Best Burr Coffee Grinders of 2021 – Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Nothing’s better than enjoying a freshly-ground coffee before facing the daily grind (pun intended). You might have the fanciest coffee maker, but, if you rely on stale or uneven grounds, your joe is always gonna lack that special flavor.

Ready to revolutionize your coffee experience? We’re going to walk you through a round-up of the best coffee grinders to help you compare their features and discover what makes them unique.

You’ll also find a handy buying guide to make sure your purchase ticks all the boxes. Let’s get you one step closer to your coffee upgrade!

Best Burr Coffee Grinders of 2020: Top 8 Reviews

Here’s an overview of our top electric burr grinders.

Got a general idea? Good. Now let’s dive into the nitty-gritty.

“Nobody buys a grinder because they want a grinder. What they want is a better tasting cup.” - Kyra Kennedy, Baratza co-founder 

Basically, they understand exactly what you’re after, and their Baratza Encore can make it happen. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with its 40 settings, you’ll be able to grind for espresso, French press and everything in between.

Thanks to its 40 mm conical burrs and the thermal overload cutout that prevents the motor from overheating, the Encore offers a grind consistency that is truly impressive for an entry-level product. 

Durable and sturdy, it’s designed to have a small footprint on your countertop. Need more? You can purchase a 9 oz hopper extension or a portafilter holder, too!

Bottom Line

Affordable and customizable, the Baratza Encore is a fantastic entry-level grinder that won’t disappoint.

Bottom Line

The Virtuoso+ is a consistent, reliable grinder that will provide you with café-style results.

Yep: the OXO BREW divides its 15 settings and smaller micro-settings into intuitive fine, medium and coarse sections to allow even beginners to grind correctly from the start.

The 40 mm conical burrs are designed to ensure the perfect flavor extraction and aroma retention. Once you find the perfect dose for your chosen brewing method, you’ll be able to repeat it every morning with the one-touch timer.

Bottom Line

Thanks to its stylish stainless steel design and precise burrs, this affordable grinder matches the results of some more expensive models.

It offers 12 grind settings, which might sound like a lot less compared to other models, but, considering the price, it’s actually pretty good: it basically covers the most popular brewing methods. 

While we don’t recommend the Bodum Bistro for espresso unless you own a pressurized machine, its stainless steel conical burrs are great for drippers, manual pour overs and French presses.

Bottom Line

The Bodum Bistro is an incredibly-affordable grinder that is bound to catch everyone’s attention with its quirky design. See our other budget burr grinders.

This grinder’s precision is guaranteed by the advanced cutting design of its commercial-grade conical burrs, meticulously hand-assembled in Switzerland. Thanks to the gear-reduction motor, it preserves the aroma of your beans while also resulting in little to none static buildup.

The 16 grind settings are clearly divided into sections, so you won’t have to twist its large 8.8 oz hopper and hope for the best!

Bottom Line

This precise entry-level grinder provides satisfactory results, especially when it comes to the trickiest finer grinds.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is our top recommendation for those who are looking for professional levels of customizability and are happy to pay what they’re worth. It comes with 60 settings (yep, you’ve read that correctly) which can be selected on the intuitive LCD screen.

Relying on high-quality stainless steel conical burrs that are designed to protect your beans’ essential oils by minimizing the heat, this precise grinder will ensure consistency across all of its settings.

It’s not called smart for no reason! You can adjust the grinding time with precise 0.2 second increments and replicate a consistent dose with its timer, as well as choose the number of shots or cups.

Its most practical feature? While it comes with an airtight container, it also lets you grind directly into a basket, a paper filter, or a portafilter, like professional baristas!

If you want to be fully in control of the grinding process and bring café-vibes into your kitchen, look no further.

This German company has been specializing in kitchen appliances since 1846, so they definitely know what they’re doing! (4) 

The metallic flat burrs of this Krups model can grind in 12 main sizes with even more micro-adjustments, and you can easily choose your desired amount of coffee thanks to its 2-12 cup selection. 

Basic but practical!

Bottom Line

Want to upgrade your coffee experience without committing to an investment or revolutionizing your countertop? This Krups model will be your new best pal.

What to Consider Before Buying a Burr Coffee Grinder [Ultimate Buying Guide]

Manual or electric?

This should be an easy one: do you want to get freshly-ground coffee at the touch of a button or would you enjoy putting in some elbow grease to be more involved with the process?

Electric models are quicker and more practical, whereas manual grinders have a certain vintage charm and are usually portable, meaning that you can grind on your travels. However, you must have the patience to grind for 2-5 minutes, so be realistic!

Blades or burrs?

If you ever hear a coffee expert say that blades are better, call the police: they probably have a gun to their head!

Yes, blades are cheaper, but that’s because they hit the beans multiple times from different angles and their friction creates heat, resulting in a burnt taste and an uneven mess (5). Burr grinders are far more precise, consistent and much better at retaining aromas. 

The real debate is around the burrs’ shape: flat burrs are usually uniform and cheaper, but they last less and can generate more heat; conical burrs are more precise and are considered the industry standard.

Their bimodal grind (an even mixture of smaller and larger particles) is particularly helpful for espresso extraction. However, we advise against judging a grinder simply by its type of burrs, as factors like material and speed can reduce problems like heat and inconsistency. Find out more how a burr grinder works.

Grind sizes 

Be honest: are you actually going to use over 20 grind sizes? If you are, we can’t wait for you to geek out over your next highly-customizable grinder. But, if you’re only grinding for a couple of brewing methods, why spend more money?! 

While most burr models can grind well for manual pour overs or automatic drippers, things can get tricky and inconsistent at the far ends of the size spectrum, such as the finer grinds needed for turkish coffee and espresso machines, or coarser for French press.

Make sure you pick a grinder that is proven to work for your favorite brewing method!

Speed

Measured by revolutions per minute (RPMs), higher-speed grinders are usually cheaper, but also louder and can create more static and heat, compromising the taste of your grounds. 

If price is one of your concerns, however, remember that high-speed burr grinders are still better than blades. It’s worth nothing that some high-quality (and more expensive) motors are so fast and well-designed that, by reducing the contact time between coffee and burrs, they actually solve the heat problem.

Still, your safest choice is a gear-reduction or direct-drive low speed grinder, impeccable at preserving the beans’ essential oils, flavor and aromas. (6)

Storage capacity

Some grinders have much bigger hoppers than others, but that’s not necessarily a good thing! A big hopper can be handy for large households who enjoy many cups of coffee every day, but, if you only brew for yourself, we don’t recommend filling it with beans that will end up staying there for weeks (a.k.a. stale).

Extra features

Do you want your grinder to repeat your preferred settings? Or to brew directly into your portafilter? Remember: ‘extra features’ means ‘higher price’. Envision what you actually expect from your new grinder before purchasing one to avoid spending more money for something that you’re not going to use, or realizing that your bargain doesn’t actually include what you need. 

Size

Some grinders have a surprisingly small countertop footprint, but, given their large hoppers, some others might not fit below your kitchen cupboards! Avoid disappointment by checking their measurements before picking one.

Now that you know what to avoid (*cough cough* blades) and what to look for in a grinder, we’re sure it’ll be much easier to find the perfect model that meets your specific caffeinated needs, habits and budget. We’ll warn you, though: once you start providing barista-worthy fresh coffee, your friends will find lots of excuses to always hang out at your place!

Coffee Grinders: Frequently Asked Questions

Since a grinder has such a big impact on your coffee routine, we want to help you find the best model for you and make the most of it. Here’s a little Q&A to make things easier for you.

Is grinding coffee worth it?

Yes, grinding coffee is definitely worth it because it allows you to make the most of the flavor and aroma nuances, enjoying fresh coffee rather than stale grounds that have been sitting on the store shelf for months. It also means that you can obtain the most adequate grind size for each brewing method, achieving perfect extraction.

How long does coffee last after grinding?

After grinding, coffee usually lasts 1-2 weeks, if properly stored in airtight containers. However, we recommend brewing it right after grinding to obtain the freshest flavors.

What size should I grind my coffee?

You should grind your coffee in different sizes depending on your brewing method: extra-fine for Turkish coffee, fine for espresso and moka pots, medium for most manual pour-overs and automatic drippers, coarse for French presses, and extra-coarse for cold brews.

What is the best coffee grinder for espresso?

The best coffee grinder for espresso is the Breville Smart Grinder Pro: it can grind finely and consistently enough for all espresso machines (including those with non-pressurized portafilters), and it comes with a handy portafilter holder.

How often should you clean a burr grinder?

You should clean your burr grinder once a month to ensure its longevity and correct performance. We recommend checking the instructions of your specific model, but, in general, you must simply remove the burrs, rinse them, and wipe the grind chamber to remove oils and coffee dust. 

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