Best Hand Coffee Grinder 2018 – Reviews of the Best Manual Coffee Grinders
A good cup of coffee is not easy to come by, and if you are a lover of all that is coffee you are probably picky about your grinds.
When you find yourself on the go and in need of your own grinds look no further than a portable coffee grinder for your everyday coffee needs - but - hopefully you'll get one thats easy to use and leaves you with a precise and consistent grind.
This article will ensure that you choose the best hand coffee grinders in 2018.
Coffee mills were not all created equal; material, size, function and warranty are just a few factors that should be considered when buying a grinder.
Lets take a look at the good, the bad and the downright ugly in manual hand coffee grinder...
OUR #1 PICK
The Best Value For Money
The HandGround Coffee Grinder
This hand mill grinder is one that does its job perfectly! Its quality and performance is just what we need to make that best homemade coffee. What's more - it has 15 grind settings to choose from for any brew method, beautiful design, and it doesn't take that much effort to use with your hands.
What Should You Consider When Looking for the Best Manual Coffee Grinder?
There are plenty of hand grinders out there to choose from - you just need to make sure you choose the right one.
1. Size (or lack thereof)
If you want to grind on the go you’ll want to consider buying a coffee mill that incorporates a sleek, cylindrical shape that makes it easy to store and easy to grip.
Less is more when it comes to portability, however, if you're not concerned with travelling with your hand grinder, something nice and vintage looking may suit you more.
2. Material - will it last?
Grinders can come in all kinds of materials, but consider stainless steel or ceramic as the best possible option as it is durable, easy to clean and looks great on the countertop next to your coffee machine.
Tieing in with point #1 - if you plan to travel with yours, avoid ceramic and stick to stainless steel (or hardened plastic)
3. Function – is there enough of it?
Precision and consistency are key; you’ll want a grinder with functional applications that will produce the same results no matter where you are grinding.
It's no good to have something that 'just grinds', you'll need something that grinds to different tastes.
A cheap s**tty quality hand grinder will not grind consistently, leaving your brew over or under extracted.
4. Warranty - are you covered?
You should get the best bang for your buck and this includes an extended or lifetime warranty.
Well made products will often offer long-term or lifetime warranty as their products are manufactured with precision and expertise.
Beware of grinders with no warranty - what are they trying to hide?
Machine grinders come with warranties, manual grinder often don't. Keep an eye on this!
The 4 Best Manual Coffee Grinders (in our opinion)...
Instead of the old 'trial and error' method of buying something online and finding out for yourself whether it's great (or it sucks), we've done the hard yards for you and reviewed a bunch of manual grinders.
Note: If you are planning to make turkish coffee, you'll need a super fine grind, and most likely, one of these special turkish grinders.
For everything else, the grinders below are perfect - but learn how to grind coffee first!
And here they are:
manual coffee grinder | SIZE (IN.) | GREAT FOR | PRICE | OUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Handground 
| 6x4x8.7" | TRAVEL + SOME BREW TYPES | $$ | 4.5/5 |
Hario 
| 16x11x13” | HOME USE + A FEW BREW TYPES | $ | 4.5/5 |
Porlex 
| 1.85" x 5.1" | TRAVEL + SOME BREW TYPES | $$ | 4.9/5 |
Zassenhaus 
| 16x11x13” | HOME USE + MOST BREW TYPES | $$$ | 4.4/5 |
#1 - The HandGround Coffee Grinder
I have a good feeling that the creators of the HandGround hand grinder have scratched their own itch.
I know this because I was frustrated with the available hand grinders on the market, up until I used this.
The HandGround is simple to use and delivers consistency on par with a great electric burr grinder.
This consistency is unmatched in the hand grinder market.
It’s as simple as set, load, grind. Throw your beans into the hopper, set your grind setting and turn the handle (which surprisingly, does NOT feel like you are doing an arm workout, as with other hand grinders).
You’ve got 15 grind settings, meaning you can brew for almost any brewing method all the way from cold brew (super coarse) to espresso (fine).
You won’t be able to brew for turkish coffee (super fine) - but most hand grinders have this same issue.
But the main thing is that you can actually choose a setting and use it again and again - something you can't do with other hand grinders on the market!
Best suited for: Anyone who realises the importance of consisted grinds when brewing great coffee. This is the best hand grinder on the market in terms of quality and performance - hands down.
I won't use anything else anymore, because I love damn good coffee, ground with my hand!
PROS
CONS
#2 - The Zassenhaus Santiago Coffee Mill Grinder, Mahogany
The expertly crafted Zassenhaus grinder has a beautiful mahogany finish and regarded as one of the finest on the market due to its conical burr, 25-year warranty, and high-quality grind capabilities.
Don't forget to check out its other color options too - which include a stunning beechwood, and black beechwood finish.
It's smaller than your typical electrical burr-grinder (allowing for bean grinding on the go) however regarding hand grinders it's a little larger and bulkier, but for its added size comes added style - especially the beautiful mahogany veneer.
With this manual grinder, you'll be sure that the grind function gives you a consistent result every time, and does not take-away from your delicate bean flavor with heat that is typically generated from electrical grinders.
It has a HUGE number of grind settings due to its grind size dial - meaning you can grind for every brew method, even turkish and espresso. Its perfect for espresso.
Best suited for: The Zassenhaus is a great buy for the coffee lover who wants a small manual grinder that is as beautiful as it is functional.
With a 25 year warranty the person interested in purchasing can rest assured that they own a high performance grinder for an extended time. For serious hand grinder / art fanatics only.
PROS
CONS
#3 - The Porlex Stainless Steel Mini Hand Grinder
Travelling coffee fanatics dont stop raving about the Porlex Portable Coffee mill that is designed to grind with perfect accuracy and is great for those who are traveling or constantly on the go.
What makes this product a great travel companion?
For one the portable easy-to-grip cylindrical shape makes it easy to hike, bike, pack in a suitcase or stash in the car.
It fits perfectly into the Aeropress making the convenience of packing easy, plus it weighs in at only 10.4 ounces.
Even better; its made with stainless steel material making it easy to clean, virtually indestructible and holds temperature extremely well.
The adjustable grinder produces accurate grinds for fine, course or grinds in between - and has a neat little dial that will ensure you remember that perfect grind you just produced.
Here's how it works: It has 13 settings, each defined by a 'click' on the burr wheel.
Find the right grind for your brewer, remember the number, and you're good to go!
Best suited for: This is a coffee grinder perfect for those who want to take their coffee with them on travels or when exploring the great outdoors.
This portable product not only is easy to use with simple features like grind strength and versatility, but it offers the user the opportunity to enjoy a great cup of coffee wherever they find themselves.
PROS
CONS
#4 - The Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton Grinder
The Hario has interesting features like the slip-free rubber base, large storage capacity, ceramic burrs for extra grind precision and ergonomic design making it a great buy for those in need of a manual grinder.
Ticking all the boxes, it's: small, lightweight and easy to use on the go, and the easy to clean ceramic material makes it great for those who might not have access to a kitchen sink at any given moment.
Being super easy to disassemble and reassemble (with a hopper that can attach to a mason jar or other storage containers) means it's another great manual coffee mill for those on the go, who like to stay prepared by grinding more that one serving and saving it for later (lets be honest, there's always time for another coffee!).
Best suited for: If you're traveling, camping or just want your favorite coffee beans with you at all times the Hario is a product that will work with your lifestyle.
Easy to use, easy to clean this grinder will manually blend your coffee beans without sacrificing the taste. It's designed for those who want a product that will carry through conditions with ease.
PROS
CONS
The Verdict: Which Hand Mill Grinder Do We Prefer?
While the above are all good options...but....we can't go past the HandGrounds coffee grinder!
Why? Because it does what its intended to do better than any of the others - grind coffee beans perfectly with your hand!
The fact that turning the crank does NOT feel like a whole body workout is just a bonus - but a nice bonus at that!
It's a little bulky for travelling, but unless you are a gung-ho minimalist you'll still be OK travelling with this grinder.
We are super impressed with the quality and perfomance, and I'm confident you'll be to!
The HandGround will take your coffee grinding game from to a 9. If you want to get to a 10, or beyond, you'll need a secret weapon; the KRUVE.
We hope that after browsing the above product reviews you have a great idea of what the best manual coffee grinder is - we sure do :)
My 50 year old coffee grinder has just failed due to superstructure failure rather than failure with the burr.I’ve bought a replacement grinder with ceramic burrs and really don’t like it feeling that ceramic burrs are not right for the job.metal burrs will conduct heat away from the beans being ground so that essential oils will not be lost,while it takes about three times as long to grind the coffee with the ceramic burrs.I fancy the Zassenhaus models,but expense is holding me back and I’m considering restoring my old grinder!