10 Best Manual Coffee Grinders [In 2023]

Manual coffee grinder is an essential part of the coffee brewing process, and they can be a great tool for making delicious cup after cup of coffee.

When it comes to grinding coffee, you have three options.

You can buy some pre-ground coffee and face issues such as lack of freshness and difficulty in getting the grind size right, or you can buy a grinder, whether it be electric burr/blade or a manual coffee grinder.

We have also reviewed electric coffee grinders if you want to compare the two

If you have an espresso machine or manual method of coffee maker such as a pour-over or a cafetiere, you will need to grind your beans before you prepare the coffee.

While most people will opt for an electric grinder which is easier to use, gives more consistent results and often holds more coffee, manual grinders have their pros. Lower prices, increased portability and sleeker designs make them popular amongst home baristas.

Here are our picks of the best manual coffee grinders on the market, whatever your need.

The Best Manual Coffee Grinders

Hario Mini Mill Plus

Overview

Nice and easy to hold, with a large handle which is simple to turn, this grinder is brilliant.

The handle ensures quick, consistent grinding and the ceramic burrs also help with keeping all of the grounds regular. They’re adjustable and don’t transfer heat which burns the beans.

Because it is quite thin, it is really easy to hold which is essential when your other arm has to turn the handle. The entire grinder casing is plastic, which doesn’t only keep it safe from cracking and damage but also keeps it lightweight.

An easy to read measuring window shows you how much coffee has been made, and also allows you to check on the progress of the grinding without taking it all apart to look.

JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder

Overview

The Manual Coffee Grinder by JavaPresse Coffee Company eliminates over 90% of the noise that an electric coffee bean grinder would produce, allowing you to enjoy fresh ground coffee at home or on the go. It requires no batteries, power cord, or long plastic cords to operate and is perfect for camping, hiking or backpacking trips.

Enhance your morning experience with the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder. This manual burr grinder is built with a patented dual plated ceramic burr assembly that’s great for all coffee brewing methods. It comes with a manufacturer warranty & 100% money back guarantee.

The patented dual plated ceramic burr assembly ensures a precise grind every time, delivering an even particle size distribution for optimal extraction from your favorite brewing method. Its high-quality stainless steel blades are designed for durability and longevity and will never rust, making them perfect for use outdoors!

This manual grinder is designed for maximum portability! Its compact design makes it easy to store in any kitchen cabinet or drawer without taking up too much space while still providing plenty of coffee grounds per serving when grinding manually at home or on-the-go

Hario MSCS-2DTB Skerton

Overview

One of the best selling grinders around full stop, never mind just manual grinders.

This is a new and improved version of the original, featuring a steadier burr with the addition of a new stabilizer plate. The ceramic mill gives you a consistent grind which is much easier to cope with than blades, and it is small, lightweight and portable so great for smaller kitchens, or frequent travellers.

The reservoir at the base features a twist lock, so you can store the grounds safely until used. Great if you’re feeling strong and want to grind ahead, or just want to grind the maximum amount in preparation for some tomorrow as well.

YESSDAYS Manual Coffee Grinder

Overview

The YESSDAYS Manual Coffee Grinder – Hand Coffee Grinder Capacity 25g Stainless Steel Conical Burr With Adjustable Setting – Coffee Grinder Manual – Coffee Hand Grinder – Manual Coffee Bean Grinder is a durable, easy-to-use manual coffee grinder that grinds fresh beans to your desired consistency and precision.

The aluminum body, stainless steel conical burr, and more than 40 grind settings make this manual grinder built to last. More importantly, they ensure that you can achieve just the right consistency and precision of grind to match your chosen brew method. From fine to coarse, from Espresso to French Press: whatever your preferred cup of joe is, this hand coffee grinder will help you make it perfect!

And when you’re done grinding? Just close the lid!

Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

Overview

This is one of the pricier manual coffee grinders around, but if you are already dreading the arm actions involved in grinding the coffee beans down, this little device helps you out.

Compared to the Porlex I which was already advanced, this grinder can produce roughly 1.3x more coffee with the same number of rotations. Porlex has also redesigned the adjustment nut so that it stands up proud and tall on its own, without you having to hold it steady, which again makes it easier to use.

If you will be using it on your travels, the handle comes off and can be stored in the little rubber belt around the device. It is a Japanese device, which is the home of manual coffee, so will make coffee suitable for pour-overs too.

TRIPLE TREE Manual Coffee Grinder with Ceramic Burrs

Overview

Not all coffee grinders are created equal. That’s why we designed our manual coffee grinder with ceramic burrs to be the best in the biz.

We’ve taken the classic design of a manual hand mill and added a few modern upgrades to make sure you’re getting the most out of your beans every time you use it. The lengthen stainless steel handle saves you effort when grinding beans, letting you focus on enjoying the experience of grinding your own coffee beans. The ceramic burr will not add heat during grinding, making it the best choice of coffee lovers who want to make sure they’re getting their daily dose of antioxidants, too!

The silicone lid is soft to touch and convenient to add beans while also keeping them fresh and dry during storage. And both the brush and scoop can help you enjoy your brew anywhere without further tools—just put ’em in your bag and go! This coffee mill is easy to wash and clean while disassembling into parts and all parts are washable without limit. And two glass jars design are convenient to keep powders or beans during traveling or small party with friends.

DAURUNFY Manual Coffee Grinder

Overview

When it comes to grinding your own coffee beans, you want a manual coffee grinder that’s easy to use and portable. You don’t want a big, heavy machine that takes up too much space, and you also don’t want something that requires electricity. The Daurunfy Manual Coffee Grinder is small, lightweight and portable.

It has three different grind settings: coarse, medium, and fine. The adjuster knob is on the top of the grinder, making it easy to change the setting while grinding. This manual coffee grinder is perfect for camping, hiking or travel since it requires no electricity. Its silver color makes it blend easily into any kitchen decor.

If you’re looking for a manual coffee grinder that’s easy to use and portable—and even better looking than most—then look no further than the Daurunfy Manual Coffee Grinder!

Hario Coffee Mill Column Grinder

Overview

The Hario Ceremic Column Coffee Grinder is a classic, antique-style grinder. This grinder is made of steel, ceramic, and natural wood—making it durable, sturdy, and beautiful to look at.

All of your grounds go directly into the mill chamber where they can be stored for a few days. The fine coarseness adjuster allows you to control how coarse or fine your coffee grinds are. It’s easy to use and makes for a more consistent grind that’s easily adjustable for repeat use.

The ceramic burrs don’t transfer heat like blade grinders do, so they shave the beans instead of cracking them. They also don’t clog up like other types of burrs can over time—making this mill even more efficient than other manual grinders on the market!

LHS Manual Coffee Grinder with Ceramic Burrs

Overview

Our LHS manual coffee grinder provides a professional experience for grinding coffee beans. The ceramic burr does not produce excessive heat, and will not damage the flavor of coffee beans. If you turn the hand crank clockwise, you can feel the beans being broken and ground, releasing the rounded and intense flavor of the coffee beans. Enjoy the wonderful grinding experience by hand only!

The knob in the middle of our coffee grinder has 4 grinding levels from fine to coarse, making it so easy to adjust how coarse or fine you want your powdery crudeness. By slowly turning the handle to crush the beans, their flavor becomes stronger and mellow.

LHS professional coffee grinders are made of high-quality materials. The ceramic burr and stainless steel hand crank are durable and sturdy. And with its portable design, you can take them home office or anywhere else without having to worry about breaking them! (Just make sure not to grind without coffee beans inside!)

User-friendly designed lids allow for minimal effort when filling up with your favorite grounds! And if you need something compact for storage, it’s easy to take apart

XiQue Manual Coffee Grinder with Ceramic Burrs

Overview

This Manual Coffee Grinder with Ceramic Burrs, Coffee container capacity:12 oz（350 ml）, Black, with Stainless Steel Handle and Silicon Cove is the perfect tool for all your coffee grinding needs.

It comes with a lengthen stainless steel handle that saves your effort when grinding beans. More enjoyable for the fun of grinding coffee beans.

The base of the grinder is coated with rubber which can prevent the grinder from moving when it is ground. The high-quality ceramic burr has better properties and therefore can keep the coffee safer and healthier.

Ceramic burr will not add heat during grinding. The coffee mill can be used for a longer time and keeps the original flavor of coffee which is the best choice for coffee lovers.

This manual coffee grinder is adjustable, very easy to control, and helps you get coffee fine or rough, depending on your preferences.

The design of this manual coffee grinder is more convenient to keep powders or beans during traveling or small parties with friends.

Manual Coffee Grinder Buying Guide

Capacity

Manual coffee grinders are small and compact, so there is a limit on how much coffee you can grind in one go. For this reason, they are best if you are only making coffee for 2-3 people.

Holding between 20 and 40g is, therefore, a good marker. This is 2-4 cups of coffee.

Do be aware that the more grounds you grind at one time, the harder it will be. So even if you’re making enough for four people, you still may want to limit how much you grind at one time to 12g (enough for one cup).

Materials

The majority of manual grinders are either made from plastic or stainless steel.

This gives them strength without the risk of breaking if you store or transport it, like what would happen with glass. They are also easy to clean.

Also, note the material of the burr. It should be ceramic, which is the most effective and also won’t cause the beans to heat up when being ground. Most will be of high quality as standard.

Grind Settings

Does your french press use the same grind as your espresso machine? Quick answer – it shouldn’t.

French press should be coarse or medium, and espresso fine.

You may just have one machine, but you still want to ensure the grinder gets the grounds to the right size. A grinder with a lot of choices when it comes to settings is ideal, as you can get it right for the machine and then alter it slightly based on taste.

At the very least, check your chosen grinder can grind as fine or coarse as you need it to.

FAQs

Why choose a manual coffee grinder?

The main reason people will choose a manual grinder over an electric one is that you get more for a lower price point.

Say you have £30 to spend. With an electric coffee bean grinder, that will get you a blade grinder which will probably be pretty average but certainly won’t give you uniform grounds. But with a manual machine, this could actually get you a decent ceramic burr grinder with the ability to get higher quality results.

But, another popular reason is that it is eco-friendly. It doesn’t use electricity, and will likely last a lot longer than the electric options.

• Lower price – you can often find a manual grinder for well under £50, but decent electric burr grinders will be over £100 usually. A cheap electric grinder will often be a blade grinder, and manual options work better than these
• Portability – they are smaller, so can be taken on trips or even just stored away easier
• Noise – they’re quieter, too. Good for early risers in busy homes
• Size – many are much smaller than their electric counterparts, so perfect for smaller kitchens or if you want to store it away as you only have speciality coffee every so often
• Quality – this is a view which divides people, but some baristas say that because you’re not also buying the electricals, motor and other pieces of an electric machine, you should get a better quality burr with a manual grinder

Are manual coffee grinders burr or blade?

Manual grinders will always be burr grinders, as you wouldn’t be able to put enough pressure behind blades by hand,

However, the shape can differ. Most will be conical, but you can also get flat designs.