When it comes to French press, to make an ideal brew it’s crucial to have a correct grind. That’s why a high-quality coffee beans grinder could help you make your favorite coffee beverage with much more convenience.

What type of coffee grinders are there?

To put it simply, there are 2 key types of coffee grinders: burr grinders and blade grinders.

Each of these grinder types could be either automatic or manual.

Now, let’s discuss various features and aspects of each of these models.

  • Burr grinders: These grinders use a grinder wheel and static surface to grind the coffee beans against. The burr location determines the fineness/coarseness of the coffee grounds. (For French press, coarse grind is recommended)
  • Blade Grinders: Since the blades operate like the aircraft propellers in these grinders, they are often called propeller grinders as well. The beans are randomly jostled and cut alone in the grinder, so the grinding isn’t as uniform.
  • Automatic grinders: Automatic grinders use electric power source to function. They come with burrs or blades. Also, the electric burr types provide the grind as uniform which we enjoy.
  • Manual grinders: Instead of blades, manual grinders often use burr, which may justify the concept of manual grinders being better. The role of the burrs is any way the same, except you should spin a hand crank instead of pressing a key.

Which type of grinder is best for French press coffee?

Many experts recommend that if you’re going to make French press, a burr coffee grinder is the best kind of grinder to use.

The reason is simple. Since the perfect brew requires uniform coffee grind size, we’ll need a grinder which could provide us the highest quality of coffee grinding in that matter. And as we explained earlier, among the different grinder types, burr grinders are more accurate.

While blade grinders eventually make a coarse grind that is ideal in the French press, they do not meet the uniformity that burr grinders provide. In some models of blade grinders, they rotate the blade so hard that heat is created, coffee is burnt, and the precious coffee oils end up destroyed.

Here’s our 8 top picks for best French press coffee grinders:

1. JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder with Adjustable Setting

As one of the Amazon’s bestselling manual grinders, JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder has a considerable amount of features. In addition, for such a cheap price it is exceptionally high quality.

The mechanism of hand crank is silent and smooth. They test ceramic burrs extensively so that they could last for up to 5 times more than the blades of stainless steel.

Pros

  • Ceramic combo burrs
  • Easy to use & convenient
  • Adjustable grind selector

Cons

  • Relatively low capacity for coffee beans

Check price at Amazon

2. OXO BREW Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

If you drink loads of coffee then Oxo Brew is a good choice for you. Grinding up what you require is what we advise, but you will love the additional capacity if you are a household who loves coffee.

The quality of design and functionality is excellent and the aesthetic of stainless steel, characterized with black, ensures that most kitchen counters could benefit from this French press grinding utensil.

Pros

  • Stainless steel burrs
  • Coffee beans capacity of 0.75 pounds
  • Micro settings in addition to 15 grind settings

Cons

  • Noise level might be unacceptable for some users

Check price at Amazon

3. Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill

Cuisinart offers a really large grinder that can crush the amount of coffee beans which is enough for up to 32 cups. That’s why for a household which is extremely coffee hungry, this item should be more than enough.

Don’t be afraid to use this grinder even if you’re a novice. That’s because using this Cuisinart grinder is really easy. So you could stick with it, no matter how many times you have ever tried to make a French press with your own ground coffee.

Pros

  • Slide dial for 4- to 18-cup
  • 18-position grind selector
  • Comes with cleaning/scoop brush
  • Removable grind chamber

Cons

  • The customer is charged for shipping costs in case of a broken product

Check price at Amazon

4. Khaw-Fee Manual Coffee Grinder with Conical Ceramic Burr

This handheld grinder by Khaw-Fee provides you with excellent cash worth. It uses glass coffee jar, conical ceramic burr and stainless steel crank, as opposed to other cheaper manual grinders which use low-quality components.

The fact that this manual grinder doesn’t need electricity to operate makes it a perfect choice for those looking for a portable product which could help them prepare the beans for French press wherever they go.

Pros

  • Lifetime warranty and guarantee
  • Adjustable from cold brew to Turkish coffee
  • Easy to use and quiet hand crank mill

Cons

  • The adjustments could be sometimes tricky

Check price at Amazon

5. De’Longhi Dedica Conical Burr Grinder with Portafilter Attachment

This De’Longhi grinder allows you to grind like a professional since you have the ability to customize the settings for French press, as well as pour over, drip coffee and espresso.

The storage container which comes with the product could hold up to 14 cups of ground beans fresh. Also, with a touch of a button, you could choose the strength preference, number of cups and the grind setting.

Overall, you could expect long-lasting performance and consistent results for uniform grind because of the conical burr made of stainless steel.

Pros

  • 12oz/350g bean hopper capacity
  • Adjustable strength settings: strong, normal, light
  • Easy cleaning due to removable upper burrs
  • Convenient grinds dispensing
  • Digital LCD display
  • 18 grind settings

Cons

  • Relatively high price

Check price at Amazon

6. Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

In the coffee world, Baratza is a well-established brand, so with this user-friendly gem you’re in good hands.

Right before brewing, and to grind your own coffee beans, you should just use the pulse and on/off button on the Baratza Encore. Consider that as a key to a great cup of French press coffee.

Pros

  • 40 grind settings
  • User friendly
  • First-class customer care
  • Compact footprint

Cons

  • Excessive leftover grinds

Check price at Amazon

7. Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Coffee Grinder

This is another electric burr grinder from a famous brand; this time Mr. Coffee.

Custom grind settings could be customized to provide you with various grind types ranging from super fine grind to medium grind to coarse grind – which is suitable for French press.

In order for the coffee beans to maintain their flavor characteristics, no heat is generated due to the burr mill technology.

Pros

  • Dual safety-locking switches
  • Cord Storage
  • Removable grinding chamber
  • Removable bean hopper
  • 18 grind settings

Cons

  • Might not last long

Check price at Amazon

8. Black & Decker CBM210 Stainless Steel Burr Coffee Mill/Grinder

This 80-watt electric burr grinder by Black & Decker could easily do the task of giving you the coarse grind beans suitable for French press.

We strongly recommend you to read more reviews on Amazon about this Black & Decker grinder before deciding to buy it. That’s because the product has been available since 2008 and so has gathered a good amount of customer feedback – positive and negative – which could help you better in your choice.

Pros

  • 12 cup
  • Safety function
  • removable coffee receptacle
  • Pulse button
  • Bean grind and mill selection

Cons

  • Difficult to clean
  • Might not be suitable for espresso or other coffee beverages

Check price at Amazon

Key factors to consider when buying French press coffee grinder

When picking the right grinder for French press coffee, a variety of considerations should be remembered.

Ceramic vs stainless steel

These are the two main options for making disc or conical burrs by grinder manufacturers. But each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Heat could be conducted pretty easily through stainless steel, but, on the other hand it’s tough and won’t rust. On the other hand, it dulls faster compared to ceramic, although it is sharper at first.

Ceramic will not conduct heat, is pretty strong and doesn’t rust. That’s why the natural oils of the coffee beans won’t be affected and therefore the original flavor would be kept. Also, compared to stainless steel, ceramic preserves its sharpness for longer periods of time but is more vulnerable to destruction.

Grind adjustability

It would be ideal to be provided maximum control and flexibility over the grinding coarseness by the French press grinder you purchase.

Instead of just a few options, try to look at a coffee grinder which gives you lots of settings and adjustments. This way when you’re in the process of making the perfect French press coffee, it would be much easier for you to get the exact coarse grind which you need using your newly bought coffee bean grinder.

Cleaning

Regular cleaning is important to prevent the interior from being damaged and preserve the quality of the grind for your French press drink.

In general, cleaning electric grinders is more difficult than manual ones.

Also, in order to increase the life span of your grinder, proper maintenance should be done often. And that in large depends on how easy it would be for you. That’s why you should consider this factor when buying a coffee grinder.

Grind consistency

You may assume that the coffee beans grinder doesn’t have to be totally accurate when all you want is just coarse grind for the French press. That’s simply not true.

But as just many experts recommend, just look for a precise grinder since to get the same results at all times consistency is crucial.

Conclusion

If you’ve read so far, you probably have learned many things regarding French press grinders.

As you’ve seen, with no complicated machinery or tools, or even spending lots of money, you could have one of those small pleasures in your life – that is having a cup of top-notch coffee.