What's the best coffee grinder?

Recommendations Wanted
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#1

I’ve got a question for you. What’s the best coffee grinder? Is there one that you absolutely love or hate? I’d like to do a coffee grinder review—this will be for Conical Burr coffee grinders. Maybe I’ll do one for hand grinders in the future.

Here’s what I’m considering so far:

Anything I should add to this list?

OXO Coffee Grinder with Integrated Scale Review
OXO 9-Cup Coffee Maker Sale
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#3

If you’re looking for something that works with unpressurized filters I can recommend the mentioned Breville smartgrinder.

Looks sleek and I’m able to get solid unpressurized pulls at about 25 seconds.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OXGXW8O/

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#4

Not sure if you’re into the buy it for life thing, but I’ve been using the same small Krups grinder for the last 20 years. I think this is a newer version of this—mine is white. Or at least was white at some point in time.

https://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Electric-Coffee-Grinder-Stainless/dp/B00004SPEU

It’s not the fanciest thing out there. There’s only a single blade and single speed. It’s easy to clean too. I just wipe the inside down with a paper towel.

You probably can’t use it for espresso, but there’s something I love about simple machines.

OXO Coffee Grinder with Integrated Scale Review
#5

I ended up going with the OXO Barista Brain Coffee Grinder

Here’s my quick take after about 6 months of use.

The good

  • A fresh grind of coffee makes a huge difference. Previously I ground in large batches about every two weeks—that’s no longer the case.
  • The built-in scale is not super-precise but it is good enough for anyone making drip coffee.
  • I love the cups measuring system. I preset the strength of the coffee I want. When I’m ready for coffee I simply select the number of cups I want and push the button—it grinds the right amount I need.
  • It’s a pretty attractive appliance.
  • I read a ton of reviews about the grinder being messy. Every grinder has this problem and it—this was my main concern when purchasing a coffee grinder. I had seen the mess that the highly-rated Baratza grinders produced. I’m glad to report that the mess is minimal and when there is one, the removable scale tray makes it easy to clean.

The bad

  • If you’re looking to make espresso, this is probably not your grinder. You will need a finer grind than this machine is capable of—especially for unpressurized espresso.
  • The scale isn’t exact. While I have not tested this myself, every test I’ve reviewed reports 1/4 to 1 ounce more than the desired amount. This is likely because it takes a bit more time for the coffee to go from the Burr grinder through the chute and onto the scale.
  • Grind consistency is OK. Works well for drip, but as the Wirecutter mentioned, the Baratza grinders will provide a much more consistent grind.
    *Smudges pretty easily. Easy to clean, but for my this is the biggest detractor from an otherwise great product.

Conclusion

If you’re simply looking for a way to up your drip coffee the OXO Barista Brain is about as good as you can do. I purchased mine on sale for about $120 and think it’s an absolute steal at that price.

#6

Moving these notes here:

Recommendations: A new category for product recommendations