6 best manual coffee grinders
If you want to get that natural taste of coffee that only handwork can provide, it may take a little work on your part. Investing in the best manual coffee grinder on the market can give you the brew you’re looking for. While convenience is essential in our society, nothing beats the flavor of a handmade product or one produced with love and a little work.

To help you get that rich, natural flavour, a manual coffee grinder can help you step back and focus on what’s really important. Not only will it be able to slow down the rush of your daily routine, but it will also taste so much different to a normal coffee machine. In our guide today, we’ve put together the best brands and products in one article.

After looking at reviews from people like you and comparing different features – from the size and white colour of the grinder to the type of burr, hopper and storage capacity to warranty information – we’ve reached our final verdict. However, before we jump to the conclusion, make sure you go through the whole buying guide today to help you make the best decision. We’ve got a comparison table that puts all the brands and products side by side, we’ve taken you through detailed reviews of each product, and we’ve finished the article with a buying guide to help you choose the best manual coffee grinder.

The 6 best manual coffee grinders
1

Zassenhaus Santiago
The Zassenhaus Santiago has easily made its way into the top tier of manual coffee grinders on the market.

Not only is it designed by a quality brand, but it is also handcrafted from unique European beech wood, making it particularly perfect for grinding large quantities of coffee in one go.

With a 25-year limited warranty, the Zassenhaus Santiago allows you to enjoy hand-ground coffee for life. With its distinct characteristics of beauty, technical precision and innovation, the Zassenhaus Santiago is known for its robust quality, but also for its elegance.

Whether you’re grinding coffee in the morning or spices for dinner, the Zassenhaus Santiago is the perfect addition to your kitchen to help you get all the flavours you want. From its steel mechanism to its grinder, its inner workings are matched only by its outer design, with an attractive mahogany colour and gold finishing details.

You can also enjoy the little box that collects the grinds when you manually create a tasty cup of coffee. You also don’t have to worry about coffee spilling all over the outside of the unit, as is the case with other types of manual coffee grinders. This is due to its high-quality construction and its range of grinds – as fine or as coarse as you like.

The Zassenhaus Santiago also has stainless steel burrs that can crush the beans and get the richness of flavour – every time.

14 x 9 x 20 cm
1.8 lbs
conical
25 year warranty on the grinding mechanism
mahogany beech wood, adjustable grind, stainless steel cutters
Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder
The Porlex Mini stainless steel coffee grinder is simplistic in design, but with great beneficial results. Designed with high quality Porlex burrs used directly in the grinder, the laser engraved mechanisms create an efficient machine.

The Porlex stainless steel mini coffee grinder is our most delicate but effective coffee grinder. Designed with attention to detail, the brand new patented connector design associated with this edition prevents handle slippage and wear over the years.

The Porlex Mini stainless steel coffee grinder comes with a 7 year warranty, which is quite sufficient for high quality coffee grinders. You will certainly appreciate the quality of the materials used in its manufacture, especially as it is designed to last.

With its outer ceramic burrs designed to create the best grind and its stainless steel housing, the Porlex stainless steel mini coffee grinder is particularly easy to clean and maintain. The ceramic material also makes it much more durable than glass, which explains the extended warranty, and produces less static electricity than plastic versions.

The Porlex Mini stainless steel coffee grinder is also designed with a conical shape, which gives it anti-rust properties. They also stay sharper for much longer. This coffee grinder is also designed with a rubber handle which not only makes grinding easier but also allows you to attach the handle to the side of the grinder.

5.1” x 2.3”
8 oz
tapered
0.7 oz
Limited to 7 years
ceramic burrs, stainless steel exterior, rubber handle, grind setting
Groenenberg Manual Coffee Grinder
Considered our coffee grinder with accessories, the Groenenberg manual coffee grinder is light and easy to use. Although it does not have a very long warranty (especially compared to others on the market), it does carry a guarantee. This is based on its material – with a high-hardness stainless steel precision cutter, its life is six times longer than the average.

Thanks to its double-bearing design, the Groenenberg manual coffee grinder offers consistency in grinding, with a three-axis correction knife. If consistency in your coffee is important to you or your customers, the Groenenberg r manual coffee grinder is ideal for preserving the original flavour of the coffee and improving its purity and taste.

If you are looking for the least amount of effort with the manual coffee grinder, the Groenenberg coffee grinder is easy to grind, giving you a comfortable and relaxed experience.

Its aluminium alloy body with a stainless steel core is known for its rustproof properties as well as its easy-to-clean features.

The accessories included with this grinder are numerous enough to mention, including the manual grinder, portable bag, instruction set, non-slip ring and brush.

4.8 x 4.8 x 17.4 cm
0.56 kg
conical
35 kg
30 day money back guarantee, 1 year warranty

Hario Skerton Pro
Whether you want to keep your kitchen looking symmetrical or are simply looking to add to your coffee accessories, the Hario Skerton Pro is considered our most stylish grinder on the market.

From its improved burr shaft, designed with a stabiliser plate, to its easy-to-grind adjustment screw, it is not only beautiful, it is also very practical to use.

The Hario Skerton Pro is also designed for personal or professional use – with an improved handle for better ergonomics – for the home coffee lover or barista.

The Hario Skerton Pro is designed with a capacity of 100g, making it fully capable of preparing one or two cups of coffee. This manual coffee grinder not only gives you the satisfaction of keeping things traditional, but it also promises a uniform and robust coffee grind.

Stylistically, the Hario Skerton Pro uses unique features such as ceramic burrs, which means you don’t need to preheat your coffee beans. This also allows the coffee to achieve full, unaltered flavours without having to go through a de-oiling process during grinding.

Although the whole process can take a few minutes, you can combine it by bringing the water to a boil while grinding the coffee.

The whole process is silent, so you can enjoy the fresh taste of espresso without waking the whole family.

6.5″ x 3.7″ x 7.6
1.4 lbs
tapered
3.5 oz.
not specified
burr stabilizer plate, ceramic burrs, heat resistant glass, dishwasher safe, grind
setting.
Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Coffee Grinder
The Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Coffee Grinder is a high quality choice if you are looking for an affordable price. Although you may think that it takes money to get good coffee, the Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Coffee Grinder proves this idea wrong.

By using the features of a ceramic coffee grinder and the unique and specific ceramic grinding mechanism, you can be sure to get a cup of coffee full of flavour. Especially since the ceramic material protects the flavour of the grind, every cup you make will promise fresh, tasty and pure coffee.

The Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Coffee Grinder also features a foolproof grinding mechanism with hardness and rust-proof properties.

This means that although the Kyocera Advanced ceramic coffee grinder only has a limited one-year warranty, it can promise a very long-lasting performance.

The manual coffee grinder also has an internal grind setting that allows you to switch between fine and coarse grinds, so you can choose the brand you prefer. The Kyocera Advanced Ceramic coffee grinder also has a non-slip base, which ensures stability.

If you are specifically interested in making Turkish coffee or grinding seasoning spices such as salt, pepper, green tea and sesame seeds, this device is a versatile purchase thanks to its ceramic grinding mechanism.

The conical burr design also allows you to focus on a range of different grinds, from French press to Turkish coffee.

16.4″ x 11.5″ x 13
8 oz
tapered
3.5 oz.
Limited to 1 year
non-slip base, grind setting, rust resistant, ceramic burrs, dishwasher safe, 1 oz. tank
Handground precision manual coffee grinder
The Handground Precision Manual Coffee Grinder is an excellent, affordable, personal manual coffee grinder with a wide variety of settings to make great coffee swoon. As a high quality manual coffee grinder, the Handground Precision Manual Coffee Grinder is incredibly responsive to produce a consistent grind with the crank for any type of bean, giving you great versatility in your coffee making.

The Handground Precision coffee grinder has 15 settings, allowing you to choose the grind size as well as the style of coffee: pour-over, drip, Chemex, Cold Brew, French Press, AeroPress, Espresso, etc.

Although this is a manual coffee grinder, the process is smooth, with a 40mm ceramic conical burr and a triple-mounted shaft that makes it quite robust, even when running.

The quality is also very reliable and lasts five times longer than stainless steel blades.

What’s great about the manual coffee grinder? It’s durable AND portable, so you can take it with you or place it anywhere in the kitchen. It’s also fairly quiet, making it an ideal mechanism for a family-oriented household.

The construction is also easy to assemble and disassemble, and stands out not only for its ease of use but also for its elegance.

6″ x 4″ x 8.5
1.7 lbs
conical
3.5 oz.
Limited to 1 year
15 grind settings, 1.5″ ceramic burr, removable crank mechanism
Benefits of a manual coffee grinder
You may be considering buying a manual coffee grinder, but you are not sure how much extra time you will spend working manually.
However, not only will you save money and time with your own coffee grinder at home, but you will also enjoy the taste.

If you’re not quite convinced that your kitchen needs a manual coffee grinder yet, here are a few reasons why you should invest in one today for better coffee tomorrow morning:

They are much more affordable than electric grinders. Of course, this usually means that you’ll be doing a lot more work than with an electric grinder. However, if you have the time to enjoy the process, you’ll want to opt for a more affordable price and get a higher quality. You will usually have a choice between a high quality manual coffee grinder (like the ones shown here) and a cheaper electric grinder.
It is much more durable than an electric grinder. The big advantage of the manual coffee grinder is that you don’t really have to worry about replacing or repairing electrical parts. When manual coffee grinders are designed with quality materials, they are very durable.
They are much more compact, light and small than the electric grinder. Think about it: you can have your own coffee wherever you go!
You don’t have to worry about heat generation with a manual coffee grinder. With an electric grinder, the speed of rotation is usually too high and can destroy the natural aromas or tastes of the coffee.
Although you have your work cut out for you, it is difficult to beat a cup of natural ground coffee manually.

How do you use a manual coffee grinder?
You may have just taken the plunge and purchased one of the manual coffee grinders you see here today. You may still be thinking about the purchase.

By familiarizing yourself with the different steps and processes of using a manual coffee grinder, you will feel more comfortable owning one.

Especially if you are investing in a manual coffee grinder for the first time, you need to educate yourself on how to use it.

To help you out, watch this informative instructional video:

Features to consider when buying the best manual coffee grinder
Before you buy, make sure you take a closer look at the individual features of coffee grinders. To help you compare them to each other – apart from our comparison table at the top of this guide – we’ll list some unique features you should consider before buying a manual coffee grinder.

Weight and size
Whether you have a small work space or want to get a good grip on things, the weight and size of the coffee grinder can make all the difference. It can also make a huge difference if you are looking to store it in a cupboard or small storage space.

If weight is a concern, opt for a lighter coffee grinder, such as the Porlex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder, which weighs only about 30 grams. Although it’s small and doesn’t produce a ton of coffee, it’s ideal for travel, compatibility and lightness.

Noise level
The advantage of manual coffee grinders? They make little to no noise when it comes to disturbing your housemates for a morning coffee or late night espresso.

Just because you want a quality cup of coffee in the morning doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your roommates or pets with a noisy coffee machine in the morning!

With a manual coffee grinder, you’ve already made an informed decision to reduce your noise pollution, so kudos to you!

Settings and grinding speed
If you like different types of coffee or have customers or guests who take their coffee differently, having different settings and grinding speeds can be an important feature to have in your back pocket.
However, there is no point in having a ton of different settings if they are not of high quality.

Materials
The type of material can also make a huge difference when it comes to the durability of the material. Not only is the promised warranty important at this stage, but you want something that will last a long time and offer quality for years to come.

Once you’ve invested in a particular coffee, it’s hard to settle for anything else.

Capacity
The capacity of the manual coffee grinder also makes a difference. You want to be ready for a coffee shop full of happy customers with a machine that can do the job.

However, with manual and portable grinders such as the ones featured in this guide, you’ll normally be able to fill the grinder with anywhere from 0.7 to 3.5 oz, or about 19 to 100 grams of beans.

With 100 grams of beans, you can fill about 9 or 10 cups of coffee. Just to give you an idea. In general, it is best to choose a realistic size and capacity for your situation, whether you need a grinder for 1-3 people or 20.

Durability
Especially since you’re already going to invest in a manual coffee grinder, you’ll want to get a high quality material that will last longer than its warranty.

When it comes to the burrs, which are usually the most stressed, you’ll have to choose between ceramic and stainless steel.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but both are very good choices.

User-friendly
Let’s face it, you’re going to have to grind your coffee by hand, which isn’t very user-friendly.
However, to make the experience as pleasant as possible, you will need a compact size, a good handle position and a thoughtful design.

To help you assess the usability of a product, check out customer reviews. By familiarising yourself with the operating process of each manual shredder, you will become more comfortable with the product and the whole shredding process will be extremely user-friendly.

Price tag
Especially since you will most likely be using your coffee grinder for personal enjoyment, you do not want to spend a fortune.

There will certainly be a grinder that fits your budget. All you have to do is a little research on your part to make sure you don’t go over your limit.

Warranty
While most electric grinders are usually covered by a few years’ warranty, a manual grinder offers a wide range of years, from zero to seven years, like the Porlex stainless steel mini coffee grinder, or to twenty-five years, like the Zassenhaus Santiago.

The warranty that comes with the grinder can tell you a lot about its quality.

Our verdict
Even if you have the patience to grind your coffee manually, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have the patience or time to read this guide in its entirety.

If you’ve skipped the whole guide, no problem, we want to save you some time! Here’s our verdict on the top three choices for the best manual coffee grinder:

The Zassenhaus Santiago is our editors’ choice for the best on the market for a number of reasons, such as the quarter-century limited warranty, the mahogany beechwood look, and the mechanism features such as the grind adjustment and stainless steel burrs.

The Porlex stainless steel mini coffee grinder is our second choice, if you want to keep things efficient. Tapered in nature, the Porlex comes with a 7-year limited warranty and unique additions like a rubber handle and grind adjustment. It is also built to last with ceramic burrs and a stainless steel exterior.

If you’re on a budget but still a coffee lover, you can opt for our budget choice, the Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Coffee Grinder. Features such as a non-slip base, grind adjustment, rust-resistant ceramic burrs and dishwasher-safe features set it apart from other affordable options.

We hope our guide has helped you choose the best manual coffee grinder for you and our morning diet.