Choosing an espresso grinder is crucial to pulling the perfect shot of espresso. If your grinder can’t grind fine enough, consistently enough, or doesn’t have the features you’re looking for, you won’t get a great shot of espresso from your espresso machine. Here are my recommendations for the top espresso grinders for varying needs and price ranges.

How to Choose the Right Espresso Grinder for Your Needs

The type of espresso grinder that you choose has a massive effect on your espresso quality. You should be spending a solid chunk of your budget for a new setup on an espresso grinder – yes, I’d tell you to spend $500 on a grinder and $300 on a machine if you have up to a $1,000 budget!

Burr Type and Size

These two aspects of your grinder have a pretty large effect on the price of the grinder and the overall quality of your shot. If you haven’t already, check out my article, An Expert’s Guide to Burr Coffee Grinders. To give you a brief summary, there are two types of burrs: conical and flat.

Conical Burr

Conical burrs are less expensive than flat burrs, starting at $199 for a starter home grinder. They grind a little quicker, are quieter, and are less expensive – but they produce more fines (tiny particles of coffee that don’t match your intended grind size), which can create a muddy flavor in your cup and decrease your overall shot quality.

Flat Burr

Flat burr grinders last longer, give more cup clarity, and create a much more consistent particle size, but they can be expensive ($440+) and nosier. Commercial grinders exclusively use flat burrs.

Size

Larger burrs do a few things: you will get a faster grind, less friction (which means less heat – heat can be bad for shot quality!), and greater grind consistency. Larger burrs are also more expensive, but if you’re using this type of grinder at home at a low volume, massive burrs won’t make a huge difference (there are diminishing returns on investment at a certain point). High-volume commercial cafes should use large burrs to reduce the amount of heat and friction in the grind and decrease the amount of time it takes to grind shots.

Grinder Housing and Materials

Grinder housing (the protective outer casing of a grinder) and materials have a large effect on the longevity of your grinder. Espresso grinders with stainless steel housing tend to be more robust – they can take the wear and tear of a cafe environment. Plastic housing does reduce the overall cost of your grinder and can be great for the home environment since it tends to be lighter and easier to move around.

Features, Features, Features!

While features don’t necessarily have a direct impact on the quality of your grind, they do enhance the convenience and workflow of your espresso brewing. Consider which features are most important to you! Keep in mind that the more features the grinder has, the higher the price.

• Programmability: Do you want your grinder to remember how long it takes to grind your 18g of espresso? Or do you want a grinder that can grind by weight, making it significantly easier to dial in your shots?
• Stepped or Stepless Settings: Stepped grind settings mean there is a notch per numbered setting – grinders have different options, represented by numbers, and you’re not able to grind in between those numbered grind settings. Stepless means that you have an infinite amount of settings – ideal for fine-tuning your espresso grounds. A tiny adjustment in your grind setting can have a huge effect on the flavor of your shots!

Top Picks of Espresso Grinders

Starter Espresso Grinders ($199-399)

Starter espresso grinders are a great way to break into home espresso if you’re on a budget! There are some really solid options featuring conical burrs and plastic housing – from brands such as Baratza or Fellow.

Grinders in this price range are an affordable way to break into home espresso, so making your latte at home doesn’t take quite the investment that more expensive grinders take. They also tend to have fewer features and options, so they are less complicated and more user-friendly. However, these budget-friendly grinders tend to have less expensive parts that may break more quickly than more expensive grinders, meaning you might need to repair or replace them sooner than you would with a more expensive grinder.

1. Baratza Encore ESP Coffee Grinder

Baratza is well known for their Encore Coffee Grinder – for a long time, the Encore was the only real home-brew option for getting excellent quality at home without purchasing a commercial grinder. They’ve adapted their Encore with espresso-specific burrs and have made a fantastic starter espresso grinder. Featuring conical burrs, plastic housing, and a large hopper, the Encore ESP gives you a great quality grind at a great budget of $199. Pair this grinder with a Breville Bambino, and you’re making cafe-quality espresso drinks for under $500! This grinder doesn’t have a ton of features, so be ready to weigh your grounds with a scale after you’ve ground – but for the price, I’d be happy to! Baratza also sells burr sets, so you can swap these yourself when your burrs go dull (in several years). They are an advocate for fixing your equipment, not trashing it!

2. Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder

Fellow is a brand well-known for brewing equipment – they started with a simple kettle and branched out to any accessories you may need. They’ve done a great job with the Opus Conical Burr Grinder – a grinder specifically designed to handle home espresso. Featuring both plastic and metal in the housing, this grinder is heavier and feels more robust than the Baratza. The one downside is that you have to grind into a collection chamber and then transfer into your portafilter – and the Opus has a small hopper, which means you will be single dosing (only adding enough coffee beans to make one double shot at a time). But single dosing means you can keep the rest of your beans sealed for freshness, and it’s easier to dial in your shots! Bonus: since this grinder is stepped, you can use it for drip coffee and other brew methods and easily switch it back to your espresso setting!

3. Baratza Sette 30 or Baratza Sette 270 Coffee & Espresso Grinders

Baratza does a great job with their home espresso grinders, which is why they’re all over this list! The Baratza Sette 30 and Sette 270 are similar grinders, with a few key differences. The Sette 30 features 30 stepped settings, and the 270 features both stepped and stepless settings, giving you more control over your grind setting. These grinders feature timed programming using a digital timer – if you know that it takes 15 seconds to grind your double shot, program that time into your grinder, and you won’t have to weigh your shots every day. These grinders also feature portafilter forks and low retention (how many coffee grounds does the machine retain after you’re done grinding), making these grinders extremely easy for your espresso workflow.

Mid-Level Home Espresso Grinders ($400-700)

This category is where we begin to explore flat burr home espresso grinders. Flat burrs increase your espresso quality and start to feel like commercial grinders! Some also have additional features that make your espresso workflow a snap.

Grinders in this price range tend to be the sweet spot – you’re making more of an investment in your grinder than a starter espresso grinder, so you’re getting better build quality and consistency while still keeping the grinder at a relatively moderate price point. These grinders will last a very long time with proper maintenance (burrs will dull over the years and will need to be replaced – an easy swap that you can make with the help of a video!) and cleaning (using a brush to clean out old coffee grounds every month or so). If you don’t need fancy features or specific specifications, you won’t outgrow these grinders – your espresso quality will only be limited by the type of bean you use or your imagination as you try new recipes!

1. Eureka Mignon Specialita Coffee Grinder

Eureka is a favorite among home espresso enthusiasts and commercial baristas alike. Since Eureka makes commercial grinders, the home grinder category gets all of the expertise and commercial-quality parts in a smaller, lower-volume package! The Specialita is a fan favorite with 55mm flat steel burrs, insulation against noise, and programmable doses via a sleek touchscreen. The Specialita is extremely easy to maintain and clean and will consistently grind consistent espresso with a very low amount of fines.

2. Rancilio Rocky Doserless Grinder

The Rancilio Rocky has been on the market for years and has a cult-like following. Even though this grinder doesn’t have a ton of features, you’re getting flat burrs and a commercial-like build for under $500! The Rocky grinds fluffy, consistent grinds with its 50mm flat steel burrs and rivals the grind quality of much more expensive commercial espresso grinders.

High-End Home Espresso Grinders

If you’re looking for a home espresso grinder that will grind quickly and consistently and has a ton of features, you’re in the right spot because boy are there some fantastic options on the market. Here is my top pick for a high-end home espresso grinder.

1. Eureka Mignon Libra Espresso Grinder

The Eureka Mignon Libra Espresso Grinder is essentially the Specialita with one major upgrade -- it grinds by weight, not time. Traditional espresso grinders have to be dialed in. You find your grind size by manually grinding enough coffee to reach 18g (or however much is in your recipe) in your portafilter, and then figure out how long the grinder needs to grind to reach your 18g -- and program your timer. This has to be adjusted every time you change a grind setting (smaller grounds take more time to grind, larger take less). The Libra has changed the game – with a built-in scale in the portafilter holder, you can grind hands-off as the grinder automatically stops at your predetermined weight. This speeds up your workflow and dialing-in process exponentially and is absolutely worth the extra cost.

Single Dose Espresso Grinders

Single-dosing is relatively new to the espresso market. Instead of a large hopper that stays filled, single dosing allows you to put only enough beans into your hopper to grind for your single double shot. Single dose grinders are also built with low retention – retention being how many coffee grounds stay stuck inside the grinder after I grind? In traditional espresso grinders, this can be 1g or more - often up to 2g! In single dose grinders, if you add 18g to the grinder, you will get out between 17.8-18g. Coffee grounds that stay in your grinder start to oxidize, stale, and take on moisture very quickly – meaning when you’re ready to brew tomorrow, you have to purge yesterday’s grounds. Single dosing means you waste less (no more purging!) and can switch between bean types quickly – it takes significantly less time to dial in because you don’t need to purge. Single dosing grinders feature smaller hoppers and rubber bellows that you push on to blow air through the grinding chamber, which is crucial to getting out every last ground.

1. Eureka Mignon Zero Espresso Grinder

The Eureka Mignon Zero is similar to the Eureka Mignon Silenzio with the addition of a smaller hopper and plastic bellows. It’s ultra quiet, produces consistent grinds, and has low retention, making this compact grinder a dream to pair with any home espresso machine.

2. Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose Espresso Grinder

Similar to the Eureka Specialita, the Oro Mignon Single Dose features 65mm flat burrs and noise insulation – making this grinder quick, consistent, and quiet. As with the Mignon Zero, the Oro Single Dose features bellows to move air and grounds through the grinding chamber – but also has an angled base to further assist with grinds moving through the chamber for low retention.

Commercial Espresso Grinders

Commercial espresso grinders come more packed with power and larger burrs and are built with more robust materials to hold up to daily use. These grinders carry commercial ratings such as NSF or ETL and carry their warranties when used commercially (as home grinder warranties are usually void when used in a commercial setting).

1. Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder

Mazzer is truly the gold standard for commercial espresso grinders. Their burrs are rated for more use, meaning you will spend less money replacing burrs over the years. These grinders last for years – they are extremely sturdy and robust. Even the Mini grinder features 64mm burrs that are found in the larger Super Jolly, and the electric version of the Mini features programmable dosing. This grinder can hold up to back-to-back use in medium or high-volume cafes.

Find the Right Espresso Grinder for You

With more options, features, and grinder choices than ever before, it can be overwhelming to choose a new espresso grinder. It’s an important investment towards your coffee setup, but if chosen correctly, it can be fruitful to your coffee journey and last you for years to come. Fret not – our Experts are standing by, ready to help you along that journey! Connect with me or another Coffee & Espresso Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations for your new espresso grinder.