The Best Coffee Grinder For French Press: Our 2023 Picks

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If you’re a fan of French press coffee, you know that getting the grind size right significantly impacts the quality of the coffee it brews.

Learning this took a lot of trial and error at the beginning of our coffee journey. We wasted a lot of time using a mediocre blade grinder and paying the price with equally mediocre coffee each day.

Buying whole-bean coffee and grinding it at home before each brew wasn’t enough to achieve an exceptional cup of coffee. No matter what brewing method or type of coffee was used, the coffee was never much above average. What gives?

The problem was that while the blade grinder did a decent job of chopping up the beans, there was very little consistency in the grind and no way to control grind size accurately.

Using the right coffee grinder to achieve the correct grind size for any brewing method (here, we’ll focus on French press coffee) is critical to take your coffee experience to the next level.

But what is the best grind for French press coffee?

Coffee Grind Size For French Press

French press coffee requires a medium-coarse to coarse grind for best results. This is because most mesh filters allow the finer ground coffee to slip through. 

And nobody wants sludge in the bottom of their cup.

How coarse to grind for French press will depend on your brewing method. If you don’t stir your grounds, you can use a medium-coarse grind and let them settle to the bottom. A medium-coarse grind will resemble rough sand.

A coarse grind will resemble sea salt, resulting in a bright, clean, and flavorful cup of French press coffee with zero grit. We recommend opting for a coarse grind if you’re unsure how coarse to grind for French press.

Pre-Ground Coffee

If you’re a person who prefers to buy pre-ground coffee, you should consider changing your ways. At least when it comes to the French press, anyway.

Pre-ground coffee is too fine for a French press and won’t yield the desired results. You’ll need to grind yourself to achieve the perfect cup of French press coffee.

So which are the best grinders for French press?

To sum it up, the best grinder for French press coffee (or any brewing method) is a burr grinder.

Why? Burr grinders produce less friction and won’t heat the ground coffee as much as a blade grinder, thus preserving the aroma and flavor of the beans.

But there are seemingly endless options for burr grinders out there, so which are the best grinders for French press?

THE BEST COFFEE GRINDER FOR FRENCH PRESS: OUR TOP PICKS

FULL REVIEWS: BEST GRINDER FOR FRENCH PRESS COFFEE

1. Overall Winner – Best Coffee Grinder For French Press

For several reasons, the Baratza Encore Burr Coffee Grinder earned our top pick for the best coffee grinder for French press. First, it’s an incredible value for the quality of this coffee grinder.

Typically in coffee grinders, the more expensive the coffee grinder is, the better it is. Luckily, this is not the case with Encore. 

This Baratza grinder is perfect for home brewers who love manual brewing techniques (like French press) as it performs exceptionally well on medium to coarse settings.

It has 40 grind settings, which is more than most homebrewers require, and it’ll create a consistent grind for all sorts of brewing methods.

It lacks the bells and whistles of some other, more expensive coffee grinders, but it doesn’t need them.

This coffee grinder grinds coffee consistently with minimal effort, making it a fantastic choice for laidback mornings and French press coffee.

2. Best Manual Grinder For French Press

The Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder is a top-selling coffee grinder on Amazon and for a good reason.

While the capacity of this grinder is low, which some may see as a downside, the small size makes this the perfect burr coffee grinder for traveling and camping.

If you are on a tight budget and brew small batches of coffee (like, say, french press coffee?) regularly, then this coffee grinder is a fantastic option for you.

Manual coffee grinders require zero electricity, which is a significant advantage for those of us who refuse to let a remote location (or a power outage) stop us from brewing an epic cup of coffee.

We are partial to manual grinders, and this is one of the best manual coffee grinders we’ve tried at this price point. Although, to be fair, there aren’t many decent options at this price point.

It’s quiet, precise, and offers 18 grind settings that will grind coffee beans for just about any coffee brewing method.

With ceramic burrs, the Javapresse is built to last. However, ceramic burrs are not shatter-proof, so use caution when traveling with this coffee grinder. Luckily, if anything were to happen to the burrs, the grinder isn’t too pricey to replace.

Overall the Javapresse manual coffee grinder is an outstanding value, creates a fairly consistent grind, and is the most affordable pick for the best hand grinder for French press coffee. It deserves a spot in your coffee arsenal.

3. Best Electric Coffee Grinder For French Press

The Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder is our pick for the best electric coffee grinder for French press because it’s a nifty little electric grinder at a reasonable price.

While the Bistro coffee grinder doesn’t earn a 10/10 for consistency, it holds its own on any grind setting for manual brewing styles and creates a solid medium grind for French press.

It wins points for ease of operation and reduction of static cling (an underrated feature). It’s easy to clean (bonus points there) and comes in a few fun colors to add a bit of flair to your kitchen counter.

The Bodum Bistro is a solid electric coffee grinder at a reasonable price and easily one of the best burr grinders for French press coffee.

4. Quietest Coffee Grinder French Press

If you aren’t a fan of manual coffee grinders but need a coffee grinder with respect for late sleepers (slowly raises hand), the Capresso Infinity Grinder is for you.

The Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder is the quietest coffee grinder we’ve found outside of manual coffee grinders (which, should be noted, can be pretty loud in their own right)

So how does this little conical burr coffee grinder create such a consistent grind at a significantly reduced volume?

The Capresso Infinity conical burr grinder features a unique gear-reduction motor that grinds the coffee beans slowly, thus reducing noise and static build-up.

This slow grinding speed (the slowest in its class, btw) creates less heat and friction, which means your coffee beans will retain their aroma and flavor regardless of which grind setting is used.

The Infinity is the only coffee grinder on this list that grinds consistently for ALL TYPES of brewing methods. From super-fine for Turkish coffee to super-coarse for cold brew!

This electric conical burr coffee grinder offers exceptional value at a reasonable price, making it one of the best burr coffee grinders for French press and the perfect choice for homebrewers who want to experiment with various brewing methods but need to keep the noise down.

5. Best Inexpensive Coffee Grinder For French Press

The Cuisinart DBM-8 offers the benefits of an electric burr grinder at the price of a manual grinder or blade grinder.

It is hands down the most affordable burr grinder in its class and offers unbeatable value for the money. The DBM-8 is an ideal coffee grinder for beginners who don’t want to invest much money in buying the absolute best coffee grinder for French press.

We love that this affordable grinder gets the job done with decent consistency and far outperforms blade grinders at a similar price point.

What we don’t love, however, is the noise this electric grinder produces. It is by far the loudest burr grinder we’ve tested. But hey, at this price, you can’t expect perfection.

The DBM-8 is relatively easy to use and clean and offers a large storage bin. But we don’t recommend storing ground coffee or coffee beans in it long-term, as it’s not air-tight.

Overall this electric coffee grinder will set you back about as much as a manual grinder but offers the convenience and speed of an electric grinder. It’s an excellent option for those looking for the lowest-priced electric burr grinder but who don’t want a manual grinder. 

A manual grinder (like our favorite, the 1Zpresso JX Pro) will produce a more consistent grind than the DBM-8, but you will have to use a bit of muscle to get there.

Closing Thoughts: What is the best coffee grinder for French press?

The best grinder for French press coffee is the one from this list that suits your lifestyle and needs best.

Are there better coffee grinders out there? Sure. But these burr coffee grinders offer both performance and affordability.

And if you’re only grinding for French press, you won’t need all the bells, whistles, and fine-tuned grind settings that a more expensive model might offer you.

So what is the best coffee grinder for French press? You can’t go wrong with any of these burr coffee grinders. These can tackle how coarse to grind for French press with decent consistency and won’t break the bank.