Choosing the Right Coffee Grinder

Choose the freshest-tasting coffee with our judgement on the top coffee grinders from Bodum, DeLonghi, Krups and more and how to get the appropriate coffee grinder for you

The best coffee grinder will reduce your beans to grinds that are completely uniform in size, making them suitable for use in an espresso machine, cafetière, or any other device or appliance designed specifically for the production of coffee. When brewing outstanding coffee at home, having a precise and equal grind is really necessary. If you choose a coffee grinder that isn’t very good, you can wind up with grounds that aren’t evenly distributed and a brew that isn’t very well extracted. Finely ground coffee is required for making espresso, regardless of whether you choose to brew your coffee in an old-fashioned coffee maker, an Aeropress, or a pot on the stove. A coarser grind is required in a filter machine or cafetière in order to produce black coffee that is brewed for a longer period of time. In February of 2021, our team evaluated ten different coffee grinders, ranging in price and type from a variety of top merchants. Check out the complete list of our findings down below to see which coffee grinders we think will help you make the best coffee at home. Our knowledgeable guidance will also provide you with all the information you require concerning the different types of coffee grinders, the amount of money that must be spent, the features that must be included, the grind sizes that must be utilised, as well as other helpful hints for producing the highest quality brew. The most recent check of prices and availability was performed on April 28th, 2022.

The top-performing coffee grinders in our evaluation

Best Buy: Krups Grind Expert GVX2

 

coffee grinders

Amazon and AO.com have the lowest price of $42, but it’s also available at Currys and Very (out of stock).

Electric burr as the type (flat steel)

Size and weight: 30 x 17 x 21cm (HxWxD); 1.790kg

125 grammes of coffee beans can be accommodated (approx.)

Cup and grind settings include a total of 30 cup settings (ranging from 2 to 12), as well as 17 grind settings.

Other important features include a bowl that can be removed, a lid with a safety lock, a cleaning brush, and a non-slip base.

The grind is of an exceptional quality, it is simple to operate, and the construction is of a high standard.

Cons: Noisy, non-detachable bean hopper Our verdict: Even though it has been on the market for a while, we continue to recommend this particular grinder as the top option available for purchase. It was the only grinder we tried that received perfect scores across the board for the quality of the ground coffee it produced, making it our clear winner. The fine, medium, and coarse grinds all came out with the exact and consistent size that was expected. The only drawback we were able to identify was the noise it made while it was in operation. Electric coffee grinders sometimes have issues with producing loud whirring and grating sounds, and unfortunately, this otherwise great gadget is no exception to the rule. We were unable to find any usability issues with it, with the exception of the loudness. It is well manufactured, has clear labels, and does not create an excessive amount of clutter. It takes a little bit of time to clean, especially considering that the bean hopper cannot be removed for cleaning, but other than that, it isn’t too difficult overall.

Best Buy: Smeg CGF01

 

The most affordable option can be found from Robert Dyas for £195; it is also sold at Amazon, AO.com, Currys, and John Lewis.

Electric burr as the type (conical steel)

Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 46 x 17 x 25 cm; weight: 3.1 kg

The capacity for coffee beans is 350g (approx.)

Cup and grind settings include a total of 12 cup settings (ranging from 1 to 12), as well as 30 grind settings.

Other important features include a removable bean hopper and bowl, a safety lock for the lid, a cleaning brush, a support for the portafilter, and a non-slip base.

The grinder has an excellent grinding quality, is simple to operate, and is not overly loud.

Negatives: It is cumbersome to store due to its size.

Our conclusion is that although this Smeg has a premium price tag, it does provide a high-quality coffee grinding experience.

It produced almost ideal fine and coarse grounds, and although while the medium grinds contained a few particles that were somewhat larger than average, on the whole, they were largely consistent and of the appropriate size. It lags behind the Krups GVX2 by a very small margin. This piece of machinery has an unrivalled level of construction quality. The grinder’s main body is constructed out of reinforced steel, which not only provides it a satisfying weight but also a very stable foundation. This is a massive, dominating appliance that has not been constructed with storage in mind; therefore, it may be a challenge for individuals who have kitchens that are on the smaller side. We discovered that the CGF01 was very simple to load and empty, with excellent labelling and buttons that were both intuitive and pleasurable to operate. Although it wasn’t the quietest of the electric grinders we tried, it was still among the most enjoyable to use in terms of its sound quality.

How the remaining coffee grinders fared in their tests

The results of our evaluations of the remaining coffee grinders are presented below, in alphabetical order.

Bodum Bistro

 

The best deal can be found at John Lewis, where items can be purchased for £29.56.

Type: Electric blade

Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 16.7 x 8.5 x 9.3 centimetres; weight: 0.76 kg

65 grammes is the capacity of coffee beans (approx.)

One cup setting, and one grind setting in the grinder.

Other important aspects include:

Can mince a variety of dry items, including nuts and spices.

The advantages are that it is simple to load and use, uncomplicated to clean, and compact when not in use.

Cons: Grind sizes are inconsistent and limited, the construction quality is poor, there is no detachable bean hopper or bowl, there is no lid safety lock, and there is no non-slip base.

According to our evaluation, this was one of the grinders that we liked the least overall.

We discovered that it produced acceptable coarse grounds, but the Bodum blade grinder was unable to produce grounds that were fine enough or consistent enough to be utilised in the production of espresso. In addition, there is nothing in the design that would stop it from moving around on the kitchen counter. As there is no safety lock on the lid, it may be readily removed, which raises some concerns given that the inside contains sharp blades. Because there is neither a removable bean hopper nor a bowl for the grounds, you will have to remove the grounds by hand from the area surrounding the blades. It is simple enough to use, and because to its compact size, it is extremely easy to clean and store away. However, if using a more sophisticated grinder meant getting a finer grind, we would prefer to use one that was more complicated.

DeLonghi KG210

 

Cheapest price: £30 at Robert Dyas, also available at Amazon, John Lewis (out of stock) (out of stock).

Type: Electric blade

Size and weight: 22.3 x 11.1 x 11.1cm (HxWxD); 1.02kg

Coffee bean capacity: 90g (approx) (approx.)

Cup and grind settings: Six cup settings (min. 2 cups, max. 12 cups); three grind settings

Other significant features: Detachable bean hopper, lid safety lock, cleaning brush, non-slip base, can chop dry items such as nuts and spices

Pros: Decent fine grounds, easy to use, convenient to store

Cons: Inconsistent medium and coarse grounds, noisy, dirty, no detachable bowl

Our verdict: This was our favourite of the electric blade grinders we tested, but we don’t think it really competes with any of the burr grinders.

We believed it did a decent job with the finer grounds but were disappointed with the medium and coarse grounds. We noticed the KG210 failed to grind consistently. The design is easy to manage and you do get a lot of options for a grinder that isn’t much larger than a pint glass. It’s pretty noisy and filthy, though — grounds often fall out of the lid when you take it off and it’s a hassle to clean. Without a basin for your grinds, you also have to pluck them out from around the blades.

DeLonghi KG79

Amazon offers the best deal with a price of £50.33, but it can also be purchased at Argos and Currys (out of stock)

Electric burr as the type (flat steel)

Size and weight: 26 x 13 x 16cm (HxWxD); 1.5kg

Coffee beans can hold up to 150 grammes (approx.)

Cup and grind settings include a total of 11 cup settings, ranging from a minimum of 2 cups to a maximum of 12 cups, and 17 grind levels.

Other important features include a bowl that can be removed, a lid that has a safety lock, a base that does not slide, and the ability to grind dry materials such as nuts and spices.

The advantages include consistent grind sizes, a high-quality build, and an intuitive design.

Cons: Difficult to clean, loud, and there is no bean hopper that can be removed.

Our judgement is that we believe you will be satisfied if you decide to purchase this grinder; but, it does not quite reach the Best Buy level of the Krups GVX2 and the Smeg CGF01.

The grounds from the KG79 were consistently of a high quality, to our satisfaction. We found that it was particularly effective for finer grinding, but that it is as effective for medium and coarse grinding as well. It is a well-built equipment with controls that are simple to handle, but the tinted glass make it difficult to see how much coffee you have ground into the machine. Additionally, cleaning the machine is not the simplest task, especially considering that the bean hopper cannot be removed.

Coffee grinder made of ceramic, model number MSCS-2B Hario Skerton+

 

The price of £40 is only available at Amazon.

Manual burr is the type (ceramic conical)

Size and weight: 21.5 x 10 x 10cm (HxWxD), 0.567kg

75 grammes can be held in coffee beans (approx.)

Adjusting the cup and grind settings requires manual adjustment of the amount of material to be ground as well as the size of the ground material.

Other important characteristics include a removable bean hopper and bowl, a foldable design, a non-slip base, and the ability to be cleaned in the dishwasher.

The grinds are easy to use, quite quiet, and have acceptable medium and coarse textures. Cons: Difficult to clean, and it has trouble dealing with the finer grind sizes.

Our judgement is that this is not a bad grinder by any stretch of the imagination; nevertheless, if you want a wide variety of grind sizes to pick from, you’ll probably find that it’s lacking in that department.

In our tests, the Hario Skerton+ delivered a mixed bag of results. It did a decent job on the medium grind level, and it did a decent job on the coarse grind setting as well, but it had trouble producing grounds that were fine enough for espresso. In addition to being relatively simple to put together and store away, grinding the beans by hand also does not involve an excessive amount of effort. Because it does not have a motor, it does not create any noise when it is being used. To get to the burrs, you need a very little screwdriver, which makes cleaning it a real pain in the neck.

Henry Charles Manual Coffee Grinder, Designed and Manufactured by Oliver James

 

 

Only available at Amazon: £20.99.

Type: Manual burr (ceramic conical) (ceramic conical) Size and weight: 22.4 x 6.4 x 6.1cm (HxWxD); 0.281kg

Coffee bean capacity: 40g (approx) (approx.) Cup and grind settings: You manually adjust how much you grind and the grind size.

Other key features: Detachable bean hopper, detachable bowl, collapsible design

Pros: Excellent fine and coarse grounds, easy to clean, portable design

Cons: Struggles with medium grounds, tough to use, takes a long time to grind, no non-slip base

Our verdict: It doesn’t come without some compromises, but if all that matters to you is a steady grind you’ll be very content with this Henry Charles coffee grinder. We were quite satisfied with the coarse and fine grounds, but we couldn’t get the manually adjusted grind settings to give us a consistent medium grind. It’s really easy to clean and take out and about because to its tiny size. As it’s so lightweight and missing a non-slip base, we also discovered this grinder slides around the kitchen counter a lot during usage, and it takes a long time for the beans to grind. There’s also no screw to hold the handle in place on the grinder, so you have to be careful to stop it from coming off when using it.

Krups Coffee Mill F20342

Amazon offers the lowest price of £23.89 for this item; it is also sold at Currys and Very.

Type: Electric blade

Dimensions (Height by Width by Depth): 23.19 by 10.6 by 10.6 centimetres; Weight: 0.7 kg

75 grammes can be held in coffee beans (approx.)

In terms of cup and grind settings, there is only one grind setting and none for cups.

Other important aspects include: Can cut dry things like nuts and spices, for example.

The coffee is ground to a coarse consistency and it is simple to store.

Cons: Difficulty processing finer grounds; poor build quality; loud; difficult to clean; bean hopper is not detachable; there is no bowl; there is no lid safety lock; there is no non-slip base.

Our conclusion is that if you only want coarser grounds, you shouldn’t have any issues using the Krups Coffee Mill. However, if you want your grounds to be finer, you will experience an increasing number of issues when using this machine.

We just couldn’t get the grinds to be fine enough or consistent enough, so it ended up being one of the grinders that we tested that we liked the least. Although it is a straightforward and uncomplicated grinder, it has the tendency to slide around on the kitchen counter, and the cover may be removed with relative ease. In addition, the lid does not have a lock, and there is no specific location for storing either your beans or your grinds. Additionally, it is very noisy, it produces a mess when the lid is removed, and it is difficult to clean the grinder out because it is difficult to get under the blades.

 

What kind of coffee grinder is appropriate for me to purchase?

You have the option of selecting from the following three primary varieties of coffee grinder:

Electrical blade

Electrical burr

Hand grinder.

What kind of coffee do you prefer to brew, how much of it do you create, and do you want the flexibility to be able to manufacture different grinds that are customised to different kinds of coffee? These are the factors that will determine which one is best for you.

Blade coffee grinders

In a manner analogous to that of a blender, blade grinders, such as the one depicted in the following image, contain a revolving blade that shatters the beans into smaller bits.

 

Coffee grinders with blades have a few advantages.

To a large extent uncomplicated and economical Beneficial for the production of the coarser to medium-sized grinds required for pour-over, filter, or cafetière brewing methods

Cons of coffee grinders that have blades

Because the blade heats the coffee while it slices the bean, the coffee’s flavour may be affected as a result. Does not provide a fine grind that is constant, and so is not suitable for espresso.

Burr coffee grinders that are electric

Burr coffee grinders contain an internal mechanism that resembles a small gear and are designed to smash coffee beans and generate ground coffee. Because they crush the beans as opposed to chopping them, they do not generate the same amount of force or heat that a blade grinder would. The grounds produced by an electric blade grinder (shown on the left in the image below) and those produced by a burr coffee grinder (shown on the right) are noticeably different (right)

 

The benefits offered by electric coffee grinders with burrs

They are able to create a more consistent and fine grind for producing espressos, as well as the rougher grounds required for filter coffees and cafetieres, giving them a more adaptable alternative for people who consume a variety of types of coffee. Can process larger quantities in a single grinding session. There are typically many grind settings available to accommodate the various coffee varieties.

Electric coffee grinders with burrs have a few drawbacks.

In general, command a higher price tag than a standard blade or hand grinder.

Grinder by hand for coffee

Coffee is ground with the user’s own arm muscular power in hand grinders, which are exactly what they sound like. The majority of hand grinders come equipped with a burr, which is an inexpensive yet effective technique to obtain a grind of high quality for your espresso coffee maker. Because you have complete control over how much you want ground, they can be a useful choice even if you just grind a small amount at a time, as long as you don’t do it too frequently. The majority of electric coffee grinders have the capacity to grind the equivalent of at least two cups’ worth of coffee at once.

The benefits of using a manual coffee grinder

The most fundamental versions are extremely reasonably priced. Burr versions can produce finer grinds for espresso at a lower cost and with less noise than electric grinders. Use up less room in the room.

Hand-held coffee grinders have a few drawbacks.

Coffee beans can typically only be ground into very little amounts at a time. Demands some level of physical exertion

Flat vs conical burrs

Coffee connoisseurs may be heard praising the benefits of either a flat burr (seen below on the left) or a conical burr (pictured below right).

 

 

The beans are ground into two somewhat different particle sizes when using conical burrs. Espresso machines are able to make good use of this.

Flat burrs should be used to ground the beans into an even and uniform fine powder.

The fine grind that is created by a flat burr is trickier to obtain good, consistent results with when making coffee and is for those of you who might prefer to get creative with your coffee making. While this may seem better in principle, in practise, it is more difficult to get decent results. Additionally, in comparison to their conical burr counterparts, flat burr coffee grinders typically come in at a significantly higher price point. When it comes to grinding coffee beans for your coffee maker, the vast majority of individuals will find that a coffee grinder equipped with a conical burr will more than meet their needs.

Burrs can be made of steel or ceramic.

When you begin shopping for a coffee grinder, one of the choices you can come across is whether or not you want the burr in your coffee grinder to be made of ceramic or steel. Steel burrs are typically seen in coffee grinders that are readily available and can be purchased at major retailers such as John Lewis and Lakeland. Ceramic burrs are not as widely used, but they are available on some hand grinders. There is a lot of heated argument regarding which option is the best when it comes to coffee, but any of these materials will do an adequate job of grinding the coffee beans. The primary difference between them is the amount of time the grinding burr will last. A ceramic burr has a better chance of lasting for a longer period of time than a steel burr does, provided that it does not come into contact with any foreign substances, such as a pebble, that could cause it to chip.

Stepped vs stepless grinders

You will be able to choose from a range of pre-set grind settings on a stepped coffee grinder, from a very fine to a more coarse consistency.

The majority of electronic burr coffee grinders that you can purchase at retail stores like John Lewis or Argos will include steps in their design. The vast majority of electric burr grinders sold at retail outlets will be step grinders with adjustable settings. If you are the type of person who enjoys experimenting with your coffee, you should probably look into purchasing a stepless grinder. You will not be able to get a stepless grinder on the high street, so if you want one you will have to look elsewhere, and it will cost you a significant amount of money as well. A stepless grinder has no pre-set grind stages. You have the ability to tamper with it to get the exact grind that you are looking for. The use of a stepless grinder, despite the fact that it may provide you with even more opportunities for customization, does call for a skilled touch in order to achieve satisfactory results.

 

How much should you spend on a coffee grinder?

Depending on the type and style you can end up spending anything from £20 right up to more than £2,000 for a coffee grinder. You can pick yourself a basic handheld or manual coffee grinder for roughly £10, electric blade coffee grinders start from around £20. If you want an electrical burr grinder then you will need to invest a bit extra, usually at least £50. Premium burr coffee grinders offered by the big-name coffee machine makers are priced approximately £200. At this price, you could discover that investing in a bean-to-cup coffee machine is more economical. These do the grinding for you and are a terrific method to have freshly ground brews at home.

Features to look out for

Different grind settings – if you know you want to be able to grind beans for different drinks such as filter, espresso and cafetiere coffee, search for a grinder with multiple grind options.

Capacity – if you want to grind

larger quantities at once – enough for many day’s worth of coffee for example – make sure you buy a grinder with a bigger capacity. Some can only do one to two portions in one go. Size – blade grinders can be relatively compact, the size of a small blender, whereas burr grinders might be much larger than your actual coffee machine. Think about how much countertop space you want to spend to coffee making.

 

Which coffee grinder should I be using?

Coffee grinders frequently come with a choice of settings ranging from fine to coarse and the one you choose will decide how large your ground coffee granules will be. Different grind settings are regarded optimum for different varieties of coffee. Below are some grind sizes coffee expert Giles Hilton recommends for different coffee preparation methods:

Turkish ground coffee – absolute powder which pretty well dissolves in the water, hence its thickness on the tongue.

Espresso – fine ground. For both Italian stove top and electric espresso machines the fineness is vital to assist build up pressure, by making the water push hard and get the ‘kick’ of traditional espresso.

Paper filter – finely ground for both filter machine and ‘pour on’. The water is kept back, mixing and brewing, moving gently through the filter paper which contains the grains.

Cafetiere or french press – medium grind. The metal gauze filter cannot hold back fine ground coffee, therefore you could get muddy/bitty coffee in the cup if it is too fine.

Tips for keeping your coffee fresh

Coffee beans become stale quite rapidly, so if you want the greatest possible espresso, it’s crucial to store your coffee carefully. Here are some great ideas from our coffee expert Giles Hilton:

Keep coffee in an airtight container to keep it from oxidising, or the beans from dehydrating further.

Steer clear of glass jars and sunshine whenever possible.

It would be ideal to be somewhere cool and dark. Steer clear of the refrigerator. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the refrigerator is not the best location to store coffee since there is a chance that it may become wet or that it will absorb flavours from the food that is stored in the fridge.