The 5 Best Coffee Grinders For French Press: Buying Guide & Reviews

When was the last time you savored your morning coffee? It’s probably been a while. 

French Press coffee is a perfect way to reignite your coffee-loving senses. Coffee made with a French Press is earthy, full-bodied, and very flavorful. 

But to make coffee like this, you need to find the best coffee grinders for French Press brews. The grinder makes all the difference.

In this article, we will be reviewing the following best coffee grinders for French Press.

Choosing the Best Coffee Grinder for French Press 

Though coffee is wonderful in all forms, there is something special about the individuality of coffee made with a French Press. 

Preparing coffee with a French Press is a simple task that only requires the device, hot water, and coarsely ground coffee. These two ingredients may seem simple, but the amount of water used and the specific grind of the coffee can significantly impact the final result. 

You can literally taste the difference.

You can get your hands on a French Press at Barista Warrior.

Despite what you may think, the best coffee beans for a french press are not the most finely ground. The best beans will be the ones that are fresh and coarsely ground right before making your French Press coffee for the morning. 

Why Should I Use Coarsely Ground Beans?

You’re probably used to seeing the dust-like powder of coffee grounds used to make espresso or certain drip coffees. Rest assured that there is no superior grind for beans; there are just different grinds for different reasons. 

Coarsely ground coffee is the best option for brewing with a French Press because you can extract the most flavors from your coffee. The French Press, as we know it today, first came to be in 1929, when people had no choice but to use roughly ground beans for their brews.

It turns out, coarse grounds carry a more extensive flavor profile than finely ground espresso. When the beans are coarsely ground, they emit an earthy flavor that is hard to pinpoint when they get ground down to a more fine powder. 

Rather than straining water through the beans to brew your coffee, French Press systems work by steeping the hot water directly with the beans for a limited time. When the steeping is complete, you push down on the lever to separate the grounds from the liquid. 

You can’t pull the grounds out of the mixture completely, so you are bound to have a little sediment left in the bottom of your cup after pouring from the steeped mixture. But that sediment is just part of using a French Press! 

If your grounds are coarse enough, there shouldn’t be mouthfuls of sediment lingering behind. If your grounds are too fine, lots of sediment will seep through, and you’ll feel as though you’re chewing your coffee instead of drinking it. 

For a more step-by-step process to make a pot of French Press coffee, you can watch this video.

https://youtu.be/w3A_Z1J78HY

What Type of Coffee Grinder Is Best for Coarse Grounds?

If you’re making French Press coffee, it’s always best to grind your beans right before you use them. The whole beans retain more flavor when ground right before use, making your cup of joe much more full-bodied and flavorful than pre-ground coffee could ever be. 

The best coffee grinder for French Press brews will be the one that promises the most consistent, coarse grind. The specific grind between medium and coarse will be up to you, but consistency among the beans you use is paramount for unlocking those unique flavors. 

You have two options when deciding what type of grinder to use for your beans: an electric grinder or a burr grinder.

Burr Grinder VS. Blade Grinder

Burr and blade grinders are the two different types of coffee grinders you can use. 

Burr grinders are generally more consistent and uniform with their grinds. They work by crushing the whole beans against a moving burr and nonmoving surface. There are generally two burrs in a single machine, which work together to guarantee a uniform grind. 

There are two types of burr grinder machines: conical and flat. Baristas frequently use conical burrs for their durability and energy efficiency. The smaller, cone-shaped burr is surrounded by a larger burr, which pushes the beans between the two to create the grind requested. 

Flat burrs are stacked on top of each other and work together to push beans through both burrs’ centers. Flat burr grinders are generally more consistent than conical burrs, especially with finely ground beans. 

Blade grinders are also known as automatic grinders. They are the more common type of grinders that are generally used in-house for beginner coffee connoisseurs. The sharp, and usually stainless steel, blade turns quickly to chop the beans down in a small space until they ground the consistency desired. 

I reviewed several different grinders, both electric and burr, to give you a taste of what type of quality you should look for when grinding beans for a French Press. 

Best Coffee Grinders for French Press Reviews

1. OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder – Our Top Pick

This sleek, stainless steel grinder is unlike several others on the market due to its conical shape and enclosed grounds chamber. 

The conical burrs create uniform grounds for ideal flavor extraction from the whole beans. There are 15 grind settings, plus additional customizable micro settings, so you can always get the grind you are after. The device notes fine, medium, and coarse grinds to give you an idea of where you should aim for, depending on how you are brewing your coffee.

Every time you set a specific grind, the grinder will continue to use that setting until you change it again. You can grind up to .75 pounds of coffee at once, which will all get stored in the silver hopper at the base of the device. 

The two steel conical burrs are responsible for the consistency of the grind. Since the burrs are both made of high-quality material and are programmed to work together, the grind is consistent throughout almost every time. Conical burrs routinely generate static electricity, leading to grounds all over the counter after spewing out of the machine. 

The OXO BREW has mastered this static electricity issue, though. There is an extra metal tab at the top of the bay that connects to the 3-prong power plug’s ground prong. This detail grounds the metal bin and reduces static electricity by letting it dissipate through the prong. 

Though this grinder is more powerful than several other burr grinder options, it works slightly slower than the competition. The speed isn’t always a negative selling point, though. The slower grind helps guarantee consistency and reduces the chance of jamming the motor or overheating the device.

Pros: 

• 15 standard settings for grind type 
• Additional micro settings to adjust for individual taste
• One-touch start 
• Device remembers previous settings and will continue to grind with that setting until changed
• Can store enough grounds for up to 12 cups of coffee
• Hopper holds up to .75 pounds of beans
• Hopper is easily removable for mess-free cleaning
• Steel, conical burrs are extremely durable and made to last a long time
• Grind is high-quality and consistent because of the conical burr method of grinding
• Top burr is easily removed with handle for optimal cleaning
• Does not take up significant counter space
• Lightweight

Cons:

• No chord storage
• A bit loud while grinding
• Bottom burr is difficult to clean because it cannot be removed from the device
• Takes a little longer than other burr grinders
• Expensive compared to electric grinders with a similar storage capacity

2. Mueller Austria HyperGrind Electric Coffee Grinder

This electric grinder is a small but powerful option for your French Press bean needs. 

Grinding the beans with this small machine only requires an outlet and a bit of pressure on the “grind” button. The cup to hold the grinds is somewhat small, so you may need to do multiple batches of your beans before heating your water for the French Press. 

The exact grind you get with this grinder is difficult to measure. There are no settings for a fine, medium, or coarse grind. It’s up to the user to determine when they think their beans are ready. 

If you’re aiming for a coarse grind, you won’t want to grind the beans for too long, or else they will become too fine. 

This machine is less than two pounds and is only about seven inches tall. Its white, plastic exterior houses the motor and the stainless steel blades used to grind the beans. 

But these blades do more than grind beans. This quiet coffee grinder can also chop or grind nuts, whole spices, seeds, and herbs. 

Overall, this grinder is a quiet, space-saving option for beginners who want to try their hand at freshly ground coffee.

Pros: 

• Can also be used to grind nuts, spices, seeds, and herbs
• Very lightweight
• Relatively affordable
• Takes up very little counter space
• Relatively quiet while grinding 
• User can see beans from the clear lid to decide how long to keep grinding
• Does not take much time to grind whole beans to a very fine powder
• Blades are made of a durable stainless steel

Cons:

• Some parts are not removable, making it difficult to clean 
• Can only grind small amounts of beans at one time 
• Cup that holds the coffee doesn’t detach, making spills very possible with each use
• Blades may dull with time and cannot be sharpened since they are not removable
• White exterior may get dirty easily
• No specific settings for different grind types

3. Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill

This large coffee grinder is an excellent grinder for families with several coffee drinkers. The 8-ounce bean hopper allows you to grind a good bit of coffee at once, and the plastic chamber acts as a dry storage space until the grounds are ready to be used. 

You can easily decide how fine or coarse your grounds should be by adjusting the settings accordingly. There are 18 setting options for different grind types, giving you some liberty to decide precisely how coarse or fine you want your beans to be. 

The removable bean hopper can be filled to the brim with whole beans before aligning the grind to your liking. You can set the machine only to grind the amount of beans you need so that the other beans can stay in the hopper until the next time. 

Once you’ve picked your grind and amount needed, the burr grinder can do its job and create grounds from the beans you used. The grounds get stored in the chamber, which is large enough to hold enough grounds for 32 cups of coffee. 

This grinder is a flat burr grinder. If you have a stance in the “burr vs. blade” debate, you may want to rest your case here. This flat burr grinder, like many others of its type, ensures a uniform grind that is consistent every time. Several baristas have said that burr grinders are the best grinder for French Press, due to their consistency.

Pros: 

• 18 different settings to pick the grind that is best for you
• Storage chamber keeps up to two cups of grounds dry and fresh
• Includes scoop and cleaning brush
• Stainless steel materials
• Chamber and bean hopper are both completely detachable 
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Burr grinder ensures uniform grind of all beans
• Beginner-friendly 
• Easy to set up and operate
• Turns off automatically when done grinding
• Will not operate unless the chamber and hopper are correctly in place
• Stainless steel exterior helps to blend in with other kitchen devices

Cons:

• Extremely loud while grinding
• Manufacturer is difficult to contact if there is a problem
• Grounds can stick to plastic parts during grinding process
• Cannot control coarseness of grinds as easily as fineness 

4. Kaffe KF2010 Electric Coffee Grinder

This device is a great, compact option if you’re looking for a coffee grinder for French Press’ percolators or pour-overs. 

The 3-ounce chamber can hold just enough beans for a single pot of coffee. The beans are ground while you push the ON/OFF button. The transparent lid allows you to see what your beans look like as they get ground finer and finer. There are no settings for specific grinds – it’s all up to the user to determine.

This handheld coffee grinder is perfect for travelling or easy storage in the cabinet, being only four inches wide and less than seven inches tall. 

Because this is an electric grinder, the device is notably quiet while in use. The motor quickly and quietly fires up with the touch of a button, spinning the sharp blades just quick enough to reduce the beans down to an appropriate grind. The longer you keep your thumb on the button, the finer of a ground you will get. 

Specifically, regarding grinding beans for a French Press, this grinder comes up a little short. It can be difficult to measure just how coarse your beans are when using this device. 

It’s easy to keep your finger on the button and grind your beans to a fine powder, perfect for an espresso brew. But French Press coffee demands coarser beans, which can be difficult to perfect with a grinder with no settings.

Pros: 

• Grinder won’t operate without cover
• Includes cleaning brush
• Can also be used to grind nuts or spices
• Quiet while operating
• Lid is dishwasher-safe
• Stainless steel appearance fits in perfectly with other kitchen appliances
• Transparent lid lets you monitor your grounds’ consistency
• Affordable
• Made of a tough, fall-resistant material
• Very lightweight – less than two pounds
• Easy to store or travel with

Cons: 

• Can only grind 3 ounces of coffee beans at once
• Coffee can get stuck around the blades, which could lead to a jam
• Can be difficult to clean certain parts of the grinder because of limited access

5. Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder

Regarding the burr vs. blade grinder conversation, this grinder is an excellent example of a well-made blade grinder. This small, electric grinder packs a punch in power and can be customized to fit your exact grind expectations.

There are three settings: Coarse, Medium, and Fine. Of these three, the Coarse setting will be the best for your French Press. 

Like any other grinder, the whole beans can be loaded into the top hopper when ready to start your coffee-making process. But instead of the beans filtering down to another chamber, they stay in the same area while being ground. This lack of an extra chamber makes for easier cleanup, but it reduces how much coffee you can grind at once. 

You can select between 4-12 cups of coffee and the type of grind you desire every time you load more beans into the chamber. This specification helps with consistency, so you don’t have any big chunks of beans mixed in with finely ground coffee.

When done grinding, the chamber is entirely removable or accessed through its flip-top lid to prevent spills. After you have moved your grinds to your French Press or other coffee-brewing devices, you can easily clean out the chamber with a quick wipe-down. 

Pros: 

• Coarse, Medium, or Fine grind
• Removable chamber to reduce spills and messes
• Relatively affordable 
• Quiet when in use 
• High-quality blades remain sharp after many uses
• Wide opening in chamber prevents whole bean spills when loading the chamber
• Grinding chamber is removable and dishwasher safe

Cons:

• Slight odor from electrical lubricants in motor can sometimes be smelled after several grinds
• Less customization of grind than other coffee grinders on the market
• No storage space for grounds

Conclusion

Though every grinder listed above has its merits, there is only one that meets all of the expectations that a knowledgeable coffee-lover is destined to have for their beans. 

The OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is the top choice of coffee grinder for French Press brews. The double conical burrs guarantee a consistent grind every time and the personalized settings are easy to use. 

The OXO BREW is a great coffee grinder for French Press brews, as well as drip or espresso. You can change the consistency of the grind as much as you want, and the beans will come out consistently uniform in that grind. 

French Press coffee may seem daunting, but once you have mastered the grind of your beans, all you need is hot water! Feel free to play around with the grind you use, fluctuating between coarse and medium, to find the flavor that works best for you.