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- 10 Best Coffee Grinders 2023 | UK Coffee Shop Owner Reviewed
10 Best Coffee Grinders 2023 | UK Coffee Shop Owner Reviewed
We’ll shed some light on burr, manual and electric designs, and how to choose the grinder for you, whether you swear by your Aeropress, French press or espresso maker. Plus, with our list of the best buys for every budget from Amazon, eBay and John Lewis, you can save on expensive takeaway drinks by brewing barista-style coffees from the comfort of your kitchen.
Following a decade-long career as a designer/art director in the fashion and beauty industry, I found my new calling in a coffee shop in Japan, where I met my husband who is a barista. We now run a coffee shop together in the countryside. My knowledge and passion for speciality coffee continues to grow, and I enjoy trying new beans and methods every day!
A recommendation service that carefully researches each product and consults with experts across many disciplines. We are constantly creating new content to provide the best shopping experience from choosing ‘cosmetics’ to ‘food and drink’, ‘home appliances’ to ‘kids and baby’ products, reaching users all across the United Kingdom.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
- With Specialist Advice From Coffee Shop Owner and Art Director Nicole Michalek
- How to Choose a Coffee Grinder in the UK
- Choose the Grind Fineness Depending on the Type of Coffee You Make1
- Do You Want a Manual, Blade or Burr Grinder?2
- Consider Blade Material And How Much You'd Like it to Affect the Final Taste of Your Coffee3
- Higher Watt Electric Grinders Can Speed Up the Process and Tolerate Longer Use4
- 10 Best Coffee Grinders in the UK
- No. 1Barista & Co | Core Electric All Coffee Grinder
- No. 2Cusinart | Auto Burr Coffee Grinder｜ DBM8U
- No. 3Melitta Molino | Electric Coffee Grinder｜1019-01
- No. 4De'longhi | Coffee Grinder｜KG79
- No. 5Wilfa | SVART Aroma Electric Burr Coffee Grinder｜CGWS-130
- 5 more products
- Nicole's Advice on the Consistency of Your Coffee Grounds
- Tips for Cleaning Your Coffee Grinder
- Summary
With Specialist Advice From Coffee Shop Owner and Art Director Nicole Michalek
Following a decade-long career as a designer/art director in the fashion and beauty industry, Nicole found her new calling in a coffee shop in Japan, where she met her husband who is a barista. They now run a coffee shop together in the countryside. Her knowledge and passion for speciality coffee continues to grow, and she enjoy trying new beans and methods every day!
Follow her coffee shops Instagram page for more coffee content and to see what new and exciting things they're getting up to!
How to Choose a Coffee Grinder in the UK
You’ll have a few things to ponder before you browse the virtual offerings. Think about the method you use to prepare your coffee and how much you want to spend whilst reading our guide to find the perfect match.
Choose the Grind Fineness Depending on the Type of Coffee You Make
These are the recommended consistencies for the methods you may use to prepare your coffee:
- Coarse: Cafetière/French press, filter machine or percolator
- Medium Coarse: Chemex
- Medium: Cone-shaped pour-over brewers, Siphon coffee and Aeropress with 3 minute brewing time
- Fine: Espresso, stovetop Moka pots, Aeropress with 1 minute brewing time
- Extra Fine: Turkish coffee
Now you know the right coarseness for your brewing method, here are some of our favourite coffee beans for you to get grinding.
Recently, the basic grind sizes above are being further fine-tuned based on the coffee beans’ refining process and variety. And if you really want to geek out, there are mesh kits available (such as the Kruve) which are specially made for sorting and filtering your coffee grounds to the desired size.
This enables you to “layer” different grind sizes of coffee during manual pour-over in order to develop a more complex flavour profile.
Do You Want a Manual, Blade or Burr Grinder?
The three main varieties of coffee grinder, like most kitchen gadgets, all bring different things to the table, and what’s ideal for one shopper may not be suitable for another. We’ll discuss the three designs here to help you narrow them down.
Manual or Hand Grinders: A Portable Choice, Best Suited to Small Households
Utilising a “burr” system, whereby one rotating cog moves against another to mill the beans, they produce a fairly consistent grind. You may want to look for a design that enables the coarseness to be adjusted via a nut or screw, though as it is manual, it may take some practice to achieve your desired grind.
But if you're feeling a bit lazy today, take a look at our top picks of pre-packaged ground coffee!
I definitely recommend a high-performance hand-ground mill for anyone interested in brewing their own coffee. The top-of-the-line models are expensive, but dramatically change the taste of the coffee, so it’s something worth investing in.
Plus, you’ll have the flexibility of using it on the go! And a manual grinder is much quieter than an electric one if you’re in a group setting or serving at a party. Some pro choices are COMANDANTE, 1Zpresso Zpro and Weber workshop.
Electric Blade Models: Cheap and Multifunctional But Inconsistent
Unfortunately, this does not always produce a consistently sized grind, plus larger pieces in the mix can clog up machines that require fine grounds. That said, albeit with less control, you will be able to create a finer or coarser consistency by simply operating them for a longer or shorter amount of time.
The blade model is readily available, yet more difficult to use because the grind size is not uniform. Ultimately this leads to an inconsistent flavour for your coffee, regardless of whether you use the same recipe. However, it is possible to develop your own method via trial and error, so if you have the time, give it a go!
Coffee Experts With a Taste for Speciality Blends Should Consider an Electric Burr Grinder
A dream for coffee aficionados that are looking for accurate results for all their brewing gadgets, burr models feature multiple adjustment settings to alter the grind or coarseness of the coffee, so select as many as you think you’ll need.
Espresso drinkers and those who like to splurge on high-quality beans will also favour this design, as the burrs are most efficient at fine grinds, and don’t remove any taste from the beans thanks to their low-heat operation.
The higher the grinder performance and quality – which ensures uniformity of coffee grain size – the better the effect on extraction. Electric burr grinders practically guarantee a uniform grind size, so it’s a great way to go if you have the budget and space for it. There are a number of great options in quite a wide price range these days; MAHLKONIG ek-43, Kalita NEXT G, Wilfa SVART Nymalt, Fuji Royal etc.
Consider Blade Material And How Much You'd Like it to Affect the Final Taste of Your Coffee
- Stainless steel blades: Very common and an excellent choice because the material is rust-proof, durable, and easy to clean with water.
- Cast iron blades: Strong and will not retain heat as much as steel. Though, much like cast iron cookware, they will need to be treated carefully and wiped dry or with oil rather than water to prevent rust.
- Ceramic blades: Rare, but are known for their ability to improve the flavour of the coffee and add more body to the final taste. They are slightly more delicate so if you drop or bash the grinder there’s a possibility the blades will damage.
Residual grounds will also affect the flavour of the coffee, so the ease of maintenance of the grinder is important. If you want to grind different types of coffee beans (for example, one cup of single-origin Ethiopia, one cup of a blended coffee), you will need to first purge the coffee powder from the mechanism before switching beans. So when purchasing a grinder or mill, consider the parts that are easy to maintain and clean.
Higher Watt Electric Grinders Can Speed Up the Process and Tolerate Longer Use
For electrical designs, those with a higher wattage will make for a swifter and more efficient grinding process, and allow more batches of beans to be ground after one another without overheating. This is especially helpful in blade grinders where you want to avoid too much heat to preserve the taste until you’re ready to brew.
Complete your at-home coffee shop and get a coffee machine too!
Using an extension cord or multi-socket outlet for an electric grinder can potentially reduce the power supply, resulting in a weaker performance (and possibly weaker coffee due to inconsistent grain size). We recommend plugging it into a single outlet so as not to impair the uniformity of the coffee grounds.
10 Best Coffee Grinders in the UK
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Barista & Co Core Electric All Coffee Grinder | | Perfect Coffee for Both the Office or at Home | |
2 | Cusinart Auto Burr Coffee Grinder｜ DBM8U | | Ticks All the Boxes for an Optimum Coffee Companion | |
3 | Melitta Molino Electric Coffee Grinder｜1019-01 | | Practical, Reliable and Very Well-Priced | |
4 | De'longhi Coffee Grinder｜KG79 | | A Stylish and Strong Blade Grinder That Lasts | |
5 | Wilfa SVART Aroma Electric Burr Coffee Grinder｜CGWS-130 | | Compact and Efficient With a Cool Aesthetic | |
6 | Sage The Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Grinder｜BCG820BSS | | A High-Tech Coffeephile’s Dream | |
7 | Baratza Encore Electric Burr Grinder | | The American-Made Grinder for New Coffee Nerds | |
8 | Hario Skerton PRO Coffee Mill｜MMCS-2B | | An Updated Version of an Iconic Hand Grinder | |
9 | Krups Twin Blade Electric Coffee Mill | | As Good as It Gets for a Blade Mill | |
10 | Kalita KH-3 Retro Coffee Mill | | Durable and Oozing With Retro Charm |
Barista & CoCore Electric All Coffee Grinder
Perfect Coffee for Both the Office or at Home
With an amazing 40 grind settings that gives you anything from coarse to extra-fine, this Barista & Co coffee machine really is one of the best! It has UV protected containers for both your beans and ground coffee to keep it fresher for longer, as well as a brush stored in the hopper for easy cleaning.
If you're a coffee press, drip press or even a twist press lover and more, this grinder really does cater to everyone. It even has a cradle fitting for a portafiler. They're also members of Project Water Fall and 1% For the Planet, so you can truly feel great when grinding your coffee!
CusinartAuto Burr Coffee Grinder ｜ DBM8U
Ticks All the Boxes for an Optimum Coffee Companion
Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or just want a speedy double-shot to start off your day, you can rely on this robust yet elegant machine to provide up to 18 cups of beautifully tasting coffee in an incredibly short amount of time.
Eighteen must be the lucky number, as there are also 18 grind adjustments to nail that perfect consistency, making it suitable for even the most discerning of palates. As an added bonus, it boasts dishwasher-safe parts and very minimal noise. A brilliantly-engineered all rounder!
Melitta Molino Electric Coffee Grinder ｜ 1019-01
Practical, Reliable and Very Well-Priced
From the company that actually invented the coffee filter, this burr grinder is easy to use, easy to clean and doesn’t disappoint with the features. With minimal morning effort, you can make up to 14 cups of your favourite brew, adjustable by 17 individual grind settings.
A fantastic option for anyone wanting to try out an electric grinder without spending too much, Melitta's Molino is as attractive in appearance as it is in price, and will sit cosily in even the smallest of kitchen corners.
A Stylish and Strong Blade Grinder That Lasts
De'Longhi are known for their professional, well-made and affordable gadgets, so it's no surprise that the KG79 continues to be a bestseller! It’s compact enough for small kitchens and offices, and offers 17 grind settings and a simple one-touch operation.
Wilfa SVART Aroma Electric Burr Coffee Grinder ｜ CGWS-130
Compact and Efficient With a Cool Aesthetic
Dial into a coffee shop aesthetic with this ultra-cool matte black grinder, which is a collaboration between Norwegian brand Wilfa and Tim Wendelboe, an award-winning barista. It can hold 250 g of beans in the hopper but is smartly-designed not to take up too much space.
Approved by the European Coffee Brewing Centre, there's everything an aspiring barista needs, including 5 adjustments for coarseness, an efficient engine to preserve the flavour of your favourite beans, and even a 'set and forget' timer for the perfect grind. It has also been praised for doing all this nice and quietly!
SageThe Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Grinder ｜ BCG820BSS
A High-Tech Coffeephile’s Dream
Like to get all scientific with your coffee? This top-of-the-range model has all the latest tech for the most precise measuring imaginable, including a whopping 60 grind adjustments, an LCD screen, and an inbuilt intelligence that always produces the perfect cup.
There are two cradles included for transferring to your espresso machine, and efficient low-heat conical burrs to maximise flavour. It may seem a little over the top for some, but if you’re a coffee obsessive, this is the one for you.
The American-Made Grinder for New Coffee Nerds
Touted as one of the best entry-level grinders for anyone who's just starting to feel the coffee obsession take hold, the American-designed and made Baratza Encore offers a massive 40 grinds – perfect for honing your skills with a Chemex, Siphon or pour-over.
Aside from producing great coffee, the machine itself is well-designed and user-friendly, with a classic coffee shop-style hopper and a conveniently placed grind button. The 40 mm stainless steel conical burrs and an efficient motor top off the package.
An Updated Version of an Iconic Hand Grinder
Beating similar models to the top manual spot, we love the updated version of Hario's legendary Skerton coffee mill, aptly named the 'Pro'. The same ceramic burrs make for a heat-resistant grind, but they've been redesigned for less wobble and more precision.
Another feature that sets it apart from the dozens of cheaply-made manual mills on the market is the click system used when adjusting, which makes it easy to go back to a previous setting. The price may be about equal to a basic electrical version, but there's a reason it has an iconic status amongst manual grinder enthusiasts.
As Good as It Gets for a Blade Mill
Make short work of hard-shelled spices, nuts, and of course coffee beans, with this 180-watt blade grinder by Krups, which does a surprisingly good job of finely-ground coffee considering it's a bladed model.
It doesn’t have any bells and whistles and may not be the professional choice, but it is what it is: a simple and easy-to-use one-touch grinder that produces good results and a good yield for an affordable price.
Durable and Oozing With Retro Charm
Add some vintage kitsch to your counter with this cool manual grinder from Japanese brand Kalita. It’s durable enough to last but slightly heavier than some hand mills, so may be better for fresh coffee in the office rather than a backpacking adventure.
The burr blades are made of cast iron, known not to conduct heat like other metals, and you can alter the grind from fine to coarse by tightening. As the hopper is also iron, you’ll need to clean it with a dry brush rather than water to stave off rust. Sadly, all this style is going to cost you!
Nicole's Advice on the Consistency of Your Coffee Grounds
"The most important factor when grinding coffee beans in the process of brewing a delicious cup of coffee is that the grain size of the ground must be consistent and uniform."
"Of course, there are other factors such as ageing and the quality of the coffee beans, but the coffee's flavour is noticeably impacted by the quality of the machine you choose. Made with a high-performance grinder and mill, it can be quite exceptional!"
Tips for Cleaning Your Coffee Grinder
The safest and easiest method is to use a firm brush to dust off the excess grounds around the blade, after each use. You can find a speciality brush for cleaning grinders online, or you could repurpose one from around the house as long as it’s clean.
If there is a film of coffee from the natural oils on the blades, use a soft, dry cloth to gently wipe it off. You could also seek out a rubber “blower”, which will release air once squeezed to blow away excess coffee particles, often used for dusting keyboards and camera lenses and available online.
Summary
Author: Natasha Dziubajlo
Top 5 Coffee Grinders
When you purchase products mentioned in the article, part of the sales may be returned to mybest.
The descriptions of each product is referenced from the content available from the manufacturer, e-commerce sites etc.
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- 10 Best Coffee Grinders 2023 | UK Coffee Shop Owner Reviewed
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