“Why do I even need the best coffee grinder for French press when there are perfectly good $20 grinders around? A grinder’s a grinder!”
It’s a perfectly valid question – one I’ve also asked myself before I began my quest for the perfect cup of coffee.
The short answer is – 2021’s best grinder for French press coffee will help your press deliver a perfectly balanced cup of Joe.
What’s the best grind size for French press coffee?
A French press needs a relatively coarse grind. Anything finer will either get stuck in the mesh filter and clog it, or find its way through it and into your cup of coffee.
Aside from being annoying, grounds in your coffee cup will continue to brew and ‘over-extract’, making your coffee bitter.
A clogged filter will also be harder to press, leading to spilled coffee or even breakages. The added resistance could also cause the mesh filter to ‘tip’ and cause a gap big enough for yet more grounds to rush into your coffee.
It’s also true that too coarse a grind will lead to a weaker coffee, since lots of the flavor will still be held by the larger grinds.
To make the best French press coffee, the grind needs to be only just course enough to be stopped by the mesh filter. On lots of high quality grinders, this is around the medium setting and above, or above the ‘drip’ setting.
Consistency is King
By now, you can start to see how small and large grains can spoil your French press coffee.
For the best cup of coffee, it’s therefore important that all coffee grains are the same size. This is where cheaper grinders fail.
Blade mills (found in cheaper grinders) use a fast spinning blade to cut through any beans in its path. This devil-may-care approach produces an uneven grain full of both dust and boulders. To achieve consistency, a burr grinder’s needed.
Burr grinders use high torque, low speed to powerfully and evenly crush coffee beans. It produces little heat, which preserves the aroma of the coffee.
However, not all burr grinders are created equally. Each burr grinder has its own strengths and weaknesses – some are geared toward espressos (fine grain), while others are aimed at French press makers (coarse grain). And some are just not designed very well at all, producing an uneven grind.
Finding the best burr grinder for French press can be confusing, which is why I’ve done the heavy lifting for you and compiled the ultimate resource for French press grinders.
The Best French Press Grinder Comparison Table
All grinders are reviewed below the table.
Coffee Grinder | For... | Comparative Consistency | Summary | Price | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder | French Press | * | Budget, high maintenance | $ | 3.7 |
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder | French Press, Espresso | ** | $$ | 4.1 | |
Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder 586 | French Press | *** | Anti-static | $$$ | 4.3 |
Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder | French Press, Espresso | **** | Semi-commercial, stainless steel | $$$$ | 4.8 |
Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder | French Press, Espresso | ***** | Full commercial unit, small enough for home use | $$$$$ | 5.0 |
Things To Consider when Selecting the Best Coffee Grinder for French Press
- Price versus Consistency. As consistency increases, so does the price. Better performing burr grinders use higher quality and more durable components, higher torque motors, and are better engineered. This is why it’s possible to spend $400, or even over $600 on the best grinder for French press coffee.
- Static. Grinding causes static to build up in the grounds, which can fling across your counter once you open the jar ready to pour into your French press. More expensive models are engineered to reduce static.
- Leftover grounds. Some grinders will leave some grounds in the grinding chamber after use, which will be used the next day when you make coffee. Since the point of finding the best burr grinder for french press coffee is to improve the taste, this isn’t helpful.
- Cleaning. Some will be easier to clean than others.
The Best Grinders for French Press Reviewed
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder
In a line: Budget, Leftover Grounds
The Capresso 560.01 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder ticks the performance box, delivering as consistent a coarse grind as you could hope for in this price range.
It has 16 settings, with a good setting being around 13. It has an 8 1/2 ounce box to catch your grounds, so larger French presses won’t be a problem.
It has a high torque, low speed motor, and conical burr, all of which preserve the flavor of the beans by keeping them cool. This combination of components isn’t found on any cheaper grinder.
It’s good for the price, but does have its share of flaws.
Unfortunately there’s a good amount of leftover grounds in the grind chamber after use. Tapping or shaking it will dislodge some, but unfortunately it will need to be cleaned after each use. It’s not difficult – it just takes a few minutes.
Of course this isn’t necessary, but since the point of this is to get the best tasting coffee, using yesterday’s grounds is not helpful.
You might also find some grounds flying across your counter as you open the grind container – this is due to static and is common with grinders at this price. To help reduce this, give the sides a tap to knock stray grounds back with the rest.
Comes with a 1 year warranty.
This is the best burr grinder for french press coffee if you’re on a budget.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
In a line: Similar to the Capresso, but without the loose grounds.
The Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is similar to the Capresso in many ways – it uses a high torque, low speed motor and conical burr grinder. It creates a better, more uniform grind for its price.
With 40 settings, it gives you finer control over grind size (start with 24 for French press).
The most significant advantage this has over the Capresso though is with leftover grounds – it doesn’t have as many, meaning daily cleaning isn’t required to preserve the flavor.
You might get some static, but it’s normal at this price. Comes with a 1 year warranty.
This is the best coffee grinder for French press if you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to clean it every day.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder 586
In a line: A step up to ‘budget commercial’.
The Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder 586 is a huge step up in terms of build and performance. It uses a higher quality burr grinder to give it a more uniform grind.
It’s heavier, feels more sturdy, and won’t be jumping around your counter.
It’s also anti-static, meaning that grounds will not jump out of the ground container once you open it, and it’s a little quieter during operation.
There are some corners cut though to achieve its relatively low price though – there’s still a lot of plastic, and there’s a cheap feel to the knob on the side.
Basically, it’s metal where it really counts, and plastic everywhere else.
Also comes with a 1 year warranty.
This is the best grinder in the mid-range.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD Rocky Coffee Grinder
In a line: Low-end home commercial.
The Rancilio Rocky is one of the best grinders you can buy for home use. It’s in a different league to the previous French press grinders, and the price isn’t a whole lot more.
It’s extremely solid and well built – there’s not much plastic here, and it sticks to the kitchen counter like it’s glued on.
The Rocky has been designed with espresso in mind, so it doesn’t give the coarsest grind. But remember for the best French press coffee, you need a grind which is only just coarse enough to be stopped by the mesh. By starting at 25-30 on it’s 55 notch setting, you can achieve that. The grounds are very uniform.
This is a little different in operation to the previous grinders – with this one, you’ll use a cup to collect your grounds by placing it beneath the spout, and you’ll hold a switch to set it in motion. Elegantly simple.
Tip: If you want accuracy, place your cup on a small set of digital scales. Then you’ll know exactly when to stop grinding. You can also remove the metal bar beneath the spout if you want to use a larger cup.
This is a great machine and worth every penny, but it isn’t perfect. While the hopper is tinted to keep the beans fresh, it isn’t airtight. Also, it does have some leftover grounds. But since the beans aren’t travelling far, most can be removed by tapping the sides, and / or using a curved brush to follow the spout into the machine.
Comes with a 2 year warranty.
This is the best French press grinder if you want a home commercial unit at a good price.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder
In a line: The best grinder for French press available for home use. Period.
The Mazzer Mini is a real commercial machine which is small enough to fit in the home. As you’d expect from a commercial machine, it’s built like a tank, and every part is robust and replaceable. This machine should last you a lifetime.
It’s perfect for French press coffee, but designed with espresso in mind. Because of this, there’s a ‘doser’ on the front which can’t be removed. This dispenses your ground coffee in single shot quantities, so for French press coffee, you’d need to flick it back and forth to get the exact amount you’d need.
The grind is uniform, and it’s a ‘stepless machine’, which means there are no settings. There’s just a range between the finest and coarsest grinds. The choice is virtually limitless.
Considering the number of people who upgrade to this after owning a Rancilio Rocky, if you’re considering the Rocky, it might help to skip the middle step and jump straight to this.
This is the best coffee grinder for French press, and for everything else, period.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Me says
“Considering the number of people who upgrade to this after owning a Rancilio Rocky Road, if you’re considering the Rocky Road, it might help to skip the middle step and jump straight to this.”
Rocky ROAD? Really?
says
Must have had some odd cravings as I was writing that, lol. Thanks!
Barry says
Have you tested the Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder? Under $100 (at Target, $79). Great looking. Claims to reduce static cling with borosilicate glass.
Johan says
The Rancilio rocky and Mazzer are great espressogrinders, but not good for french press! The first 3 grinders are waaay better for french press, especially the Naratza virtuoso
Amit Ahuja says
Mazzer is the most costliest in the list and is being used by even the professional baristas. I was surprised as the Hario manual grinder was not included in the list as it is one of the most reputed grinders all over.