Are you willing to spend money to buy a coffee grinder? Some people will balk at spending a few extra dollars to buy a coffee grinder.
They view this as a needless expense. However, if you ask this question to a person who has been around coffee for a long time, the answer would probably be yes.
People who love drinking coffee are likely to invest time and money looking for the perfect beans, the best machine, and the right method to brew. A few extra dollars just to make sure that they get the best coffee is something that they will willingly give.
Now, if you have those, will you waste all of it by using stale coffee?
In this article, we are going to reveal the best coffee grinder for 2023 so keep reading if you are a coffee addict and want to know what’s the best coffee grinder in the market.
“]
Why Should You Invest In The Best Coffee Grinder?
Stale coffee is essentially what you are getting if you buy pre-ground coffee from any grocery store or coffee shop. Any coffee drink that you make using stale coffee grounds will lack flavor, be bitter, and feel thin on your tongue.
If you drink coffee often, you would instantly know the difference upon your first sip because stale coffee would lack the richness and body that you are used to. The reason for this is oxidation.
Oxidation causes the aromatic oils of coffee to evaporate. Since the oils are the ones responsible for the floral and fruity flavors of coffee, those will be gone by the time you brew the grounds.
Some experts claim that coffee only stays fresh for half an hour after it is ground. No matter how well your coffee store seals the package, oxygen will still touch your grounds and oxidize it within half an hour.
That is your window for turning the beans to the best cup of coffee it could be. Beyond that, you will only be able to extract a passable cup.
Isn’t life too short to settle for bad coffee?
Are you convinced yet? If you are, this review will be very helpful in guiding you towards buying the best. You wouldn’t need to be confused by the numerous options that you will find if you do the search on your own. This review offers four different grinders that will surely answer the needs of anybody.
From a hobbyist who’s just discovered how to brew coffee to a coffee shop owner who has been brewing for many years, you will surely find one that will best fit your needs. Soon, you will be brewing cup after cup of the best-tasting coffee.
What Are The Benefits of Buying A Manual Burr Grinder?
Manual home coffee grinders produce coffee grounds of uniform size. This is essential to getting a delicious and balanced tasting coffee. They can produce grind sizes from espresso to French press, but the grind size setting doesn’t allow for micro-adjustments for many units.
Most manual grinders are very small. They are usually operated using two hands, one for holding while the other is for cranking. This makes the unit portable. It is perfect for brewers who like enjoying coffee on the go.
Manual grinders are also usually more durable than electric ones.
This is because the mechanism used is much simpler. This kind is also easier to clean. You don’t have to deal with dismantling containers and gears or avoid getting the circuitry wet.
Manual grinders are not very difficult to operate, but, if you plan on making large amounts of coffee, grinding enough beans can take a long time.
Finally, what makes manual grinders so appealing to people is its price. A good manual grinder can cost you less than $30. You will be hard pressed to find a good electric grinder for the same price. If you do see an electric blade grinder for that price, just stay away. It is not worth spending on. Below is the only manual coffee grinder that you will find in this review.
What Are The Benefits Of Buying An Electric Espresso Grinder?
The main benefit offered by electric coffee grinders is convenience. It is super easy to use. You just need to load your beans in the hopper, choose the grind size, and then switch it on. In just a few seconds, you’ll have all the grounds you will need to make an amazing cup of coffee.
It is also an ideal choice if you regularly make large amounts of coffee. You wouldn’t tire your arm out cranking endlessly until you finally come up with enough grounds.
However, electric grinders can be a little expensive.
Plus, they tend to be big in size, almost the size of a blender. This means you won’t be able to bring it with you if you want to brew a cup outside your home. It will also take up more counter space than any regular manual grinder.
Below are three models of electric burr grinder that you can consider in your hunt for the next coffee-making equipment to add to your arsenal.
* JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder
This JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder is a small yet powerful grinder. It is lightweight, weighing only 266 grams without the beans.
It is easy to carry, making it the perfect portable grinder that you can use for turning beans into grounds even when you are out and about. The body is made of durable stainless steel. Its hand crank is detachable so you can easily fit it into your bag.
Its hopper has a capacity of 40 grams, enough to brew two or three servings of coffee per grind. Once you load your chosen beans, you just need to move the crank and its ceramic burr grinder will do the rest of the work. It is equipped with a dual plate system.
This makes the grinder more stable to ensure consistent grinding results each and every time you use it. The ceramic grinder is ideal because it does not heat up too much. Exposing the beans and grounds to heat during this time can affect the taste of the coffee once it is used for brewing.
You can change the settings to suit how fine or coarse you need the grounds to be. There are 18 settings for this manual grinder. To do so, you have to turn the adjustable knob underneath the body of the grinder. It is a click system and may take a few tries before you get used to it.
The grinder looks simple and is very easy to use.
There is a reason why it has been on the market for a long time and its manufacturer still hasn’t made any adjustment. Why fix what isn’t broken? Right? The price is also very enticing for people who do not want to spend more on additional coffee-making tools.
It is pretty reasonable knowing that you will be getting a very durable grinder. It is no wonder that this particular home coffee grinder has received 4.4 out of 5 stars from 5,215 users.
This grinder is perfect for people who are looking for a coffee-making tool that is affordable, fuss-free, highly-functional, and extremely reliable. This manual grinder will last for a long time. IT might even outlast your coffee machine. It is the choice grinder of practical travelers who enjoy making good coffee while on the go.
Here are the pros and cons of buying a JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder:
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Compact and lightweight
- Has 18 different grind settings
- Uses a ceramic conical burr grinder
Cons:
- Setting the grind level can be tricky
* KRUPS GX5000 Burr Coffee Grinder
This Krups GX5000 is manufactured by a German company whose name may be considered synonymous to coffee. This electric burr grinder is pretty compact.
You may not be able to bring it out with you but it surely won’t take up too much space. It is ideal for coffee lovers living in studio apartments` or small houses with compact kitchens.
It looks sleek with its black and brushed steel accents. The bean container can hold up to 8 oz of coffee beans. It has a quantity indicator so you can choose how much will be ground. You can choose between 2 cups up to 12 cups. The machine will automatically grind the necessary amount for you. It is equipped with a flat, metal grinder.
This grinder has 45 settings. The dial at the front is labeled from 1 to 9 and there are 5 notches between each label. This allows the user to choose the consistency of the grind from very fine to very coarse. Its burr mill system prevents overheating to preserve the aroma of the grounds.
The Krups GX5000 is multi-functional.
You can also grind nuts, seeds, spices, and herbs in this machine. Once you have filled the hopper with the items that you want to grind, make sure that the container and lid are in place. It the lid is not in place; the grinder will refuse to start grinding. This is a safety feature that Krups put in place so you don’t accidentally grind anything that you don’t want to be ground, like your finger.
People say that using the grinder for different food can be problematic if you are not able to clean the unit out properly. This is because oil residue gets left behind and it affects the taste of the next thing that you grind. Some suggest that after grinding, you run the grinder with ¼ cup of rice in the hopper.
Once the rice grains have been pulverized, dump the rice flour then clean the inside of the grinder using a damp paper towel. This should remove any oils and smells left by the previous food item in your grinder.
One of the common complaints about this model is that it makes a lot of noise. It does not come equipped with a noise insulation feature so it might not be a great idea to use this item very early in the morning. If the noise will be an issue, it is advisable to do your grinding and brewing when nobody is sleeping.
Additionally, the sensors sometimes malfunction because coffee grounds get in it. All you have to do when this happens is clean the removable burr part with the brush that comes with it.
One of the main things that attract buyers to the Krups GX5000 is its price. It is quite affordable. While there are some complaints posted that it breaks down in a matter of months, it is still an okay buy if you are only looking for a simple conical burr grinder. If yours breaks down before the warranty expires, you can still have it replaced.
Here are the pros and cons of buying the Krups GX5000 Burr Coffee Grinder:
Pros:
space-saving design
- quite easy to clean
- has safety-features
- multi-use
- affordable
Cons:
- grinds noisily
- issues about durability
* Capresso 560.04 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder
If you did not notice is, the brand name Capresso is a combination of the words “cappuccino” and “espresso”. This brand has been marketing home coffee equipment that is known for their innovative design since 1974. It is a brand under JURA Inc., a leading company when it comes to premium coffee equipment.
The Capresso 560.04 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder is a good quality electric burr grinder. It is affordsable and is a steal as most grinders of the same reputation and quality go for over two hundred dollars. This burr grinder is a pretty sturdy grinder that seems to be well put together.
It is made of a thick plastic material and die-cast zinc that appear to be of high quality. It is pretty compact and would not take too much space in your kitchen. It is also lightweight so you can move it around in case you want to put the grinder in a cabinet when you are not using it.
The hopper has a capacity of 8.5 ounces of beans. The container is sealed and is see-through. The seal helps keep the beans fresh for a longer time. The grind container can hold up to four ounces of coffee grinds at a time.
It is very easy to use because it doesn’t really have a lot of special features.
There are four grind categories offered by this machine: extra fine, fine, regular, and coarse, but it has 16 fine-tuning settings. That should be sufficient to a beginner coffee drinker who wants to experiment with different grind levels.
The setting can be controlled using the large dial at the front of the machine. This grinder is designed to grind a little slower than others. This results in less friction. The less friction there is, the less heat is generated. We have already mentioned how heat degrades the quality of the coffee grounds.
This conical burr grinder is equipped with a timer. It doesn’t really correspond with anything. It is not related to the duration of grind. It is useful, however, when you do pour overs or when you are timing how long you are going to pull an espresso shot.
Just like the Krups model, this also has a safety feature that will not start grinding unless the bean container is locked safely in place. This is for the user to avoid any accidents.
Cleaning the Capresso Infinity grinder is a breeze. All you have to do is remove the moving parts and brush the insides to remove any grounds. Because the interior is also made of plastic, coffee grounds tend to stick to the surface. Again, having a brush will address this issue. You can also do the rice trick to rid the grinder of any residual oil from the coffee beans.
This electric burr grinder is more expensive than the previous model that we looked at. It is already affordable compared to others made by more popular brands with the same features.
Here are the pros and cons of buying the Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder:
Pros:
- compact design
- made of high-quality plastic
easy to use
- has a timer
- has a safety feature
- easy to clean
Cons:
- slightly more expensive than others
- issues about durability
* Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Baratza is a term that means a place where people gather to drink coffee. This is also an American brand that has been manufacturing coffee making equipment is 1999.
Despite being fairly young in the game, Baratza has produced a state-of-the-art coffee grinder that even professionals choose. It is said to be one of the few affordable grinders that can grind coffee beans fine enough for espresso.
This Baratza grinder is nothing special to look at. Its black case is very simple looking. It is compact though. It can easily be stored in a kitchen cabinet or left on the counter. It does not eat up too much space anyway.
It is surprisingly durable.
It is powered by a high-torque motor which is designed to grind slow so that it doesn’t introduce heat to the coffee grounds. The slow grind also produces less noise, allowing you to grind coffee beans without the fear of waking the entire neighborhood.
Because it goes slow, the motor doesn’t overheat, unlike that of other cheaper grinders. You can use it for long periods of time. This is the only grinder in this review that allows the user to control the speed of the grind. You can choose from any speed between 405 to 495 RPM.
The gears of this grinder are made of 15% glass-filled thermoplastic. This makes it very durable and highly resistant to shock. It will grind any food item and would only buckle if you put in under-roasted beans or small stones inside the hopper. The gearbox is also designed to prevent the beans from jamming and causing any problems.
The burrs of the Baratza Encore have been pre-calibrated by the manufacturer to the setting that would best suit whatever type of coffee you want to make. However, you can still choose the setting if you desire. It offers 40 different grind settings.
Now, that may be too much for the regular homebrewer, but it would allow coffee experts to customize the type of grind that he or she wants for whatever coffee-making method is going to be employed. You can grind coffee beans for pour over, Aeropress, and French press. As mentioned above, it can grind really fine which is what is needed to make an espresso.
In the center of the machine, you will see the pulse button. On the side, you will see the controls for the settings for the power and grind. It is fairly easy to use as you only need to turn the knobs to the grind setting that you want and simply press the on button.
There are some complaints that loading the beans, particularly those that are larger than average in size, poses a problem for the Encore as it doesn’t feed through its hopper well. You might notice some leftover loose beans that did not fit into the container’s opening.
The burrs are easily removable to so you can clean it effortlessly. It does not require any special tools which add to the cleaning time of other electric grinders.
The catch bin is accessible from the front.
It collects the loose grounds. Some users noticed that, since the case is plastic, loose grounds tend to stick to the inside of the grinder. This can make cleaning a little tricky. That is why experienced users advise that you always have a long-bristled brush at the ready. You can use this to sweep the loose grounds sticking inside the grinder.
A lot of consumers commented about the excellent customer service provided by Baratza. They immediately provide assistant in troubleshooting any issue with their grinder. In case there is a problem that cannot be fixed, they offer to replace the grinder hassle-free.
Although it is still affordable, the Encore is the most expensive grinder of the four reviewed today. It has received 3.9 stars out of 5 by 1,196 people.
Here are the pros and cons of buying the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder:
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Easy to clean
- Adjustable grind settings
- Adjustable motor settings
Quieter than normal electric grinders
Cons:
- No safety features
- A little more expensive than others
So, Which Is The Best Coffee Grinder 2023 Has Seen?
If you want a grinder that is no fuss, easy to maintain, and will last you for years, it is best to get the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder. It doesn’t require electricity. It is portable. But most of all, it is cheap. As for the electric grinder, you can choose any of the three because they all provide basically the same features.
The main thing that differentiates the three is the price. If you are looking for a mid-range, easy to use grinder, you can go for the Capresso model. If you are trying to save some money, The Krups is good enough. For more calibration and better motor control, you can splurge on the Baratza Encore. Are you ready to buy the best coffee grinder 2023 has seen?