The Best Coffee Grinders Of 2020 (Review)

If you are not a morning person, the obnoxiously loud sound of most electric grinders may be grating in the morning, and a manual grinder may be more up your alley. This ceramic burr grinder housed in a stainless steel body will provide an even grind every time, without the noise that comes with the electric grinders. Albeit, the trade off means that you will be exerting more energy to manually grind your coffee, but just consider that a pre-caffeine energy boost. It is small and easy to use on the go and is adjustable for desired grind size.

The OXO conical burr grinder comes complete with stainless steel burrs, .75 pound whole bean hopper, and 110 gram capacity anti-static metal collection cup for grounds. The anti-static is designed to keep grounds from sticking to the walls for easy transfer, though one complaint is that the cup does not lock in place and can vibrate out of place causing grounds to miss the cup. Choose between 15 different grind size settings, as well as micro settings between each. The grind timer will remain in place after running so that you can simply press the start button again for a second run without having to re-adjust the timer knob — unless you desire a different grind time — which is very useful. Easy to use and less than most electric conical burr grinders so a good value option.

Here at Oola, coffee is a passion for many of our staff, and our team relies on the Baratza Encore for our coffee grinding needs in the office. Andrew Nagy, our Coffee Club President shared that “While expensive, it’s a GREAT grinder. It’s mechanically very sound, and with semi-regular cleanings, it should last for a very long time.” Baratza’s conical burr Encore is a great grinder for those with little to no familiarity with the process and can get you fresh grounds in no time at all. Some have found that the grounds bin can be messy during use, but easily cleaned.

If you are looking for a low cost burr grinder option, this flat burr blade hybrid is a great option. While it is unlikely to get you as fine of a grind as you need for true espresso, this unit does a fine job improving on the straight blade grinding option while adding the hopper and collection bin features of higher end grinders. This unit does tend to build up static which can cause grounds to stick to the grounds up and can be a bit noisy when running, but still a great buy as a hybrid. Just know that it is not a conical but rather a flat burr grinder which makes a big impact on the overall price.