If you like coffee, you need three things: a coffee maker (or espresso machine), whole beans, and a good coffee grinder. That pre-ground coffee at the grocery store that’s been sitting around for god knows how long? Skip it.<\/p>\n
When you grind coffee, those tens of thousands of tiny granules hit the air and immediately begin to oxidize, degrading the compounds that give coffee its aroma and flavor. The only way you’re going to make a flavorful cup of joe is to use fresh beans and grind them right before you brew them. After going down this rabbit hole professionally, I’ve learned that even the best equipment is only as good as the beans going into it.<\/p>\n
The best tool for the job is a burr grinder, not an electric blade grinder. Burr grinders crush coffee beans evenly between two steel or ceramic burrs. Blade grinders function more like blenders, frantically whirring in circles, mangling the beans, and tossing them all over the grinding chamber.<\/p>\n
Burr grinders can get expensive. There are models that cost a fortune, and they are indeed amazing. But you don’t need to spend that much. For this review I focused on grinders that cost $400 and less because at that price, you’ll find something good enough and durable enough to sustain your coffee routine for a long time. After testing 22 models over the years, there are four coffee grinders I believe are well worth the investment.<\/p>\n
New in this update:<\/strong> I finally got to spend enough time with Fellow’s Opus 2 that I’m ready to make it the new top pick for its combination of performance and value. I also added information on long-term testing of grinders I’ve used regularly for over a year, including what it’s like to try to get one replaced.<\/p>\n Fellow’s updated Opus 2 keeps everything that was great about the original Opus – versatility for multiple brewing methods, a reasonable price point, recognizable Fellow aesthetics – and adds several new features. Fellow replaced the stepped adjustment and micro-adjustment ring with a stepless one that has no fixed settings and can make much smaller changes to grind size. Fellow also increased the size of the burr from 40mm to 48mm and improved grind retention to near zero; it never held on to more than .1 grams of coffee on fine, medium, and coarse settings.<\/p>\n Like the original Opus and the Fellow Ode, the Opus 2 is a single-dose grinder. Instead of storing beans in a hopper, it grinds individual coffee doses. Single-dose grinders encourage you to keep beans sealed up between uses, and oxygen is a coffee bean’s sworn enemy. It’s also a bonus if one person likes a dark espresso roast and another prefers a light roast for pour-overs.<\/p>\n The best new feature is auto-stop: shortly after the last of the ground coffee clears the burrs, the grinder shuts itself off no matter how much coffee you put into it. That prevents the motor from spinning when empty, which can eventually burn it out, and means you don’t have to stand next to it.<\/p>\n Pros:<\/strong> Easy to track stepless adjustment; Affordable; Quiet; Auto shut-off.<\/p>\n Cons:<\/strong> Plastic body.<\/p>\n Specs:<\/strong> Size: 8.1 inches x 5.1 inches x 10.5 inches; Grind settings: Infinite; Capacity: 100 grams; Burr type: Conical; Dose type: Single dose; Warranty: 2 years.<\/p>\n What we’d leave:<\/strong> The Opus is Fellow’s more affordable grinder and it feels more affordable. It has a lot of light, plastic parts. Note: I ended up using two different Opus 2s. The adjustment wheel on the first one moved while the grinder was running. Fellow told me it was an issue in some of the earliest models sent out but one that had been corrected, and they quickly sent a new model that didn’t have any issues. I’ve seen posts from some early adopters who had a similar experience, but it seems to be an issue that’s been resolved.<\/p>\n I’ve tested enough coffee grinders to know that finding a good one under $100 is a real task. Finding one for under $80? I hadn’t been able to until now. Oxo’s newest grinder offers the reliability and quality that comes with the brand at the lowest price I’ve seen yet. Oxo makes a number of burr grinders, and I think they’re all a great value: one was our top budget pick for several years, and another looks to be discontinued, but if you can find it, it’s a genuine bargain.<\/p>\n The Compact has most of what we love about Oxo’s standard burr grinder, but drops the price by 30%. It produced a very even grind and better grind retention than anything remotely close to its price – we lost less than a gram when grinding fine for espresso. Its 29 grind settings offered enough range to produce both a decent espresso shot and a pot of French press. It also has a relatively tiny footprint and can practically fit in a drawer when you aren’t using it. It works well as a single-dose grinder, though its hopper can hold up to 50 grams of coffee, which makes about six cups of coffee in a drip coffee maker.<\/p>\n Pros:<\/strong> Even grind; Enough settings for both fine and coarse brew methods; Small footprint.<\/p>\n Cons:<\/strong> No dosing mechanism; Doesn’t pour precisely for espresso.<\/p>\n Specs:<\/strong> Size: 3.75 inches x 3.75 inches x 10.75 inches; Grind settings: 29; Capacity: 50 grams; Burr type: Conical; Dose type: Single dose; Warranty: 2 years.<\/p>\n What we’d leave:<\/strong> There isn’t a dosing mechanism on this grinder, so you have to turn it on and off manually. If you use it as a single-dose grinder, that’s not a problem: you just run it until it’s empty. But if you fill the hopper and want less than six cups, you’ll need to make your best guess when to turn it off. When used for our cold-brew testing in 2026, tester Adam Campbell-Schmitt found that, because the capacity was so limited, it didn’t work well for cold brew. Also, the pouring funnel isn’t precise enough to easily move ground coffee into a portafilter for espresso; you’ll need a dosing funnel. This grinder doesn’t have any antistatic features, so some coffee grounds can get left behind due to static cling. Oxo includes a tiny spray bottle and suggests spritzing the beans with water before grinding; the method works, but it’s an extra step.<\/p>\n For my own espresso grinding, I use a grinder that is well outside the price range considered in this review, and for just 20% of the cost, you can get a great espresso grinder from Baratza. The brand took the already great Encore ESP and upgraded it to create the ESP Pro.<\/p>\n It’s built on Baratza’s sharper M2 burrs, capable of the fine, even grind you need for clean espresso shots. The free-turning adjustment wheel has 119 grind settings, with 80 of them dedicated to espresso, making dialing in a new bag of beans a fairly effortless operation. Importantly, it has the near-zero grind retention that’s vital for consistent espresso brewing.<\/p>\n The ESP Pro’s hopper situation is another great feature. Every Pro comes with the option to set it up as either a single-dose grinder or with a 300-gram hopper that uses timed dosing. That kind of optionality means the machine will work for the coffee obsessive who weighs beans every time and the more laissez-faire coffee drinker. The ESP Pro comes with an espresso dosing cup that can fit either a 54-mm or 58-mm portafilter and transfers the ground coffee easily. It’s a little messier than the Fellow Opus because there’s about two inches of space between the chute and the top of the cup; on the Opus, the cup is flush. But the other versatile aspects of this Baratza make it an excellent choice.<\/p>\n Baratza is also a brand that prides itself on durability. They sell replacement parts and their customer care team can walk you through how to fix your grinder if it breaks. If you have big feelings about right to repair, Baratza should be at the top of your list for coffee grinders.<\/p>\n Pros:<\/strong> Easy adjustment; Single-dose or timed hopper dosing options; Clear labeling for espresso settings.<\/p>\n Cons:<\/strong> Not great for coarser grinds.<\/p>\n Specs:<\/strong> Size: 5 inches x 6 inches x 13.5 inches; Grind settings: 119; Capacity: 300 grams; Burr type: Conical; Dose type: Single dose or by time; Warranty: 1 year.<\/p>\n What we’d leave:<\/strong> Some users note that in the single-dose setting, the beans don’t all feed into the burrs easily. I noticed that as well when testing on coarser settings for French press, though I didn’t experience it on finer settings.<\/p>\n If you’re a coffee drinker in search of a caf\u00e9-quality burr grinder that also looks great on your countertop, the Fellow Ode is the move. It’s compact, easy to use even for beginners – simply set the dial to your desired grind size and press a button – and relatively quiet. I use it daily, as does BA food director Chris, who told me, ‘It’s truly a remarkable product… and I have owned many.’<\/p>\n I’ve used this grinder to make drip, Aeropress, and pour-over coffee in the morning for four years and have been impressed by its ability to contain flyaway grinds and its near-zero retention. What you put in is almost exactly what you get out, and I’ve measured repeatedly to the tenth of a gram. The Ode Gen 2’s caf\u00e9-quality stainless-steel flat burrs will help you produce a top-notch at-home brew.<\/p>\n Pros:<\/strong> Compact; 31 grind settings; User-friendly; Consistent grind; Quiet; Low mess.<\/p>\n Cons:<\/strong> Does not grind finely enough for espresso.<\/p>\n Specs:<\/strong> Size: 9.4 inches x 4.1 inches x 9.8 inches; Grind settings: 31; Capacity: 100 grams; Burr type: Flat; Dose type: Single dose; Warranty: 2 years.<\/p>\n What we’d leave:<\/strong> The one downside aside from the $400 price tag is that it is not designed to grind finely enough for espresso. If you’re looking for the closest you can get using the Ode, Fellow recommends an Aeropress with their dedicated accessory. In the long run, maintaining the Ode has been a little more annoying than other grinders: opening it up to clean requires removing several tiny screws and pieces and realigning them just so to reassemble it. Flyaway coffee grounds are also a bit more present four years on than they were in the first few months. This thing is durable, though. Someone – not me – dropped the Ode on a tile floor. I had to recalibrate it, a simple process that involves taking off the front dial, and after I did, it was no worse for wear.<\/p>\n I ground lots of coffee in each grinder, looking at the following:<\/p>\n I repeatedly ground medium roast coffee at settings for espresso, pour-over, and French press. I inspected the ground beans to see if they were even and suitable for whatever method I was aiming for.<\/p>\n I checked the consistency of any timers or cup settings. If something said it was grinding four cups of coffee for drip or pour-over, I expected it to produce something close to 32 grams of coffee, which would be the 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio I typically brew with.<\/p>\n I checked any other features of the grinders, such as portafilter cradles or micro adjustment rings, and finally brewed coffee using all three methods to taste the actual results of all that grinding. The grounds from the Fellow Opus came out evenly and neatly.<\/p>\n Number of grind settings:<\/strong> Different brews require different grind consistencies: you’ll want a fine grind for espresso, a medium grind for pour-over coffee, and a very coarse grind for French press and cold brew. Machines vary in the number of grind settings they offer, but generally speaking, the more settings, the better. Some grinders, like the Fellow Opus series, are stepless, meaning they don’t have a fixed number of settings and the adjustment wheel moves freely to make the smallest adjustments. However, don’t be wooed by a machine offering 800 settings if you’re not actually going to use them all. Instead, think about the coffee-making methods you use most often and choose a machine that covers all of those grind consistencies. If you’re pulling espresso shots at home daily, choose a grinder with plenty of space on the fine-grinding end. If you enjoy occasional espresso but also make your own cold brew, opt for a machine with a broader range, like a do-it-all grinder with coarse and fine-grind settings. Don’t do espresso at all? You can get by with far fewer settings, like on the Fellow Ode or a budget option.<\/p>\n Dosing mechanism:<\/strong> Most of the burr grinders I tested dose by time, allowing you to set how long the machine will grind for, unless you have a single-dose option like a Fellow. Most under-$200 burr grinders operate on essentially a fancier version of a windup timer, while slightly more expensive models use a digital timer to achieve split-second precision. These smart timers are helpful for honing your espresso craft, but if you’re working with a drip or pour-over, this feature isn’t as important. As long as you’re weighing the coffee beans and depositing them in the hopper per batch, the grinder will only eat up the amount of beans you feed it. Unless you’re pulling espresso shots and want to figure out exactly how long it takes to grind 18 grams of beans for a double shot, a digital timer isn’t essential, but you should still weigh your beans with a gram scale for the best tasting, consistent results.<\/p>\n Build quality:<\/strong> At the most basic level, heavier grinders tend to be better grinders. The body, motor, and burrs tend to be higher quality and last longer. Every heavy grinder isn’t a good one, and every lightweight grinder shouldn’t be instantly dismissed, but it’s a reasonable place to start.<\/p>\n In the world of coffee grinders, those that specialize in espresso are the ones that can get really expensive, really quickly, because dialing in an espresso shot demands more precision than other methods when it comes to both grind size and amount. In our testing, the Sette 270 handled those two variables better than anything else under $400. When it comes to grind size, the 270 has 31 macro settings that click in on a large adjustment ring, but you can fine-tune even more with a stepless micro adjustment ring that makes it quick and easy to dial in. The 270 offers time dosing and the ability to save three different settings for, say, single, double, and triple size baskets.<\/p>\n As a pricier grinder, it comes with some other nice features as well: heavier-duty materials, a switch to seal off the hopper, which lets you easily swap coffee beans, and a thoughtful setup for hands-free grinding. A cradle provides support for the portafilter, and an adjustable piece above the cradle holds it in place at the proper angle so you can let go and walk away. The Sette 270 works quickly, but it’s incredibly loud, especially compared to the Encore Pro ESP. Also, while it’s terrific for espresso, it just doesn’t offer as much precision at coarser settings. It won’t ruin a pour-over or French press, but at this price, you’d be better off with the Fellow Ode if you don’t need an espresso grinder.<\/p>\n I didn’t love the regular Baratza Encore when I tested it, but the ESP was a different story. The big advance of the ESP over the older Encore, and even over the higher-end Baratza Virtuoso+, is the addition of more micro adjustments on the finer end of the grind settings. Those smaller adjustments let you dial in your shots in an impressive way for a grinder that costs less than $200. The Encore ESP also improved the burr. It uses Baratza’s M2 burr, which is sharper and produced even coffee grounds across a range of settings. The catch cup of the ESP is also designed to easily transfer ground coffee into a portafilter, which can be a very messy business.<\/p>\n The only problem, if you want to call it that, with the ESP is that it has no way to measure a dose of coffee. Getting an exact weight of coffee is incredibly important for pulling good espresso shots. It’s not a huge problem. It’s possible to put single doses in the grinder like you do with the Fellow, thanks to the low grind retention. The Encore ESP consistently had output within .1 or .2 grams of what went in.<\/p>\n I still like this former top budget pick. Oxo’s original burr grinder has 45 settings, while the Compact recommended above only has 29, and it also has time dosing and a hopper that can hold 12 ounces of whole coffee beans. But that dosing mechanism only works so-so. It doesn’t lock in place, so it’s hard to set precisely. It still grinds evenly and has great grind retention, but the Compact can do everything you really need a burr grinder to do with a smaller footprint and a lower price.<\/p>\n With a price tag under $200, KitchenAid’s burr grinder is relatively affordable for everything it offers. It comes with 70 grind settings, which is plenty if you have a house that enjoys both espresso and French press. It uses a digital timer for its dosing and can also grind directly into a portafilter, making it the least expensive option we’ve found with both those features. It’s durable – we’ve used it for years – and it’s a good choice if you’re looking for a truly budget espresso grinder, but the evenness of the grind and quality of the materials are better on the Baratza Encore ESP.<\/p>\n Baratza makes burr grinders that range in price from very affordable, like the Encore, to pro-level machines that can top $900. The Virtuoso+ is a step up from the brand’s entry-level machines, and that step is a sizable one. It uses digital time dosing down to the tenth of a second, which I found to be very consistent. Using setting 18, which Baratza recommends for drip coffee, I repeatedly got exactly 9 grams of coffee in four seconds. Your mileage may vary with different roast levels, but use that as a jumping-off point. It uses Baratza’s M2 burr, which gives a bit more precision than the M3 burr in the Encore and makes this a better bet for brewing methods that need coffee ground at the extreme ends of the spectrum, including Turkish, espresso, French press, or cold brew. We’d note, though, that the Encore ESP also uses the M2 burr, and while it doesn’t have digital dosing, it is less expensive.<\/p>\n Eureka is an Italian coffee equipment company that specializes in high-quality, often expensive machines, most of which are well outside the price range considered in these tests. While the Mignon Filtro is Eureka’s most affordable model, it has the same sort of high-quality construction you’d expect from a much more expensive grinder, with features like 50-mm flat burrs. It’s simple and fully manual, but it features stepless adjustment. That means the burrs don’t lock into preset settings but expand and contract freely, allowing for ultra-precise, fine-tuned control. The downside is that it’s impossible to tell how the grinder is set when you look at it for the first time. The adjustment dial is numbered 1-5, but it can make four rotations, so it takes patience and a willingness to do some trial and error. It’s also really only equipped to do middle-of-the-road grinds for methods like drip or pour-over. Despite its relatively low price, it’s definitely a more advanced grinder.<\/p>\n The espresso-only entry from Eureka functions much like the Filtro, with manual operation and stepless grind adjustments. It’s designed to grind finer and only into a portafilter. The quality of the grind is wonderfully consistent, and the Mignon Notte also features a burr adjustment that makes it easy to clean and reset the burrs. If you are okay without any automatic dosing, you’ll like this grinder. I just think features like time-dosing or single-dosing, like Fellow does, are preferable options for most people.<\/p>\n Breville’s Smart Grinder Pro, like many of its espresso makers, provides a quality product at a mid-level price. It uses conical burrs and offers 60 settings – plenty for all brewing methods – and both manual and automatic grind settings. The Smart Grinder Pro doses by time, and selecting a set number of cups correlates with a preset amount of grinding time. You’re going to need to tweak it, though, because while I got a suitable 9.8 grams of coffee on the 1-shot setting, I got 45 grams of coffee on the 2-cup setting, which is way too much. Forty-five grams of ground coffee is enough for four cups. The grinder is easy to adjust, produces a consistent grind, and allows for direct grinding into both a 54-mm and 58-mm portafilter, so if you’re willing to do some trial and error on the dosing, I think you’ll be happy with this one.<\/p>\n The Aarke grinder is beautiful, as all Aarke equipment is, and it produces a terrifically consistent grind. If paired with the Aarke coffee maker, the grinder can automatically detect the amount of water and grind the right amount of coffee. Some longer-term testing, though, showed that this grinder has a tendency to jam up. And while it makes an aesthetically pleasing pair along with the companion coffee maker, I just don’t think that, on its own, this grinder warrants its high price tag.<\/p>\n The Sette 30 is one of Baratza’s espresso grinders, and I loved the look and design. Unfortunately, I had issues with performance. I had a lot of flyaway grinds when using a 54-mm portafilter, which is what you’ll find on most espresso machines under $1,000, and the design couldn’t accommodate a large espresso dosing funnel that would help avoid all that spillage. Using a 58-mm portafilter was better, but still a minor coffee storm on the counter. The Sette 270 was a great improvement on this front. If you have your heart set on the Sette 30, we’d insist on a low-profile dosing ring.<\/p>\n The Encore, not to be confused with the Encore ESP, is Baratza’s entry-level grinder and uses an M3 burr, which is a step down from the M2 burr found in the Virtuoso+ and Encore ESP. In our tests, the grind for French press was noticeably inconsistent, with too many fine particles slipping through. Even if you’re not planning to make espresso, we’d recommend spending the extra $50 to upgrade to the Encore ESP.<\/p>\n I was pleasantly surprised at the evenness of the grind from this $60 grinder, but I wasn’t happy with the dosing. You set the amount of coffee by cups, anywhere from 4 to 18, but the grinder produced wildly different weights of coffee on the same cup setting as I adjusted the grind setting from finer to coarser.<\/p>\n The Capresso was all over the place. The coarse grind wasn’t consistent, the medium grind was too fine, and the dosing system, presumably cups but just labeled 1-12, didn’t seem to correlate to any actual measure of coffee.<\/p>\n De’Longhi’s grinder will work fine for drip or French press brewing, but it falls short for espresso. It’s designed specifically for De’Longhi portafilters, which are slightly smaller than the standard 54-mm size used by Breville and many other mid-priced machines, so standard portafilters won’t fit. It also only grinds one shot at a time.<\/p>\n Technivorm is best known for its high-end Moccamaster, but the company also makes a matching burr grinder. Like the Eureka models, it has 50-mm flat burrs, stepless grind adjustment, and manual operation via a button on its side. The issue I found was that it had poor grind retention. It held on to around 12% of the coffee I put in.<\/p>\n This is the least expensive burr grinder I tested, and it may be the least expensive brand-name burr grinder out there. Its performance is what we’d expect for something that costs forty bucks. It can’t really grind fine enough for espresso, and the grind was a bit uneven on coarser settings. Instead of a timer, it comes with cup settings, such as grind 2 cups or 4 cups, but those settings seemed to be arbitrary. On the same coarseness setting, the 2-cup option yielded 12 grams of grounds, while the 4-cup option gave just 13 grams. For an extra $30 or $40, you can get something better than this.<\/p>\n The Wilfa Uniform grinder has a sleek, minimalist design appropriate for its Norwegian origins, and tremendous versatility. It had no issue grinding fine enough for Turkish coffee, which takes a finer grind even than espresso. The 58-mm flat burrs produced perfect, consistent results and the whole machine has a high-quality feel to it. However, it’s plagued with one very inconvenient design flaw: in order to adjust the grind setting, you need to turn the entire lid, and it’s quite a wide lid at nearly eight inches in diameter. It was very challenging to rotate. I also had some issues with flyaway coffee grounds when I removed the catch cup.<\/p>\n If you want an attractive grinder that doesn’t cost as much as Fellow’s, the Zwilling certainly has an aesthetics-forward design, and you can pair it with the companion brewer for a complete set. But the materials are lighter and a bit flimsier than they appear in a photo. I did like the coffee I made across all three brewing methods, but between the lighter materials and manual operation, I think you’d do better with either our budget pick from Oxo or, if you can swing the bump up in budget, the Fellow Opus.<\/p>\n There are two different types of electric coffee grinders: burr grinders, which are the good coffee grinders and the only kind you’ll find in coffee shops, and blade grinders, the dinky plastic gadget that doubles as a spice grinder. Both grinders will break down whole beans, but the results are vastly different.<\/p>\n Burr grinders crush the coffee beans between two revolving, serrated surfaces called burrs. This technique is more likely to yield an even grind, which means the beans’ flavors will be released evenly in your brew. It’s worth the investment if you want to take your coffee routine to the next level.<\/p>\n Blade grinders use a more violent Edward Scissorhands-style approach. A conical blade whirrs around the chamber like a propeller, chopping those beans into pitiful, pulverized bits. In addition to damaging the beans, this technique is less likely to give you an even grind: some beans will end up in bigger chunks, while others may be powdery. As a result, a blade grinder is more likely to produce unevenly extracted coffee.<\/p>\n If this is your first time getting a good coffee grinder, the necessary upkeep might surprise you. It’s not incredibly labor-intensive, but you do need to keep it clean so it will continue to grind efficiently and consistently and keep stale debris out of your brew.<\/p>\n The easiest thing to do is run cleaning pellets through the grinder. If you’re only using it to brew a couple of drinks for yourself in the morning, once a month should be enough. The pellets, Grindz, are food safe and help get any residual oil from coffee beans out, as well as forcing out any pieces that got stuck in the burrs. Specifically, I use Urnex Grindz Professional Coffee Grinder Cleaning Tablets.<\/p>\n If your grinder allows it, you should also remove the upper burr and brush it off; your grinder will likely come with a cleaning brush. This typically involves removing the bean hopper and twisting out the burr. Though some grinders, like the Fellow Ode, are a little more involved and require you to remove screws and disassemble the burr.<\/p>\n Just don’t use water to clean your burrs. Water can cause corrosion on the burrs, and if you ever actually tried to grind coffee with wet burrs they’d get gunked up. A stiff brush and some canned air sprayed through the grinder are all you need.<\/p>\n Finally, don’t forget to brush out the chute where the grounds come out and blow. Coffee often clings to the sides, and if you don’t clear it out every couple of weeks, you’ll be surprised by how much old coffee builds up.<\/p>\n Burrs:<\/strong> There are two types of burr grinders: conical and flat. Conical grinders take a bit less power and generate less heat because their motors get some help from gravity. Flat burr grinders take more power and run hotter, but they can frequently produce a more consistent result.<\/p>\n Ring burr:<\/strong> The ring burr is the outer piece of a conical set, and it’s the one that’s easiest to remove for cleaning. It helps feed beans through the grinder.<\/p>\n Cone burr:<\/strong> This is the inner piece of a conical burr set, and it’s typically the size and shape of a tween’s thumb if that thumb were encircled with sharp ridges.<\/p>\n Flat burr sets:<\/strong> Flat burr grinders have matching top and bottom pieces that evenly crush beans between them.<\/p>\n Adjustment wheel:<\/strong> This is the piece you turn to make a grind coarser or finer. It moves the burrs closer together or further apart.<\/p>\n Micro adjustment:<\/strong> Some grinders come with both a main adjustment wheel and a micro adjustment. This still moves the burrs closer together or further apart, just on a much more precise scale. For the Fellow Opus, one click on the main adjustment changes the grind by 50 microns; one click on the micro adjustment wheel moves just 16.7 microns.<\/p>\n Hopper:<\/strong> This is where the beans in a grinder get stored. Typically, they hold around 12 ounces of coffee beans and have only so-so seals, which is why we like single-dose grinders that encourage people to keep their beans sealed up and fresh in between uses.<\/p>\n Catch cup:<\/strong> This is where the beans go after they pass through the grinder. Some grinders, like the Baratza Encore, deposit the ground coffee into an attached chamber, kind of like a vending machine, from which you can shovel the grounds to use as you please. Others, like the Fellow Ode, deposit into a sleek, removable cup, making it easy to pour the grounds directly into a French press or pour-over filter.<\/p>\n Portafilter cradle:<\/strong> If you have a grinder designed for espresso, it probably has a cradle. This is the fork designed to hold an espresso machine’s portafilter, allowing you to grind straight into it so you don’t make a mess transferring grounds from a cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We tested 22 burr grinders under $400. Top picks: Fellow Opus 2, Oxo Compact Conical, Baratza Encore ESP Pro, and Fellow Ode Gen 2. Read the full review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177.webp",1344,768,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177-300x171.webp",300,171,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177-768x439.webp",768,439,true],"large":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177-1024x585.webp",1024,585,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177.webp",1344,768,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/your-coffee-will-be-better-if-you-get-the-right-gr-7177.webp",1344,768,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"cryptofi_admin_test3","author_link":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/author\/cryptofi_admin_test3\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"We tested 22 burr grinders under $400. Top picks: Fellow Opus 2, Oxo Compact Conical, Baratza Encore ESP Pro, and Fellow Ode Gen 2. Read the full review.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":512,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions\/512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Best Coffee Grinder Overall: Fellow Opus 2<\/h3>\n
Best Grinder for the Price: Oxo Compact Conical Burr Grinder<\/h3>\n
Best for Espresso: Baratza Encore ESP Pro<\/h3>\n
The Grinder for People Who Take Pour-Over Seriously: Fellow Ode Gen 2<\/h3>\n
How We Chose the Best Coffee Grinders<\/h2>\n
Precision<\/h3>\n
Consistency<\/h3>\n
Additional Features<\/h3>\n
What to Look for in a Burr Grinder<\/h3>\n
Other Coffee Grinders We Like<\/h2>\n
Baratza Sette 270<\/h3>\n
Baratza Encore ESP<\/h3>\n
Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder<\/h3>\n
KitchenAid Burr Grinder<\/h3>\n
Baratza Virtuoso+<\/h3>\n
Eureka Mignon Filtro<\/h3>\n
Eureka Mignon Notte<\/h3>\n
Breville Smart Grinder Pro<\/h3>\n
Coffee Grinders We Don’t Recommend<\/h2>\n
Aarke<\/h3>\n
Baratza Sette 30<\/h3>\n
Baratza Encore<\/h3>\n
The $60 Cup-Setting Grinder<\/h3>\n
Capresso<\/h3>\n
De’Longhi<\/h3>\n
Technivorm<\/h3>\n
The Least Expensive Burr Grinder<\/h3>\n
Wilfa Uniform<\/h3>\n
Zwilling<\/h3>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
What Is a Burr Grinder, and Why Is It Better Than a Blade Grinder?<\/h3>\n
How to Care for a Coffee Grinder<\/h3>\n
What Are the Parts of a Coffee Grinder?<\/h3>\n