14 hand coffee grinders under €100 tested – Which one grinds well for filter coffee AND espresso?

Manual coffee grinders offer several advantages over heavy electric coffee grinders. As a mobile, lightweight, and handy option, they are the perfect coffee grinder for on-the-go, whether camping, hiking, or traveling. But there's another important argument in favor of manual grinders: even for under 100 Euros, there are several models that deliver relatively homogeneous grounds.

Suitable for filter coffee and espresso?

While many manual grinders do a good job for filter coffee, hardly any manual grinder grinds fine enough for espresso. Most electric grinders also fail in this discipline. The grind size for espresso is so fine that it demands a lot from the material. This pushes inexpensive grinders to their limits, as well as the power source – in this case, the motor or the person operating the manual grinder.

Furthermore, the grounds should not only be espresso-fine but also free of larger particles and clumps. These create holes in the espresso under the pressure of the brewing water, allowing for faster flow and thus uneven extraction. That's not tasty!

First off: four coffee grinders under 100 Euros passed the espresso test in our review, some of them even quite well.

Why Manual Grinders Make Sense

We are often asked how to improve coffee quality at home. The first answer is simple: grind the coffee fresh. Freshly ground coffee is the first prerequisite for brewing good coffee. It doesn't matter whether you want to prepare filter coffee or espresso.

After grinding, coffee has a much larger surface area. The consequence is that many of the most interesting aromas of a coffee dissipate just a few minutes after grinding. In addition, the surface of the coffee bean is greatly enlarged, and oxygen and light easily reach the ground coffee. As a result, the oils present in the coffee oxidize more quickly.

This is why pre-ground coffee often tastes rancid and is less complex. That's why buying a coffee grinder is so sensible. A manual grinder not only does a good job, it is also significantly cheaper than its electric counterpart.

Surprisingly enough: many inexpensive manual grinders do a better job than some electric grinders costing over a hundred Euros.

The Basic Data of the Manual Grinders

The technical examinations and tests were carried out by Felix Hohlmann. Did he know what he was getting into with this test? Indeed, there are many things to compare when testing manual coffee grinders. This starts with the maximum bean capacity in the upper section, goes through the capacity in the collection chamber for the grounds, and ends with the material quality, the grinding mechanism, and the adjustability. And of course, the machines also had to perform their duties as filter and espresso grinders.

The following table summarizes the most important basic data.

Here are some notable observations. The Handground grinder is by far the largest grinder in the field. With a capacity of 85 grams in the upper chamber and 60 grams in the grounds compartment. At 790 grams and 21 cm, it is also anything but a good travel companion, especially since the grounds container is made of glass.

The smallest grinder is the Nitrip Mini Black, at 14 cm with a diameter of 5 cm. With a capacity of just 19 grams for both beans and grounds, it can grind just enough coffee to brew a double espresso or 300 grams of filter coffee.

The three test winners of the manual grinder test

Four grinders are suitable for both filter coffee and espresso, distinguishing them from the rest of the grinders. However, if you're only looking for a filter coffee grinder, you'll also find good models among the other grinders.

Of the four grinders, we can unreservedly recommend three. The Nitrip Mini Black, the manual grinder Nitrip Easy Clean Red, and the Timemore C2 performed strongly in many respects.

The Grøneberg* grinder costs only 25 Euros and is the best of the very inexpensive grinders under 30 Euros. However, its craftsmanship and operation leave something to be desired. If you're looking for a price-performance test winner, for us it's the Nitrip Mini Black*. It costs around 50 Euros, but scores points in both material quality and user-friendliness.

Nitrip Easy Clean Red – excellent espresso, high-quality build, and visually appealing

The red Nitrip Easy Clean Red stands out visually among the 14 test grinders. A closer look at the grinder reveals surprisingly high-quality workmanship. The entire grinder is made of metal, and at 500 grams, this manual grinder is one of the heavier ones in the field. With a capacity of 25 grams in both the bean hopper and grounds container, the grinder has an ideal size for a manual grinder. This allows for a double espresso (approx. 18 grams of coffee beans) to be filled just as easily as coffee for 400 ml of filter coffee (24 grams of coffee). The grinder's axle is multi-bearing, and the guide is also made of metal. The wooden handle has a fine grain and feels nicer than the other coffee grinder handles in the field.

The steel grinding mechanism can be precisely adjusted via clicks. In the test, we ground 19 grams of coffee each time and compared the grinding time of the grinders. The Nitrip Easy Clean Red, at a normal "manual grinding speed," ground the coffee in 35 seconds, making it the second fastest.

We brewed good filter coffee and the most delicious espresso in the field with the Nitrip Easy Clean Red. However, the evaluation of the espresso should not be overemphasized. We had set the grinder to 10 clicks, which allows for further adjustments in both coarser and finer ranges. However, the extraction times jump by several seconds, which makes a perfect adjustment of the grinder through grind size alone hardly possible. This is a general disadvantage of manual grinders, but it's hardly significant, especially when the extraction is as well-achieved as in our case.

There's really only one point of criticism regarding the Nitrip Easy Clean Red. The lid of the coffee grinder comes off a bit too easily. The principle of its smaller sister grinder, the Nitrip Mini Black, would have been better here.

When we bought the Nitrip Easy Clean, it cost 55 Euros. Currently, we've seen it priced between 70 and 80 Euros. We'll keep an eye out and link it again if it becomes available. And we're trying to track down the manufacturing factory and otherwise bring the grinder to the European market ourselves.

Timemore C2

Frankly, we're glad that the Timemore C2 hand grinder is among the top 3 grinders in the field. This is because Timemore is a genuine coffee equipment manufacturer, whereas Nitrip also offers cushions and fire extinguishers. For example, Timemore makes one of the cleverest scales on the market with a dual weighing function.

The Timemore delivers very solidly, was responsible for one of the best filter coffees in the field, and also ground fine enough for espresso. The grinder is made of stainless steel and the shaft is multi-bearing. At 465 grams and a height of 15.7 cm, the grinder is one of the more robust and heavier hand grinders in the field.

The bean capacity is 21 grams and the grounds container holds 27.5 grams of coffee. The Timemore C2 also has a "falling lid" problem, similar to the Nitrip Easy Clean Red. There is no magnet or other snap-in function.

The steel grinding mechanism can be adjusted incrementally and appears high-quality and sharp. For filter coffee, we were at 25 clicks and for espresso at 13 clicks. The Timemore C2 was the fastest among the 14 grinders. 19 grams were ground in about 30 seconds. However, the grinding mechanism is obviously different now, as the grinder takes much longer for espresso-fine grinds.

The Timemore C2 has an external ribbed structure, which facilitates a strong grip and prevents the grinder from slipping. The circumference of the grinder is still comfortable for smaller hands.

Online, we've seen the Timemore C2 for prices between 79 and 85 Euros.

Disclaimer and note: we now offer the Slim Plus by Timemore. This grinder is even better suited for espresso. Especially because the C2 now apparently has a different grinding mechanism and no longer grinds as quickly as in our initial test.

Nitrip Mini Black

The manual grinder Nitrip Mini Black* has only one criticism: it can't hold more than 18 grams of coffee in either the bean hopper or the grounds compartment. However, if you mainly use the grinder for yourself or as a companion for hikes or travels, the Nitrip Mini Black is an excellent choice.

This grinder also has multiple bearings in a metal casing. The grinder weighs 290 grams and has a height of 14 cm with a diameter of 5 cm. This makes it the smallest and handiest grinder in the field. Thanks to the fine grooves in the body, the grinder is easy to grip and doesn't slip out of your hand.

Unlike the first two grinders, the Nitrip Mini Black doesn't constantly lose its lid. It locks in well and stays put even when the grinder is turned upside down. The wooden knob is held firmly to the grinder handle by a magnet. This also looks high-quality and well-made.

Like the other two grinders, the Nitrip Mini Black is also well-suited for brewing filter coffee and espresso. Since the small grinder is uniquely suitable for mobile brewing, we prepared an espresso with the Flair. Very practical – the bean hopper fits exactly into the brewing chamber here. Filling the ground coffee powder was therefore very easy.

For filter coffee, we set the grinder to 23 clicks, and for espresso to 11 clicks (for the Flair, 10 clicks). The grinder processed 19 grams in 35 seconds, making it one of the faster grinders.

The Nitrip Mini Black, at around 50 Euros, was the cheapest of the three best grinders and is therefore also our price-performance test winner.

How to adjust manual grinders using "clicks"

Once you've found a suitable grind size for filter coffee, you only need to readjust the grinder if you're using completely different roasts or coffees. For example, this might be the case when switching from a lighter roasted coffee to a darker one. In everyday use, only minimal adjustments are usually necessary for filter coffee, as the strength and extraction can also be controlled by swirling and dosing. For a good espresso setting, more precise adjustment is important.

If a grinder is adjustable in steps and has a click grid, this simplifies adjustment greatly. Above all, you can easily return to the original grind size. The adjustment of the grinder by one step is audible with a click sound when adjusting. The zero point is the fully closed grinder (conical burr completely lowered). From there, you count to the appropriate grind size. For example, we set the Timemore C2 to 25 clicks to grind coffee for filter coffee. For espresso, our grinder was set to 13 clicks.

Grinders with "clicks" allow you to note recipes, switch coffees, and return to the old grind size.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Stepped and Stepless Adjustment in Manual Grinders

Very good professional grinders are either stepless or have stepped adjustments with very small increments. Stepless grinders allow for the most precise adjustment, as the setting is not tied to a grid. Examples include the EK43 or Niche Zero, both grinders that can be used for both filter coffee and espresso. These grinders can be quickly changed from fine to coarse with precise, small graduations, as a marked grid provides orientation.

For grinders with steps, the adjustment is always tied to a grid. If the step increments are very small, this grinder can also be set very precisely. In the espresso domain, however, a stepless grinding mechanism is generally preferred.

For manual grinders, grinders with steps have advantages. This is mainly because the adjustment screw is turned completely several times when setting the manual grinder. With stepless grinders, you simply don't know "where you are in the adjustment" if the grinder cannot be counted by clicks. Theoretically, a stepless grinder can be adjusted more precisely even with manual grinders. However, orientation is so difficult that we clearly recommend manual grinders with steps and "clicks."

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Links with asterisks are affiliate links. If you buy a grinder through this link, you support us in our work. It doesn't cost you more for the grinder, and we fill our test machine piggy bank. But: if possible and available, we always recommend buying a grinder locally from a small retailer or roastery. There, they can advise you directly, and you'll have contacts in the future. If a grinder is only available on Amazon and you buy it there, we would be very happy if you shop through our link. Thank you!