The Best Pour Over Grinder For Manual Brewing In 2023
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If you enjoy manual brewing as much as we do (and that’s, like, A LOT), then you know how important it is to get the grind right.
And in case you haven’t yet invested in a quality pour over grinder, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite grinders to help you find your perfect grind.
What sets these grinders apart from others is that they are designed to handle grind sizes for manual brewing methods exceptionally well. Don’t expect to get a perfectly dialed espresso grind from any pour over grinder on our list.
Don’t get us wrong, some grinders can tackle just about any grind size well, but sometimes less is more. These grinders are not jacks of all trades but masters of grinding for pour over and other manual brewing styles.
So let’s get grinding.
Table of Contents
Find Your Pour Over Grinder
Let’s take a look at our top pour over grinder picks at a glance:
PICK | GRINDER NAME | WHAT WE LIKE | BUY IT |
 | 1ZPRESSO JX MANUAL |
| |
 | HARIO SKERTON PRO MANUAL |
| |
 | JAVAPRESSE MANUAL |
| |
 | FELLOW ODE |
| |
 | OXO BREW GRINDER |
|
Are Burr Grinders Really Better?
In a word, yes. We know how tempting it is to buy a cheap blade grinder and call it a day, but please don’t do that. Here’s why:
First, blade grinders are inappropriately named. They don’t actually grind anything. Blade grinders use a blade (duh) to chop up the beans, resulting in inconsistent grind size.
Getting the grind size right is essential, or you’ll end up with either an under or over-extracted brew (or a combo, gross).
Second, blade grinders generate heat as they chop, which causes the beans to release precious aromatics and impart a burned flavor onto the beans.
So, do us a favor and spend a few more bucks to get a high-quality burr grinder and avoid the blade grinders altogether.
But how do you know which burr grinder is best for you?
How To Choose A Good Coffee Grinder
There is a lot to consider when choosing a pour over grinder: the amount of coffee you’re brewing daily, availability of storage space, portability, noise level, and price (to name a few).
So let’s unpack these a bit.
First, you should consider how big a batch of coffee you usually make. A manual grinder will generally have a smaller bean capacity than an electric grinder, so keep that in mind.
Kitchen storage space is at a premium in most homes, so think about where you’ll store your new grinder and whether you’re cool with it living on your kitchen counter.
Do you often travel or love to camp? If you don’t want to go without your brew while on the road, you may want to consider a small, manual grinder for easy portability.
If you are grinding beans while others in the home are sleeping, consider the noise level of your future coffee grinder. Although, spoiler alert, even the quietest coffee grinder still makes a bit of noise.
Lastly, you’ll want to keep an eye on your budget when selecting a new pour over grinder. Electric coffee grinders can be very expensive, but don’t worry; we’ve got a few stellar options that are totally affordable.
Manual Coffee Grinder Or Electric
Deciding between a manual grinder and an electric grinder is the first step in choosing the right grinder for your needs. Both make excellent pour over grinders, so the choice is yours.
But are manual coffee grinders any good? You bet they are. A manual coffee grinder can produce a consistent grind that rivals the best electric grinder if you’re willing to do the work.
The benefits of a manual coffee grinder are that they’re significantly less expensive than electric grinders, are totally portable, and can easily be packed on camping trips and vacations. Not only are they small in size, but they don’t require any electricity to operate.
The downside of a manual grinder is that its capacity tends to be less than that of an electric grinder, and, obviously, you have to do the grinding yourself.
Additionally, manual grinders can be a bit slow. If time is a hot commodity for you, a manual grinder may not be your speed.
You may want an electric pour over grinder if you are short on time and/or need to brew a larger batch.
Electric coffee grinders do the work for you but at a price. The higher price tag is essentially buying convenience, speed, and capacity. An electric coffee grinder will give you a consistent grind with minimal effort and make excellent pour over grinders.
Grinding Your Own Coffee Vs. Pre-Ground
If you’re a person who prefers to buy pre-ground coffee, we beg you to change your ways. If you’re reading this article, hopefully, you’re considering it.
Pre-ground coffee will never taste as good as freshly ground coffee. This is because coffee beans begin to oxidize immediately after roasting (yikes), and the more exposure the beans have to the air, the faster they expire.
When coffee is ground, more oils and aromas are released from the beans, and even more of the bean is exposed to the air around them. Therefore that bag of ground coffee from your local market is already stale when you bring it home.
Gross.
Always buy whole bean coffee and grind it yourself just before brewing. Store your coffee beans in an airtight container away from sunlight. Coffee beans will last about 90 days post-roasting (in their original vacuum-sealed bag) but will only stay fresh for about 10-14 days once you’ve opened the bag.
Food for thought.
Pour Over Grind Setting
So what is the ideal grind setting for pour over coffee? Medium-Fine.
This grind will be a bit finer than sand but not as fine as espresso grind. Start with medium-fine and adjust towards coarse as needed. Do not go any finer than this, as you’ll end up with an over-extracted brew.
You’ll find that many coffee grinder manufacturers advertise many settings, but this is less important when choosing the best grinder for pour over.
You want to achieve a consistent, medium-fine grind for pour over. Having the other settings is great if you dabble in other brewing methods, but prioritize consistency over the number of grind settings if you’re strictly looking for the best pour over grinder.
Best Manual Coffee Grinders
We love using manual grinders. Manual grinders really shine in the manual brewing range of grind settings. They tend to be less consistent when grinding for coarse or fine settings, but you’ll be pretty impressed when using any of these as a pour over grinder.
1. Best Overall: 1Zpresso JX Manual Coffee Grinder
1Zpresso JX Review:
Allow us to introduce you to the 1Zpresso JX.
1Zpresso may be a lesser-known brand than Hario or others, but don’t let that fool you. In our humble opinion, they make some of the best grinders for pour over on the market today.
And the 1Zpresso JX grinder might just be the best of the best. It’s one of our all-time favorite grinders out there, and that includes automatic/electric grinders.
What the JX lacks in capacity compared to the Hario below, it makes up for in speed. This is one of the fastest manual coffee grinders on the market today and is even faster than some popular electric grinders!
In our testing for this 1Zpresso JX review, the JX ground at a speed of about 1 gram per second, depending on who was doing the grinding. In other words, you can grind a full 30-gram hopper in 30 seconds or less. So even if you’re making a large batch of coffee, it’ll only take you a minute or two to grind up your beans.
But if you typically brew small batches of coffee (like pour over or AeroPress), this grinder is a fantastic option. With 40 clicks of grind settings, large 48mm conical burrs, and sturdy stainless steel construction, this beauty feels solid in your hand.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another manual grinder that outperforms the JX for medium grinding. We use it daily for pour over, cold brew, and French press, and can’t say enough good things about it.
The JX is simply a joy to grind with, gives you a consistent grind, and is quite possibly the best pour over grinder out there. It definitely deserves a top spot in your coffee arsenal.
(Note: if you’re looking for a manual grinder that is also suited for espresso, check out our 1Zpresso JX Pro review)
2. Runner Up: Hario Ceramic Skerton Pro
This Hario Manual Coffee Grinder is an update on a classic. Hario took the Skerton Pro’s predecessors (the Skerton and the Skerton Plus) and made some pretty significant improvements to the Skerton Pro.
The Skerton was a solid pour over grinder in its day. Its replacement, the Skerton Plus, is a marginally improved version of the original, but the Skerton Pro is where you’ll really feel the difference.
The (slightly) higher price tag is definitely warranted. The pro includes:
- A newly designed handle for a more comfortable grinding experience.
- An improved conical burr design with more straightforward grind adjustment and greater stability.
- A rubber base to keep the mill in place while grinding.
It has one of the largest capacities of any manual grinder at 100 grams, so it’s well-suited for larger batches of pour over coffee and drip coffee brewing.
Overall this grinder produces a consistent grind at a fraction of the cost of an electric grinder. The Skerton Pro is hands down the highest quality grinder you’ll find at this price point, making it an exceptional value.
3. Best Budget Pick: Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder
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 (30 grams), which some may see as a downside, the small size makes this the perfect coffee grinder for traveling and camping.
This grinder is a fantastic option if you’re on a budget and typically brew small batches of coffee (like French press or pour over).
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.
The Javapresse is quiet and precise and offers 18 grind settings that will grind for just about any coffee brewing method. And with ceramic burrs, the Javapresse is built to last.
Overall it’s an outstanding value, creates a decently consistent grind, and is a solid pour over grinder. It deserves a spot in your coffee arsenal.
Best Electric Coffee Grinders
Think an electric grinder is more your speed? These picks all make exceptional pour over grinders and take the work out of the morning grind.
1. Best Overall: Fellow Ode Brew Grinder
Ok, so the Fellow Ode Grinder is a bit pricier than the others on this list, but we’d be remiss not to include it as one of our picks for the best grinder for pour over. While on the pricey side, the Ode is a unique grinder. Fellow emphasizes aesthetics alongside performance, so everything they produce not only works exceptionally well but looks fantastic while doing it.
The Ode is no exception. This grinder was designed explicitly with manual brewing methods in mind. Fellow set out to create the best grinder for manual brewing, not the best grinder for all brewing, and we think they nailed it.
Disclaimer: if you’re looking for a grinder that will also work for espresso, the Ode isn’t it. And we’re totally ok with that.
The Ode is the quietest grinder on this list and even outperformed the Capresso Infinity in our noise tests. It produces an impressively consistent grind with minimal noise, even at the highest rpm.
With professional-grade, 64 mm flat stainless steel burrs, this grinder is built to perform professionally and stand the test of time. The Ode comes backed by a 1-year warranty plus fantastic customer service from the Fellow team should you have any concerns.
We were pretty pleased with the consistency of the Ode’s medium grinds, making it a phenomenal pour over grinder. We also love the thoughtful design features, such as a magnetic catch, auto-stop element, and a grind knocker to reduce grind retention.
The Fellow Ode is the grinder that other grinders aspire to be. If noise reduction is a high priority, this grinder is worth the extra cash.
2. Best Budget Pick: OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
The OXO Brew Grinder is a fantastic option for just about anyone. It is made from quality materials and is a fraction of the cost of other equal or lesser quality models.
With 40-millimeter stainless steel conical burrs and 15 grind settings, the OXO Brew Grinder creates a consistent grind regardless of the grind setting. It performs well on medium settings, making it an excellent pour over grinder.
We love the timer feature on this grinder. It remembers your last setting, so grinding the next day is literally one-touch, zero effort (perfect for those of us who aren’t morning people).
At 110 grams, the capacity of the OXO Brew is generous, making it a perfect grinder for large batches of coffee.
We recommend the OXO Brew Grinder for those who want a quality grinder that’s built to last at a reasonable price. You’ll get a consistent grind with minimal effort in a relatively small package, making it a win for anyone with limited space in the kitchen.
Final Thoughts
If you hadn’t noticed, we’re not only big fans of manual brewing methods but also big fans of manual coffee grinders.
The pour over grinder we reach for daily is the 1Zpresso JX Manual Coffee Grinder. It is just that good. It’s our top pick for the best grinder for pour over (along with its sibling, the JX Pro).
But if you’re not into the idea of grinding your beans yourself, the Fellow is a solid option for all things except espresso.
You can’t go wrong with any of the pour over grinders on this list, so choose what fits your lifestyle and budget and get brewing.
Happy grinding!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Calatrello
Heather is the head coffee roaster and founder of ShedLight Coffee Roasters in San Diego, CA. She has repeatedly been featured in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parade, and more, and her solar-powered coffee roastery was recently the subject of a BlueDot Living dispatch.
