French Press coffee was first launched in the 1920s, and from then it has systematically grown its popularity. Today it is one of the most popular types of coffee. But finding the best coffee grinder for Frech Press can be a difficult task.
When grinding coffee for French Press, you need a consistent coarse grind. Many coffee grinders do not produce such grind despite being marketed as suitable for French Press. There are some essential features that a grinder which grinds coarse grind well must possess.
Burr coffee grinders are always preferred against blade coffee grinders. Furthermore, even if your grinder is good for coarse grinding, you will want to make sure it will always suit your taste. Since there are a lot of settings that alter the grind, you might want to have many steps of adjustment. This will assure you a lot of choice of grinding, which will suit your taste best.
Consistency of the grinder is another feature of vital importance when grinding for French Press. If the grinds are not consistent, the final coffee taste will not be the one that you desire even if you have the most high-class coffee maker.
Also, the grinders with better consistency have better motors and more quality components. They are also better engineered. Consistency plays the most significant role when determining the price of coffee grinder for French Press. The higher the consistency, the higher the price in general.
Best Coffee Grinder for French Press (List)
Coffee Grinder features to look for
Cleanness: It is essential for all kinds of coffee, but if you have a grinder with a lot of old grounds in it which also have uneven particles. This will change the aroma and flavor of your coffee. It is, therefore, wise to purchase a coffee grinder that is as clean as possible.
Easiness to clean: Every coffee grinder has some grounds collected. Cleaning will always be a problem. It is good to have a coffee grinder that is easy to clean since cleanness is an essential feature of the best coffee grinder.
Static: When grinding coarse, static problems might occur. To decrease static, it is good to have a bit more quality models with slower motor rotation and better materials. They might cost slightly more, but static can be a problem otherwise.
About the size of the grounds
This is a significant issue when grinding. A French Press coffee needs a relatively coarse grind. If the grounds are too fine, that will lead to a bitter taste of your coffee. If the grounds are too coarse, that will lead to weaker coffee, because most of the flavor is held by larger grounds.
So this makes the right ground harder to determine. Below is the picture of how coarse the coffee grounds should be. It is a hard method to grind, and some previous experiences with grinding will come handy.
That is why it is recommended to buy a grinder which already has a coarse setting which will make the process more comfortable at the start. But as a general rule of thumb, if you have 10 grind settings, from 1 (the finest) to 10 (the coarsest), French Press would be around 6 to 8.
The price range of the coffee grinder
For most grinders, it holds that the higher the price, the more quality they are. It is hard to find a coffee grinder for French Press coffee that will create a consistent cup of coffee for less than 100$. Of course many are marketed as sufficient, but consistency will be a problem. The best grinders for this method can cost more than 500$.
They provide you with the most consistent grind, very little static and are very clean. However, some mid-price range grinders are also available for a smaller price which do the job good as well. They grind consistent and are not so hard to clean.
Another mention is about manual burr grinders. They are usually less expensive, but for a coarse method, many of them have problems in the form of inconsistency and clogging.
It is good to pay attention to these issues. Not all the grinders which say that have settings for coarse grinding will actually grind well at those settings!
Below are the top 5 coffee grinders for French Press. They are in the price range 50-250$.
Coffee Grinder for French Press Reviews
Breville BCG820BSSXL The Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Bean Grinder
This is a quite popular grinder. It is suitable for grinding on many different methods. It is an improvement of Breville smart grinder.
Stainless steel conical burrs provide you with a good grind. They are also quite durable, and upper burr is removable, which enables easy cleaning.
60 steps of adjustments enable grinding on many different methods which will allow you to set the grind that matches your taste best. It grinds slowly and has excellent anti-static properties. This results in almost no static build-up.
The design of the grinder is beautiful, and it comes with a handy manual which makes it easy to use. Besides manuals, there are also YouTube videos provided which help you learn how to use that grinder.
Consistency is very good at Breville smart grinder PRO. It is at a similar price range as Baratza Virtuoso and has a good price to quality ratio. The timer also has a pause function, which makes it different than other grinders. Removable bean hopper allows you to remove bean hopper with beans still in it. This is a useful feature if you grind a lot with different kinds of beans.
It is also very spacious – it holds 1 pound (450g) of beans. As other grinders that have low static, this one too is very quiet. It is definitely one of the best coffee grinders for French Press.
- Very consistent
- Quiet
- Conical steel burrs
- Easy to clean
- Little static build-up
- Quite handy timer
- 60 steps of adjustments
- A bit pricey and if you’ re on a budget
Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Digital Timer Display
This grinder is very popular for a good reason. It has 40 mm hardened steel conical burrs. With 40 steps of adjustments, the grinder offers you a wide grinding range.
It is possible to grind many different methods, French Press being just one of them. Burrs are easily removable, so the cleaning is easy. It has a gear reduction, which reduces the speed of grinding.
Besides slower speed, there are also anti-static properties in the container, which minimizes the static build-up.
The design is elegant, and it is easy to use. Manuals are very helpful, and on top of that, customer support is excellent as well.
Consistency of Baratza Virtuoso is perfect, not just for the French press, but also for all other brewing methods. It is the mid-price range grinder – it costs slightly over 200$. It is one of the most popular models because it provides you with good quality for a given price.
Other nice to have features are a useful timer and 8 ounces (250grams) of bean hopper capacity. This simplifies your grind and also gives you enough space for beans if you grind at home. It is also quieter than most of the grinders in the same price range. This coffee grinder is perfect for home use, and it is one of the best coffee grinders on the market for making French Press.
- Grinding coffee consistently
- Quiet coffee grinder
- Conical steel burrs
- Easy to clean
- Little static build-up
- A bit pricey and if you’ re on a budget
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder, Black
This is a great electric burr coffee grinder for French Press. It has 16 steps of adjustments. This is not a lot, but it is enough to find a suitable adjustment for a coarse grind.
It has conical steel burrs which are easy to clean because of the removable upper burr. Its gear reduction motors ensure less static build-up. But on the other hand, it has no anti-static coating, which makes the grounds jump around.
This means that the static problem does exist, especially in a dry environment.
It also has a grinder to simplify your grinding. The design is elegant and user-friendly.The grinder is also very quiet.
Consistency of Capresso Infinity is as expected. Also, the price you pay for it is not bad – less than 100$ for electric burr coffee grinder is a good bargain. The design looks good, and it is also small, which is good because it will not take too much space in your kitchen stovetop. Bean hopper capacity is 8.8 ounces (275 grams), which is enough for home-usage.
To sum up – it is a good grinder for a lower price range. It is not manual, meaning that you will not have to spend minutes to grind a single cup of coffee. Its quietness will also assure you will not wake up anybody in the morning.
- Cheap, yet not so consistent
- Relatively quiet
- Conical steel burrs
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Static problems
- Only 16 steps of adjustments
Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder
This is a manual burr coffee grinder. It is made in Japan. The grinder is equipped with ceramic burrs and stainless steel housing. Burrs are also easy to clean.
Moreover, this grinder is very quiet and produces very little static. It has a capacity of 25 grams of coffee beans. It is possible to adjust it to different grind sizes, which enables you to pick up the coffee of your taste. The grinder is made of quality materials, so it is durable. It is also easy to clean, which is another critical factor when making French Press.
Consistency is quite decent for French Press. Although it might have some issues at the very coarse grind, they will disappear with regular cleaning. Its price is around 50$, which is a very reasonable price.
This grinder is suitable for this price range. The downside is that it is hand grinder, meaning that it will take you a long time and energy to grind coffee beans. Because of its smallness and lightweight (140 grams or 5 ounces), it is perfect for camping trips.
Quietness assures that you will not wake anybody up when grinding. All in all, it is a good grinder for a low price. Therefore it will give you good grind, but do not expect miracles from this grinder.
- Reasonable price
- Very little static
- Small and portable ideal for camping
- Small grind drawer
- Manual, you have to grind by yourself
Zassenhaus 041064 Panama Stainless Steel Manual Coffee Mill
Zassenhaus coffee grinder is a German manual burr coffee grinder. It is especially suitable for making French Press coffee. The mill produces very little static, and it is not hard to clean.
It is not the cleanest grinder though, but with a bit of effort, you can clean it thoroughly.
It is also possible to adjust the grind to different steps of adjustments; from fine to very coarse.
With this grinder, you can adjust the grind to your size.
The grinder has stainless steel conical burrs and a 25-year guarantee on grinding mechanism which ensures the quality and durability of the product. This coffee grinder might last for decades before it brakes.
Consistency of the grinder is excellent when making French Press coffee. It will produce even grinds. Price is also very reasonable for the consistency that the grinder provides. For less than 100$ you get a decent grinder with which you will get consistent coarse grinds.
The design looks old-fashioned like with most other grinders. The downside is that Zassenhaus is a manual burr grinder, which means that you have to grind by hand and that it has a rather small grind drawer. This will take a lot of time and effort from your side, and you will not be able to grind a lot at once. However, if this does not bother you, it can be a perfect grinder for you. It is also rather small, so you can take it to the camping trip or just on vacation.
- Long lifespan
- Consistent and affordable
- Sleek and compact design
- Small grind drawer
- Manual grinder – you need to grind by yourself
How to Choose a Coffee Grinder - Beginner's Guide
Coffee beans start going stale the moment they are ground, losing much of their aroma and flavor. Grinding your own beans just before brewing will result in more flavorful, fresher coffee. But there are so many grinders available that it makes it difficult to choose. This guide is here to help introduce you to the different types of coffee grinder available to you.
What you are mainly looking for is a coffee grinder that can produce uniform coffee grounds–you want the grounds to all to be the same size.
You want uniform grounds regardless of the method you choose to make your coffee. Because even grounds means even extraction which generally makes for more flavorful coffee. If you have different coffee ground sizes, regardless of how you make your coffee, the bigger grounds will take longer to extract their flavors than the smaller ones. So why not just brew them longer? Because the smaller coffee grounds extract faster and will become over-extracted, making your coffee bitter and acrid.
When it comes to grinders, there are two general types: blade grinders and burr grinders.
Blade Coffee Grinders
The best thing about blade grinders is they are relatively inexpensive, starting under $20. Unfortunately, grounds from a blade grinder tend to be uneven, ranging from dust to sand-like grains which makes for a very inconsistent coffee (and often bitter) drinking experience. Also, the heat generated by the rapidly spinning blade can give your coffee a burnt taste. If you are grinding for espresso or Turkish coffee, you’re going to have to pass on a blade grinder as you won’t be able to grind your coffee fine enough.
If you end up buying a blade grinder, you should try and pulse your grinding to reduce the heat generated.
Burr Coffee Grinders
Burr Grinders grind coffee by rotating one burr against another, crushing the coffee between them. Different size coffee grinds are created by increasing or decreasing the distance between the two burrs. The burrs can come in two different shapes: disk and conical.
Disk Burr Grinders
Disk burr grinders start at about $30 to $40. They spin faster than conical burr grinders, generate more heat, and are noisier. Disk burr grinders will produce fairly even grounds. They can grind pretty finely, making them the most economical option for anything other than Turkish coffee.
Conical Burr Grinders
Conical burr grinders can grind finer, more evenly, and with the least amount of coffee dust. They can usually grind fine enough for any application. They are also the most expensive of the lot starting at around $70 and going well into the hundreds. They grind at a low speed, generating very little heat and are not as noisy as disk grinders. Conical burr grinders are the grinders of choice for coffee enthusiasts who really like their coffee.
Hand Coffee Grinder/Mill
Another type of burr grinder is the hand grinder which, as the name suggests, you grind manually with your hand. The good ones will start as low as $40 and can grind just as evenly and finely as the electric conical burr grinders. They are great for travelling if you just have to have freshly ground coffee. Since you are providing the labor, there is no heat generated as your hand can only rotate the burr so fast.
On the downside, it can take up to many minutes for you to grind enough coffee for a serving. When grinding at the fineness setting as the burrs will be touching each other at that point. If you plan on grinding a lot of coffee in a day, a hand grinder is probably not for you.
What to look for when buying a burr coffee grinder
Buying a burr coffee grinder might be a difficult task. On the market, there are a lot of different burr grinders, and it is hard to choose the right one. Many of them are also quite expensive. But every coffee barista or enthusiast will tell you that burr coffee grinders are best to choose and will provide you with a quality grind. Here are some tips which will enable you to pay attention to what you really want on a coffee grinder.
The most significant advantage of a burr coffee grinder over the traditional blade grinder is that it grinds very consistently. They keep more coffee flavour and aroma of coffee beans intact. Burrs are very important at ensuring that coffee really grinds well. They can be flat, conical, or a hybrid of both, and typically come in either steel or ceramic. Beans get stuck between two burrs when grinding, so it is essential to ensure that your coffee grinder has burrs which are made of quality material.
Other essential factors to look for are:
Steps of adjustments: Burr coffee grinders usually have many step settings. This means that you can change the grind particle sizes that the grinder generates. This can enable you to fit grinding to the final product that you want. You can choose between finer and coarser settings.
Some burr grinders have only a few of those settings, some have an infinite amount of them. How many steps of adjustment does it have, depends on your budget and how much that means to you. But usually, more than 20 is a minimum. With step-less grinders, it is possible to minimal adjustments in grinding. They are measured in microns, and step-less grinders adjust 5-10 microns in size, which is very small.
Conical and flat burrs: Although it is hard to decide which ones are more recommended. Conical burrs usually grind slower, and if they are made of steel, then the grind quality is good because they use sharp edges instead of teeth. However, flat burrs are not behind that and are in general just as good.
Grinding speed: It is essential that grinding speed is not too fast for burr coffee grinder. Heating the coffee beans is not good because in the grinding process damages the beans by slightly re-roasting them. The result is the burnt taste – the coffee, therefore, loses its flavor. There are many tools to assure that grinding speed is reduced – there is gear reduction when the motor is hooked into a set of gears that reduce the speed of the burrs.
The bad side of gear reduction is that it makes a grinder louder – a good side is that it does its job. There are also so-called “direct drive” grinders without speed reduction. Even those grinders can be slow. Slowness also prevents static build-up and reduces loudness (if the motor is slow).
Timers: Good to reduce the waste produced by the grinder and repetition.
Doser: The doser is a bad thing; it harms the espresso beverage quality. However, this does not mean that grinders with doser are bad. The doser is usually useful, and grinders without doser are also not the perfect alternative; they are in general messy.
There are also a lot of manual burr grinders – they are usually less expensive since you have to grind by yourself. Hand grinding can be very time-consuming, but the grind quality is not always bad with those grinders.
Best Coffee Grinder for French Press - Final Thoughts
Here are the most important criteria to look for when buying specifically burr coffee grinder. Other factors should, of course, also be taken into account. As the quality material of the exterior, bean hopper material and size, etc. but they should be taken into consideration with every grinder.
Burr grinders seem to be the future of grinding – although usually expensive, they provide the quality grind. Be careful though on some low-priced models (under 100$, electrical), which might have false burrs with large teeth that are often paired up with rather wimpy motors. The consistency of such a grind will not be right.
If you read this post up to the end, I feel confident that you have an idea on what is the best coffee grinder for French press for you. If you plant o visit Amazon to get your burr coffee grinder for French press, make sure that you have checked all the offers.
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