The quality of the sip of french press coffee in your mouth is highly dependent on the type of grinder that was used. You may have a top-dollar brand of coffee beans harvested from the highlands of Ethiopia. You may have the most expensive coffee maker. But you may still miss by the wrong grinding.
It matters what type of grinder you use to crush your coffee to achieve the desired texture for the kind of brew that you want your coffee to be like.
In this article, you are going to learn about the best grinder for french press and it’s buying guide. Last will be a look at a few answers to common questions on coffee grinders.
At a Glance: Our Top 5 Coffee Grinder for French Press
- Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder [Best for Manual]
- OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder [Best Choice]
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Delonghi Ariete Electric Coffee Grinder
- Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder
Top 10 Best Coffee Grinder for French Press
1. Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder
This manually operated grinding machine stands at 5.1 inches in height. It is miniature in size such that it won’t be a threat to taking up space in your kitchen. It is also ideal for an outdoor person on the go.
Its exterior is rugged stainless steel with a black accent. It features a plastic knob at the top and a screw on the side that holds everything together.
The stainless steel feature ensures that there is no static as you grind. The fine grinds can be used to prepare your espresso while the course grind can be for your french press.
Pros
- Simple and compact
- Portable (Carry On)
Cons
- Manual (Requires Physical Effort)
2. OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
This grinder is heavyweight. It weighs a whopping 4.5 pounds.
It sports a stainless steel housing and a matte black plastic. Its design is eye-catchy that it easily accessorizes any kitchen space. It has 15 different settings to give you so many different brewing styles for you to choose from. Inside, it has ceramic burrs for grinding. It has a one-touch timer that remembers your last settings.
Its hopper has a capacity of 12 oz that makes it ideal for a large family. It is also not as noisy as you would expect from a grinder that is as dense and electrically powered.
Cleaning it is not as hustle as the process only involves removing any bean residue.
Pros
- Relatively less noisy
- Relatively cheap
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Consumes lots of power
3. Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
This machine is best adapted for the coarse grind. It is electric and for that reason, it tends to be loud when in operation as compared to the manual ones. The fact that it is electric also ensures that it gives consistent power to the burr grinding drums. It is having a range of settings to allow for a variety of brewing styles. It sits stable on the work table. It is relatively expensive to buy.
Pros
- It is accurate
- Its long-lasting
- It is versatile
Cons
- It is expensive
- It is loud
- It is Messy
4. Delonghi Ariete Electric Coffee Grinder
This grinder is sleek and stylish. It is also not going to take much space in your kitchen. It features matte black offsets with stainless steel encasing. It has a see-through hopper.
It has 15 grind settings and a heavy-duty conical burr disc.
Its aesthetic edge makes it complement the kitchen decor.
The see-through bean hopper is automatic and easily removable. This quality makes it easy to clean.
It also has the pulse grinding feature (On and off button)
Pros
- Easy to clean
- Durable
- Doesn’t occupy lots of space
Cons
- Noisy
5. Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder
The grinder has a strong and contemporary aesthetic. It comes in black, stainless steel and polished chrome. Its dimensions are 11 by 8 by 5 inches. Its grinding speed is relatively slow. This means that it produces less heat preserving the coffee’s aroma and flavor. It has an on and off button that allows for pulse grinding. It has a timer that ranges from 5 to 60 seconds. Its hopper has a capacity of 9 ounces, which translates to 4 ounces of ground coffee.
The hoper and upper burr are easily removable, which makes it easy to clean with the brush that comes in tow with the grinder during purchasing. (at no extra cost)
Pros
- It is sturdy
- It is user-friendly
- Consistent grind
- Quiet
Cons
- No antistatic
- Not versatile
6. Epica Electric Coffee Grinder
The Epica electric grinder has a rugged look and feel. It has a stainless steel finish with a see-through lid. It also has a stainless steel grinding cup that is easy to clean.
It has a safety lock. This activates when the lid is removed so that it won’t grind, thus protecting the fingers.
It has a large activation block for extra comfort.
It also has stainless steel blades. For all its features, its price is a good deal.
Pros
- Dishwasher safe
- Quiet
- Powerful motor
- Sturdy and rugged
Cons
- The motors are not durable
- Lid does not fit well
7. Khaw-Fee HGa1B Manual Coffee Grinder
What meets the eye when you look at this machine is stainless steel and glass. It is a thing of beauty from an aesthetic point of view. The see-through receptacle gives you the privilege to see the grinds and this the ability to adjust to your preference.
For its sturdiness, it is not noisy in operation.
The drawing with it is the glass receptacle. The fragile quality of glass may not go well with clumsy hands when cleaning or using it.
Pros
- Relatively quiet
- Attractive to look at
- Durable
- Gives precise grinds
Cons
- Expensive
- Has a glass-bottom jar (fragile)
8. Secura SCG-903B Automatic Electric Burr Coffee Grinder
This coffee grinding machine comes with a preprogrammed quality to give 17 different grind sizes. This is affected just by the turn of a dial.
Its large capacity bin allows it to hold up to 100 grams of beans (that’s a lot of beans). This is enough for up to 12 cups of coffee.
Its burr grinder is so easily removable, making it easy to clean.
It also has an included brush that helps in the cleaning.
The collection container under the grinder goes in your favor to ensure that your kitchen top stays clean.
Pros
- Versatile
- High capacity
- Automatic
Cons
- Loud
- Expensive
9. Quiseen One-Touch Electric Coffee Grinder
It is black, compact, and easy to use. This grinder can produce enough grind to make 7 cups of french press coffee in one go. It has a studded exterior. It has durable stainless steel blades that are driven by a robust electric motor. Its top has got a transparent lid.
The grip on its side is to help with the grip as one holds it during the grinding process. The one-touch quality is quite straight forward and is not like the old winding mazes that most other grinders take you through.
Its rice is quite friendly for the features that it possesses.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Quiet
- Cheap
- Fast and efficient
- Durable and stainless steel blades
Cons
- Hold the button
- Requires regular cleaning as it is messy
10. Breville BCG800BSXL Smart Grinder Coffee Machine
This grinder comes in three stylish colors: sesame black, cranberry red, and brushed stainless steel. This is enough variety to blend with the decor of any kitchen out there. It has a preprogrammed 60 grind settings. This allows you to have all the types of coffee brews ranging from espresso (fine) to french press (medium/coarse).
It is fitted with conical burrs that ensure that the grind produced is of a consistent level.
Its bean capacity is 16 ounces. This allows it to grind directly into a gold-tone filler, a grinds container, paper filter, portafilter or a french press filter.
Pros
- Eye candy
- Precise
- Versatile
Cons
- Noisy
- Expensive
The Ultimate Buying Guide for French Press Coffee Grinder
Buying the best grinder for french press is more than what looks pleasant to your eyes on the surface. What may be cheap may also be easy to break down and call for repairs later. The following is a summary of the parameters to look out for as you shop for your grinder.
Versatility
Consider a grinder that allows you to have a range of sizes that you want your resultant grind to be. The different grindssizes give various options for different brews.
Maintenance
What may be cheap to buy may end up being costly to maintain. It also on this parameter that you should think about the kind of coffee user that you are. Do you brew once a day or thrice a day? The answer to this also affects the amount of stress that you put on the machine’s movable parts.
Cleanliness
Consider the ease of cleanliness of your machine. A good grinder should not able to be a nightmare to clean. If there is a trade-off on this, then it is better to be aware of it before you make your purchase.
Size
Manual grinders tend to be small in size. The electric ones tend to be larger. You should consider the place that it is going to occupy in our kitchen. If you are always on the go, size also an excellent thing to look at.
Price
In most instances, the prices tend to go hand in hand with the right product. The higher the rate the better the features. Please know that you can get a good grinder for a reasonable amount that gives the services of a premium grade.
Burr vs Blade
Burr grinders are relatively more expensive than blade grinders. But, we always recommended going for a burr grinder.
Consistency of The Grind
The texture of the grind affects the quality of the grinder. The ground then affects the quality of the brew in your press. A good grinder should be able to give a consistent range from coarse to medium grinds, all according to your desire.
Steal or Ceramic
The steel grinders are more comfortable and cheaper to replace and compared to ceramic grinders. But the ceramic grinders have the advantage of being more durable.
Heat Management
Heat build-up affects the consistency and flavor of the grind. The motor with low revolving speed is efficient is the right choice because it produces lesser heat and is also less noisy.
Qualities of A Good Grind for Your French Presse Coffee
Below is the checklist of the things to check for when you are in the process of extracting the best grind for your french press coffee.
Uniformity
Evenly ground coffee results in tasty coffee. The grind should be consistently medium or coarse.
Evenly ground coffee tends to ensure the right intensity of extraction happens when it interacts with hot water. Unevenly ground beans tend to result in a bitter-tasting brew.
The particle size also impacts the brewing time.
Correct Brewing Timing
When the perfect grind size has been achieved, the proper time also points at the perfect cup of french press coffee. It is a good idea to manually time the brewing time and noting it down for future use when you get your desired brew taste.
Coffee Grinder Categories
Coffee grinders can be broadly categorized as manual or electric:
Manual Grinders
As the name suggests, they are hand-operated. The fact they are not tethered to an electrical socket, they can be used outdoors. They are easy to clean and maintain. Manual grinders tend to be more aesthetically appealing and thus also act as a kitchen decor accessory.
Electric Grinders
Electric grinders produce more consistent and even grind. This is a good quality for the coffee that is to be used in the french press.
They tend to be noisy while they are grinding. Being powered electronically also means that they get the job done faster. The grinders have an auto-stop feature that knows when to stop the process of grinding.
Types of Grinder for French Press
On a smaller scale, coffee grinders can be categorized as either blade or burr grinders.
Blade Grinders
These grinders chop rather than grind the coffee beans. There are more likely to produce an inconsistent grind that can be too fine. The fine coffee finally manifests itself as “muddy coffee” as residues at the bottom of your press. The very fine grind also clogs the filters making it problematic for the french press plunger.
The blade of this type of grinder is not easily accessible or removable. This makes it challenging to clean it.
The blade grinder is also noisy while in use and messy.
They also produce a lot of heat that affects the flavor of the eventual grind.
Burr Grinders
This type of grinder is more preferable to the blade grinder.
It operates by crushing the coffee beans through cones or discs that have precise ridges; the result is, therefore, a more consistent grind.
The resultant consistent coffee grind doesn’t clog your press.
The burr grinder is easier to clean as compared to the blade grinder because its mechanism is much easier to access.
It is relatively slower thus doesn’t produce as much heat as the blade grinder. This has a lower chance of affecting the flavor of the resultant coffee.
It also has the quality of being adjusted to churn out different grind sizes.
For all that going for it, it is relatively expensive.
Why Is Freshly Ground Coffee Is Better Than Pre-Ground Coffee
The best grind size for french press coffee for the best results is between medium to coarse. The best-tasting coffee results from when there is maximum water surface area interaction with the grind. This enhances the full flavor interaction of the water to the ground particles.
Pre-ground coffee tends to be too fine in texture. So, then it sifts through the filter and forms a sediment in the press. It also makes it challenging for the plunger.
Freshly ground coffee, on the other hand, gives a more vibrant flavor that ensures that the coffee oils, flavors, and aromas when it interacts with the hot water.
Conclusion
Your questions about the grinders have been answered. You now know the type of grinders and the different brands in the market. The buying guide has helped you know the exact things to look for next time you are shopping for your coffee grinder.
Kindly share this with your coffee lovers and make a difference in their lives.
A. I. Moon
A.I. Moon, an experienced SEO Pythonista, spends his days coding and developing web applications to help business owners. A passionate coffee enthusiast, he believes that drinking coffee fuels his creativity and productivity. His day isn't complete without the rich aroma and invigorating warmth of a perfectly brewed cup. This love for coffee inspired him to found EspressoRivo, a platform dedicated to sharing his coffee knowledge and fostering a community of passionate aficionados.
