French press devotees know that a consistent grind size is the key to making delicious coffee from this seemingly simple process. But finding a coffee grinder that can turn out perfectly sized coffee granules is not such an easy task. The best coffee grinders for French presses have a few things in common.
To get the precise grind required for making coffee in a French press, invest in a burr grinder versus a blade grinder. How they work: Blade grinders function like food processors and chop, rather than grind, coffee beans. In contrast, a burr grinder crushes coffee beans to uniform size through two discs or cones with precise ridges. Blade grinders tend to produce an inconsistent grind that is too fine and will clog the filter of your French press, making it hard to plunge and producing muddy coffee. By opting for a burr grinder, you'll get rich, consistent coffee without clogging your press.
Next, decide if you want an electric or manual grinder. One offers convenience but takes up a bit more space, while the other is more portable and good for people who don’t mind a little hands-on work. One thing to note: To ensure its lasting performance, your grinder should be cleaned regularly. Look for a grinder with a burr mechanism that is easily accessible or removable for easy cleaning.
To guide you in your search, I've picked out the three best coffee grinders for French presses, below.
1
The Overall Best Coffee Grinder For French Presses
If you make coffee in a French press every day (or multiple times a day), a countertop electric burr grinder is the best option for you. This grinder from Secura offers 17 different grind sizes that can be preselected using a simple turn dial. Since it’s already programmed, it eliminates the trial-and-error sometimes required to find the perfect grind size on other grinders. The Secura’s large-capacity bin can hold up to 100 grams of coffee beans, which makes enough ground coffee for between 2 and 12 cups. Brewing just the right amount of coffee means you’ll always have the freshest results and can prevent waste. The removable burr grinder is easy to clean with an included brush, and the clear collection container slides into place under the grinder, helping to contain grounds so your countertops stay clean.
2
The Best Manual Coffee Grinder For French Presses
For added portability and a slimmer frame, you can't go wrong with this manual conical ceramic grinder. With a straightforward hand-crank design, it can produce up to a cup of ground coffee per batch which is more than enough for most standard French presses. Beans are loaded into the upper compartment which has a removable rubber lid to prevent anything from spilling out. Inside is a built-in adjustable grind selector to help you control the coarseness of your grind. The Khaw-Fee’s burr grinder is made from durable ceramic, and the glass collection bowl allows you to view what you’ve ground. As an added no-slip feature, the glass has a removable silicone base to provide stability during grinding. Like the Secura, the Khaw-Fee comes with a brush for easy cleaning and maintenance of the grinder.
3
The Most Compact Coffee Grinder For French Presses
JavaPresse offers another great manual coffee grinder option for French presses. At only 7.5 inches tall and less than 2 inches wide, it almost resembles a pepper mill with its sleek, stainless steel casing and hand crank. But this compact design makes the JavaPresse a good choice for people who take their coffee-making on the road, whether to the office, for travel, or camping. Within the durable stainless body is a ceramic burr grinder, which is designed to last five times longer than stainless steel blades. According to reviewers, the top chamber can hold about half a cup of coffee beans, so you may need to grind multiple batches depending on how large your French press is and your preferred brew strength. Despite its size, the JavaPresse still comes with more than 18 click settings to help you dial-in on the best grind size. Priced reasonably at $24, this grinder has won over more than 6,000 fans on Amazon.
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