Our Top 5 Grinders for Coffee and Espresso
What you’ve heard about having a great grinder at home is true. A nice espresso machine without a solid grinder is like buying a Ferrari and fitting it with cheap tires. Okay, not that bad, but close. Coffee is a food product, and it changes every day. So, having the ability to grind daily as your coffee ages will be the difference between something that tastes good and what you’re probably used to (no offense). Having a grinder at home will allow you to keep your coffee in its freshest state, control how you brew, and adjust your grind to optimize extraction— this is everything. Though it's been said to set aside 40% of your budget toward a grinder, it's not imperative to hit a specific dollar amount. What you need is something that grinds evenly and a grinder that can keep up with your demand. You can’t go wrong with anything from our site, as it’s a collection of all of our favorite coffee products, but to make things easier, we’ve compiled this list of the top five best grinders for any purpose and any budget.
Eureka Mignon Specialita
- Pros: Single-doser, quiet, small footprint, mid-range price point
- Cons: Difficult to use for multiple brew methods
- Upgrade Pick: Eureka Oro— larger burrs, better single-doser, easier to use for multiple brew methods, similar footprint.
Baratza Sette 270
Baratza has undoubtedly become a favorite in the world of home brewing for their easy-to-use grinders and approachable price point. If you’re an espresso enthusiast just getting started, the Baratza Sette 270 offers performance, precision, and excellent single-dosing abilities at a price point that most grinders just can’t beat. With 270 macro and micro-adjustments for a wide range of grind sizes and three programmable settings for timed dosing, the Sette is by far the best value in a home espresso grinder.
- Pros: Single-doser, small footprint, affordable price point, great for multi-purpose
- Cons: Exposed motor which increases noise level
- Upgrade Pick: Baratza Forte AP— larger burrs, LCD touch screen, weight, and timed base grinding.
Eureka Zenith 65E
If you need a grinder for a café or office setup or need something that can provide consistency over time with higher volume, look no further than the Zenith 65E. This grinder is perfect for those looking to pull shot after shot— dosing 20g in about 4 seconds without compromising grind quality. With an intuitive interface and easy-to-use adjustment knob, this is the perfect grinder for the new or seasoned barista. For its specs and price point, you truly can’t beat the Zenith.
- Pros: Commercial-grade grinder, large burrs, quick grind times, easy to use
- Cons: Not ideal for single-dosing (which isn’t recommended in a café space anyways!)
- Upgrade Pick: Olympus KRE — This is the real-deal commercial grinder. With conical burrs and insanely fast grind times, you can experience more depth to your espresso shots and trust this grinder to withstand every future café rush.
Baratza Encore
With over ten years of great reviews and minimal changes, the Encore has proven to be a suitable home grinder for every home coffee enthusiast. With conical burrs and 40 stepped adjustments, the Encore can grind for every filter coffee method. It’s lightweight, compact, reliable, and easy to clean. If you’re looking for a trustworthy coffee grinder at an unbeatable price for the specs, welcome the Baratza Encore into your kitchen. I think everyone at Clive has owned an Encore at one point.
- Pros: Affordable price point, steel conical burrs, easy to use, easy to clean.
- Cons: Not ideal for espresso though some people make it work, no silent-casing.
- Upgrade Pick: Baratza Virtuoso — internally, it’s mostly the same, but the grinding light, timed grinding feature, and metal casing makes this feel like a true step up.
LUCCA Atom 75 (coming soon!)
What if you want it all? You want something for your morning espresso and afternoon pour-over. You’d prefer to single-dose, but occasionally you’re making batch brew. Some days you make 1-2 shots; others, you are pumping them out, whether for a party or coffee rush (of people or caffeine). If you’re a home barista, office space, or café, we made a grinder that can do it all and more. In partnership with MistoBox, we curated catalogs of recipes with more coffee than you’d know what to do with. Order something that looks good, insert it in the app, and let our know-it-all barista (in the form of a high-performing grinder) tell you exactly how to dial things in. You can have whatever you like. Shots on shots. Shots on ice. With massive 75mm flat stainless steel burrs, insulated aluminum casing for near-silent operation, a powerful 800w motor with a short grind path making grind retention a thing of the past, the new LUCCA Atom 75 is truly the best of the best. I know we’re biased, but can you blame us?
- Pros: It’s the LUCCA Atom 75.
- Cons: It doesn't release for a few more weeks.