Some coffee aficionados just love the feel and sound of a manual coffee grinder. They take delight in the way the coffee beans feel in their hands as they pour them into the hopper, and they enjoy turning the crank to produce fresh grounds. But which hand coffee grinder is best? It’s all a matter of personal opinion, and what better place to find a lot of opinions than by reading through manual coffee grinder reviews? You could spend all day doing that, but you don’t have to—because I did!
Kyocera Ceramic Coffee Grinder
The Kyocera CM-50 CF manual coffee grinder has the best rating of all of the manual coffee grinders on Amazon.com. The grinding mechanism is made of ceramic, so it does not affect the flavor of the coffee. Customer reviews indicate that it grinds well, whether you want a coarse grind for French press, fine for Espresso, or something in between. You might have to experiment a bit to find the best setting for your coffee beans. The handle turns easily, but if you have problems such as carpal tunnel or arthritis in your hands, you should definitely opt for an electric coffee grinder instead of a manual one because even the best manual coffee grinder is likely to be hard on your hands and wrists.
MSS-1B Mini Mill Slim Hario Coffee Grinder
This Hario coffee grinder is easy to operate and to clean. It has a slim, space-saving design, and the handle can be removed for more compact storage. This is a small grinder that is perfect for light coffee drinkers. It can grind enough coffee for up to two cups at a time. You can adjust the coarseness of the grind by turning a nut on the bottom of the grinder. This grinder has a lid over the hopper, so you can grind away while watching TV without worrying about spilling the beans if you hold the grinder at an angle.
Hario Skerton Hand Grinder
The Harion Skerton hand-crank coffee mill is a great little manual coffee grinder for fine grinds such as espresso, but many customers noted in their reviews that it produces an inconsistent grind if you try using it for French press or other coarse grinds. This Hario coffee grinder features conical ceramic burrs, and coarseness of the grind is easy to adjust. It is dishwasher safe, so it’s easy to clean.
The Best Manual Coffee Grinder
These three coffee grinders are all ceramic burr grinders, so they will give you more a more uniform texture of grounds than a blade grinder. Since these products are manual, you should expect it to take quite a bit longer to grind your coffee than it would with an electric coffee grinder, but you are saving a lot of money by purchasing a hand coffee grinder. Plus, manual coffee grinders can be used in situations where electricity is unavailable, such as the annual family camping trip.
I just got my Hario Skerton in the mail about a week ago now – I’m brand new to making good coffee at home, and it has turned into quite an adventure. I agree with what you said about the Skerton being good for espresso, it produces a really consistent grind and the ceramic conical burrs are fantastic.
But. It takes a really long time. I don’t have any experience (yet) with other manual burr grinders, but I am curious to see if they are as time consuming as the Skerton or if some of them can produce with the same consistency and fewer rotations.
Additionally, my French press hasn’t arrived yet (like I said, brand new to the good coffee at home routine), but I’m actually under the impression that the Hario Skerton makes pretty decent press pot brews.
But I haven’t any experience with that yet.