The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
Freshly ground coffee is addictive and delicious. If you want to make the perfect brew each morning, you need a coffee grinder.
After much research and some testing, we found that the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder is the best option for most people with its affordable $139 price tag and consistently great grinds.
There's nothing better than a perfect cup of coffee. If you're a coffee snob, you probably know that freshly ground coffee makes for a better cup of Joe. Coffee goes stale relatively quickly, so when you buy pre-ground beans, you may be losing some of your coffee's flavor. A good grinder will grind your beans to a uniform size so that you get the most out of your beans. Grinding beans every day before you make coffee may sound like a hassle, but a grinder can quickly pulverize your beans to maximize their flavor.
Coffee grinders range from the incredibly affordable to the absurdly expensive. You can get grinders at any point in between as well. We've tested a few coffee grinders and researched dozens more to find the best ones you can buy. Before we get into our picks, these are the key terms and features you need to know.
Blade versus Burr grinders
There are two main types of coffee grinders: blade and burr grinders. Purists say that you shouldn't even consider blade grinders because they don't grind the coffee beans to a nice uniform particle size, which results in an uneven and unpredictable brew. Blade grinders are much cheaper than burr grinders, though, and not everyone will be able to afford the pricier burr grinders. As such, we've included one blade grinder and the rest are burr grinders at varying price points.
When you start looking at burr grinder machines, there's a lot more to know. As The Wirecutter explains, "burrs work by using two serrated pieces of metal or ceramic that are positioned a specific distance apart from each other (depending on the grind) and rotate to crush the beans to the exact size you want." Here are the different types of burrs used on most machines:
- Flat versus Conical burrs: There's much debate over which type of burr is better, but they perform pretty similarly, so you shouldn't worry too much about this point. Flat burrs are two parallel rings with a space between them where the beans enter to be sheared into coffee grounds, while conical burrs involve a cone in a ring that grinds your beans down to the right size.
- Steel versus Ceramic burrs: Steel burrs are more affordable and more common in coffee grinders, but they don't last as long as ceramic ones do. Ceramic burrs are typically used in manual hand grinders and for grinding espresso beans perfectly.
Having a powerful, consistent, and well-made grinder is essential to making the most out of your beans. These are the best grinders you can buy, ranging from less than $20 to $230.
Here are our picks for the best coffee grinders you can buy:
- Best coffee grinder overall: Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Best coffee grinder for less than $100: Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder
- Best coffee grinder for less than $75: Brim Electric Handheld Burr Grinder
- Best expensive coffee grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Best blade coffee grinder: KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder
- Best manual coffee grinder: Hario Mini Mill Slim Hand Coffee Grinder
Updated on 11/20/2018 by Owen Burke: Updated prices and formatting, added the OXO BREW Conical Burr Grinder as a "Best for less than $100" pick and the Brim 1.6-Oz Handheld Electric Coffee Grinder for a less than $75 pick.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
SEE ALSO: The best espresso machines you can buy
The best coffee grinder overall
Why you'll love it: The Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder produces consistently uniform coffee grounds for all grind settings, and it costs far less than other high-end models.
Every coffee expert will tell you that the least amount of money you should spend on a coffee grinder is $100 because you get what you pay for in the coffee world. Although there are fancier high-end models that cost hundreds more than the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder, this really is the best grinder for most people.
The Encore is considered the ultimate entry-level burr grinder for coffee enthusiasts at home. You really don't need more than what the Encore offers. It has 40 individual grind settings, ranging from fine to coarse and everything in between. Once you find the perfect setting for your tastes, you're all set.
It runs on a DC motor with electric and gear speed reducers that slow the burr to 450 RPM to reduce noise, static, and unwanted variations in particle size. The Encore is a great all-around grinder that performs nearly as well and consistently as the pricier competition.
Baratza also has a great repair program, so if your machine needs a repair or a full cleaning, they'll take care of it for you for a fee.
User reviews on Amazon are mostly positive, and many say there's no need to pay more for a high-end grinder. The Wirecutter named the Encore its best coffee grinder. Home Grounds highly recommends it, as does Lifehacker and Foodal.
Pros: Conical burr grinder, 40 grind settings, easy to use, reliable, consistent, relatively affordable, a good repair program
Cons: One-year warranty is a bit short, it's entry-level — not high-end
Buy the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder on Amazon for $139.00
The best burr grinder for less than $100
Why you’ll love it: The OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder grinds slowly, but that in turn reduces static, noise, and inconsistencies in your grounds.
A burr grinder is a great tool to have if you can afford it, but lower-end grinders can be something of a let-down. Uneven grounds, static mess, and overheating are some of the regular issues with burr grinders in the sub-$100 category, but OXO nearly eliminates them all with a thriftiness you can’t help but appreciate — and respect.
OXO includes a grounding prong in the power plug, which grounds the stainless steel grounds bin and keeps static down. Other grinders with plastic bins produce just as much static, which, with plastic, there’s no eliminating.
This device also employs a much lower motor RPM, which comes with its own pros and cons. While you’ll have to wait for what feels like twice as long as you would with most burr grinders, this allows for a kind of precision most others in the price range won’t match. It also makes much less sound, which the rest of the household will surely appreciate. One Amazon reviewer recorded 74 decibels, reporting it to be less than a blender.
PC Verge is a big fan of the OXO Brew grinder, suggesting that at this price, you won’t find a better grinder. They do note that the machine doesn’t come with a scale, which might be upsetting for certain coffee drinkers, scales that come along at this price tend to be fraught with difficulties anyhow.
Amazon reviews are encouraging with a 4.3-star rating based on a list of nearly 200, many of which are from amateur testers who received the unit for free, but there are enough positive reviews verified buyers to suggest they’re not wrong.
Basically, if you want a burr grinder and don’t want to spend over $100 on it, this is your best bet for now. — Owen Burke
Pros: Thoroughly well-designed, consistent grounds, low noise level, minimal static
Cons: Slower than other burr grinders, no built-in scale
Buy the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder on Amazon for $79.99 (originally $99.95)
The best burr grinder under $80
Why you’ll love it: The Brim Electric Handheld Burr Grinder is slim, sleek, tidy, and affordable.
If the Brim Electric Handheld Burr Grinder looks like an electric pepper mill, that’s because, in essence, it is. Wire-free, this tall, lean, battery-powered gizmo will alleviate clutter from your kitchen counter, but just keep in mind that it is small.
Grinding coffee for the whole household could be quite the chore with the small, 30-gram capacity, but for a couple of people each morning, it’s the perfect size. It’s also portable.
A motor on top of steel burrs with a hopper and grinds container in the bottom keep this thing compact, but nine grinding settings keep it fully functional.
Like the OXO Brew, this grinder is slow — though it’s even slower because it’s battery-powered. This has its advantages. It’s also quiet, and it also produces unburnt grounds, which can be a common problem with high-velocity grinders whose blades get hot and can burn the grounds.
There aren’t many reviews out yet for the Brim Electric Handheld Burr Grinder, but the handful on BestBuy are all enthusiastic, and Insider Picks’ Buying Guides editor Malarie Gokey is a big fan, too.
In effect, this is the reliable but no-frills choice for small households. You’ll keep very busy running this machine if you’re trying to keep up with any more than a few people’s coffee habits, but other than that, we’re pretty confident it won’t let you down. Stay tuned for longevity notes. — Owen Burke
Pros: Quiet, efficient, battery-powered, compact, portable
Cons: Only grinds about 30 grams at a time
Buy the Brim Electric Handheld Burr Grinder at Best Buy for $69.99
Buy the Brim Electric Handheld Burr Grinder on Amazon for $69.99
See the rest of the story at Business Insider