If there’s one piece of equipment that will instantly improve the taste of your brew, it’s the coffee grinder. Grinding your beans fresh allows the delicate flavours and aromas found in our range of specialty coffees to sing. When you’ve already made the decision to invest in quality coffee, grinding fresh just makes sense.
As soon as coffee is ground, it rapidly oxidises. With a greater surface area of coffee meeting the air, the aromatic oils in your coffee (ie. the flavour!) evaporate fast, reducing the more nuanced flavours in your brew and leaving you with that slightly dull and dry note. This is why any pre-ground coffee has got to be kept in a tightly sealed container, or even better, start grinding fresh!
Using a grinder at home also allows for consistency and accuracy in your grind, offering the potential to adjust grind size to recipe and ensure a balanced espresso or filter coffee, rather than relying on a ‘one size fits all’ grind setting. This means more opportunities to experiment, explore and brew to suit your unique taste buds.
All the grinders we sell use burrs rather than blades. A blade grinder will typically have no option to change grind size and can also be prone to inconsistencies due to the raised temperature of the coffee in the grinding process. In contrast, burr grinders use sharp serrated edges to grind with a uniformity that you can taste in the balance of the final brew. The distance between these burrs can also be easily adjusted, resulting in a finer or coaster grind size.
Now you’ve settled on a burr grinder, your next choice is between a hand or electric grinder. We’ve tried and tested a full range of coffee grinders and here’s our best picks.
Hand grinders
These grinders are portable, light and perfect for small scale coffee making. Ideal for brews for 1-2 people, plus you can easily pop a hand grinder in your suitcase with a bag of beans and enjoy freshly ground coffee on holiday or on a camping adventure in the wild. The entry level price point also makes them more accessible for any new brewers out there. Be prepared to build some muscle, turning the burrs by hand and allow for a little more time to grind your coffee (... with a hand grinder you’ve got work and wait a little to earn that brew!)
Hario Mini Mill Coffee Grinder
£37.50
The Hario Mini Mill is our most affordable grinder, but there’s no compromise in quality with Hario’s trusted Japanese design and ceramic burrs.
The Mini Mill is small and lightweight, perfect for grinding coffee on the move. It does the job.
Best for: entry level brewers and those that like to travel
Rhino Hand Coffee Grinder
£49.99
A generous 42g capacity makes this hand grinder ideal for a brew for two. Rhino’s simple design makes adjusting grind sizes a breeze. The Rhino Hand Coffee Grinder also happily grinds at the finest of settings, making it applicable for espresso as well as filter.
Best for: those who make a brew for two.
Electric grinders
An electric grinder is perfect for home brewers or espresso enthusiasts who seek reliable consistency in their grinding. They are also much better suited to anyone brewing coffee for more than two people and are particularly helpful for anyone using a batch brewer like the Ratio 6, Wilfa or Moccamaster. These grinders are at home in an office coffee setup. You can also enjoy ground coffee in seconds at the press of a button, no arm workouts here!
Fellow Opus
£195
Slick, compact design from expert equipment brand, Fellow. The Opus features a super speedy grind time and flexibility for everything from the coarsest grinds needed for cold brew to a fine size for home espresso.
Easily tucks into a kitchen cupboard or shelf when out of use or small enough to happily sit on the countertop. For the price point, this is another excellent choice for anyone looking to take their first steps into grinding at home.
Best for: style conscious coffee drinkers buying their first electric grinder.
£135
The Wilfa Aroma is an excellent entry point electric grinder and the perfect step up for anyone just moving to freshly ground coffee. We love that the hopper is big enough to grind a full 250g of coffee in one go and the clear simple markers to indicate suggested grind sizes for filter, french press, AeroPress and stovetop.
This grinder would make a great addition to any office coffee or family home setup, with the compact size meaning it can fit on the countertop of even the snuggest of urban living spaces.
Best for: home kitchens, offices or small coffee shops looking to grind retail bags of coffee for customers.
£305
The Wilfa Uniform showcases an impressive 41 grind settings for amazing precision when experimenting with your coffee recipes. This grinder is excellent for at home coffee nerds and flavour aficionados who want to fine tune grind size to the Nth degree.
We love the integrated scales feature, making this grinder a two-in-one investment if you’re looking for a new set of precision scales too. You can also connect via bluetooth to Wilfa’s compatible app for customisable grind guides and detailed pour over info. Overall, this is a sleek looking grinder with great tasting results to match the higher price point.
Best for: the technologically inclined and those with an appreciation for precision.
£300
We found incredible grind consistency, with minimal static using the Baratza Sette 270. This grinder is seriously versatile, working just as well for the finer grind sizes needed to extract espresso to the coarser grinds required in more filter brewing methods.
This would also make an excellent grinder for coffee shops looking for an additional grinder for filter coffee, cold brew or decaffeinated coffee, however this grinder would be best for low volume.
Best for: those that like to mix up their brew method.
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If you haven’t already, invest in a grinder to dramatically improve the taste of your brew everyday.
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