My brother in law is a total coffee snob and he would have no problem with me telling you that. He orders speciality coffee online, drinks insane amounts of it all day and is a fountain of advice on all things coffee-related.

When I was helping the family business open a small coffee shop recently, my ears pricked up when he told me, it’s not ALL about the coffee machine! He assured me, getting the grind right makes a huge difference and, to get a great cup of coffee, you also need the best coffee grinder, Australia 2020.

So, after searching endlessly for what makes the best home coffee machine, I now had another job on my hands! Obviously, the best grinder for cafes will be different from the best home coffee grinder, but all the basic principles are the same.

If you’re looking to answer the question “what’s the best coffee grinder for espresso?” or you just want to read the best coffee grinder reviews, look no further! Find out exactly what features to look for, then check my comparison chart for a quick rundown and, finally, read some in-depth coffee grinder reviews.

BEST COFFEE GRINDER, 2020, COMPARISON CHART

BENEFITS OF THE BEST COFFEE GRINDER, AUSTRALIA 2020

Owning the best home grinder will seriously improve your coffee game, impress your guests and mean you don’t need to buy expensive takeaway coffee to get that quality tasting brew.

Why not just buy ground coffee? My brother in law is shuddering at the thought of that question! Well, just like all foods, coffee is best enjoyed fresh and the longer ground coffee sits the staler it becomes. The best way to ensure fresh, delicious coffee is to grind the amount you need and brew it straight away.

FRESHNESS

In simple terms, as soon as the coffee beans are ground the oxidation process begins and the aroma and flavour of the coffee are released. If you brew this freshly ground coffee straight away, you will capture all those beautiful flavours. However, if you don’t brew straight away, oxidation continues and you lose those flavours instead.

There are other factors like moisture and Co2 depletion. If you want a more scientific explanation, take a look at this great article which explains it much better than I can!

GRIND SIZE

Not all ground coffee is the same and, dependant on what process you are using to make your coffee, you could need coarse grounds, very fine grounds or somewhere in between. Owning the best coffee grinder for home use, allows you to experiment with a variety of different sizes to get the perfect cup of coffee.

It’s really important to get this right. If the grounds are too fine you’ll “over-extract” the coffee meaning you have extracted too much flavour and the coffee will taste bitter and overpowering. However, if the grounds are too coarse, you could “under-extract” the coffee and end up with a sour-tasting cup due to not extracting enough flavour.

GRIND SIZE REFERENCE CHART

• Extra coarse – Resembles ground peppercorns, best for cold brew coffee
• Coarse – Resembles sea salt and best for french press and percolator
• Medium – Resembles sand and best suited to drip coffee makers
• Fine – Finer than table salt and best for espresso machines

TYPES OF BEST HOME COFFEE GRINDERS

MANUAL COFFEE GRINDERS

The name says it all really, these coffee grinders require you to manually grind the coffee by hand. They require a lot more effort than other types of grinders and even the best manual coffee grinder will require some work.

However, the best hand coffee grinders are also much smaller, lighter and perfect for taking with you on road trips or camping holidays so you can still get your coffee fix. Due to their small size and simple design, they also tend to be the best cheap coffee grinder.

To complete the experience, take a look at my ultimate guide to finding the best coffee plunger to help you get your coffee fix anywhere you are.

BLADE COFFEE GRINDERS

Blade grinders use a propellor blade, which looks very similar to the blade in a blender, to grind the coffee. They are usually still a cheap option but, almost, all coffee enthusiasts agree that it’s still not worth investing in one due to their inability to produce a consistent grind.

BURR COFFEE GRINDERS

If you really want a great cup of coffee, you need the best domestic coffee grinder and a burr grinder is the only way to go. They are considered by pretty much everyone to be the best electric coffee grinder and a good quality burr grinder is extremely reliable.

Burr coffee grinders crush, grind and tear the coffee beans between two plates or “burrs”, one of which remains still whilst the other rotates. Depending on the model you choose, burr grinders can contain either flat plates or conical shaped ones (usually found on lower speed machines).

The best burr coffee grinder will be able to produce a much finer grind They are thought of as far superior, due to their consistency in producing different grind sizes.

FEATURES OF THE BEST COFFEE GRINDER FOR HOME

POWER/SPEED

The best coffee bean grinder has to be powerful to achieve that all-important fine grind required for home espresso machines. Usually, you can go by the rule that the higher the machine wattage, the higher quality grind you will produce.

Powerful doesn’t have to mean fast though. When looking at top rated coffee grinders be sure to look for a lower speed model. If coffee beans are ground to fast they can be heated and lose some of their aroma and flavour during the process.

GRIND SETTINGS

Having several different adjustable grind settings is a vital feature for the best coffee grinder, Australia. It will give you the versatility to brew coffee a number of different ways and even the best hand crank coffee grinder is still quite limiting in this respect.

Some machines will come with preset buttons for certain grind sizes, allowing for a quick and easy morning grind and brew and making them super convenient. Other machines allow you to finely tune the grind settings yourself to achieve that perfect personalised grind.

MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING

The ease with which a coffee grinder can be cleaned will depend on the complexity of the machine. Even the best coffee machine in the world will need to be manually cleaned regularly, to make sure the coffee stays fresh.

Buying the best budget coffee grinder may seem like a great idea but, if it’s going to take you an hour to clean every week, you may wish you opted for something pricier. Make sure to look for a machine with easily removable parts, that are either dishwasher safe or can be quickly cleaned in hot water and put back together.

BUDGET

The price of coffee grinders varies hugely but it’s good to remember that you get what you pay for. If you’re serious about wanting the best coffee grinder for home, you may need to spend a bit more money.

One possibility could be to spend a little less on your coffee machine, saving yourself some money to put towards a coffee grinder instead. Nowadays, there are some great options for budget coffee machines.

BEST COFFEE GRINDER REVIEWS, AUSTRALIA

Breville Smart Grinder Pro

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is my top pick from all of these coffee bean grinder reviews because it can create the perfect grind for just about every type of brewing process. It’s a conical burr grinder, meaning limited heat is transferred to the bean during the grinding process.

With a clear LCD display and 60 unique settings, you can achieve a consistently great cup of coffee. This machine can also grind directly into paper filters, portafilters or even into the airtight container provided.

This Breville coffee grinder has some great added features including a precision digital timer and the choice of two different sized cradles for portafilters. The easy to read display allows you to choose between “shots” for espresso machines as well as “cups” if you’re making filter coffee, so getting the right dose is easy, whatever the type of coffee maker.

Breville coffee grinder reviews rave about this model online for its ease of use and moderate price. It’s compact and won’t take up much counter space yet has an impressive 450g capacity bean hopper. All of these factors make this one of the top rated conical burr coffee grinders and a great choice for any coffee lover.

Sunbeam Conical Burr Grinder

This Sunbeam model is one of the best affordable coffee grinders on the market. It comes with a low price and does exactly what you would expect from a home coffee grinder.

The precision manual grind setting control allows you to choose from a coarse grind, for french press, all the way to a very fine grind, for espresso machines. The simple to use control makes finding the perfect grind simple, even for a novice.

One downside to this machine is that it can be a little messy as it tends to get grounds over the countertop whilst using. However, if you are just looking for the best budget espresso grinder that’s simple to use and does a good job then this is the machine for you.

DeLonghi Dedica KG521M

The Delonghi Dedica is one of the best espresso grinders for home coffee machines and comes with 18 adjustable grind settings. The easy to use LCD display allows you to set grind setting, cups and aroma to achieve the perfect cup of coffee.

The 350 gram bean hopper is a generous size and the machine allows you to grind directly into the portafilter of an espresso machine or comes with a 170g container to grind a larger amount and store for later.

As well as offering great options for the coffee grind, this machine has an excellent, professional-looking finish and will compliment any kitchen style. It has a small footprint and weighs less than 3kg so it won’t take up much space either, making it one of the best rated coffee grinders available.

Sunbeam Cafe Series Grinder

The Sunbeam Cafe Series is the best home espresso grinder for serious coffee lovers. this conical burr grinder offers great versatility, with a choice of 30 adjustable grind settings. Grind consistency is achieved by the belt drive and dual bearings which limit movement in the burrs.

One-touch technology makes grinding coffee with this machine as easy as pressing a single button. A great extra feature of this machine is the anti-static chamber meaning that coffee grounds do not get stuck in the grinding chamber where they can go stale before the machine is used again.

The auto light feature illuminates the work area and people often comment on how much quieter this machine is than others. The ability to remove the top burr cartridge also allows for easy access and cleaning.

All of these awesome added features make the Sunbeam Cafe series one of the top rated burr coffee grinders on the market and a great choice for all.

Breville BCG600SIL The Dose Control Pro

The Breville Dose Control Pro is a great option for any serious coffee lovers who want complete control over their grind settings without having to blow the budget to get it.

This conical burr grinder has an impressive 60 grind settings which you can fully customise to your liking and grind time can be set to 1 second increments. The 340g bean hopper is large enough for most coffee drinkers, without having to refill constantly and you can even grind directly into a portafilter to save time.

The 5kg weight of this machine means it is light enough to not have to worry about getting it in and out of the kitchen cupboard but it is attractive and the footprint is small enough that it could easily stay permanently on the counter top as well.

If you are looking for a great conical burr grinder that won’t blow your budget but still gives you full control over the grind, this Breville option would be a good choice.

Bodum Australia Pty Coffee Grinder

If you are just looking for a cheap coffee grinder but still want a conical burr grinder to keep the quality and aroma to your coffee, this Bodum coffee grinder is probably the cheapest grinder with stainless steel conical burrs on the market.

This machine can efficiently grind coffee as fine as espresso all the way up to french press. Simply set the grind type and timer to produce the correct amount and the stainless steel burr grinders will get to work. Then, the glass container will catch the grinds whilst reducing static cling, meaning you get more for your money.

This grinder is compact and doesn’t take up much bench space, so could easily be left out permanently, but incredibly it weighs less than 2kg so getting it in and out of the cupboard is no problem at all if you prefer a clear bench.