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The best coffee grinder will turn your beans into perfectly even grounds, whether it be for an espresso machine, cafetière or any other coffee-preparation gadget or appliance you might use.
A precise, even grind is essential for making great coffee at home. Choose a poor coffee grinder and you may end up with uneven grounds and a poorly extracted, watery brew.
In February 2021 we tested 10 coffee grinders from a mix of prices and types from leading retailers. See our full results below to discover the coffee grinders we recommend for your perfect home brew.
Our expert advice will also fill you in on everything you need to know about coffee grinder types, how much you need to spend, features, grind sizes and other useful tips for getting the best brew.
Pricing and availability last checked: 28 April 2022.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the coffee grinder test results below. If you're not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the coffee grinders we tested.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
Cheapest price: £29.56 at John Lewis, also available at Amazon.
Type: Electric blade
Size and weight: 16.7 x 8.5 x 9.3cm (HxWxD); 0.76kg
Coffee bean capacity: 65g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: One grind setting
Other key features: Can chop dry ingredients such as nuts and spices
If space is at a premium in your kitchen but you want an electric coffee grinder, the Bodum Bistro electric blade grinder might be on your shortlist.
It's as simple as an electric coffee grinder can be, with a single grind setting and no detachable bean hopper or bowl, no lid safety lock and no non-slip base. Our testing revealed whether this no-fuss compact coffee grinder makes the grade.
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Cheapest price: £30 at Robert Dyas, also available at Amazon, John Lewis (out of stock).
Type: Electric blade
Size and weight: 22.3 x 11.1 x 11.1cm (HxWxD); 1.02kg
Coffee bean capacity: 90g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: six cup settings (min. 2 cups, max. 12 cups); three grind settings
Other key features: Detachable bean hopper, lid safety lock, cleaning brush, non-slip base, can chop dry ingredients such as nuts and spices
With the KG210 DeLonghi has packed in sophisticated features you'll typically find in larger coffee grinders. You can choose how many cups of coffee you'd like to grind, and little red lights show whether you have chosen a coarse, medium or fine grind. We put DeLonghi's grounds next to pre-ground coffee to see how well it compares.
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Cheapest price: £50.33 at Amazon, also available at Argos, Currys (out of stock)
Type: Electric burr (flat steel)
Size and weight: 26 x 13 x 16cm (HxWxD); 1.5kg
Coffee bean capacity: 150g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: 11 cup settings (min. 2 cups, max. 12 cups); 17 grind settings
Other key features: Detachable bowl, lid safety lock, non-slip base, can grind dry ingredients such as nuts and spices
The KG79 is a larger DeLonghi coffee grinder than the KG210 we've also reviewed, with a key difference being that the KG79 is a burr grinder rather than blade.
Burr grinders are a step-up in quality because they produce more consistent grind sizes. We put the DeLonghi KG210 through the same tough tests as the KG79 to see if burr beats blade and if either came out top.
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Only available at Amazon: £40.
Type: Manual burr (ceramic conical)
Size and weight: 21.5 x 10 x 10cm (HxWxD); 0.567kg
Coffee bean capacity: 75g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: You manually adjust how much you grind and the grind size.
Other key features: Detachable bean hopper, detachable bowl, collapsible design, non-slip base, dishwasher safe
Manual coffee grinders like the Hario Skerton+ MSCS-2B are much quieter than electric ones. This means they might be preferable if you're an early riser who can't start their day without a cup of your favourite brew but you don't want to wake the rest of the house.
However, there could be a trade-off if it's a struggle to get the grounds you need.
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Only available at Amazon: £20.99.
Type: Manual burr (ceramic conical)
Size and weight: 22.4 x 6.4 x 6.1cm (HxWxD); 0.281kg
Coffee bean capacity: 40g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: You manually adjust how much you grind and the grind size.
Other key features: Detachable bean hopper, detachable bowl, collapsible design
The Henry Charles Manual Coffee Grinder by Oliver James could be a great choice for those who want the freshest coffee on the go. It's slim, collapsible design means it's ideal for slipping into your rucksack or taking on camping trips.
Our tests investigated whether its compact size or lack of a non-slip base causes any unwanted compromises.
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Cheapest price: £23.89 at Amazon, also available at Currys, Very.
Type: Electric blade
Size and weight: 23.19 x 10.6 x 10.6cm (HxWxD); 0.7kg
Coffee bean capacity: 75g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: One grind setting
Other key features: Can chop dry ingredients such as nuts and spices
Krups' Coffee Mill F20342 may be a small electric blade grinder, but it was also the noisiest coffee grinder we tested. It's another simple grinder with no detachable bean hopper or bowl, no lid safety lock and no non-slip base.
If you don't mind making a racket in the morning this could be the grinder for you, provided you get well-ground coffee for your trouble.
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Cheapest price: £42 at Amazon, AO.com, also available at Currys, Very (out of stock).
Type: Electric burr (flat steel)
Size and weight: 30 x 17 x 21cm (HxWxD); 1.790kg
Coffee bean capacity: 125g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: 30 cup settings (min 2, max 12); 17 grind settings
Other key features: Detachable bowl, lid safety lock, cleaning brush, non-slip base
The Krups Grind Expert GVX2 will appeal to those who like to be precise about how much coffee they want to grind at a time. With 30 cup settings, you're able to tune how much coffee gets churned out to a third of a cut, so you'll be able to cut down on how much of your ground coffee is left in surplus each time.
We judged how consistent those grounds are to see if it's worth buying.
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Cheapest price: £42.94 at Amazon, also available at Currys, Melitta, Robert Dyas.
Type: Electric burr (flat steel)
Size and weight: 25.5 x 9.5 x 16.5cm (HxWxD); 1.6kg
Coffee bean capacity: 200g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: 12 cup settings (min 2, max 14); 17 grind settings
Other key features: Detachable bowl, cleaning brush, non-slip base
If you're reluctant to give up a large amount of kitchen counter space but still want a substantial machine, the Melitta Molino could suit you as a compromise. It has a hefty 200g capacity and can grind up to 14 cups' worth of coffee grounds in one go, but it's still compact enough that you should be able to store it away. But how does it do on the all-important job of grinding your coffee?
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Cheapest price: £179 at Amazon, AO.com, Currys (out of stock), also available at John Lewis (out of stock), Lakeland.
Type: Electric burr (conical steel)
Size and weight: 36 x 15 x 22cm (HxWxD); 4.07kg
Coffee bean capacity: 450g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: 12 cup settings (min 1, max 12); 60 grind settings
Other key features: Detachable bean hopper, detachable bowl, lid safety lock, cleaning brush, two portafilter supports, LCD control panel, non-slip base
Tech-lovers and coffee connoisseurs alike will be drawn to the Sage Smart Grinder Pro BCG820BSSUK thanks to its backlit LCD control panel and whopping 60 grind settings.
At just over 4kg it's the heaviest coffee grinder we tested, and it's also the joint most expensive along with the Smeg CGF01.
We prepared a range of coffee grounds with it to find out if it's really worth such a hefty price.
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Cheapest price: £195 at Robert Dyas, also available at Amazon, AO.com, Currys, John Lewis.
Type: Electric burr (conical steel)
Size and weight: 46 x 17 x 25cm (HxWxD); 3.1kg
Coffee bean capacity: 350g (approx.)
Cup and grind settings: 12 cup settings (min 1, max 12); 30 grind settings
Other key features: Detachable bean hopper, detachable bowl, lid safety lock, cleaning brush, portafilter support, non-slip base
Smeg is known for its retro-style, fashionable appliances – and if you already own a Smeg kettle or a Smeg toaster you can get the CGF01 coffee grinder in black, white, pastel blue or cream to make sure your kitchen's colour scheme isn't spoiled.
The Smeg CGF01 is one of the most expensive coffee grinders we tested, but in terms of settings and features it isn't too different from other much cheaper grinders. We tested to find out if its coffee grinds make it worth the big investment.
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Need a coffee machine to go with your grinder? Head over to our coffee machine reviews to find the best options for your budget.
We used all ten of these coffee grinders on multiple grind settings to find out which ones gave the best grind.
It should never be complicated, uncomfortable or difficult to use your coffee grinder. It should be simple to load up your coffee beans and get the perfect grounds you're looking for.
When using each coffee grinder, we assessed the build quality, praising stable designs, clear labelling and the presence of lid locks and non-slip bases. We also considered the size and weight, and how easy or difficult it would be to store each coffee grinder.
We also rated each grinder on how easy it was to load up the bean hopper with coffee beans, use the controls to set the grinder to run, empty out your grounds, and clean the grinder after use.
Coffee grinders often come with several grind settings to choose from, as different coffee makers require differently-sized grounds. A cafetière, for example, wants a more coarse grind, whereas an espresso requires very finely-ground coffee.
We bought pre-ground coffee in coarse, medium and fine sizes along with fresh coffee beans from the same brand, and tried to grind the beans to match the pre-ground coffee.
We compared the pre-ground coffee to the coffee from the grinders and rated them on how consistent the grind was.
Grinding coffee beans is often a loud process but some grinders can be excessively noisy and irritating during use. We rated each grinder on how loud and annoying they were, with each earning a higher rating for being quieter.
There are three main types of coffee grinder for you to choose from:
Which one is best for you depends on what type of coffee you like to make, how much you make, and whether you want the flexibility of being able to achieve different grounds tailored to different coffee types.
Blade grinders (like the one in the picture below) have a spinning blade inside that cut the beans into smaller pieces, similar to a blender.
Burr coffee grinders have a small gear-like mechanism inside that crushes coffee beans to produce ground coffee. Because they crush, rather than chop, the beans, they don’t exert the same kind of force and heat that a blade grinder might.
The image below shows the difference between grounds from an electric blade grinder (left) and a burr coffee grinder (right)
Hand grinders are what you would think – you grind coffee using your own arm muscle. Most hand grinders come with a burr in them, which is a cheap way to get a good quality grind for your espresso coffee maker.
If you're only grinding small quantities at a time they can be a good option, as you have total control over how much you want ground. Most electric coffee grinders are able to grind a minimum of two cups of coffee at a time.
You may see coffee aficionados extolling the virtues of either a flat burr (pictured below left) or a conical burr (pictured below right).
Additionally, flat burr coffee grinders will usually be much pricier than their conical burr counterparts. For most people a coffee grinder with a conical burr is going to be more than sufficient for the job of grinding beans for your coffee machine.
Another choice you may come across while shopping for a coffee grinder is whether to go for a ceramic or steel burr in your coffee grinder.
As with all things coffee, there is plenty of fierce debate around about which is the best option, but each of these materials will handle grinding the coffee beans equally well, the main difference being in the durability of the grinding burr.
A ceramic burr is likely to last longer than a steel burr, provided that it doesn’t encounter any rogue materials like a small stone that could cause it to chip.
A stepped coffee grinder will have pre-set grind options for you to choose from, from a fine to a coarser grind. Most electronic burr coffee grinders that you will find in retail shops like John Lewis or Argos will be stepped.
If you really like to play with your coffee then you might consider a stepless grinder. To get your hands on a stepless grinder you will have to venture out of the high-street shop territory and you’ll be spending quite a bit more money too.
A stepless grinder has no pre-set grind levels. Instead you can tinker with it to produce the exact grind you want. While a stepless grinder can offer you even more options for customisation, it does require an experienced hand to get good results.
Depending on the type and style you can end up spending anything from £20 right up to more than £2,000 for a coffee grinder.
You can pick up a basic handheld or manual coffee grinder for around £10, electric blade coffee grinders start from around £20.
If you want an electrical burr grinder then you will need to spend a bit more, usually at least £50. Premium burr coffee grinders made by the big-name coffee machine brands are priced around £200.
At this price, you might find that investing in a bean-to-cup coffee machine is more economical. These do the grinding for you and are a good way to get freshly ground brews at home.
See our cafetiere and french press reviews to help you make the best brew with your fresh coffee grounds.
There are many varieties of pre-ground coffee available in the supermarket so you might wonder whether a coffee grinder is really necessary?
Ready to make your coffee? See our top tips for making the best espresso and cappuccino.
Coffee grinders often come with a range of settings ranging from fine to coarse and which one you choose will determine how large your ground coffee granules will be.
Different grind settings are considered best for different types of coffee. Below are some grind sizes coffee expert Giles Hilton recommends for different coffee making methods:
Coffee beans go stale relatively quickly, so if you want the best possible espresso, it's important to store your coffee correctly. Here are some top tips from our coffee expert Giles Hilton:
Now you know how to get the perfect grind, see our video guide to making the perfect espresso