After buying the best espresso machine, you’re probably wondering what the best coffee grinder for espresso in 2021 is.
Or you might be wondering why you’d even need the best espresso grinder – what difference can a grinder make after buying a top rated espresso machine?
What’s wrong with pre-ground espresso? Coffee releases carbon dioxide from the moment it’s ground. By the time it’s fully degassed (only a few minutes), the aroma escapes.
For maximum flavor, you need your ground espresso in your machine within 30 seconds.
So why do I need the best grinder?
Grind size and quality is a major factors in espresso quality – possibly even more so than espresso machine quality. You can only ever get out what you put in.
Grind Size
The first factor is size. For espresso, a fine grain is needed. But not too fine. A fine grind will increase the pressure and create a nice crema. Too fine and the water won’t pass through easily enough, causing water to backup and spill.
If it’s not fine enough (if it’s too coarse), water will pass channel through the tiny gaps between the grounds and not extract properly, leading to a weak, watery espresso.
Grind Consistency
The next factor is grind consistency. Cheap grinders will give an uneven grind – a mixture of dust and boulders. The larger grinds will cause a channel for the water to pass through, and the small grinds will either pass through the filter and into your espresso, or clump in your portafilter.
Consistency is the main challenge faced by espresso grinders. The design and engineering required to achieve a uniform grind is very precise – this is why you can end up spending a lot on a grinder.
Right off the bat, a blade mill grinder is unsuitable. It uses a blade to chop through any bean in its path, which is not precise. This gives a very uneven grind – dust and boulders everywhere.
The best grinders use burr gears, whish slowly and powerfully break the beans into consistent sizes. How fine and how consistent depends on the quality of the burr gears and the design of the grinder.
Choosing the best burr grinder for espresso can be daunting, so I’ve created this comprehensive resource to help you find the one to suit your needs and budget.
The Best Espresso Grinder Guide
The best coffee grinders for espresso are reviewed below the table.
Espresso Grinder | Best for | Comparative Consistency | Summary | Price | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder | Espresso, French Press | * | Entry level true espresso grinder. | $ | 4.0 |
Gaggia 8002 MDF Burr Grinder with Doser | Espresso | ** | Good, if finicky, grinder. Not easy to use. Good if you want the true barista experience. | $$ | 4.0 |
Baratza Preciso Coffee Grinder 685 | Espresso | ** | Good consistency for the price, easy to use, doesn't need regular cleaning. | $$ | 4.2 |
Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder | Espresso, French Press | *** | Stainless steel, built like a tank. Very uniform grind. | $$$ | 4.6 |
Baratza Vario Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder | Espresso | **** | Extremely uniform, with 230 grind settings. Anti-static. | $$$$ | 4.9 |
Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder | Espresso, French Press | ***** | Fully commercial unit, small enough for home use, stepless. | $$$$$ | 5.0 |
Things to consider
- Price. More expensive machines use better parts and are better designed. Because of this, they’ll produce better espresso size grinds, with a more uniform consistency. They’ll give you more espresso settings, so you can find the perfect size for your espresso machine, and they’ll last longer.
- Your espresso machine. Spending an amount appropriate to the amount you spent on your espresso machine will help you get the most out of it.
- Leftover grounds. Some grinders leave some coffee grounds in the ground chamber. If you’re making small amounts of espresso at a time, yesterdays grounds can fall into today’s grounds, affecting the quality.
- Static. Grinding finely can cause a static build up in the grounds, causing them to spray across your kitchen counter when you open the grind tray. Some machines are better than others at reducing static build up. This could be more of a minor annoyance than a deal breaker though.
The Best Coffee Grinder for Espresso Reviews
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
In a line: The best burr grinder for espresso on a budget. Good if you’ve spent $150 on your espresso maker.
The Baratza Encore is the cheapest grinder you should use for a shot of espresso. It uses a high torque, low speed motor to powerfully crush coffee beans between 40mm conical burr grinders. This gives it a consistency in line with a grinder of this price.
It has 40 grind settings overall, and gives a good coarse consistency for drip and french press makers too. For espresso, you’re looking around markers 6-8. This doesn’t give you a lot to experiment with, but it’s adequate for an entry level espresso maker.
It doesn’t leave many leftover grounds in the grind chamber, meaning daily cleaning shouldn’t be necessary. It might give your grounds some static though, so be prepared to give your counter a quick wipe afterwards.
This is the best grinder for espresso if you’ve spent around $150 on your espresso maker.
- The best price at Amazon can be found here.
Baratza Preciso Coffee Grinder 685
In a line: Better build quality, fine-tune espresso control, more consistent grinds. Best for espresso machines up to $300.
The Baratza Prescio is a significant step up from the Encore. There are a few significant differences – the most exciting is the fine tune control over grind size.
I’ve mentioned before how you need a grind which is fine but not too fine for the best espresso, and how fineness affects the pressure within your espresso machine. With the Baratza Prescio, each of the 40 grind settings can be fine tuned with 11 sub-settings.
So if your espresso maker delivers a good espresso between 6 and 8, with the Prescio’s second setting wheel, you now have 33 settings to find a more perfect grind for your espresso machine.
It uses an improved burr grinder and more robust parts to give a better grind consistency, and a heavier, more solid feel. Despite this, there’s still a lot of plastic used.
This is a good thing, since it keeps it affordable – the plastic is is mostly used for the parts you can see rather than where it counts the most.
It’s faster, and has some more features for ease of grinding, including being able to grind your espresso beans straight into your espresso machine’s portafilter using the ‘Portaholder’.
It also has minimal grounds left in the grind chamber after use.
This is the best espresso grinder for machines up to $300.
- The best price at Amazon can be found here.
Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder
In a line: Best mid range espresso grinder, ‘home commercial’. Best for espresso machines up to $1,000.
The Rancilio Rocky Road is extremely solid and compact, and a great performer. It’s grinds are very consistent and well in line with its price.
It’s looks modern, but has been designed for true simplicity – simply put your espresso portafilter in the holder and hold down the ‘grind’ button until you have your desired amount.
It has 55 settings and grinds on the fine side, meaning you have a good range to play with.
Although it is a nice step up from the Prescio in terms of both build and grind quality, it does tend to hold more grounds in the grind chamber.
To solve this, give it a tap on the sides after use, or maybe use a curved brush to get up the spout. This will ensure the freshest espresso with each use.
This is the best coffee grinder for espresso machines up to $1,000.
- The best price at Amazon can be found here.
Baratza Vario Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder
In a line: Fantastic consistency, mid-range, classic design. The best grinder for espresso machines up to $1,500.
This is the third Baratza machine in this list, and it’s because they know how to achieve a consistent grind for espresso – something many manufacturers haven’t quite cracked yet.
The Baratza Vario uses a flat plate burr grinder, made of ceramic for improved durability. The flat plate burr is different to the conical burr, and has been used to get a more consistent grind at espresso levels of fineness.
And just like the other Baratzas, there’s hardly anything left in the chamber afterwards, ensuring a quality shot of espresso each day without having to clean it.
It has 230 grind settings to allow you to find the perfect setting for your espresso machine.
This gives a much more uniform grind than the Rocky Road, but it’s not as solidly built. This means you’ll need to decide what’s more important to you:
- The build quality, modern looks and lower price of the Rocky Road, or,
- The more uniform grind, increased grind settings and clean grind chamber of the Vario.
The Baratza Vario is best for espresso machines up to $1,500, giving you a uniform grind which will do it justice.
- The best price at Amazon can be found here.
Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder
In a line: The best espresso grinder. Truly commercial. The best burr grinder for espresso machines up to $3,000.
The Mazzer Mini is a real commercial machine, and is sold for commercial use (designed for shops which need a smaller second machine for something like decaf). Its small form makes it ideal for home use, and the fact that it’s a commercial machine means it’s built like a tank, and every part is replaceable.
This will last you a very long time.
Not only is it unmatched in build for an affordable home machine, it’s unmatched in performance – grounds are as uniform and consistent as you can hope for.
It also has a ‘stepless’ design, which means there aren’t preset grind settings. Set the dial to set it to whatever you want. This gives you ‘infinite’ control over grind fineness.
And for the ultimate in convenience, the doser dispenses the right amount of espresso for one shot straight into your portafilter.
This is the best coffee grinder for espresso, period. Great for espresso machines up to $3,000.
- The best price at Amazon can be found here.
Charlotte S. Montoya says
Works well, have had it for a few months now! I like hat I can grind coffee for espresso machine and Keurig.