10 Best Coffee Grinders For French Press – Reviews & Buying Guide

Have you ever used a French press before to make coffee? It’s one of the most popular and affordable methods for brewing coffee. It produces a rich-tasting cup that is not only tasty but perfect for those who like to keep their coffee black. When making your own coffee at home, one thing to keep in mind is that you need to use freshly ground beans that are coarse ground and a perfect French Press grinder.

But finding a great grinder specifically for French Press can be challenging. That’s exactly why I’ve compiled a list of some of the best coffee grinders for French Press in 2021! I’ve also included a buyer’s guide to help you find more information.

Enjoy!

Which Coffee Grind To Use?

For those new to coffee, these best coffees for the french press might work great for you. But if you are a true coffee aficionado, you might already be familiar with the advantage of using a grinder before brewing coffee. 

French press technique requires a medium-to-coarse grind for optimal results. As maximum water surface area is required for complete flavor extraction, this is true. Most pre-ground coffees are simply too fine to function in a French press.

Many mesh filters will not catch finely ground coffee, leaving a disagreeable, gritty sludge in your cup. In a French press, a coarse grind provides a far more brilliant and vivacious taste. That’s why medium-coarse grind is recommended mainly for french presses.

7 Incredible Coffee Grinders For French Press In 2021

When it comes to the best coffee grinder for french press, there are several choices available. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; each person has their own distinct preferences.

Read on to discover our top picks for the best French Press grinder, and get yours now!

1. Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder – Best Overall

View On Amazon | $169.95

Specs: Brand: Baratza | Color: Black | Material: Black Plastic | Weight: 6.83 Pounds | Dimensions: 4.7*6.3*13.8 inches

Our top choice for the best coffee grinder for french press is the Baratza Encore Conical Coffee Grinder. It produces exceptional coarse grind, which is the key to brewing excellent French press brew.

The Encore offers a comprehensive choice of 40 grind settings and is able to finely grind everything from French press to espresso. Baratza has done a great job keeping things simple with the Encore, focusing on just the essentials required for a burr grinder and nothing more. There is no scale, timer, or way to adjust your dose, but all that you’ll find are basic controls that are practically no learning curve. That’s the reason it’s considered the best entry-level coffee grinder by many experts.

Moreover, the 40 grind settings can easily be selected by turning the hopper. For further convenience, a simple on/off switch is also available on one side of the grinder. Use the pulse button to top off your grind. Simply no fuss, just fresh coffee!

A few important things to take into account while purchasing the Encore Grinder are. Firstly, the Encore has a bit of a sluggish motor that takes a little while to produce your grounds. Secondly, the stainless steel conical burrs are a bit of a pain to remove for cleaning, especially if they’re oil-covered.

Keeping these concerns aside, the Baratza Encore grinder comes with a one-year limited warranty and has quite attentive customer care service. For instance, if anything goes wrong, don’t panic, as the issue will be addressed within a few hours.

To conclude, if you’re searching for maximum performance in an easy-to-use package, then the Baratza Encore is worth considering.

2. Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder – Best Manual Grinder for French Press

View On Amazon | $45.99

Specs: Brand: JavaPresse | Color: Stainless Steel | Material: Stainless Steel | Weight: 0.5 Pounds | Dimensions: 1.8*7.5*1.8 inches

This unit by JavaPresse is very compact and portable with a stunning slim and sleek design, found on most of the lists of best coffee grinders for French press brewing systems. Its also among the most sold manual coffee grinders on Amazon. Here are the reasons why it’s so popular.

The conical burrs rotate at high speed, producing a fully automated coffee grinder with 18 click settings for better precision control. The hand-crank mechanism is smooth and silent. You’ll have total control over the coarseness of your grind. Its ceramic combo burrs are subjected to extensive testing in order to verify their five-time longer lifespan than most stainless steel blades. 

The unit is very lightweight and weighs only half a pound. You can easily carry it for your travel and outdoor adventures. What’s more, owing to its detachable hand crank mechanism, it runs quietly and effectively. As there’s no electricity involved in the grinding process, there is less friction on the burrs. This less friction is responsible for the item’s long-lastingness. 

If you’re grinding a lot of beans, then the cylinder might be challenging to grip; therefore, it’s probably not ideal for big pots of coffee. Also, do expect a learning curve in determining which setting produces the proper quantity of grounds. On the bottom of the cylinder, there is a crank handle that makes adjustments simple. However, don’t expect to achieve perfection right away; instead, give yourself some time to get your coffee grinds’ sweet spot.

3. Khaw-Fee HG1B Manual Coffee Grinder – Best Affordable Manual Grinder

View On Amazon | $24.63

Specs: Brand: Khaw-Fee | Color: Black | Material: Plastic | Weight: 0.6 Pounds | Dimensions: ‎9.25*4.69*4.65 inches

Moving forward, we’ve got the Khaw-Fee HG1B Manual Coffee Grinder. It’s an attractive little grinder built with stainless steel and glass. The glass lets you eyeball the grounds as you go along. The item is extremely quiet and arrives with a smooth, easy-to-use crank handle. 

The grinder has a large selection of coarseness settings, allowing you to customize the French press grind to your desired size. You can easily adjust the grind settings to your preferred size. Secondly, the burrs are constructed with ceramic and are pretty durable and long-lasting. 

Additionally, the company is so sure about their product’s quality and reliability that they’re offering a lifetime guarantee. In a nutshell, if you don’t like their product, simply return it, and they will give you your money back.

4. Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder – Best Electric Grinder For French Press

View On Amazon | $120

Specs: Brand: Capresso | Color: Black | Material: ABS Black Plastic | Weight: 4 Pounds | Dimensions: ‎14.6*9.6*7.8 inches

Capresso is a well-known brand that you can trust. This Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder has solid, conical steel burrs for high-precision grinding. 

The grinding range of this device ranges from ultra-fine to coarse. This range can be selected from the selector knob present at the bean container’s base, allowing you to choose between extra-fine, fine, medium, and coarsely ground coffee. The transparent bean container on the top of the grinder can hold up to 8.8 ounces of beans, while the firmly fitting coffee container on the front can store up to 4 ounces of ground coffee.

The machine’s gear reduction system minimizes noise and static build-up while the motor is in operation. The slowest grinding speed in its class allows your coffee to retain maximum fragrance and flavor, regardless of grind setting. It’s also simple to maintain due to the removable upper burr and the provided brush to clean out the grinding chamber.

This device is a wonderful choice if you’re searching for a long-term grinding solution. Although this coffee grinder costs a few extra dollars than other models, I believe the final grind’s quality is well worth the additional expense.

5. Secura Electric Burr Coffee Grinder – Best Affordable Electric Burr Grinder

View On Amazon | $38.96

Specs: Brand: Secura | Color: Black | Material: Inflaming Retarding Material | Weight: 2.83 Pounds | Dimensions: 6*4*8.75 inches

If you’re searching for something small or low-priced coffee grinder, then the Secura Electric Burr Coffee Grinder is a fantastic option.

Despite being a budget-friendly coffee grinder, the Secura Electric Burr Grinder features 17 grind size options to pick from. While the bean hopper of this unit is amongst the smallest in this best coffee grinder for french press review, the grinder still can hold and grind up to 2 to 12 cups. The Secura offers uniform grinds and preserves the coffee’s natural aroma. It also features an automated switch-off that’ll conserve a lot of energy in the long run – trust me.

As it’s a smaller machine, it takes up very little room on the kitchen counter as well, while the non-sliding tabs present at the bottom of the grinder keep the grinder in place.

6. Cuisinart DBM-8 Automatic Burr Grinder  – Customer’s Choice

View On Amazon | $59.95

Specs: Brand: Cuisinart | Color: Stainless Steel | Material: Alloy Steel | Weight: 4.5 Pounds | Dimensions: ‎10.75*7.13*6 inches

The Cuisinart DBM-8 features an extra-large bean hopper that allows you to smash up enough beans for up to 32 cups. It’d be more than suffice for a coffee-addicted household. It’s also not very pricey; in fact, you can own this grinder at a cost even less than some manual grinders.

The machine has a stainless steel appearance, but in reality, it’s made of BPA-free plastic. Actually, everything is made of plastic: the hopper, receiving box, and the housing. The package comes with a cleaning brush and a scoop.

The low price of this machine comes with the tradeoff of versatility in grind size, so if you need a grinder that can do it all, consider looking elsewhere. The medium-fine grind we trust on this grinder is suitable for drip coffee or a pour-over, but the coarse grind is also acceptable.

Another important thing that’s worth pointing out is that the machine contains stainless steel flat burrs, which is why sometimes you’ll notice a bit of chunky and uneven grinds.

Overall, if you enjoy French press and wish to transition from purchasing pre-ground coffee beans from the shop to grinding them yourself, then this Stainless Steel Electric Burr Grinder by Cuisinart should be your top choice.

7. 1Zpresso Q2 Mini Slim Travel Coffee Grinder – Best for Travel

View On Amazon | $99

Specs: Brand: 1Zpresso | Color: Stainless Steel | Material: Stainless Steel, Aluminum | Weight: 385 Grams | Dimensions: 5.51*1.97*1.97 inches

If you are a coffee nut, you’ve probably heard of this brand before. 1Zpresso is a company that has established itself in the specialty coffee market for its ability to produce exceptional coffee grinders. 

The Q2 works best for french press grinding as it features an internal adjustment dial with 30 clicks per rotation, offering the best coarseness setting to you. The large 48mm stainless steel conical burrs rapidly grind coffee beans, and it is quite possible to generate enough coffee grinds for a small pot of french press brew in just a minute or two. 

This little coffee grinder is highly portable; it’s even smaller than the size of a coke can. The grinder is well-suited for Aeropress use too. The items’ comfortable rubber grip makes it simple to retain control of the grinder when grinding. There is practically no wobble due to the high-quality bearings, and it is extremely quiet when in use.

Despite being manual, it does require some effort, and because of its small 20g capacity, it can only grind 20g of beans at a time. So if you don’t mind having to refill it for a bigger batch, 1Zpresso is a great option that’ll last longer than any other manual coffee grinder out there.

8. Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder – Great Anti-Static Coffee Catcher

View On Amazon | $143

For those who want to make a statement in their kitchen with their grinder, the Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder is a must-have. When friends stop by, this stainless steel grinder comes in a variety of hues, including black, red, white, and even shiny copper. It’ll undoubtedly catch people’s attention when it sits on your countertop.

With this grinder, the beans are better-preserved thanks to the high-quality stainless steel conical burrs than an inferior block or blade grinder. The grind produced is precise and consistent.

Unlike most of the other grinders in this class, this grinder is composed of borosilicate glass, rubber, silicone, plastic, and steel. The ground container is made of glass and is, therefore, static-free. Even better, this model features a friction clutch that assists in keeping the grinding gear from wearing out quickly.

That’s not it; the Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder offers 12 grind settings, a 7.75 oz bean hopper, a timer, and a built-in silicone band around the grinder body for a further stable and firm grip.

Unfortunately, some users complained that this grinder was noisy. They did, however, praised the anti-static glass container with a rubberized grip that prevents coffee grounds from leaping and sticking inside.

9. Porlex Mini or Tall Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder – Best Compact Grinder

View On Amazon | $66.50

Specs: Brand: Porlex | Color: Silver | Material: Stainless Steel | Weight: 0.5 Pounds | Dimensions: 6 x 2.3 x 1.8 inches

The Porlex Hand Coffee Grinder comes in two sizes. One small and the other large. Both are made of stainless steel and nearly indestructible. The Porlex JP-30 (taller version) can hold up to 30 grams of coffee; that’s enough to brew 2-3 cups at a time.

The Porlex Mini, on the other hand, is so tiny that you can easily place it inside an Aeropress Coffee Maker. It also has a detachable handle that fits in the rubber side casing of the grinder. Simply pop it in your luggage, grab a French Press, and you’re guaranteed quality coffee on the go.

The steel burrs on the Porlex may cause you to reconsider if you ever thought manual grinders weren’t worth enough.

You may find this model a bit tricky to disassemble, but you’ll get used to it soon. Overall, you are getting a cost-effective grinder that requires no electricity and works as well as some high-end electric grinders.

10. KitchenAid KCG0702CS Burr Coffee Grinder – Best High End French Press Grinder

View On Amazon | $299.99

Specs: Brand: KitchenAid | Color: Contour Silver | Material: Zinc | Weight: 9.9 Pounds | Dimensions: 5.9*10*9.8 inches

Most of the previous options on this list were either made of stainless steel or plastic, but this one is composed of durable glass and die-cast metal, which is Zinc, in this case, to be specific.

The burrs inside the KitchenAid Burr Grinder are stainless steel and can rotate at a slow grinding speed of 450 RPM. This slow speed minimizes frictional heat that could’ve weakened your coffee flavor. Additionally, you can choose between 15 grind settings where the settings 1-4 are for a coarse grind and are ideal for French Press. Next, the settings 5-7 for medium grind – best for Pour Over, Siphon, or an automatic drip brewer. Finally, setting 08 is for a fine grind which is excellent for brewing espresso.

Both the 7 oz. bean hopper and the bottom container are Glass, which significantly reduces the static and the problem of clinging coffee inside. On top of that, you’ll also get a handheld scoop and a burr cleaning brush with the package.

The only flaw I discovered is the cleaning of the flat burrs. It would be best to clean them regularly (possibly each time you use it), so it won’t clog.

Overall, it’s a great grinder that’s available in three different colors, i.e., silver, black and red, and will make a statement on your countertop.

Things To Look for In a Best Coffee Grinder For French Press

Your most loved coffee beans will be wasted if you get a terrible grind out of your grinder. That’s why we’ve listed down a few considerations to keep in mind when looking for the best coffee grinder for french press.

Take a brief look and make an informed decision!

Adjustable Grind Size

Although blade grinders don’t offer this feature, however, burr grinders do allow you to select the ground size. If French Press coffee isn’t the only coffee type you’ll be making; then you’ll have to ensure that it has the proper settings to assist whatever coffee style you’ll be preparing. For espressos, you need a grinder with the ability to set very fine grinds.

Consistency Counts

The grounds produced by blade grinders are often inconsistent, but burr grinders always produce uniform grounds. What’s the significance? These variations in size imply that some grounds will be under-extracted while others over-extracted, resulting in a mixture of undesirable flavors.

So next time when you’re looking for a grinder, look for a grinder with a strong reputation for consistency. Check out what people are saying about the product in user reviews. If there’s any mention of inconsistency in any of the comments, you should think twice about purchasing that grinder. There are plenty of excellent grinders available; if one fails to meet your expectations, the other won’t.

Adjustability of the Grind

French press brewers produce the best results with the coarse grinds. If you only use your French Press on the weekends but revert to a traditional drip brewer or a Moka pot during the week, you may want a grinder that can handle various grind sizes. You might also want to finely grind beans for a drip brewer or coarsely ground them if you own a cold brew cylinder. Consider investing in a grinder that allows you to adjust the fineness of your ground for the type of coffee you’re preparing.

Maintenance

The roasting of coffee beans brings a lot of oil to the bean’s surface, resulting in the accumulation of your grinder. It’s simple enough to remove from a blade grinder; however, getting this residue out of a burr grinder requires easy access to the burr chamber for maintenance.

Heat and Static

The faster and longer your coffee grinder’s parts spin, the more heat they generate. This heat can cause oils to leak from beans prematurely, leaving you with less flavorful coffee. The other problem is static electricity; it’s an invisible electric charge that causes beans to jump out when you open it or stick together in one area like to the lid or at the sides of the chamber. It’s so frustrating. So, what’s the solution?

This problem is mainly associated with high-speed grinders; they are prone to generating more heat and static. However, grinders with slow RPM could be the solution. Grinders with a lot of plastic like the Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder also generate more static than grinders primarily made of metal.

The Size

The next important thing to consider is the size. A manual coffee grinder with a hand crank on top is quite compact. In contrast, an electric grinder with unstoppable grinding teeth can be significantly larger. Be sure to free up some space in your kitchen before your new coffee grinder arrives.

Noise

If you’re concerned about waking up housemates in the morning, this will be a factor to consider. Lower speed grinders tend to make less noise (bonus: less heat and static as well), while manual grinders with a hand crank are even much quieter than any else.

Price Ranges

Finally the price, you can get a decent electric coffee bean grinder at a price less than $100. The most suited example for this category is the Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder.

You may also add more money to this amount if you want a more personalized grind like the KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder that’ll cost you around $299.

If you’re straight on a tight budget, a manual coffee grinder could do the job and will cost you between 20 and 40 dollars. The best example for the manual category is the Javapresse Adjustable Manual Coffee Grinder.

Manual vs. Electric

There is nothing wrong between any of these grinders. Both have their upsides and downsides, so it’s important to know which one is for which purpose and why?

If you travel frequently and miss the coffee made with freshly ground beans. A manual grinder with a hand crank could do the job. Not only are they easy, but they also make wonderful solutions when bugging out in an RV, making it perfect if you want freshly ground beans on hand at all times. 

On the other hand with an electric grinder. You won’t have to do anything physical, and the accuracy will be also precise and consistent. You may then figure out how much grind setting you used and then recreate your idea!

With that said, manual grinders do come with a downside. You’ll have to load them again and again varying on how many cups of coffee you want and is quite labor-intensive. But for two, it works perfectly.

Final Verdict

After a thorough review of the best grinders for French press, we have found two favorites from both manual and electric categories. With the first being the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder and the Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder as the second one. These are our top picks as they offer great features like easy usage, high quality, and consistent grinding mechanisms as well as an affordable price point.

We hope you find this information useful in your decision-making process!

Taimoor S.

Taimoor followed his passion to become a coffee connoisseur and now travels the world to visit the most popular coffee shops. His cupboard is also stocked with a collection of brewing gadgets. He loves to drink Death Wish Coffee’s dark roast and highly caffeinated coffee grounds when he needs a boost of energy.