Manual vs Electric Coffee Grinders: How to pick the right one

Choosing the right coffee grinder is as personal as choosing your favourite bean blend. It will always relate to your needs and goals as a home barista and the decision will inevitably raise questions about your coffee ritual. So, while there are arguments for both manual and electric grinders (and we think both types are great, which is why we stock a varied range) to make the right choice, you need to take your grinding needs into account.

Manual vs Electric Coffee Grinders: some questions to ask yourself.

How many people do I plan to be brewing for at a time? Will it be a regular brew for one or two, or a whole office?

Do I want convenience when grinding?Do you need lots of bells and whistles or a simple grinder that can be set to make your ideal coffee?

What kind of coffee maker will I be grinding for? Are you going to be using a French press, AeroPress or electric coffee brewer, or is there an espresso machine sat on your worktop?

When will I be drinking my coffee? Or more to the point, will my coffee ritual wake up everyone else in the household?

Manual vs Electric Coffee Grinders: the benefits of both.

If you’ve read our blog on the best coffee grinders for 2022 you’ll have noticed that both manual and electric grinders made it on to our list. Both types have their own merits.

What’s great about manual coffee grinders?

Manual coffee grinders are very simple to use. With most hand grinders, you set the coarseness of the grinds, load the coffee beans, and crank the shaft. They’re also incredibly portable and you can use them anywhere (they don’t rely on electricity). Added to this they are quiet, so you’ll be unlikely to wake anyone up as you create your first brew of the day.

They can also be used for single doses, meaning that you can use them with espresso machines. For example, the Brewsita X Series, has 60 coarseness settings, enabling you to grind anything from French presses to espressos.

However, if you are looking to brew coffee for more than two people, a hand grinder may not be the right choice, unless you’re planning on building your arm muscles. While they are durable and long lasting, grinding for more than two people can be tiring and could make your brewing process a bit of a faff.

What’s great about electric coffee grinders?

Before we start this conversation, we need to point out that if you are buying an electric coffee grinder, you need one with burrs. If you buy one with blades you are pretty much buying a blender.

One of the first benefits of electric coffee grinders is that they are sturdy, sitting on your countertop, ready to go. They’re also quick, producing consistently ground coffee at the touch of a button. Alongside this, electric grinders provide far more options for producing an optimum grind with more options for micro-adjustments.

Importantly, if you are regularly grinding for more than two people, an electric grinder is really the best possible option, making your brewing experience simple and effective.

On the downside, the majority of electric grinders are noisy, although new quieter ones are always appearing on the market. The Fellow ODE Brew Grinder, has added noise reduction features making it one of the quietest grinders on the market. No wonder it’s an award winner.

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