There’s nothing better than the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans. Although we used to buy ground coffee from our local coffee shop, we learned better. Now, we only grind our beans at home. One of the best ways to do this is to use a manual coffee grinder. In this post, we offer reviews for the best coffee grinders for home use.
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3 Best Manual Coffee Grinders
- Porlex Jp-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder
- Bialetti Manual Coffee Grinder
- JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder
Why We Started To Grind Our Own Coffee?
Once we finally settled down in Spain after several years of relatively full-time travel, we started to stock our apartment with the kind of kitchen gear we weren’t getting in temporary rentals. And, after so many years of travel through Spain, Italy, and Portugal, we’ve really started to take our coffee drinking more seriously.
A coffee grinder is the perfect piece of equipment for people who take coffee seriously. As our palate has changed over the years, we’ve learned more about what makes a good cup and what we enjoy. In the last two years, we’ve found ourselves with coffee grinders and multiple ways to brew the perfect cup. There is something about the ritual of grinding your own beans, the resulting aromas, and of course the joy of the first sip.
Check out the Best Amazon Coffee Grinder Reviews
The Best Manual Coffee Grinder Reviews
Best Hand Coffee Grinder Reviews
If short on time, use the handy chart below to see our recommendations for the best home coffee grinders. We recommend using Amazon for home appliance purchases for a couple of reasons.
First, Amazon has one of the largest collections of coffee products and accessories on the internet. There are loads of options. Second, we try to recommend products that are part of Amazon Prime, which provides purchasers with free and often super-fast delivery. (Get 30 days of Prime free here.)
What Is A Manual Coffee Mill Or Grinder?
A home coffee grinder allows you to buy your own whole beans and grind them as needed. We always recommend grinding beans just before brewing. The longer the beans sit out, already ground, the more aroma escapes into the atmosphere. This is particularly true when buying already ground coffee beans. This is why the best option is to grind just before brewing.
There are two ways to grind coffee at home. Many people use an electric grinder, which is either battery operated or which plugs into the wall. The other option is known as a manual or handheld coffee grinder. Instead of plugging into the wall, it takes a little bit of elbow grease to work these grinders. Each of these coffee hand grinders uses a hand crank to grind the coffee. It takes longer but can be worth it.
What To Consider When Choosing A Manual Coffee Bean Grinder?
For this manual coffee grinder review, we’ve covered a few different things to consider when making a purchase like this. As much as I can’t tell you the “best” grinder, I can help you think about which is the best coffee bean hand grinder for you.
Price
There are some coffee lovers out there who invest heavily in something more akin to a commercial coffee grinder. In the end, it is not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on a home grinder.
We are not the type of coffee snobs that only think about price. Instead, look at the value of what you are getting. We offer plenty of options between $20-$50 that are great values and often an affordable options. There are some great manual grinders in this price range.
Energy and Handle Length
When it comes to choosing a coffee grinder and deciding between electric or manual, energy comes into place. By choosing a manual grinder you are saving electric power. That does mean a hand coffee grinder requires human energy. There’s more to do than just pressing a button. But, there is also a reward. When considering this, think about the handle length. The longer the handle length the less elbow grease is required.
Adjustable Grinder
Some of the most affordable coffee grinders do not allow for a grind adjustment. This can be fine if you are mostly considered about price and budget. A more advanced grinder will include a grind adjustment, allowing you to control how fine or coarse the grind will be. An adjustable coffee grinder will allow you to grind beans for a French press, filter coffee, or stove-top coffee maker.
Ceramic or Steel Burrs
Burrs are the rotating, coarse surfaces that are used to make the grinding process happen. They are sort of like blades. Generally, grinders include either ceramic or steel burrs. Many of the best hand burr grinders are made using steel. These tend to be more pricey while ceramic burrs can produce quality grinds at a lower price point.
Portability
We know a lot of people who travel with a variety of coffee-making accessories. If this is you or is a goal, then look for a portable coffee grinder. Look for a grinder that is compact and lightweight and that disassembles easily. You also might want a smaller grinder if you have smaller hands. That just makes sense.
See our recommendations for the Best Espresso Beans here
The Best Manual Coffee Grinder Reviews
For these hand coffee grinders reviews, we include our table of recommended grinders and everything you need to know to make your purchase above. Here are detailed reviews, though, of all of the grinders we recommend for your home.
I walk through each of the coffee grinders with recommendations on what to consider when purchasing each of them. In the end, purchasing the best handheld coffee grinder for you and your home depends on your specific needs. Hopefully, I have included enough pros and cons for each grinder to help you make the right decision. To find the current price, click on the red button.
PORLEX COFFEE GRINDER
The Porlex Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder, Silver is made in Osaka, Japan, one of our favorite cities for food and drink! This manual coffee bean grinder is made of stainless steel with ceramic conical burrs.
This hand crank burr grinder can hold 30 grams of coffee beans, which can be ground in a variety of coarseness, from powder to French Press. The inner spring ensures a consistent grind at every level. It’s also easy to clean and Porlex promises it will remain rust-free.
Pros: Japanese technology, consistent grinds
Cons: A little more expensive than the others
Our Pick For The Best Hand Crank Coffee Grinder
JAVAPRESSE MANUAL COFFEE GRINDER
The JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder is also made with Japanese technology. It has a built-in adjustable manual burr grinder with over 18 settings to grind beans that are ready for a pour-over, drip, French Press, and every other kind of brew imaginable. The JavaPresse is a relatively quiet burr hand grinder because the hand crank mechanism eliminates about 90% of the noise created by an electric grinder. The ceramic coffee grinder burrs last longer than stainless steel. It’s rated the best hand coffee grinder on Amazon.
Pros: 18 different grind settings, ceramic burrs for longevity
Cons: The conical burr is prone to breakage, but their customer service is amazing
BIALETTI COFFEE GRINDER 1-6 CUP
Our Bialetti coffee grinder review might be a little one-sided as we love their products. After all, Bialetti is one of the top Italian coffee product companies and their products are trusted in the industry.
The Bialetti 6 Cup Manual Coffee Grinder features an adjustable ceramic grinder. The grinder produces the perfect coffee coarseness for drip, espresso, and other coffee varieties. It’s collection chamber displays accurate measurements ensuring the right amount of coffee for each brew.
Pros: Lightweight and transportable making it ideal for traveling.
Cons: Made from plastic and subject to damage easily.
DRIVER MANUAL COFFEE BEAN GRINDER
The DRIVER Manual Coffee Bean Grinder is stylish and grinds coffee with the best of them.
The grinder features a high-quality Juglans Nigra Stainless Steel Burr grinder. The manual coffee grinder is adjustable to provide the proper coarseness for a variety of coffee drinks. Its detachable handle fits comfortably in your hand while a silicone grip on the body provides added stability when grinding.
DRIVER’s manual grinder comes with a patented bearing mechanism, to ensure smooth and even use during grinding. Its built-in measuring container ensures a precise brew time and time again. Light and compact, the grinder is perfect for traveling, camping, and RVing. DRIVER provided a 100% money-back guarantee during the first 30 days.
Pros: Detachable handle for portability
Cons: A little smaller than other comparable manual grinders
HARIO SKERTON CERAMIC COFFEE MILL
The Hario Coffee Grinder “Skerton” is one of the best travel coffee grinders because it dissembles easily and is relatively lightweight. It’s made with an ergonomically designed crank handle, which detaches both for storage and travel. Hario has a reputation for making quality coffee products, including some of the best coffee scales on the market. It holds up to 100 grams of coffee beans.
Pros: Rubber base keeps the mill in place while grinding
Cons: Less slim than other grinders
ZASSENHAUS COFFEE GRINDER
Everything thus far on this list of the best handheld coffee grinders has been contemporary in design. This one is the complete opposite. The Zassenhaus “Santiago” Manual Coffee Mill is produced by one of the leading coffee mill companies. They’ve been producing since 1867. They stand by their products with a 25-year warranty. It also makes a great gift for coffee lovers and comes in four different wood color options.
Pros: The Zassenhaus coffee grinder looks so cool and classic.
Cons: The coarseness is adjusted by the knob on the top. Takes up more counter space thanks a handheld coffee grinder.
Our Pick For The Most Traditional Best Manual Coffee Grinder
Get The Best Price Here Get More Ideas For Gifts For Coffee Lovers Here
Which Is Better? Handheld Or Electric
There are a few different options when it comes to coffee grinders and choosing whether to go handheld or electric. First, it takes a lot longer to grind coffee by hand than using an electric grinder. This isn’t really a surprise. Most times machines are faster than men.
If you generally make coffee for only one or two cups at a time, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you tend to brew coffee for more people, or you want to make a larger pot for a top-up or second cup, it will take longer.
An electric coffee grinder provides a more consistent grind. This means that each time you grind beans they come out relatively the same. The same can’t be said about a handheld coffee grinder. There is the element of human error involved that could lead to some inconsistency.
Benefits Of A Manual Grinder
One of the benefits of choosing a manual grinder rather than an electric one is that the manual option doesn’t produce heat while grinding. An electric version produces friction and heat. Some people claim the amount of heat is minimal, but true coffee aficionados prefer that the heat is only applied to the beans during the brewing process.
FAQS – CHOOSING THE BEST MANUAL COFFEE GRINDER
This is an important question when it comes to buying any appliance for the home. A hand crank coffee grinder is normally quite durable and can last for a long time. Sometimes an electric grinder can be cheaper, but a more sturdy hand grinder can last for years. This is particularly true with quality hand grinders made from strong steel or ceramic burrs.
Many of the recommended products below state that they can be used for all types of brew, even espresso. That said, to make great espresso, the grinds need to be super fine. If you plan on making mostly espresso, then it is probably best to get an espresso bean grinder, which is most likely an electric one. Here are the best electric grinders on Amazon.
This is a common word to see when shopping for a coffee grinder. A manual burr grinder is just another way of saying a handheld coffee grinder. Burrs are the blades that grind the coffee.
Coffee snobs without a doubt will say yes. A burr hand grinder produces better coffee grinds which result in a better cup of coffee. The hand crank allows for a more precise and customized grind.
That’s the good news. A well-made manual coffee grinder will last between 5-7 years, based on normal daily use. Coffee beans and grind size are two factors that have the biggest impact on the grinder.
After your initial investment in a coffee grinder, the cost between coffee beans and ground coffee is minimal. That said, depending on how much you spent on your grinder, it will take time to recoup the cost. But once you do, the grinder pays for itself both in terms of actual cost and higher-quality coffee.
How We Review And Rate Products ⭐️
We only recommend brands we trust. We try to recommend kitchen products we’ve owned or used personally and we offer alternatives. We choose these alternative products based on recommendations from other food bloggers and chefs, sommeliers, and winemakers.
We conduct thorough research on the company, how the products are made, and whether they are a good value for home chefs. This allows us to offer competitive analysis, provide pros and cons of various products, and ensure you are purchasing quality products for your home.
- Some of the kitchen brands we love the most include 360 Cookware, UnoCasa, Calphalon, Ninja, and Instant Pot.
- For wine and drink products, we love Wine Enthusiast, VinGarde, and Danby.
- We often recommend purchasing products from Amazon because of the variety of kitchen and homeware brands they carry.
- Sometimes, we recommend buying a product directly from the manufacturer when we know it’s a brand we trust.
Learn more here.