How do I find the best manual grinder?
The market for manual coffee grinders offers a wide range, from no-name products for €20 to grinders costing several hundred euros. We want to help you identify the right manual grinder for your needs.
In this article, we will also discuss the manual grinders available in our online shop, but the criteria and advice discussed are generally applicable to other manual grinders as well.
Which manual grinder is right for me?
The choice of the right grinder largely depends on the type of coffee you drink and the brewing method you use: espresso, filter coffee, French Press, or Moka pot.
Generally, the finer the grind size required, the higher quality the manual grinder and its burr set must be. Fine espresso grind sizes are, so to speak, the Champions League.
This also means that the more espresso capability you desire, the higher the purchase price will be.
Important factors for using a manual grinder also include build quality, durability, practicality for everyday use, and the burr set.
Build quality and durability of manual grinders
In 2020, we conducted a major test of manual grinders priced under €100. Many of the various grinders tested are no longer available today. We also noticed during the test that some manual grinders showed signs of disintegration after only a few uses.
Tip: Before purchasing, ask the seller if they offer spare parts or repairs for the grinder.
Which is the best manual grinder burr set?
You will find various materials from which manual grinder burr sets are made. In our tests, we have not yet found a convincing ceramic burr set in the manual grinder category.
All manufacturers of high-quality manual grinders like Comandante, Timemore, Etzinger, and Kinu rely on stainless steel burr sets.
A look at electric grinders shows that some also use ceramic burr sets and not exclusively stainless steel burrs.
The shape of the conical burrs used in manual grinders varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, as each manufacturer has developed its own patents and has them produced by major burr manufacturers.
The practicality of manual grinders for everyday use
Proper ergonomics
A very important factor is the everyday usability of a manual grinder. Even if a manual grinder can achieve the correct grind size for your preferred brewing method, that doesn't mean it's easy to grind.
Many very cheap grinders, for example, have a very thin crank, which does not allow for ergonomically comfortable grinding. Thus, practicality for everyday use is not given, and the grinder quickly gathers dust in the cupboard because it's simply not fun to use.
Grinding speed
The second important factor for daily use is speed – how long it takes to grind the beans.
Manufacturers or sellers usually do not provide this information. The reason is that it is not uncommon for a manual grinder to take more than 5 minutes for 18g of espresso-fine grounds. It's important to add that the most transparent way to specify grinding speed is to state the number of crank rotations required. How fast one turns is, however, very individual.
Tip: Ask about the number of rotations needed for an espresso grind size.
Which manual grinder for espresso?
Very fine grounds are a prerequisite for preparing an espresso. It is therefore essential that the manual grinder can grind fine enough.
CAUTION: this is not the case with every manual grinder (even if it is sometimes advertised by the manufacturer).
It is also important that grinding is easy to do. This means that ergonomics, smooth operation, and grinding speed must form a functional overall package.
Tip: Look for manual grinders that provide both a recommended setting for espresso AND a rotation count or time indication for a standard amount of beans (18g).
Adjusting the grind size on a manual grinder
Almost all manual grinders operate with a click system. The challenge is to find the right click setting for your desired brewing method in conjunction with the coffee you are using.
It sounds complicated, but with the right information and guidance, it's not that difficult. Generally, the lower the click number, the finer the grind. However, you should not use the lowest click settings, as this could cause the burr set to wear out faster due to rubbing (as the burrs touch each other).
Which grind size for espresso?
Adjusting the manual grinder for espresso is done in the following steps:
- What click recommendation does the grinder manufacturer provide for espresso? This is a good basis, but it may well be that this is not yet the setting for "your" espresso.
- What is the desired extraction ratio? A standard recipe, e.g., valid for our APAS Espresso, is 1:2.5 in 25 seconds. This means that from 18g of ground coffee, 45g of beverage will be in the cup for a double espresso (for two single espressos, you place two cups underneath and correspondingly get 2x 22.5g as a result). All this in 25 seconds.
- If the espresso ran too fast in the portafilter machine, the grind size must be adjusted finer. If the espresso runs too slowly, the grounds must be coarser, so you increase the click number.
- If you don't hit a recipe exactly, meaning click level 7 is too fine but click level 8 is too coarse, you have two options: With some grinders, the click wheel can be placed between two click levels. If that doesn't work, you can work with 0.5-1g more coffee and adjust the ratio accordingly. This will result in slightly more ground coffee in the portafilter, which also reduces the flow rate.
Tip: Ask the seller for the recommended grind setting for your brewing method.
Which grind size for filter coffee?
Adjusting the manual grinder for filter coffee is done in the following steps.
What click recommendation does the grinder manufacturer or seller provide for your filter coffee method?
From the AeroPress, to the classic V60 pour-over filter, to the French Press, an increasingly coarse grind size is needed.
The seller or grinder manufacturer should provide click recommendations for these grind sizes.
Which manual grinders do we sell?
We intensively deal with manual grinders daily. Based on our experiences, we have curated our range of manual grinders.
There are many manual coffee grinder manufacturers and even more different models; we deliberately chose the selection we offer because we want to simplify your decision. In our opinion, it makes no sense to offer dozens of manual grinders – that would only make the decision more complicated.
The current assortment:
The Timemore C2 and Timemore Slim Plus are no longer produced by Timemore, so we have added the successor products, Timemore C3 ESP Pro and Timemore Slim 3, to our range.
Tip: All mentioned Timemore manual grinders are from the Timemore Chestnut series. You will occasionally find the designation Timemore Chestnut Slim 3 or Timemore Chestnut C3 Pro. These are the same manual grinders as listed above.
Our manual grinder assortment
These four manual grinders cover a wide range of coffee preferences.
The Timemore C3 ESP Pro offers a very strong price-performance package with good manufacturing quality.
The Timemore Slim 3 offers a very good price-performance ratio, is made from a single piece of aluminum and convinces with its design and quality.
The Comandante C40 MK4 is a high-quality manual grinder from the premium segment and is produced in Germany.
With the optional RedClix extension, the Comandante C40 MK4 can make very fine adjustments in the espresso range. In terms of adjustability for a precise grind size, the Comandante C40 MK4 with the RedClix extension achieves full marks.
The newest manual grinder in our assortment is the Comandante X25 Trailmaster. Here, too, the Red Clix axle can be installed. The grinding characteristics are comparable to the Comandante C40 MK4.
The Trailmaster is particularly suitable for outdoor use. We took a closer look at this grinder in this video.
