Compare Our Top 6 Grinders
Grinder Wired Tired Type Grind Settings Espresso-capable? Warranty Baratza Encore ESP Innovative dial offers fine adjustments for espresso. Precise grinds, with clarity of flavor. Built like a tank. Admirable versatility for all coffee types. Best value proposition overall. Not a looker, really. Neither loud nor quiet. Conical burr 40 Y 1 year Fellow Opus Quietest grinder we've tested. Minimalist-pretty. Coaxes out wonderful sweetness, especially on drip and pour-over. Finicky espresso adjustments. Precise, but not as precise as the ESP. Conical burr 41+ Y 2 years Oxo Brew Conical Burr Lowest-cost burr grinder that still offers a good grind. Slim, sturdy build. Good for drip, Aeropress, French press. Few espresso adjustments. Not as precise as top picks. A little loud. Conical burr 30 Y, but few adjustments 2 years Fellow Ode Gen 2 Tuning-fork precision on drip and pour-over. Minimalist-pretty design. Low static. Auto-shutoff when hopper is empty. Helpful grind size guide. No espresso. Odd haptics on power switch. Grind cup is weird Flat burr 30 N 2 years Kingrinder K6 Hand Grinder Wild precision, at a low price. Sturdy, wholly analog machining and engineering. 180 fine adjustments. Compact. Hand grinding is a process. Instructions are few. Best for single-serve, not batch Manual 180 Y 1 year KitchenAid Blade Grinder Very small. Very cheap. Simple and durable. Choppy grind. Too many boulders. Only marginal improvement over preground coffee. Blade 1 N 2 years
More Excellent Grinders
Conical-burr all-rounders:
Baratza Encore for $150: Baratza's original Encore is the Honda of the conical burr grinder world: easy to maintain, runs great, easy to use, lasts forever, replacement parts are easy to find. It's been on the market largely unchanged for more than a decade. For not much more, the ESP offers beautiful adjustment on espresso settings, so I tend to recommend the added versatility. But the original Encore remains a solid entry-level choice.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Oxo Compact Burr Grinder for $75: Just when you thought Oxo had already cornered the market on affordable conical burr coffee grinders, they came in at an even lower price with this year's model. This lower-cost compact Oxo Brew is stacked like a wee layer cake. And so the grind cup is housed within the column of the device itself, and can be pulled out when you're done grinding. But while this is quite clever, neither consistency of grind nor ease of use is quite on par with Oxo's $100 basic conical burr, which remains my pick for an entry-level coffee grinder. But if the cupboard space, or the $30, is a strong incentive, this compact grinder is still a good pick at $75.
Baratza Virtuoso+ for $250: The Virtuoso+ uses the same burr set as the ESP, but is not quite as optimized for espresso. The biggest upgrade against the Encore ESP is a timer. Both have similar rock-solid but compact builds (although the Virtuoso is a little more stylish with its fitted grounds bin), 40 grind settings, and burr grinders for consistent grounds. The Virtuoso’s digital timer, however, is great for those wanting consistent coffee ground dosings each morning. You’ll have to dial in on your grind time versus coffee grounds output, but once you figure that out, you can walk away from the grinder and multitask if you please. —Tyler Shane
Oxo Brew Conical Burr Grinder With Scale for $300: Making great coffee consistently is all about measuring your variables, and this Oxo model comes with a built-in scale. Set your grind size, select the weight you want, hit Start, and walk away; it shuts itself off when it's done. This is a great way to streamline your morning ritual, but the device does spray off a few grounds—and at its price range, we tend to prefer the Fellow Opus or Baratza ESP as an all-rounder, or the bare-bones Oxo as a budget pick.
KitchenAid Burr Grinder for $200: This KitchenAid is stylish and easy to clean, and former WIRED reviewer Jaina Grey likes that the burrs are accessible thanks to their placement directly beneath the hopper. It also features precise dose control, with grind size controlled by a dial. For espresso lovers, one excellent feature is that you can swap the little container that catches the grounds with a holder for a portafilter.
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