Best Home Coffee Grinders (**Detailed Buying Guide**)

Is It Better To Grind My Own Coffee?

Before I get down to reviewing the go-to coffee-grinders for your household, let’s discuss why you need to grind your coffee beans at all.  

Coffee beans start losing their aroma in one hour after they’re ground. That means to get the best cup of coffee without losing flavor, you should be grinding your own coffee beans.

When it comes to grading the quality of coffee beans, things can get too complicated for an average person.

But I’m sure you already have a favorite brand or a coffee shop where you like to get your cup of joe from.

One thing is for sure - grinding your beans yourself will give you a more refreshing and flavorful cup of coffee and insurewill make sure that the flavor is consistent each time.  

If you're buying quality coffee beans, you don't want to let one drop go to waste.

Types of Coffee Grinders

There are three types of home coffee grinders:

• Blade
• Burr
• Canonical

Blade Coffee Grinders

Blade coffee grinders are, as a rule, the most affordable grinding devices. They are compact and simple to use, but you need to pay attention when using blade coffee grinders. 

These basically function like small electric blenders. Grinding beans for one cup might seem like too much work with this type of grinder: you need to measure the coffee, put it inside the grinder, track the grinding time, and clean the grinder after use.

When operating this device, be careful not to grind your coffee for over twenty seconds, or you might burn your beans.

In general, blade coffee grinders are great when it comes to affordability and compactness, but aren’t so good when it comes to user-friendliness and being gentle with your coffee beans.

Burr Coffee Grinders

Burr coffee grinders are typically manual grinding devices.

They are quite old-fashion and vintage-looking, as a rule.

Devices of this type cost more than blade coffee grinders, generally. Their construction hasn’t changed much since the day of their invention, and some people like that vintage feel of this type of grinder.

With a burr grinder, you need to grind the beans manually by rotating the handle. It takes about one minute to get enough coffee for one cup. While it’s much slower than blade grinders work, there is absolutely no chance to burn your coffee ... Super important!

Though most burr grinders are manual, you can find electric ones these days. It is likely to cost a bit more, but it will take the manual work off your hands, and still give you perfectly ground coffee. 

Canonical Coffee Grinders

If you are looking for irreproachable precision when grinding coffee beans, this type of grinders is for you.

Discs and cones of this type of grinder have grooves or serrations cut into them.

First, you need to put coffee beans inside the device.

Next, the sharp edges of the grooves will cut the beans consistently and evenly without burning them.

Disc and conical coffee grinders are electric, automatic and reliable. They provide the best coffee ground.

But, these higher-end devices are quite pricey compared to the previously discussed grinders.

One more thing that can be a deal-breaker for some users is the size of these devices. If you're looking for counter space, this isn't the type of grinder for you.

Are you ruining your coffee beans by buying already ground or grinding your own incorrectly? Check out this video to learn how to grind your coffee beans the right way:

What To Look For In a Coffee Grinder

As you start searching for a home coffee grinder, here's what you should think through:

• The budget you are willing to allocate. You can get a coffee grinder for anywhere between $4 (if you’re adventurous enough to order it from Aliexpress) to $6,000 (if you’re looking for the top-notch commercial grade device).
• Size of the device. Based on your kitchen space and personal preferences, you might need to stick to certain dimensions, colors, or shape. Coffee grinders come in all shapes and sizes, so you'll want to decide if counter space is more important to you than specific coffee grind capability.
• Desired input from your side. Think about whether you would like to take the time to grind the beans manually and clean the device every time or simply push a button and get your grounds immediately with a more automatic grinder.
• Built quality and style. While plastic and glass are usually more affordable, stainless steel and similar heavy-duty materials prove to be more durable and cost-effective in the long run for coffee grinders for home.

Top 5 Home Coffee Grinders

Here are my top 5 picks for coffee grinders based on budget, size, manpower required and style/quality:

Baratza Encore - Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

Pros:

• Time-proven quality - specialty coffee professionals usually go for this device. 
• Sturdy construction - base and top of the device are made of metal. The burrs are made in Europe.
• 40 grind settings allow you to experiment with your coffee beans and ground them precisely for every type of drink you want to brew.
• The elegant minimalistic style will fit any interior.
• It brings out all the richness of flavor in your coffee.

Cons:

• Price of this grinder is a deal-breaker for many. Not everyone can allocate such a budget for a coffee machine, let alone a grinder.
• It doesn’t fit Turkish style grind.
• Calibrating the device according to the instruction might be hard for a beginner.

Espressione Professional Conical Burr Cof​​fee Grinder

Pros:

• Secure construction. There is a slip-resistant bottom, auto-stop feature, and a power cord winding. 
• 15 grind settings.
• Spacious see-through container for coffee beans can fit 8-1/2 ounce of beans.
• The anti-static container is easy to clean.
• Reasonably quiet performance. It is great because you don’t have to worry about waking the whole house up as you’re making yourself a cup of coffee.
• Consistent grinding without jamming at any settings.

Cons:

• Some users claim the grind is not fine enough for Turkish coffee.
• The setting indicator is located at the bottom of the bean bowl. If you change your settings often, this is a little annoying.

Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill 

Pros:

• Removable grind chamber capacity is enough for 32 cups of coffee 
• Scoop and cleaning brush are included.
• Automatic shutoff after the grinding cycle is over.
• Free exchange for an identical item if there is anything wrong with your purchase.
• Produces next to no coffee dust.
• Coffee ground is uniform at any settings.
• Easy to clean (removable parts of the grinder are dishwasher-friendly).

Cons:

• Loud operation.
• The square connection between the grinder and the grounds bin is not sealed well so coffee builds up there over time.
• Coffee ground buildup interferes with the performance of the device. To avoid it, you need to disassemble the grinder and clean it thoroughly on a regular basis.

Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill

Pros:

• Precise and uniform grind thanks to the ceramic conical burrs.
• Slip-proof rubber base for handy operation.
• Ergonomic handle.
• Convenience (the handle can be disassembled for easier storage and transportation).
• Lightweight and compact.
• Quick grinding of small quantities (you can get enough ground coffee for two cups in about thirty seconds).
• The lid conveniently lets you save the ground coffee you don’t need right away for later.

Cons:

• There are many clone fake products that are hard to tell from the original.
• Grinds you get with this device are not 100% consistent.
• Too time-consuming for grinding large quantities of coffee beans.

Veken Coffee Gri​​nder

Pros:

• Speedy operation (under 30 seconds for fine grounds).
• Large grinding capacity (it can grind 50g of coffee per one cycle, which is enough for 12 cups of coffee).
• More versatile than the majority of competing units: works with coffee bean, nuts, seeds, spices, pepper, herbs and, grains.
• Easy maintenance: stainless steel blade and a cleaning brush that comes with the device.

Cons:

• Not suitable for cleaning with water or wet cloth.
• No grind settings. You need to monitor the time to get the grounds you need.