Why Choose a Manual Coffee Grinder?
Manual vs electric: It’s the first decision you’ll have to make when shopping for a new coffee grinder.
Which one is right for you?
Benefits of a Manual Coffee Grinder
| Benefit | Why You May Care |
|---|
| Less expensive | You aren't sure manual is right for you. You don't want to spend $100+ for an electric grinder. |
| Less noise | You live with someone in a small space and don't want to wake them every morning. |
| Less heat | Heat can affect volatile organic compounds in the bean, negatively impacting final coffee. |
| No power needed | Perfect for camping or other on-the-go coffee needs. |
| More compact | You live in a small apartment and have limited counter space. You travel and would like to take your coffee grinder with you. |
| More romantic | You love the process of creating your cup, just like a cook picking herbs from the garden. |
Yes, romantic.
I love waking up in the morning, adding my coffee beans and taking 2-3 minutes to grind them to a medium grind for my Aeropress.
Looking for something more practical?
Price and compact design. I swear by manual coffee grinders, but the connection I feel to my morning (or afternoon or evening) cup of coffee is a major reason, too.
Benefits of an Electric Coffee Grinder
| Benefit | Why You May Care |
|---|
| Faster | You don't want to spend upwards of 3-5 minutes hand cranking your coffee every morning. |
| Achieves finer grind | You enjoy fine medium-fine or fine grind beverages, such as pour-over coffee or espresso. |
| Easier to set grind size | You'd rather select "setting #11" than try to dial a manual grinder's knob to what you think it was before someone changed it. |
| More consistent grind | In combination with above, you want the size to be the same from grind to grind |
Electric grinders are a great example of you get what you pay for.
You may find you can improve your grind by “upgrading” from a $60-$100 electric grinder to a $20 manual grinder.
If you go electric, please make sure it’s a burr grinder.
How to Choose the Right Hand Coffee Grinder
So, you want a manual coffee grinder.
Good choice! (In my completely biased opinion.)
How do you choose between the many different grinder models available? Focus on these 3 factors:
- Material
- Size
- Burr quality
Material
Stainless steel, ceramic and wood. Stainless steel is lightweight, easy to clean, compact and durable. Ceramic has the most neutral taste and never imparts flavors, which stainless steel sometimes does. Wood is generally a design element and not part of the grinder’s functional components. It has great aesthetics but is usually clunkier.
Size
How big is it? How much does it weight? There’s no better or worse here, just what suits your needs.
Burr Quality
Stainless steel or ceramic. I’ll cover this is detail below.
Stainless Steel Burr Grinder vs Ceramic Burr Grinder: What’s the Difference?
Most of the manual grinders you come across will have ceramic burrs, but steel burr grinders do exist.
What’s the difference between stainless steel and ceramic?
| Factor | Advantage | Comment |
|---|
| Durability | Ceramic | Ceramic burrs are harder and last about twice as long |
| Heat Transfer | Stainless steel* | Stainless steel burrs whisk heat away from the beans |
| Cost | Ceramic | Ceramic burr grinders are generally less expensive |
*Stainless steel burrs have higher thermal conductivity than ceramic grinders. So, how is this an advantage? During grinding heat is produced in the bean as it breaks apart. Stainless steel grinders do a better job of absorbing this heat and transferring it into the grinder and away from the bean.
