6 Espresso Grinders for At-Home Baristas

Dubbed the “ultimate entry-level grinder,” the Baratza Encore is one of our top choices for grinding espresso beans at home. The Encore is affordable (compared to other quality coffee grinders) with a price tag of $139 and easy to use with basic controls—including a simple on/off switch and pulse button—but also offers a level of precision to give you cafe-quality espresso at home. With 40 grind settings at your fingertips, you can fine-tune your ground beans for not only espresso but any other coffee brewing methods, from French press to Chemex. It uses 40-millimeter commercial-grade conical burrs for a consistent grind that falls neatly into its clear grounds bin.

The coffee grinder stands at a little over a foot tall and was designed to be compact enough to store in your kitchen cabinets. Not to mention, it also got a makeover in 2020 for a newer, more sleek look. Plus, the Encore is also backed by Baratza’s one-year warranty.

If you’re looking for a high-tech espresso grinder, look no further than the Baratza Sette 270Wi. The Sette 270Wi is the first home grinder with a grind-by-weight function that lets at-home baristas say goodbye to any dose weight concerns, according to the company. Through a digital scale, the grinder automatically calculates and controls the dosage based on changes in coffee beans or grind size. The grind gets even more accurate each time you use it, narrowing it down to one-tenth of a gram. And with the 40-millimeter steel conical burrs, it produces a clump-free, well-distributed grind quickly each time.

Whether you’re drinking espresso one morning or drip coffee the next, you can grind beans without all the fuss using three customizable weight-based presets. The only setback—aside from the $549 price point—is that the Sette 270Wi is slightly louder than other Baratza grinders, but with the consistent grinds it produces, we’ll take it.

The Rancilio Rocky espresso coffee grinder is another home option made by one of the top commercial coffee grinder brands. With this grinder, you can choose from 55 levels to make grounds for everything from espresso to French press coffee. It’s equipped with a hopper that’s tinted blue for UV protection to keep your coffee or espresso beans safe from the sun. The Rancilio Rocky Espresso coffee grinder also has a powerful but quiet operation system with 50-millimeter steel flat burrs that are built to last. It also features a thermal protection function that automatically turns the motor off to prevent overheating or damage to the grinder.

But heads up! This grinder is on the heavier side and may not be as portable as other home espresso grinders. Plus, the Rancilio Rocky is slightly more expensive costing $414.

At less than $200, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro provides a solid home espresso grind at an affordable price. And it’s called a “smart” grinder for a reason. The grinder features a dosing technology called Dosing IQ that measures doses by time, which can be adjusted in .2-second increments for a precise and consistent dose each time you use it.

On top of saving your grind preferences, you can also use any of the grinder’s 60 settings for all of your coffee needs. With 40-millimeter steel conical burrs, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro can help you improve your coffee-making skills at home without breaking the bank.