One of the most important factors in making great coffee is grinding the beans just before brewing the coffee. There are numerous excellent electric burr coffee grinders, but if you are looking for something that is smaller, less expensive, less noisy, or simply has a nostalgic look, a manual coffee grinder is a perfect choice. In this article, we’ll review some of the main features you should look for when selecting a manual coffee grinder and we will list our favorite grinders for you.
Manual Coffee Grinder Features
Coarse Control
Regardless if you only brew the same type of coffee, you should have a burr coffee grinder that can adjust for coarseness. Even if a grinder is set for a medium grind, it will not be the same as another machine. Therefore, you need to be able to control the coarseness so that you can grind it to what is appropriate for the coffee maker you are using. Along with being able to control coarseness, you will be able to grind beans appropriate for French press, percolator, espresso, or other machines.
Size
Most all manual coffee grinders are small. But, some are even more compact making them ideal for travelling or camping with. Before buying, consider where you plan to use the grinder.
Burr Material
Burrs are typically made of stainless steel or ceramic. Ceramic is the better of the two since it is stronger, more durable, and does not absorb flavors.
Ease to Clean
Even if the machine is always grinding the same beans, you will want to clean your grinder every now and then. You will want to reduce the amount of old ground coffee that gets mixed into your new ground coffee. Old coffee loses its flavor and different sized grinds may either flow through the filter or it may not allow the water to flow through properly. Therefore, having a maker that is easy to clean is important to look at.