If you made it this far, we could assume you are in the market for a great espresso grinder or looking to upgrade from your current one but may need to know where to start. We’ll break down how to find the best grinder for espresso, what features and functions to watch, and then toss you a few personal recommendations.

Only some grinders can grind fine enough for espresso, and even those attached to your machine may need to do a sufficient job.

First and foremost, a coffee grinder for espresso must grind fine enough to brew an espresso properly. Espresso brewing is much different from any other brewing method as it involves finely ground coffee tightly packed into a portafilter that gets highly pressurized water (130 lbs. per square inch) pushed through it. Suppose your coffee is not ground fine enough to create resistance in your portafilter. In that case, the pressurized water will push through the coffee too quickly, causing an espresso that lacks viscosity and crema.

Grinding fine is only one piece of the puzzle, as the grinder's consistency, grind quality, ease of use, and features should also play a part in your purchasing decision. We’ll break down all these factors in the following few sections!

When shopping for espresso grinders, you often come across the term “burr” grinder. Burr grinders are the industry standard for espresso grinding and are placed into two categories: flat burrs and conical burrs. The type of burrs, the material they are made of, and their size all affect how consistent your grind will be and impact the taste of your coffee (RPMs of your grinder also play a part here).

Let’s look at Flat Burrs vs. Conical Burrs

Flat burr: A flat burr grinder features two horizontal blades, one positioned upwards and the other facing downwards. The coffee beans are placed between the burrs and ground, before being dropped and turned twice at 90 degrees.

In general, flat burr grinders tend to generate more heat and noise compared to conical burr grinders. However, they are also known for producing some of the most consistent coffee grounds due to their flat and large surface area, which leads to a smoother and uniform size. This results in a consistent taste in every cup of coffee.

Conical burr: Conversely to flat burr grinders, conical burr grinders work vertically, with one burr nested inside the other. The outer burr is shaped like a circular, hollow ring with slanted teeth, similar to a cupcake wrapper without the base. The inner burr is cone-shaped with a broader base, which appears star- or flower-like from above due to its channels and small angled teeth. The design of the burrs results in uniform grinding and high control over grind size, and is also highly efficient, leading to lower-speed grinders and less noise and heat generation.

After reading the above, you may still be confused about what burr type to look for when shopping for an espresso grinder. There is much debate about what type of burr is better for espresso. We have used both types and think conical burrs can produce a high-quality grind like flat burrs.

Mostly all café quality commercial espresso grinders use flat burrs, indicating the preferred burr type of baristas and coffee professionals. We’ll leave this one at that, as the debate between flat and conical burrs can be lengthy!

Espresso burr size differences

Choosing a grinder based solely on burr size may lead you to purchase a grinder that is not the quality you want. We compiled a list of espresso grinders by price, burr type, burr size, and average rating to show you that often, the size of the burr correlates to price, which leads to the misconception that bigger burrs are better burrs.

Larger burrs, as you may have guessed, have a larger surface area, meaning they can grind espresso more efficiently than their smaller burr counterparts. As you can see below, the larger burrs tend to be in the higher-priced bracket as they often need larger motors to power the system. These grinders are usually geared toward the café setting and not the home espresso enthusiast.

Regardless of burr size, you are looking for a grinder that grinds consistently across a given grind setting. The grinder you choose should produce an even distribution in grind size, as this is what typically impacts the coffee’s flavor the most (as well as RPM and heat produced from the burrs). A grinder that produces a lot of “fines” or an inconsistent grind size means that your brew will extract unevenly and inconsistently every time.

Burr material differences

You will mostly find titanium burrs on the market, though ceramic burrs do exist. The main differences are their distribution of fines, heat retention, durability, and price.

Titanium burrs are reliable and can grind thousands of pounds of coffee before needing replacement. You will likely never need to replace titanium burrs for a home espresso enthusiast.

Titanium burrs produce a very consistent grind that produces very few fines. That means your grind particle size is relatively consistent, producing a clean and sweet flavor profile.

Finally, titanium burrs heat very slowly but have difficulty cooling quickly compared to ceramics. If you are grinding much coffee often and quickly, titanium burrs may impact the flavor profile of your coffee as they heat up and retain heat.

Ceramic burrs are said to produce more fines, leading to a more complex flavor profile, often with heavier body and mouthfeel (more fines often mean higher total dissolved solids (TDS) but does not always lead to a better flavor profile).

Finding an espresso grinder with infinite or stepless adjustments is crucial when dialing in a coffee for espresso. It is ideal to have a grinder like the Eureka Mignon Specialita that has an endless adjustment; a slight turn of the knob and you are at a whole new grind size, but it does make it more challenging to keep track of precisely what setting or grind size you are on. We have worked with grinders like the Baratza Sette 270wi, a step/stepless adjustment grinder with 30 macro steps and 9 marked micro stepless adjustments, which grinds beautifully and is easy to dial in espresso.

Both grinders are moderately priced but give you an almost endless grind adjustment to easily fine-tune from one espresso to the next.

Another essential factor when looking for the best espresso grinder is the grind range. The grind range ultimately indicates how fine or coarse your grinder can grind through the stepped or stepless adjustments you make. Every espresso grinder should tell you its range, where the lower end represented in microns will indicate how fine it can grind up how coarse.

Below are some examples of grind size ranges represented in microns. Remember, grinders with step adjustments may adjust between ~8 – 15 microns per click, while stepless grinders have no set micron adjustment.

*grind range figures are often difficult to find and many grinder manufacturers do not list them

The crucial thing here is to find a grinder that falls within the espresso range of 200 – 500 μm. Anything under 250 is typically too fine, and over 400 is usually too coarse for espresso.

1. Grind-by-Weight GbW grinders: Grind-by-weight grinders do precisely what you think they might. You set the desired weight in grams, hit the grind button, and a few seconds later, you have close or exactly how much ground coffee you need in your portafilter. Most high-end commercial grinders like the Mahlkonig E65S GbW have this feature, but it can also be found in the Baratza Sette 270Wi, powered by acaia technology.
2. Grind-by-Time GbT grinders: Grind-by-time grinders are what you’ll find most on the market and do a decent job of achieving your desired weight, but they can sometimes be frustrating. Grind-by-weight grinders work by setting the amount of time you want to grind. For example, I know 4.5 seconds on my Mahlkonig E65S will produce roughly 20 grams of coffee for a double shot of espresso for a particular coffee and grind setting. Every time you adjust your grind setting or change your coffee, you must adjust the time. Luckily, most GbT grinders have a pulse button where you can stop the grind short, measure, and then pulse a few more grams of coffee into the portafilter if needed.

Note that GbW grinders are typically only found in high-end commercial espresso grinders though the Baratza Sette 270Wi has this feature and is reasonably priced.

Most grinders under $2,000 are grind-by-time, so searching for a good quality GbW grinder different from the Baratza Sette 270Wi will leave you with few options.