The 10 Best Burr Grinders

Splitting its settings in two is the clever part of the Baratza Encore ESP: the first half moves in small steps for espresso, the second in bigger jumps for drip and French press. The top burr lifts out without tools, so cleaning takes minutes. America's Test Kitchen named it the winner of its 2025 grinder test for consistent grounds. There's no timer, so you measure beans first, and the hopper can wobble.

For years, the Baratza Encore has been the default first grinder for filter coffee. Its steel conical burrs and 40 settings run from fairly fine to French press coarse, worked by an on-off switch and a pulse button. Baratza sells burrs, gears and other parts, so an aging Encore can be repaired instead of replaced. It can't grind fine enough for true espresso, there's no timer, and the body is plastic.

Set a dose once and repeat it every morning with the Breville Smart Grinder Pro. A backlit screen shows the grind setting, time and number of shots or cups, and the timer adjusts in fine steps. It has 60 settings, and two cradles hold portafilters for grinding straight into the basket. Taste of Home named it the best overall. It's loud and a bit messy, and a little coffee needs purging after a settings change.

Any grind from espresso to cold brew is within reach of the Fellow Opus 2, thanks to stepless adjustment and larger conical burrs. It stops on its own when the beans run out, and Fellow says an anti-static system keeps grounds from clinging. Two magnetic catch cups come in the box, one sized to sit under common portafilters. This second version is new, so its low-retention claim is the maker's and few outside tests exist yet.

Drip and pour-over drinkers on a budget will like the slim, mostly steel OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder. Its 15 main settings have smaller steps between them, and it remembers the last setting, so one push starts the grind. OXO backs it with a two-year warranty, and Gear Patrol named it the best budget pick. Its finest setting isn't fine enough for espresso, and it makes a high-pitched whine with some static.

People who brew filter coffee daily and want more control can turn to the Baratza Virtuoso+. Its digital timer works in tenths of a second, so you can repeat a dose without a scale, and a light in the grounds bin shows how much has come out. The burrs give a very even grind, and the top and base are metal. It isn't built for espresso, and the one-year warranty is short for the price.

Anyone with a good espresso machine can pair it with the Eureka Mignon Specialita, a dedicated espresso grinder handbuilt in Florence, Italy. Large flat burrs adjust steplessly inside a sound-insulated case that keeps it quiet. A touchscreen sets single, double and continuous grind times, and the setting holds when you take the burrs out to clean them. It's pricey, and grinding by time means checking the dose on a scale.

Built for a travel bag, the Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro is an all-aluminum hand grinder whose crank folds flat. Stainless steel conical burrs turn on bearings, so the crank spins smoothly once it gets going. It holds enough beans for one or two cups. Finding the right setting takes some trial and error, and grinding by hand takes a minute or more per cup, which adds up for a household of coffee drinkers.

Espresso fineness by hand is rare at a modest price, and the KINGrinder K6 manages it. An outside ring with 60 clicks per turn makes tiny changes easy to repeat, which espresso demands. It has dual bearings, comes apart by hand for cleaning and carries a one-year warranty. Most of what's known about it comes from owners and the maker. It's heavy for travel, and hand-grinding for espresso takes real effort.

An electric burr grinder from a known brand comes cheap in the Cuisinart Supreme Grind DBM-8P1. Its flat burrs offer 18 settings, and a slide sets how many cups to grind, then it shuts off on its own. It won't start unless the parts are seated properly, and it carries an 18-month limited warranty. The downsides are well known: it's loud, it leaves a fair amount of fine powder in the grounds, and its finest setting won't do espresso.