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It's all in the beans. Nothing will improve your morning coffee like grinding the beans right before you brew. It doesn't matter whether you're rocking a fancy liquid-cooled-quantum-AI-powered espresso machine or a $30 Mr. Coffee—making the switch to whole beans will transform your coffee-drinking experience. We have advice at the end of this article on finding good whole beans (you might want to read our Best Coffee Subscriptions guide). Once you have your beans, it's time to grind ’em up fresh each day. These are the best coffee grinders we've tested.
Be sure to check out our other coffee-related buying guides, like the Best Latte and Cappuccino Machines, Best Portable Coffee Makers, Best Espresso Machines, and Best Portable Espresso Makers.
Updated April 2024: Added the Eureka Mignon Filtro, Fellow Tally Pro scale, an Honorable Mentions section, and an Avoid section.
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Our list consists mostly of conical-burr grinders. In a conical grinder, coffee beans are crushed and ground between two rings of burrs. They deliver a finer, much more consistent grind than you’d get with a traditional blade grinder, even the nicest ones.
Flat-burr grinders are similar, but they’re typically more expensive. In these, the burrs are laid on top of each other, and the beans pass through them as they grind. The grinder action pushes the grounds out of one end, instead of relying on gravity like a conical-burr grinder, and the beans spend more time in contact with the burrs. This results in a more consistent grind, but for home brewers, conical-burr grinders are just as good—even if they require more maintenance and don’t result in consistent down-to-the-micron-scale grounds.
Blade grinders have a chopping blade that spins around like a food processor. But blades don't produce even results. Some of your coffee will be fine powder at the bottom, and at the top you'll have bits too large for even French press. The result is an inconsistent, unpredictable brew. These grinders are cheap, and yes, using fresh beans in a blade grinder is far better than buying ground coffee. (You can learn how to shake the beans to even your grind just a little. See world barista champion James Hoffmann's video for some more blade grinder hacks.)
If you can afford it, we highly recommend going with one of the burr grinders we've listed. There's a reason why they cost a little more than a budget burr grinder. The machinery in a high-quality burr grinder is a bit more complicated, and it's built to withstand greater wear and tear. In cheap burr grinders, the burrs will typically get blunt from regular use, and the flimsier motors may burn out in a matter of months.
PSA: Do not put pre-ground coffee into a burr grinder. Logically, it makes sense. It's too coarse, so you put it through again, right? No! With a burr grinder, the preground coffee gets stuck inside the burrs, and you'll have to do some disassembly to set them to rights again.
I had mixed feelings about the Opus (9/10, WIRED Recommends) when I first set it up. It's lighter than some of the other offerings in this guide, and there's more plastic in the build than I usually like. Then I turned it on. The grounds it produced at its finest setting were like double-zero flour. They were super-fine, and under a macro lens, they were remarkably consistent. That's the performance I saw with every grade of coarseness it offers—remarkable consistency.
There's another feature that's easy to overlook: it's quiet. I've tested dozens of burr grinders over the years, and this one was so hushed I almost thought it was broken. That might not seem like an important detail for a coffee grinder, but burr grinders are loud, and if you're the first one to get up in the morning, it's like hitting an alarm clock for the whole house. (KitchenAid's new semi-automatic espresso machine is one of the few machines that is even quieter when grinding.) The Opus grinds quietly and cleanly and can meet your needs no matter what kind of coffee you're grinding. And it's less than $200.
Oxo's Brew grinder has a good balance of features, usefulness, and a relatively low price among the electric grinders we've used. It's a conical burr grinder, so it gives you the precision for most types of brewing. There are 15 settings, covering every brewing scenario from finely ground espresso to coarse-ground that’s perfect for a French press. Its slim, narrow profile doesn't hog counter space—though it is 16 inches tall and might be a tight fit under the cabinets. (Remember, you need some clearance to take the lid off and pour in beans.) It's not silent by any means, but it's not too loud, and it grinds quickly.
We've used this grinder daily for more than a year, and it's held up well. If you've never had a burr grinder and want to see what all the fuss is about without breaking the bank, this is where you should start. But be careful, you will end up drinking more coffee because it tastes so good when it's burr-ground.
There’s a good reason the Baratza Encore’s been unchanged on the market for over a decade. While coffee culture can often seem elitist and uninviting, this conical burr grinder is more accessible and less expensive than most quality grinders. It's simple to operate and doesn't hog counter space. (It's about 14 inches tall, so check the specs against your kitchen.)
The Baratza Encore is also easily cleanable and repairable. No tools are required to remove the hopper or outer ring of the burr grinder, and replacement parts are easy to obtain. Plus, there’s a one-year limited warranty. The Encore has a bigger, beefier cousin, the Baratza Vario-W+, but for most people, the Encore is a much better pick. The Vario-W does include a scale and it has flat burrs, but at over $500, it doesn't do much to justify that price.
Eureka makes some of my favorite grinders. Each one feels like an absolute tank of a machine. Clad in metal and way heavier than it appears, the Filtro might be one of the least expensive Eureka grinders, but it's every bit as robust as the higher-end models. The Filtro has flat burrs, so it grinds coffee extremely consistently and can grind fine enough for espresso. It's pretty loud though, and you have to hold the grind button down continuously, so there are some trade-offs.
A burr grinder will get you noticeably tastier coffee, but there's nothing wrong with a plain old blade grinder. If you're just grinding coffee for a drip machine, French press, or pour-over, a blade grinder will do just fine in most cases. My personal favorite has been this KitchenAid that I picked up on Amazon a few years back. It's sturdy, and it has a little removable cup that stores the grounds. Most importantly, it has done its duty for several years with few qualms. Add in fresh, locally roasted beans and you'll be in for a killer cup. Pro tip: If you pulse it instead of holding it down for one long grind, you'll get a more consistent grind, and you won't end up with as many nearly whole beans floating at the top of your coffee filter. A more consistent grind equals more flavor in your cup.
The Baratza Encore ESP (9/10 WIRED Recommends) is a little different from the standard Encore we recommend above. The ESP costs more, but for good reason: It offers more granular adjustments at the finer end of the scale, meaning you can fine-tune your espresso grind. It has 40 grind settings, 20 micro settings which will produce super-fine espresso grounds, and 20 macro settings which will deliver coarser grounds suitable for pour-over or drip. On top of that, you can also remove the hopper and outer ring of the grinder without any tools, which makes cleaning and servicing the machine pretty easy.
The Wilfa Uniform grinder (9/10, WIRED Recommends) isn't the kind of device that's built for espresso, but it will provide consistent grounds for almost all other types of coffee. Because it's a flat burr grinder, it's going to give you noticeably uniform grounds. Each and every ground comes out with almost exactly the same shape. That level of consistency is great for at-home coffee because it ensures each cup you brew is going to be as rich and flavorful as possible. It also boasts an auto-stop feature, so it'll stop grinding when it runs out of beans to grind.
We have killed quite a few burr grinders in our day. They can be hard to keep clean and hard to maintain, plus most of the ones you’ll find under $80 aren’t going to live long no matter how well you look after them. The motors burn out, the burrs get worn down, and coffee dust builds up in places you can’t get to—it's a hard life.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is one of the best I’ve used for cleanability. It has all kinds of helpful features, like a grind timer and adjustable dose control, plus attachments that let you settle a portafilter right under the spout where the grounds come out. But importantly, you can easily disassemble the hopper, get access to the burrs, and pull out the spill tray under the spout—it’s amazing for keeping a burr grinder in working order.
★ Alternative: The KitchenAid Burr Grinder ($180) is stylish and also easy to clean. The burrs are just a bit more accessible thanks to their placement directly beneath the hopper. It also features precise dose control and a dial controlling the consistency of the grind (with helpful guidelines for different kinds of coffee preparation). Plus, you can swap the little container that catches the grounds with a holder for a portafilter—which makes it super easy to grind exactly how much you need and not a single bean more.
Making great coffee is all about starting with fresh roasted beans, getting them to just the right grind, and adding hot water. Making great coffee consistently is all about measuring your variables, and adjusting one at a time. One key variable is the weight of the grounds you use, and this Oxo model comes with a built-in scale. Set your grind size, select the weight you want, hit Start, and walk away; it shuts itself off when it's done. You can use a kitchen scale to weigh your beans, but this is a nice way to streamline your morning ritual, especially if counter space is at a premium. Be warned though, it does tend to cast off a few grounds here or there when you open the little grounds container, so make sure you sweep your counter regularly.
WIRED senior reviewer Scott Gilbertson prefers to hand-grind his coffee, and he's tried half a dozen manual grinders. The Skerton Pro is far and away his favorite. It's fast, taking less than two minutes to grind out the half cup of fine grounds for his Moka pot—and the burr design produces a consistent, fine grind. Note that he says “fine.” This is not the best choice for French press brewing, because the Skerton Pro is just not consistent enough at coarse grinds.
On the downside, the silicone grip constantly falls off. (Scott threw his away, as it didn't do much anyway.) On the upside, the threads on the grinder portion are standard, so if anything happens to the glass jar, you can just use a regular Ball mason jar.
This smaller Hario is the first hand grinder WIRED senior reviewer Scott Gilbertson ever used. It's perfect for a shot of espresso or even a small Moka pot. It doesn't grind as fast as the Skerton above, but it's much lighter and safer to throw in your bag when you travel, thanks to the plastic construction. There's also the slightly larger and more expensive Mini Slim Pro. Grind-wise, the Mini Slim is about the same, but he doesn't like it as much, because you can't see how much coffee you've ground.
VSSL started life making ultra-durable camping tools—waterproof canisters with flashlights, compasses, and first aid kits. The company took the same design as some of its other tools—a slender tube made of aircraft-grade aluminum—and turned it into the Java, a portable coffee grinder rugged enough to survive the zombie apocalypse or a bumpy ride to your favorite campsite.
WIRED senior reviewer Scott Gilbertson loves everything about the Java. It's incredibly well-made, yet (relatively) lightweight. The handle is clever. It folds out and provides a lot of leverage while you grind, and you can use it as a hook to hang the Java up when you're done. The setup produces a nice even grind, covering the full spectrum of brew possibilities, from French-press coarse to espresso-fine. At roughly 14 ounces, you wouldn't bring it when you're ultralightweight backpacking, but it's great for grinding fresh beans while camping. The Java isn't cheap, but if you do a lot of camping and want a grinder that's going to last a lifetime, this one fits the bill.
I was on the fence about this grinder. I'd seen it all over TikTok, but it wasn't until two different outdoorsy friends mentioned it that I decided to give it a shot. The name is a bit of a mouthful, but the DmofwHi grinder is honestly a solid little blade grinder. It's wireless and rechargeable (via USB-C), and you can grind enough coffee for about 15 to 18 pots of coffee on a single charge. Your mileage will depend on how long you grind for and how much coffee you're grinding, but that's about what I got when I was using it while living out of hotels for a while. Since it's a blade grinder, you're not going to be getting espresso-quality beans out of this little thing, but for a regular drip machine, pour-over, Turkish coffee, or cowboy coffee, it's a great little companion to have on the road.
This illustrates its other selling point: Since it's rechargeable and wireless, you can take it wherever you want. It's less hard on your hands than a manual grinder, so it's a nice option for anyone who doesn't have the patience or strength to hand-crank their coffee beans.
When you're shopping for a grinder, you'll inevitably come up against a timeless dilemma: Do you buy a grinder, or a coffee machine with a grinder? After years of testing coffee gear, I still don't have a good answer for most people. On the one hand, having them separate makes it easier to repair or replace either one should the need arise. On the other hand, having a built-in coffee grinder is just so dang convenient, especially if you don't already have a nice coffee machine you really like.
If you're in the market for a new espresso machine and a new grinder, the Breville Barista Express is our top pick for most people. It includes a powerful conical burr grinder with 16 grind settings and automatic dose control. This means you're only ever one button press away from fresh-ground espresso. Read our Best Espresso Machines guide for more recommendations.
It's easy to overlook bean storage, especially if you go through coffee pretty quickly. But during months of testing, I can say definitively that a vacuum container preserves the delicate flavors of locally roasted coffee much longer than the bag they came in does. The Atmos Vacuum Container from Fellow is my hands-down favorite, and every single bag of coffee I get goes right into one as soon as I bring it home from the store. By using a twist-action pump on the lid to vacate the container of any air, the Atmos effectively puts your beans into stasis. Without air, there are fewer passive chemical reactions going on that break down those roasty toasty flavors before you can get to them.
OK. I'll admit it. I was one of those people who was vehemently against weighing out my beans for each cup. I thought it was bougie and unnecessary—until I tried it. I bought the Ozeri food scale for weighing out baking ingredients, and one day I used it for coffee and really enjoyed the results. By weighing out exactly how many grams of whole coffee beans I'm going to use, I can achieve a level of consistency that's hard to beat. A scale is a must-have if you're trying to troubleshoot or explore the differences you experience in your coffee from cup to cup.
Whether you're using a drip brewer, an espresso machine, or a pour-over setup, weighing out your beans before you grind them is a wonderful way to ensure you're only grinding exactly what you need (which reduces waste). It's been especially helpful in my home, which drinks a lot of standard and decaf coffee. My partner is sensitive to caffeine, so we like to make sure there aren't any caffeinated beans left in the grinder before grinding her decaf. Weighing the beans for each cup (or pot if you're using a drip brewer) makes it super easy to control which beans are going into which cup. Plus, I guarantee you'll find more uses for this food scale than you ever expected.
This scale is an absolute joy to use. Before I tried it, I would've said spending $185 on a digital kitchen scale is ludicrous. But this little thing has become a workhorse in my kitchen. We used it for weighing flour for bread, weighing tea, and we used it to weigh our kitten. It's accurate and USB-C rechargeable, and it supports grams, ounces, pounds, and even milliliters (of water).
The black and white OLED display feels futuristically elegant and understated. It also includes a Brew Assist mode to help you brew the perfect pour-over. You just tell it what ratio of beans to water you want to use, then it guides you through weighing out your beans and your water.
Not every good coffee grinder is the best at what it does. For those grinders, we have this section: a place to list the grinders we've liked but maybe didn't have a great place for in the “Best of” lineup.
Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2 for $345: This grinder holds a special place in my heart. It's not often you see a high-quality coffee grinder designed specifically for brew methods like pour-over, drip, and French press. Espresso gets all the limelight because it's so finely ground. But feeling the heft in this machine, hearing it power through those coffee beans to create a consistent coarse or medium-fine grind is just music to my ears. It's not good for anyone who wants to grind for espresso, and it doesn't help that it's just too darn expensive.
There are a lot of coffee grinders we like, and a handful of them that we don't. Here are the grinders that, for one reason or another, you should avoid.
Cuisinart Burr Grinder for $70: At first, it seems like a good deal. It's Cuisinart, a known brand, and a conical burr grinder for less than $100! This is an example of when you do want to spend the extra money. This thing is inexpensive, yes. But one morning you'll wake up and it just won't grind. These things burn out faster than any other coffee grinder I've ever used—not just in my career as a person who reviews products, but in my entire life.
Whole beans will always taste fresher than preground, but the fresher they actually are, the more delicious they may taste. We suggest visiting your local coffee roaster. Just Google “coffee roasters near me” and I guarantee you’ll find something nearby. Your local grocery store probably even stocks locally roasted beans.
Drifting and Tunnelling Look for bags of whole beans with dates printed on them. (That’s when they were roasted, and you’ll usually only find those on local brands.) If you don't have any coffee roasters in your area, you can order some quality beans online. If you're unsure which variety of coffee to get, check our Best Coffee Subscriptions guide. These services send you new beans to try every few weeks.