Fresh beans are essential for a perfect cup of java, and to achieve this, you should have a quality grinder at home. Now, there are several types of coffee grinders available in the market, and choosing the right one without going bankrupt is a daunting task.
You might get tempted to buy an expensive one because you are serious about your coffee, but wait and read this article. Because I will share some excellent and budget-friendly coffee grinders that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
While choosing a budget-friendly grinder, you should not only look at its price but also consider a few more things:
- Can it provide consistency for each particle? Too much speed can produce too much heat that can ruin the quality and can burn the coffee, so avoid high-speed grinders.
- It is easy to clean and use.
- Most importantly, noise matters so you should look for the quietest ones in the market.
Short Answer: Here are my five picks of the best budget-friendly coffee grinders: JavaPresse Manual Burr Coffee Grinder, Baratza Encore, OXO Conical Burr Grinder, Virtuoso+, and Baratza Sette 270.
Keep on reading till the end.
What type of coffee grinder is best?
There are four types of grinders you will find in the market: Burr vs. Blade grinder and Manual vs. electric grinder.
Burr grinders are the best ones and blade grinders are something you should avoid at all costs. Why?
Because for balanced and complete flavored coffee, you need even grounds. Uniform and consistent grind can extract at the same rate. The coffee ground of different or uniform sizes extracts coffee flavors at a different pace.
Blade grinder chops your coffee beans instead of grinding them. They are cheap and they work faster, but the results are not worthy of it all. On top of all, the blade grinder doesn’t give you the complete mechanism to choose grind size.
That’s why burr grinders are considered the best type of coffee grinder though they are a little expensive compared to blade one.
Burr grinder has a grinder wheel that crushes the coffee beans against a static surface. You can set the coarseness/fineness of the coffee grounds by the position of the burr.
You can also get complete control over the size of the coffee grounds with burr grinders, especially the conical ones. If you can’t afford the machine burr grinder, you can opt for a manual one with its advantages: less price, more fine quality.
Take a look at my other article where I recommend the best burr grinders in the market if you’re interested.
Here is a clear difference between burr and blade grinder:
| Attribute | Blade Grinder | Burr Grinder |
| Accuracy | Moderate | Excellent |
| Messiness | High | Moderate |
| Loudness | Noisy | Quiet |
| Expense | Inexpensive | Pricier |
Have a look at this video for a more visual guide to the differences between both grinders:
Are cheap coffee grinders worth it?
Cheap manual burr grinders are worth it. But if you’re very fussy about your coffee, then it’s probably best if you invest a little more in the grinder.
Interestingly manual grinders perform a better job than electric ones. You will get more control over how your beans get grind. Manual ones allow you to achieve fine grinds over expensive electric grinders for espresso.
Yes, you will need to push extra elbow grease to make the finest of grinds, but in the end, it will be truly worth it.
What is the Best Manual Burr Grinder?
There are several reasons why you should choose a manual grinder. Firstly, you can use them outdoors because no power source is required. They come in handy for traveling and are very quiet to operate and inexpensive to buy than the machine ones.
Manual grinders can also look sleek and make less mess and noise than their electrical counterpart. They come in various designs and can make an excellent addition to your kitchen.
Here’s my pick for the best manual coffee grinder:
JavaPresse Manual Burr Coffee Grinder
The JavaPresse manual grinder has excellent reviews on Amazon, and that too for good reasons. For just $40, this grinder offers many great features:
Built-in adjustable grind selector: with a total of 15 settings, this machine has a built-in selector that ensures you get 100% control of how coarse and perfect your coffee is beans get grind.
No power needed: Run the machine without any power source or batteries, plus it’s lightweight that you can bring with you on your next camping trip.
Last Longer: the durable burr manual grinder can last 5x longer than machine grinders.
This ceramic burr grinder also goes through 3 inspections to ensure that you get the best quality at a lower price.
Best budget coffee grinder
Here are options to choose from if you are looking for a budget-friendly grinder for home use:
Baratza Encore
The best overall grinder is Baratza Encore, with its wide range of setting that suits every coffee drinker’s needs.
Encore allows you to cut the excessive boulders and can provide you with even grounds.
It is much quieter than most expensive grinders. Encore has stainless steel burrs making it more durable than its competitors.
This one is good for home use, but if you drink espresso daily, I will recommend the Baratza Sette 270 model. Because this one only provides 50-70 percent fine grind for espresso.
PROS
- Sturdy
- Not heavyweight
- 40 grind settings
CONS
- Not recommended for espresso
OXO Conical Burr Grinder
OXO Conical Burr Grinder is an excellent budget-friendly option with a sleek design, stainless steel burr, and 15 grind settings. This is also best for French press, pour-over, and drip coffee.
This one is one of the quietest grinders compared to others on the list. If you want an entry-level burr grinder to replace your blade one, then consider this one.
However, this is not as robust as an Encore. Thankfully, this one comes with secured stainless steel wingnut, unlike encore that has a plastic cap.
OXO can hold up to ¾ lb (12 oz) of coffee beans that are in a hopper with UV-blocking so your coffee tastes fresh.
PROS
- Durable Stainless steel burr
- Attractive finish
CONS
- It only has 15 settings
- Not ideal for espresso
Virtuoso+
Whether you need coarse grounds for French Press or a fine grind for espresso, Virtuoso+ is the best choice for a consistent and quick grind with minimal effort.
Virtuoso can be your best investment because it can cover all kinds of grind sizes for you. It’s easy to use and clean and it comes with four settings to churn out consistent grinds according to your preference.
PROS
- Works for all grind sizes
- Stainless steel burr and stainless steel finish
CONS
- Only one programmable setting
- Some ground retention within the machine
- Has a few plastic parts
Baratza Sette 270
This one is your best bet for espresso. At a reasonable price, Baratza Sette 270 does its job meticulously.
This machine has a finely-tuned auger design that makes grinding easy and precise.
Other coffee grinders can sometimes pulverize the beans and will often end up too small than the needed 250-500 micrometers for espresso.
However, Sette 270 is different in this regard as it produces quality fine grinds.
PROS
- Perfect for espresso
- Macro, and micro grind settings
- High-speed
- User-friendly interface
CONS
- Not ideal for coarser grounds
- Loud
How often should I clean my grinder?
You should clean your grinder at least once after every 15 days.
There are two ways you can do it:
- Set a time schedule. If you are using it regularly, then try to clean it once a week.
- Suppose you don’t have time to clean every other week, lookout for visual appearance. If you notice build-up on the surface area, then it’s time to clean now.
Whatever you choose, be regular in your coffee grinders maintenance and stick to a schedule. This way your coffee grinder won’t collect residues that can taint your coffee.
Wrapping up
The overall best budget-friendly coffee grinder is the Baratza Encore conical burr coffee grinder.
Just for $120, it provides incredible value for money. It is one of the best grinders in the market since 2012; there are reasons it stands out.
Its grind consistency and result make it the best workhorse for your home, drip, French Press, or espresso coffee setup. Plus, it is easy to operate and durable as well.
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