Best coffee grinder: 8 burr grinders for consistently fresh coffee

A good coffee grinder is a trusty sidekick for any coffee aficionado looking for the freshest brew, but the best coffee grinder will elevate your coffee drinking experience to new heights.

While having the best coffee maker at your disposal is crucial to brewing great coffee, the tools you have are equally important... and that starts with a coffee grinder. 

Most coffee experts go to great lengths to avoid ready-ground coffee in favor of buying whole beans. Waiting until just up to your brew provides the freshest tasting beans and yields the best flavors and aromas. And if you're just transitioning from store-bought grounds to buying bags of whole beans, well, you'll notice the freshness difference in the first cup. 

We've gone to great lengths seeking out the best of the best in terms of coffee grinders, because not all coffee grinders are created equal, grinding through bags of coffee for different preparations from espresso to cold brew, and comparing the sizes, consistency, ease of use, and of course, value for the money. 

Once you've got your coffee basics down, you can top off your coffee station set up with the best milk frothers for lattes at home. 

Best coffee grinder 2021

After coffee shop level perfection, well the Baratza Virtuoso+ is a  specialty coffee grinder from Baratza is backed by the Specialty Coffee Association, and we could write a symphony about it. It's also beloved by coffee experts for its ability to dose ground coffee accurately and consistently, with 40 coffee settings suitable for a wide range of coffee-brewing methods. 

The Virtuoso+ is particularly great at grinding with its commercial quality40 mm conical burr design. And we know it's due to last you for years. And while not designed for fine espresso machines (those grinders typically reach into the high hundreds, even thousands), we think you can get by. After all, the grinder can grind directly into a portafilter.  

The Baratza Virtuoso+  has a 40-second digital timer that is adjustable to a tenth of a second with an LED-backlit display to easily select desired settings. It grinds at a speed of 2g/second and is extremely accurate. You can even keep an eye on your coffee grinds as it works with the LED-lit grounds bin to illuminate, which is really a neat touch. 

Additionally, Baratza emphasizes the repairability of its devices (as opposed to dumping it should something malfunction) and has responsive customer service. Each grinder comes with a one-year warranty.  In the event of overheating, as any electric can deal with, it has a thermal cutoff switch to prevent the motor from overheating due to excessive use. 

OXO combines quality, design, and performance into its electric conical burr machine that costs around $100! It seems only too good to be true! 

OXO's Conical Burr Grinder has 15 settings, plus micro settings in between the whole number sizes and easy-to-see indicators for grind level, It's easy to use, and you can easily differentiate the sizing between each step. The 30-second timer dial stays in place for continuous one-touch operation. 

It grinds really quickly though, so in the beginning, I stuck with running the timer for about 15 seconds at a time. To use, you'll twist the bean hopper to your desired setting, and then turn the dial to how long you want the machine to grind. Start grinding by pressing the button in the center of the dial, which immediately starts dispensing to the small metal container. 

The first few times running it, I couldn't gauge how much time I needed to select to minimize my coffee waste since you'll need to find another additional container to keep leftover ground sealed airtight.

The amply-sized hopper is removable, which makes it easier to clean, and can fit three-quarters of a pound of beans. When whipping up some cold brew, I did end up grinding through the whole hopper, but it is airtight if you're only trying to grind a few tablespoons at a time, as opposed to almost half a pound.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro offers up top quality and smart specs, making it essential for the discerning coffee drinker with its consistent grind with a wonderful coffee aroma. 

The Breville Smart Grinder has a ton of settings, 60, that you can prepare any type of coffee, including coffee for percolators and even super-fine powder used in making Turkish coffee. We hope you're up for some experimentation to find the best setting for you. Though, you can also choose from presets for French press, filter, or espresso, or program your own cup size and shot volumes. The stainless steel conical burrs are designed to minimize grinding heat and protect the essential oils in the coffee bean for the best-tasting coffee. 

The removable hopper at the top for whole bean storage has a 16oz. capacity, so you don’t have to refill too often. You'll also grind directly into a portafilter, sealable grinds container, gold-tone filter basket, or paper filter for maximum versatility. 

While almost all of the coffee grinders on our list can grind up coffee fine enough for espresso, if it's your beverage of choice and you brew copious amounts of it home, well, we're pretty positive you're after the best aka the Eureka Mignon Specialita Espresso Grinder. 

It even sounds refined, and looks it too, with a high-end digital touch-screen display for setting the timer. An infinite stepless dial is also used to adjust grind size from espresso to French Press, though it can take several spins to get to the right setting. 

And while it's surely, the priciest coffee grinder on our list, it delivers commercial quality (re: the level of refinement you expect to see in your favorite coffee shops) that makes it well worth the cost. It also runs close to whisper-quiet, which is not something you ever expect out of a grinder, thanks to a sound-insulated case. The addition of a wider chute keeps grounds from clumping. 

When cleaning the burr grounds, adjusting the grind from below the motor mount, the Specialita preserves your grind setting between disassembling the motor.  

The sleek (and compact) Fellow Ode Brew Coffee Maker is perhaps the most niche on our list. Its boxy design alone is enough for the modern aesthetic lover to add this straight to her home, but it's actually pretty impressive. Fellow actively advocates it best for use with craft coffee methods such as French press, cold brew, pour-over coffee, and Aeropress, thus complementing the product line of Fellow's craft coffee products.  And for these coffee types, it grinds consistently and very well. In fact, they go as far as actively stating that their grinder is not optimized for espresso grinding.  

It's incredibly easy to use and set up. Once you select the desired grind size (the lid shows a chart with sizing recommendations) you'll fill the hopper, snap in the catch, which satisfyingly magnetically snaps securely into place to minimize spewing grounds, and press the small power button, which automatically knows to stop. A grinds knocker button helps 'knock' any extra grinds into the catch, for low grind retention with the machine. It's also worth noting how quiet the machine is, a low growl that will not disturb anyone in a room over.

For my first stop, I cranked the dial to 10 (out of 11) to grind up coffee for my cold brew coffee maker, which suggested about 110g of coffee, causing me to fill the bean hopper one and a half times. The indicator lines made measuring out that second batch easy, but I noticed how often I'll have to run continuous cycles if I'm brewing for more than two cups at a time. The smaller hopper size is with the intention the user is single-dosing.

It's also recommended to use for less than 90 seconds at a time, and the grinder must rest for 30 minutes if you grind for more than six minutes, as the grinder is best for single-dosing as opposed to batch prepping for the week.

Since maintenance is key, this can either be viewed as an extra safety feature or a pain point, but the only way to access the burr grinder components is with the use of a Phillips-head screwdriver, which is not the most convenient for quickly removing any clogged grounds. A small brush is included to help with cleaning, which is especially useful since grounds due tend to cling to the top of the grinder and create a small mess.  

Casual coffee drinkers who like fresh beans, but don't see the need for bells and whistles, will enjoy the Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill. It's one of the most affordable coffee grinders on our list and still offers a quality burr mill construction that can fit a half-pound of beans in the hopper. 

It has 18 settings for super fine to coarse, though we think it's best for drip coffee methods and coarser. It has larger, easy-to-read markings, but doesn't utilize a numerical system. You'll select your setting by twisting the hopper, which lets out an audible ticking sound as you move among the selections. 

But what we really like is that it has a sliding indicator that lets you choose from grinding a pre-set amount between 4 and 12 cups of coffee, leaving no timing and measuring guesswork. Though, that means, you have to plan to grind at least 4 cups worth of coffee. 

If style and aesthetic is what you're after, Smeg's coffee grinder is made for staying on display. It isone of the best looking coffee grinders available, especially if you love retro and vintage design with color options spanning a soft blue to a punchy red.

It offers 30 grinding steps in 3 macro segments with fine for strong espressos, medium for drip coffee prep, and coarse, which works best on french press. It is also amply sized with a roomy 350g bean hopper. The hopper has a twist and lock system that seals in beans and keeps them safe, so you won't have to refresh with new whole beans each morning. The Tritan ground container can hold up to 150g at a time. 

People choose manual grinders for all sorts of reasons, such as portability, reduced noise, the cost for better parts, and even the idea of getting up close and personal with your coffee process.

While a premium hand grinder, such as the 1Zpresso Q2 Manual Coffee Grinder can still cost similar to an entry-level electronic grinder, you'll see the difference in build parts, as there is a particular emphasis on the grinder's stainless steel burrs. 

The 1Zpresso Q2 Manual Coffee Grinder can grind up to 20 grams at a time, making it ideal for single beverages. 1Zpresso does offer larger manual grinders (at a higher price point) for larger hopper sizes. It offers 30 click rotations that can grind coarse to fine. It's passable for espresso beverages, but this mini model is especially useful for Aeropress, French Press, and pour-over brewing.

Users have found consistent grind results, but many noted that the numbers on the dial (1-10) seem to go in reverse order, with 10 being a fine grind, when we've normally seen it as a coarse one. 

What type of coffee grinder is best?

There are two types of coffee grinders that you'll typically see at home. Blade and Burr grinders. 

Blade grinders utilize a rotating blade, that essentially, spins around to finely chop up the coffee beans. They are unequivocally cheaper and do not offer the precision, consistency that today's best burr coffee grinders can easily achieve. Unless you're on a tight budget, we don't typically recommend blade grinders for coffee... though they are also considered quite useful for chopping  up spices, nuts, and the like. 

Burr grinders use a steel mechanism that grinds coffee between a pair of abrasive surfaces. Burr grinders are further sub-divided by conical and flat burrs, with conical burrs being the most common among home brewers. Burr grinders can range in price from $50 for a low-end budget model to $1,000 for pro-level that can grind to a fine powder.

Conical burrs grinders have a conical base that spins against a larger circular outer ring with angled teeth in a vertical pattern.  Meanwhile, flat burrs are made up of two rings that lie flat on each other horizontally and create the most consistent-sized grind. You'll find flat burns in the most sophisticated machines, as in the case of the Eureka and Fellow brands.  

While most of the coffee grinders on our list are electric, some will seek out manual coffee grinders that are portable, and can also give you the most range of results.  They can feature blade or burr designs, but since they require manual force to operate, they could grow tiresome if brewing for say, an espresso maker. 

Tips for choosing the best coffee grinder

When choosing the best coffee grinder for you, consider these factors when choosing your next machine: 

Hopper size
Most hoppers on our list can accommodate between 8 and 16 ounces of coffee beans. Meanwhile, a larger hopper is extremely convenient for big families, entertainers, or batch grinding. However, a new emerging trend, is single-dosing, with the intention of refilling your hopper for each brew for maximum freshness. Consider the method and how much you will grind at a time... drip coffee makers will need a larger hopper to grind for a 10-12 cup pot, while pour-over and espresso coffees require less coffee for a portion.  

Grind settings
The grinders on our list go from 11 to 60 settings, and that's not counting each micro-setting, with each one offering an incremental difference. If you are partial to espresso or ristretto, make sure you pick a grinder with a fine enough grind setting, such as the Breville Smart Grinder or the Baratza Virtuoso Plus. French press and cold brew drinkers will need coarser grind options, while drip coffee simply requires a medium grind that pretty much every coffee grinder on our list should be able to master.

Special features
In addition to variable grind sizes, you may also notice special features on your coffee grinder like LED lights, LCD displays and touch screens, weight-based measuring, digital timers, setting recalls and the like, which all enhance (and can complicate in some instances) your coffee grinding experience. 

Why is grind size important

Grind size can influence the quality of your entire brew. In short, the size of the grind affects brewing speed, which influences flavor extraction. Finer grounds extract flavor fasts in contact with water for a shorter time, while coarser grounds extract flavors slower and need to be in contact with water for longer. If the grounds are too coarse, but you're brewing with drip, or super-fast espresso methods, you'll be left with a weak, flavorless coffee.