Any professional barista will tell you: grinding fresh with a quality burr grinder is probably the largest contributing factor to making good coffee. Even more important than the coffee machine itself. Yet the grinder remains the most overlooked coffee making appliance for coffee lovers. Possibly because it’s a bit of a science and there are so many to choose from, so where do you begin to choose the right coffee grinder for your needs and wallet?
We’ve put together a guide to unpack coffee grinders, their features and their merits to help inform your choice.
Key questions when choosing the right coffee grinder for you:
- What features to consider when buying a coffee grinder? (Burrs, looks, speed, portability, grind range setting, noise levels, etc).
- What are you grinding for? Espresso machine, pour over, moka pot, AeroPress, all styles of coffee?
- There’s a good coffee grinder to cater to all budgets.
What features to consider when buying a coffee grinder?
The simplest questions you need to ask to find the right grinder for your needs and budget are:
- How many cups do you need to grind for per serving? Manual vs Electric?
- What brew method are you grinding for? Espresso, plunger, Moka pot, etc.
- What burrs will suit your taste preferences?
- What are your practical needs? Ease of use, noise levels, counter footprint, speed, looks, street cred?
How many people are you grinding for?
If you’re mainly grinding for yourself, and don’t mind 1 minute of manual effort, you may enjoy the versatility and affordability of a manual coffee grinder.
Manual coffee grinders offer an excellent quality grind for significantly lower prices than electric grinders. However, if you’re grinding for more than 2 cups at a time, you’ll prefer the extra capacity, speed and convenience of an electric grinder.
Choosing a manual coffee grinder:
The TIMEMORE Chestnut C2S Manual Coffee Grinder is a testament to meticulous engineering and thoughtful design, catering to both novice and seasoned coffee enthusiasts. The C2S replaces its best-selling predecessor, the Chestnut C2 with an upgraded burr set for even more precise griding capability.
Its compact footprint, measuring just 14.7cm in height and 5.2cm in diameter, makes it perfect for home and travel, while its minimalist aesthetics adds a touch of sophistication and ritualistic charm. Now you can enjoy truly great coffee at home and on the go.
Portable electric grinders: affordable, perfect for home and on-the-go, and LOADSHEDDING-proof.
The Timemore Whirly or the more upmarket Millab offer the best of both worlds. Quality coffee, effortless grinding and mobility. These revolutionary grinders are compact, elegant and have a USB rechargeable battery that impressively grinds 20-35 cups on a single charge! They have a full range of grinding from espresso, moka pot, pour over through to plunger at an impressive price of R3000-R6000. Enough elegance for the kitchen and compact enough to take anywhere. A perfect solution. One consideration when buying a portable grinder – since they use a rechargeable battery powered motor, they won’t be as fast or powerful as a mains-powered grinder. Faster than manual grinding, but not as fast as mains. Probably the best feature of these grinders over mains grinders is, that they are loadshedding-proof and totally portable.
Choosing an electric coffee grinder:
If you’re brewing for 3 or more people at a time, you’re going to need an electric burr grinder. There’s a huge variance in price and capability of electric coffee grinders and choosing correctly will save you in the long run. Almost all electric grinders either lean towards alternative brew methods or espresso. This is because espresso requires more refined adjustment mechanisms to alternative brew methods. Not to say that all-purpose grinders won’t deliver great espresso, but they may offer less range or adjustment to dial in espresso. Espresso focussed grinders offer stepless adjustment for nano adjustments, where stepped grinders offer incremental micro adjustments. The benefit of all purpose grinders is that they are much easier to dial in and are easier to switch between espresso (very fine grind) to alternative brewers such as plunger (coarse).
- Espresso (fine to very fine grind)
- Moka pot/stove top (medium – fine grind)
- Nanopresso/Minipresso (medium – fine grind)
- AeroPress (fine – medium -coarse grind)
- Pour-over/filter (medium -coarse grind)
- Plunger/French press (coarse grind)
Basic (R1500 – R2500) and advanced (R3500 – R2000) domestic electric grinders are more suited to alternative brewers. All-purpose grinders like, Baratza Encore ESPresso (R5300), Timemore Bricks (R6000) will serve all your coffee needs. Top of the range Timemore Sculptor (R13800-R20930) will excel for all brewing. All of them do the business, just at different speeds, refinement, range and flavour profile depending on their burr set.
As with most coffee products, go with reputable specialty brands such as Baratza, Timemore, Mahlkonig, Eureka, Mazzer and Anfim. Household kitchen appliance brands, whilst providing good looking and apparent features, aren’t coffee specialists and tend to lag on innovation and grind quality. Here are some of the most reputable and best-selling specialty grinders on the market.
Burrs are the most central consideration when buying a coffee grinder. So what are burrs, what types do you get and why are they so important?
Blade versus burr grinders:
The same way you can’t chop wheat into flour, you can’t chop beans into coffee. Blade grinders chop beans, they don’t grind them. The result is a massive variance in grind particle sizes, which is highly undesirable when brewing a decent coffee. Whilst blade grinders aren’t great at grinding coffee, you’re still grinding fresh. So it’s better than buying pre-ground, as pre-ground coffee has lost most of its fragrance and flavour. If you must use a blade grinder, here’s a good hack by James Hoffman to get the best possible results with blade grinders: Coffee Hack: The Best Blade Grinder Results
Only burr grinders deliver the granular uniformity required to brew good coffee
Whilst a blade grinder is definitely preferable to pre-ground coffee, it really should be a last resort. Rather spend a little more and invest in an affordable burr grinder to meet your needs. Check out this article, Why you should buy a coffee grinder to learn how a coffee grinder can actually save you money and is a good investment for coffee lovers.
Burr grinder: The real deal
Blade Coffee Grinder: The last resort before pre-ground coffee.
Types of burrs: Conical versus flat burrs:
Burrs are extremely important when evaluating a grinder. The main difference between conical burrs and flat burrs is grind efficiency. Conical burrs, being more efficient, can use a less powerful motor, reducing cost whilst increasing speed. So, if budget is important, conicals may be better suited to you.
If you’re not a coffee nerd, I suggest you skip the next paragraph as we dive into the nuisances of burrs. The other difference is question of taste. Matching your personal taste to the specific burr character and its ability to target the flavours you prefer in a coffee. E.g. Sweetness, acidity, bitterness and what balance you prefer. Depending on the size, shape and materials, different burrs can deliver different taste profiles. So, it really comes down to what your preference is, and which burrs play to your choice of coffees. It’s not a hit or miss here, but simply slight leans towards the types of coffee you prefer. E.g. Fruitier sweet/acidic coffees, or more balanced chocolaty to bitter coffees. Until now, it was generally accepted that flat burrs can highlight sweetness and acidity better, making them more suited to lightly-roasted, fruitier coffees. However, this isn’t necessary the case. It’s down to each burr’s specific design, materials and size. Essentially, each and every burr has its own character, rather than a general rule of flat versus conical. All burrs will do the job, so it is advised to watch professional reviews to inform your choice.
Flatt Burrs
Conical Burrs
Dosing: Programmable/on-demand dosing vs singe dosing: Convenience, consistency and waste limitation.
Programmable/on-demand dosing allows you to set and program the amount of coffee you wish to grind each time. This goes a long way to increase consistency, convenience and limit waste, and is highly recommended for espresso grinders. This feature will add to the cost of a grinder, and some are more accurate than others.
An alternative to on-demand grinders are single dose grinders, like the Timemore Bricks, Whirly and Sculptor. Single dose grinders require you to weigh or measure your desired dose each time your grind. The extra step does provide you some advantages in puck prep (preparing the coffee for brewing). Your dose is more precise, and you can further prep you beans to reduce static. This is known as the Ross Droplet Technique (RDT), where lightly spraying your beans with a mist spray bottle before grinding, which reduces waste and keeps things tidy. Some coffee pros swear by this method, that it not only reduces static, but actually can improve cup quality. RDT is not possible with a with a dosed grinder, only with a single dose grinder.
Speed and power
The main price differentiator of coffee grinders, be it home or commercial, is the speed and power of the motor. This will affect the speed and endurance of the grinder. Mid-range grinders (R5000+), such as the Baratza Encore, will grind about 20 grams (1 cup) in about 15-20 seconds, whilst an advanced grinder like the The Timemore Sculptor, will grind 20 grams in approximately 5 seconds! So check the grinder’s speed performance before buying.
Note: Slow doesn’t make bad coffee, it just takes a little longer. Some professionals believe slower grinding can increase consistency. The Timemore Sculptor, features speed adjustment, a unique feature to this grinder, allowing you to choose the speed you wish to grind at.
Power is important when dealing with lighter coffees. Lightly roasted coffees are harder than dark roasted coffee, requiring more torque on the motor. This should only come into play when grinding fine for espresso, with light-roasted coffees.
Are you grinding for an espresso machine?
It’s important to know if you will require an espresso grinder. Manual espresso machines require a very fine and uniform grind. Any flaws in the brewing of espresso are magnified by the immense pressure being applied. Therefore, grind fineness and consistency are crucial, hence the hefty price tags on espresso grinders. In fact, professional baristas prioritize the quality of the grinder over the quality of the espresso machine, as the grinder is where the magic really lies.
If you’re using an espresso machine, you’ll need a specialist espresso grinder (R8000+) or very strong forearms if you’re using a manual grinder. In the case of a commercial set up, you will need a commercial grade espresso coffee grinder (R18000+) due to the sheer volume of grinding required in a short space in time. Only a commercial grinder has the speed, power and endurance to deal with capacity required in a café. Whilst top end domestic grinders can match the grind quality of commercial grinders, they aren’t geared for the volume and speed of service required in a commercial setting, and hence their warrantees won’t cover commercial use. Another important consideration when buying an espresso grinder, is work flow. In other words how you prefer to prepare and make your coffee. Espresso machines also take up a lot of space, so you’ll need to consider how the grinder and machine will fit given your counter space in your kitchen and your preferred work flow. Timemore’s range of grinders are very compact and shine in this regard.
The good news: there’s a good coffee grinder to cater to all budgets
Coffee grinders vary vastly in price and there’s good reason for this. The most significant cost components of a coffee grinder are speed and power of grinder, followed by the size and specification of burrs, build quality, grind adjustment mechanism and dosing features, e.g., programmable dosing.
We’ve grouped coffee grinders from the bottom to the top of the food chain and will touch on each category’s merits and features.
| Blade electric | R200 – R800 | No burr | Poor quality grind |
| Manual burr grinders | R700 – R5000 | Conical burr | Espresso capable |
| Entry electric grinders | R1500 – R2500 | Conical burr | Alternative brews/no espresso |
| Advanced electric grinders | R3500 – R7000 | Conical burr | Alternative brews/espresso capable |
| Domestic espresso electric | R8000 – R14000 | Flat burr | Espresso specialist |
| Domestic espresso electric | R8500 – R14000 | Flat burr | Espresso specialist |
| Commercial espresso | R13000 – R50000 | Flat or conical burr | Espresso specialist |
Pricing quoted at July 2025
We hope we have helped you choose the right coffee grinder for your home or office (or home office). There’s a lot to consider when investing on a coffee grinder, so definitely consult the experts when making your choice.
Grinding fresh coffee every day will no doubt be a great investment.
All the best!
Explore our full range of coffee grinders at moreflavour.co.za/products/coffee-grinders/