful designs, and consistently produced a uniform grind, resulting in a flavorful cup of coffee. While somewhat more tedious, we found that the highest-performing manual grinders were on par with some of the highest-performing electric grinders.

Other Coffee Grinders We Tested

Strong Contenders

Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder ($150 at Amazon)

This grinder is very easy to clean and maintain, and we also loved the taste of the coffee it produced. We did find the initial setup to be a bit difficult, but we would still recommend this machine to any coffee lover if you're not ready to splurge on the Baratza Virtuoso+.

KRUPS Precision Coffee Grinder ($66 at Amazon)

The performance of this coffee grinder was impeccable, but it’s slightly larger than some other models, which might make it difficult to store.

Timemore C2 Max Manual Grinder ($89 at Amazon)

While the Timemore C2 Max Manual Grinder performed well, some other models did better, and its price tag kept it from being a better deal.

VEVOK CHEF Manual Coffee Grinder ($59 at Amazon)

This grinder felt high-quality and had a wide range of settings. It was simple to clean externally, but internal cleaning required more effort due to its design.

What Didn't Make the List

A few other grinders stood out to us but ultimately fell short compared to our outlined favorites. Among them was the KitchenAid Blade Coffee and Spice Grinder Combo Pack. Despite its attractive appearance, its design made this grinder difficult, loud, and somewhat messy to use. The Hamilton Beach Custom Grind Coffee Grinder had all the markings of a good appliance, but the coffee it ground turned out far too watery for our taste. We did love the performance of the Comandante C40 Nitro Blade Grinder but ultimately decided its price point was too high to make it of great value.

Our Expertise

• This article was written by Christa Glennie using insights gathered from our expert lab testing. Glennie has been a freelance writer and food editor for nearly 20 years. She is also the author of two cookbooks and specializes in food and drink trends, agriculture, the regional foodways of Western New York, and the restaurant business.
• For this piece, she interviewed James Rayburg, coffee roaster and owner of a small-batch coffee roaster, espresso shop, and pour-over bar located in Buffalo, New York.