If there is one aspect of coffee brewing that you should splurge on, it's a quality coffee grinder. Making the perfect coffee is close to impossible if you don't have quality beans and a good grinder.
Some of the best coffee makers already have grinders in them, but many don't factor in that functionality. So why is it important? Premium coffee grinders provide the consistency that you need to extract the flavors out of your coffee beans. Flat and conical burr grinders are the best, but there are plenty of models on the market that simply don’t offer style as well as substance.
As a former barista, I took it upon myself to test the best coffee grinders on the market. I, and our team of expert testers, put these coffee grinders to the test in our kitchen. Here are the results of rigorous rounds of testing.
The quick list
If you want a quick introduction to the best coffee grinders on the market, here are the headlines. There's more detail further down the article.
The best coffee grinder overall
This is the only flat burr grinder in our guide: it creates minimal heat and static, delivering the best coffee grounds possible.
The best for luxury
Available in a range of colors, this retro grinder is thoughtfully designed and particularly good on espresso grind settings.
The best smart
With a range of excellent pre-sets, this can guide any beginner to the perfect grind. You pay for such a premium service though.
The best for beginners
Straightforward and easy to use, the KitchenAid is a brilliant basic. It's available in a range of colors too.
The best manual grinder
Perfectly portable and completely cordless, the 1Zpresso is a really consistent option. It just takes some arm power to use.
The best for consistency
This isn't the most beautiful grinder, but it's very functional. The KM5 is repairable for life, so a real investment piece.
The best value
We wanted to like this more than we actually did. It's fine on basic grind settings, but struggled with static.
The best basic
You'll be surprised at how good this is for the price. It's good for basic grinds, but we wished the grounds container was transparent.
The best budget
This makes $100 go a long way. It looks the part, but struggles with static and retention.
The best coffee grinders we recommend in 2023
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The best coffee grinder overall
Buy it if
✅ You'll keep this on the countertop: it's ultra stylish
✅ You want a flat burr grinder: this is the best we've tested
✅ You have a social kitchen: this is quiet and quick
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're on a budget: this is expensive
❌ You need very fine grinds: this isn't a specialist grinder
❌ You'll keep this in a cupboard: it's quite heavy to move around
The bottom line
🔎 Fellow Ode: this is the best flat burr grinder on the market. It doesn't create any heat when grinding and delivers consistent results. The only thing we can fault is the price.
In Fellow’s true Scandinavian style, the Fellow Ode is a beautiful grinder. It blends a mechanical style with minimalist, resulting in an incredibly capable grinder that will add some finesse to your coffee station.
This is the only flat burr grinder in our guide, but that isn’t what secured it top spot. It certainly helped; the grounds it produced were the most consistent of any we tested. In fact, this didn’t struggle on any of its 30 settings, offering distinct, but consistent grind sizes across the board. Our only comment would be that the finest setting could afford to be a little finer and more dusty, but that only really applies to devoted espresso drinkers. The results of these delightfully consistent grinds were some deliciously confident coffees — the flavors were bold, bright, and super smooth.
Thirty grind settings is more than enough for the average coffee drinker, although it is one of the smallest ranges in our buying guide. Selecting the right one for your brew style is easy. The large dial on the front twists into position. Using the whole grinder is an ASMR experience: the dial gently ticks, the magnetic grounds container softly clunks into place, and the brushed stainless steel makes a wonderful, matte noise when you wipe it down. It’s a truly premium product.
The Fellow Ode does, of course, come with a premium price tag. For a machine with very little automation, it’s expensive. However, to get such quality and design, you’ll need to spend about this much anyway.
The best luxury coffee grinder
Buy it if
✅ You mostly drink espresso: this makes good fine grinds
✅ You'll keep this on display: it's beautiful
✅ You don't have a grounds container: Smeg include a good one
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're a coffee connoisseur: 30 settings isn't much
❌ You're on a budget: this is quite expensive❌ You drink a lot of French press coffee: this isn't good on coarse grounds
The bottom line
🔎 Smeg Coffee Grinder: in true Smeg style, this is beautiful. It's easy to use and very consistent, but doesn't do well on coarse settings.
It seems inevitable that Smeg, the retro, iconic Italian brand makes the most stylish coffee product. I was ready for this to be all form and no function, but it’s really great. Expensive, but great.
These grinders are available in a range of colors, from classic black and white to pastel pink (there’s even a Dolce & Gabbana blue and white design which I will dream about owning for the rest of my life). They’re well suited for a range of interiors, but certainly made to be admired. The dimensions are bigger than most, so you’ll probably end up leaving this on display. You’ll get lots of comments on it, but those who are already short on space should bear this in mind.
Using the Smeg is very straightforward. Their magnetic, glass grounds container makes the perfect storage pot. It suffered from the least static of all our tests, earning a lot of respect from our experts.
When we took a look at our grounds, they were generally consistent. Although, the finer the grind size, the less distinction there is between grounds. This wasn’t a problem for French press or espressos, but if you’re making pour-over coffee, be ready to have a little less control over your flavors.
The best coffee grinder for fine grinds
Buy it if
✅ You're new to grinding: this has pre-sets
✅ You have an espresso machine: this has a portafilter holder
✅ You drink espresso and pour over: this is great for fine grinds
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're on a budget: this is expensive
❌ You will grind more than you need: this doesn't come with a grounds container❌ You need variety: there are more diverse models
The bottom line
🔎 Breville Dose Control Pro: the pre-set functions on this grinder take all the guesswork out of grinding. It's quick, quiet, and consistent, but doesn't come with a grounds container.
Breville’s Smart Dose Control Grinder is one of the most talked about in the barista community. Mention it to any coffee nut and you’ll elicit a knowing nod. This is technically perfect.
The shiny, stainless steel aesthetic exhudes a sense of professionalism. It looks like it belongs on a speciality coffee shop. If you own a stainless steel espresso machine, the aesthetics of this will be perfect.
Functionally, Breville caters to a range of coffee drinkers. It comes with smart pre-sets, so if you’re not confident on which grind size suits you, select a function, and the grinder will do the rest for you. As you get more technical and want to be involved in the coffee process, the Breville offers you complete customization. You can adjust the settings to suit your palette perfectly. We thought this was especially consistent on superfine grinds, making a delicate, well-balanced espresso shot. However, across the full range, this was good, with very little retention and no popcorning either.
With all this on offer, you won’t be surprised to hear that the price is toppy. It’s still good value, but you’ll need to set aside some more money if you want to enjoy some of Breville’s luxuries. It also doesn't come with a grounds container. We suspected this is because they provide a portafilter holder, so are expecting you to grind straight into the basket. However, if you don't have an espresso machine, finding a substitute of grounds container can be messy work.
The best coffee grinder for beginners
Buy it if
✅ You'll keep this on show: it's stylish
✅ You're often in a hurry: this doesn't make much mess
✅ You drink different brew styles: this has a good range
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're short on space: this is quite large
❌ You're on a budget: this is relatively expensive❌ You need somewhere to store beans: the hopper isn't UV protected
The bottom line
🔎 KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder: perfect for beginners and connoisseurs alike, this offers consistency and versatility. It just needs a lot of space.
KitchenAid have been the ones to watch in the coffee market. They’re better known for their iconic stand mixers, but I’ve tested all their coffee products now and they’re as impressive as the coffee giants.
The KitchenAid grinder is a great investment for those looking for an entry-level grinder. The controls are easy to use: the dial, bean hopper, and grounds container are self explanatory. Moreover, the range of 70 grind settings gives you room to grow and explore in your coffee preferences. You don’t really need 70 different settings, but it’s a nice luxury to have.
In our tests, this had very little static and grounds retention, which is impressive. The grinds were generally consistent, although on the absolute coarsest setting they looked a little uneven. That’s me being picky though.
The only reason I wouldn’t recommend this is if you have low wall cabinets. This is tall and won’t clear them, so could create problems when you need to store it. It also uses conical burrs, which are generally good, but specialists will use flat burrs to minimize heat production. Also, don’t keep your beans in the bean hopper because it isn’t UV protected — only put the beans in which you plan to grind.
The best manual coffee grinder
Buy it if
✅ You travel a lot: this is portable
✅ You drink a lot of different coffees: there are lots of settings
✅ You're short on space: this is very compact
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want a hands-off machine: this is powered by you
❌ You drink one brew type: this might have too many settings❌ You're on a budget: this is quite expensive
The bottom line
🔎 1Zpresso JX-PRO Manual Coffee Grinder: compact, cordless, and perfectly portable, this is an incredible manual coffee grinder. It just needs some arm strength to work.
There are plenty of reasons to buy manual coffee grinders: they can be quieter, more compact, and easily portable. There is, however, just one portable grinder that I would buy.
The 1zpresso is a truly premium product. It feels exactly how it looks: like it has been designed from high-grade stainless steel and titanium???. It feels weighty, but not heavy in the hand. The grinder turns relatively smoothly (you need some arm power) and, when you’re finished, this will pack neatly into a drawer, bag, or the corner of your coffee station.
This looks every part as authentic as mechanised coffee grinders. It’s super smart and I’d be tempted to show-off this hands-on piece of kit.
When we tested the key grind settings (this has hundreds) it performed incredibly well. The grinds were consistent across the settings and, because its manual, this made much less noise, heat, and static when grinding. It’s a tidier process in general. The coffees we brewed with our 1zpresso grounds were bold and flavorful, with great flavor clarity too.
Whilst this is perfect for packing up and taking to work or on your travels, manual coffee makers like this aren’t without their drawbacks. As I’ve mentioned, you need some arm muscle to get this grinding. If you feel rough without your morning coffee, an arm workout might just be enough to send you to your local speciality shop instead.
The best coffee grinder for consistency
Buy it if
✅ You want quality: this is repairable for life
✅ You're often in a rush: this is quick and quiet
✅ You drink one brew style: this is consistent
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want diversity: this only has nine settings
❌ You buy expensive beans: this has wasteful grinding❌ You're on a budget: this is expensive
The bottom line
🔎 Moccamaster KM5 Burr Grinder: this coffee grinder might be expensive, but it's repairable foe life. The limited range of grind settings are very consistent with next-to-no grounds retention.
It’s only fair that the sustainability-forward coffee giants at Moccamaster made a grinder. This sleek piece of kit has a very technical, boxy aesthetic which would suit a functional coffee station. It’s not quite as curved and beautiful as KitchenAid and Smeg, but it still looks smart.
What Moccamaster lacks in shiny exteriors it makes up for in function. This is super quick, very diverse, and ultra consistent across all xxx settings. The coffees we brewed with the Moccamaster were delicate and flavorful, a pleasing result from such a competent machine.
Whilst I experienced very little grounds retention and popcorning, I was surprised at just how much static was created. This became a little frustrating, especially for a premium model, but you can buy rubber seals and mats to help combat these issues.
I would make sure to buy a model with the right bean hopper for you needs. If you grind exactly the amount that you’ll use, make sure to choose a model which has a glass grounds container. This makes it easy to keep track of quantities. If you’ll grind and store your beans, opt for the stainless steel model. This will preserve your grounds much better, keeping them in peak condition.
The best value coffee grinder
Buy it if
✅ You're a beginner: this offers a good range
✅ You drink one brew style: this is consistent
✅ You're a lazy cleaner: this doesn't produce much static
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're impatient: this isn't intuitive
❌ You grind early: this is noisy
❌ You'll keep this on display: it's not the most beautiful
uce much static
The bottom line
🔎 Baratza Encore: this offers value for money. It's a good, consistent grinder, but lacks some finesse.
This grinder is a favorite amongst reviewers. If you’ve looked through a few buying guides, you’ll have already been made aware of the Baratza’s sleek design and speedy grinding. Whilst we love it too, it’s not without some limitations.
On the countertop, the Baratza is relatively compact. This is good news for those who live in urban apartments. It’s a little clunky in my opinion and I would like more color options and a little more transparency in the bean hopper and grounds container, but at least your coffee will be protected from UV.
When it comes to grinding this has 40 different settings, which is more than enough for beginners. Changing between them is a little unclear and imprecise, so you’ll have to practice some trial and error to achieve the grind size that you want. It would be good to have something guidance, because our experts had to waste a fair amount of grounds just testing out different settings before they knew which they wanted to use for different coffee.
Once we had established how it all worked, the coffee grounds were a really consistent size. There was also very little grounds retention, which is great news if you like to grind in doses. I would recommend only grinding what you need in the Baratza because you’ll spot that there’s some popcorning, which isn’t great for the long-term taste of your beans.
With that said, we made some really delicious coffee. The precision and consistency of the Baratza married to make a full bodied, bold cup of coffee, both in a French press and espresso machine. Our pour-over was a little flat, so we would recommend sticking to the more extreme grinds.
The best basic coffee grinder
Buy it if
✅ You're on a budget: this is excellent value
✅ You drink mostly French press: this is better on coarse grounds
✅ You're short on space: this is relatively compact
Don't buy it if:
❌ You have a refined palette: this only has 15 settings
❌ You want to watch your grounds: the hopper is stainless steel❌ You drink mostly espresso: this is better on coarse grinds
OXO has stormed the coffee market with their affordable coffee products (the most popular being their excellent cold brew coffee maker). At under $100, the OXO grinder is no exception. It's compact, consistent, and has almost no grounds retention.
The body style would suit ultra modern interiors, especially if you already have a few stainless steel appliances. From a distance, it rivals more premium machines. However, close up, there are a few plastic finishes where others would have rubber or metal, and the grounds container walls are a little thin and, most notably, stainless steel instead of glass. This means that you can't watch and measure how much coffee you're grinding, so you'll need to be careful with the beans that you feed into the beans hopper.
The OXO uses conical burrs, which create a little more heat than flat burrs, but their results are generally good. As you lean towards the extreme (finest or coarsest) settings, you might see some inconsistencies. The finer OXO grinds have a fair amount of variation in their sizes, resulting in a slightly less than perfect espresso. It was still good, but I’ve had better. This is great on coarse grinds, especially French presses. I made some bold and strong coffee with the OXO's grounds.
The best budget coffee grinder
Buy it if
✅ You're on a budget: this is inexpensive and still nice
✅ You want a simple style: this is attractive
✅ This is your first grinder: the design is ultra-simple
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're a technical coffee maker: this lacks finesse
❌ You grind early in the morning: this is noisy❌ You buy really nice beans: this has a lot of retention
The bottom line
🔎 BODUM Bistro Premium Electric Grinder: brilliant for beginners, this affordable machine can deliver simple, but good results. It's quite noisy and struggles with retention ★★★★
Finding a good grinder for less than $100 should be tricky. You want conical burrs, quality, and consistency, which normally amount to at least $200. However, Bodum, with their signature, Danish design, premium feel, and reasonable price tag, has delivered a coffee grinder which is exceptional value.
Sitting on the countertop, this is pretty compact. The tube design is simple, subtle, and even close-up, it looks smart. Simply twisting xxx offers you access to Bodum’s range of xxx grind settings, which are all reasonably consistent.
As you might expect from a cheaper model, this is louder than most. It also has a considerable amount of grounds retention, which is frustrating if you have weighed your coffee beans out before grinding. I also spotted some popcorning in the bean hopper, which will diminish some of your coffee flavors if the same beans get bounced around on a daily basis. My advice would be to always empty your grounds hopper after each use. It’s a little more work, but you’ll thank me for saving your flavors.
A beginner probably wouldn’t have any issues with the Bodum’s slightly imperfect performance. However, if you plan on buying just one grinder and using it for the rest of your life, I would increase your budget and scroll back up this list.
How to choose the best coffee grinder for you:
Coffee grinders might sound simple, but there’s a lot to them. Depending on the kind of coffee drinker you are, you’ll want to look at different models:
Style
Coffee grinders can be big pieces of equipment, so it’s important to consider your space. If you’ll keep this on the countertop, make sure the aesthetics match your kitchen. If you plan on storing it out of the way, make sure it’s suitable for packing away.
Brew style
The kind of coffee you drink will affect the grind size you need. If you use an espresso machine, you’ll need a grinder which specializes in finer grinds. If you use French presses, you’ll want one which is better on coarse settings.
Special features
Some grinders come with coffee storage, pre-sets, timers, portable functions and extra capacity. If this is something you like, it’s worth paying a premium for. If not, don’t waste your money.
How we tested these coffee grinders
Moccamaster and Smeg coffee grinders head to head on test
At Living Etc we want to make sure that we give you reliable reviews. That’s why we’ve tested all of these coffee grinders ourselves. These recommendations are based on our personal, expert experience. They’re not sponsored or influenced in any way.
We test coffee grinders on a range of capabilities. We look at their range of grind sizes, consistency, grounds retention, and popcorning. Equally important, we consider aesthetics, usability, and storage and maintenance. Once our team have tested a coffee grinder, we guarantee you’ll know everything you need to know about them. If you want to know more, you can visit our dedicated page for how we test.
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