There are over 100 million daily coffee drinkers in the United States and 54% of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee everyday. Most make it from the home and most want to drink good coffee… and that’s where coffee grinders come it.
If you want to make your coffee taste it’s best you will purchase freshly roasted beans from a local coffee roastery and grind them yourself at home just prior to use. The better grinders however will always make better tasting so it’s worth buying the best you can afford.
It is well known that burr grinders are better than blade grinders but most people also know just how expensive top of the line home grinders can get. The Baratza Encore for instance is an entry level premium machine in my opinion and it still costs more than most people want to spend… and that’s why manual burr grinders are so great.
Many of the best quality manual grinders perform just as good as the more expensive electric models but they cost a fraction of the price. In years past there were few great options in this market however these days manual grinders have come along way in producing more consistent coarse grind coffee, which is perfect for the French Press.
In my home I use the Skerton Pro grinder which is a fancy version of the less expensive Skerton Plus. Either will do just fine as they both were designed and released for the specific purpose of making better coarse grind coffee.
Over the I have purchased a lot of different coffee grinders, both manual and electric, and I have found that only a few of them were good enough to use over and over again. I recommend most people looking for a manual grinder for french press to pick up one of those two Skerton models but there are a few others that are worth buying too which I’ll talk about lower on this page.
Before I get to my reviews of all the best manual French press coffee grinders I want to first summarize them all in the following table.
| Image | Product |
|---|---|
 |
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill -“Skerton Pro”
► Very Durable – A Long Time Best-Seller |
 |
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill – “Skerton Plus”
► This is the original Skerton with the new burr stabilizer kit included and installed. |
 |
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill -“Mini-Slim Pro”
► Small Form for Easy Travel or Storage & Makes Enough Grind for a Small French Press |
 |
Comandante C40 Hand Grinder
► Stainless Steel Burrs and Burr Axle Are Best Made By Far |
 |
The Handground Precision Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Mill
► Easiest Hand Crank Grinder To Use! |
| Image | Product |
|---|---|
Check Price on Amazon Check Price on Walmart |
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill -“Skerton Pro”
► Very Durable – A Long Time Best-Seller |
Check Price on Amazon Check Price on Walmart |
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill – “Skerton Plus”
► This is the original Skerton with the new burr stabilizer kit included and installed. |
Check Price on Amazon Check Price on Walmart |
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill -“Mini-Slim Pro”
► Small Form for Easy Travel or Storage & Makes Enough Grind for a Small French Press |
 Check Price on Prima-Coffee |
Comandante C40 Hand Grinder
► Stainless Steel Burrs and Burr Axle Are Best Made By Far |
Check Price on Amazon |
The Handground Precision Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Mill
► Easiest Hand Crank Grinder To Use! |
I don’t want you to waste your time or money on anything you won’t like or use so please check out my full reviews of these hand powered grinders below. Hopefully they will help you find the perfect manual coffee grinder for your french press coffee – one that you’ll use over and over for a long time to come.
Click here to jump straight to my reviews of these hand grinders and skip all the FAQs.
You can also see the best electric burr grinders for french press here.
As you know, it isn’t only the quality of the coffee beans used that makes a good cup of coffee, it is also about the process of making it and the equipment used. Making coffee in a French press is a perfect example of this. People have tried to perfect the art over the years and it’s become clear that the grinder you use to grind your coffee beans makes a big difference.
Of course, you could invest hundreds of dollars on a top of the line Rancilio Rocky, but let’s face it, most of us don’t have that kind of money to spend on our daily coffee addiction.
The next best thing is to get the best and most affordable manual grinder for French press coffee you can find.
Manual grinders are much more affordable than the electric ones and they can perform quite well… and because French press coffee only requires coarse grounds, it doesn’t take very long to crank out your daily allotment.
Let’s look at what makes some manual grinders better than others.
Related – Check out the following posts to see my favorite insulated French presses and the largest French presses I’ve experimented with.
Does a Manual Grinder Make Good Coarse Ground Coffee?
French press coffee is one of the best tasting coffee brewing methods for a few main reasons: it is easy to brew without a fancy machine, you get all the oils into your cup, you get some body into your cup, you can fully control the brew time and temperature.
What makes it taste bad however is when you use grind that is either the wrong size or consistency regardless of bean freshness.
When you use pre-ground coffee the size is usually pretty consistent but it’s the wrong size, it will under extract in a french press.
When you grind with a blade grinder or a poorly performing burr grinder then the sizes of the coffee grind particles will be different and the shapes will be different too resulting in some particles under extracting, other particles over extracting, and some particles getting pulverized into fines that are too small to be filtered out.
Most inexpensive burr grinders will make a lot of fines during the grinding process and a set of burrs that are not stable will result in different shapes and sizes in the final grind.
There is a reason why the best electric grinders cost into the thousands of dollars!
With manual grinders the cost can be a lot lower but for the engineering and manufacturing process to spit out a stable burr system that can be operated by hand efficiently the price still on the higher side.
Inexpensive best selling manual grinders like the JavaPresse or the KONA manual coffee grinder will never give you the grind size and shape consistency to get the best tasting cup of coffee possible… although they will be very friendly to your wallet.
Some French presses are better than others at removing fines from your coffee when you press. In fact I have an article dedicated to french presses that have the best filtration screens and systems here if you care to take a look.
Best selling Bodum French presses do just fine, and they are microwave safe, but if you want to minimize mud in the bottom of your cup then you need to use a better press and/or grind with a better grinder.
Before we get deeper into this article I’ll say right now that of all the manual grinders out there I would advise almost everyone tocheck out the Hario Skerton Plus; it’s the basic old-style Skerton with a burr stabilizer upgrade kit already installed.
This is a necessity for making coarse grind coffee. The Skerton Plus (or Pro) will get you extremely uniform coarse grind that will result in better coffee with less sediment in your cup for a fraction of the price of a top-of-the-line electric grinder or the even better manual Comandante C40 only available on Prima-Coffee.com.
With that out of the way let’s review each of my selections one at a time.
What are the Best Manual Grinders For The French Press?
The following six models are the best coffee grinders for French press coffee. They are all affordable models but they are not cheaply made either. Their conical burrs are stable enough to produce consistent grind size with minimal dust produced. You can click on any of these links to jump straight to my review.
- The Hario Skerton Plus
- The Comandante C40 Hand Grinder
- The Hario Skerton Pro
- The Hario Mini Mill Pro
- The Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Hand Crank Grinder
- The Handground Precision Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Mill
Editor’s Note – If you buy any hand coffee grinder for French press prep you will need to fiddle around with the grind size adjustment to get the right grind size. Each of these devices allows you the freedom to choose size by turning a gear under the movable burr. Try a few different settings to find the size you are most comfortable with for your cafetiere and then just leave it there indefinitely.
The Skerton Plus by Hario is basically the old model Skerton repackaged with a pre-installed stabilizer plate for the movable burr on the coarse settings.
As we know the coarse settings are how we grind for the French press and without the stabilizer the burr would “wobble” resulting if different grind sizes and shapes getting through.
This grinder can process roughly 100 grams of coffee beans at once so it should be perfect for anyone wanting to make regular to small size batch of french press coffee.
I also like the non-skid rubber base which makes it easier to hold in place on a counter while grinding too.
Hand Grinding For French Press – How to Do it Right
There are many ways of making coffee, all of which require different coarseness of coffee bean grind.
For example: when you use a drip coffee maker, you should be looking for a finer grind of coffee in comparison to that of a French press… furthermore, espresso machines require an even finer grind size than drip machines do.
On the flip side the coffee grind needs to be quite coarse for the French press so you need to make sure to set the movable burr on your grinder to the correct setting to get the best tasting coffee possible.
Each grinder has it’s own slightly unique way of changing the grind size settings but they all are similar. Most use a stepped system where you start with the burrs in a closed position (set to zero) and then spin a dial that clicks with each step up. Figure out how many clicks from setting zero it takes to get coarse grind and then remember that setting for each subsequent time you add beans to the hopper for your morning cup of coffee.
Hand Grinding Lends Itself Nicely to Low Budgets
One of the least expensive options for grinding your beans is to put your beans in a bag and crush them with a hammer… that isn’t really recommended though unless you are camping so the best alternatives are to use cheap blade grinders or better yet to use a good manual burr grinder like those featured above.
If you don’t have time constraints in the morning, manually grinding your coffee beans is a great direction to go in if you are wanting to save some money.
In addition to saving money on electricity the best hand grinders cost as much as entry level electric burr grinders which aren’t nearly as well made.
See this post for my reviews of some decent entry level electric burr grinders.
It is also cheaper to buy whole coffee beans than it is to buy them already ground. Not to mention that the other approaches to making coffee require more equipment that you need to buy.
For example – with drip coffee makers you need to buy paper filters or get washable gold filters among other possible things whereas the French press brewing method requires nothing extra to be purchased.
Also, the very manual nature of making French press coffee relates closely to the manual method of grinding coffee beans. In fact, lots of people that enjoy making coffee by hand through the press pot or by via pour-over also tend to like grinding by hand too.
Here are some reasons French pressing has become so popular as of late:
- The naturally-present oil in the coffee is not absorbed by filters. This oil seems to give the cup of coffee a desirable creaminess and taste.
- People like investing their time in the creation of their cup of coffee. It gives them a greater sense of satisfaction when they drink it.
- It is cheaper and requires less parts to make the cup of coffee.
- It is the purest form of coffee (classic) that captures the concentrated flavors with results such as these: deep, dark and full-flavored.
- The French press, itself, is smaller in size and more attractive in a home than a coffee maker.
- Drinking coffee using this method can be therapeutic.
- You have control over the strength of the coffee.
- A French press is easy to clean.
- A French press can also be used in place of a tea infuser to brew loose tea.
Click here to read more on the differences between French press and drip coffee.
Are Manual Grinders Good for French Press?
Now that we have touched on French presses let’s talk about manual grinders. Let’s be clear about something. Manual grinders are not the best for French pressing coffee because they falter a bit in the coarse range. They are a lot better than the cheapest electric burr grinders, but pale in comparison to actual top of the line models.
Hario makes both the Mini Mill and the Skerton, which are among the best for coarse range grinding.
You can even pick up this super cheap upgrade kit for the Skerton. It’s a special coarse grind attachment to help stabilize the burrs in coarse grinding situations. This can make your grounds more consistent and it’s worth the small increase in total investment cost.
These two units, however, are top of the line manual grinders that use burrs instead of blades. These burs are ceramic, so they do not rust. Burs remain sharp longer than blades do, but when burs begin to lose their sharpness, they start crushing the beans more than grinding them, kind of like how using a food processor to grind coffee would do.
This is no good for French pressing coffee, as it produces dust.
Dust or finer grinds are not desirable for French pressing coffee as they leave “mud” at the bottom of your cup of coffee which may be unpleasant. That is why it is essential that you get the best tool for the job and make sure to keep that tool in good functioning order.
Are Hand Crank Coffee Grinders Hard To Use?
Manual grinders do take a little bit of elbow grease, but if you don’t mind grinding your own coffee, you can produce coffee just as good as, if not better than, using an electric grinder priced two to three times as high.
You see, manual grinders don’t heat beans up during the grinding process, which can have a small impact on the flavor. They are also known to be more durable than electric grinders, with less parts to worry about. The backbone for a good cup of coffee is also about the consistency of the coarseness of the grind and so getting better quality equipment will help you reach that goal.
The best coffee grinders are made to an incredibly high level of build quality. You just don’t get that with the cheaper electric burr grinders, but with manual crank grinders the quality of materials can be much higher without inflating the price too much.
Cranking a manual grinder for French press will take the average person no more than a minute or two, because it will take far less turns that it would to hand crank espresso-size grind. Because the coarse grind is bigger, it takes less time to go through your beans.
The good hand crank grinders sit nicely on a table or counter while you hold them steady with one hand and crank the handle with the other. If you have problems with steady tension on your wrist, fingers, or elbow hand-crank coffee grinders may not be right for you but for the majority of people they will be just fine.
I personally have cranked grind for both French press and espresso, and let me tell you it is no fun doing espresso grind – it takes forever, but a coarse French press grind’s size is not a problem. It doesn’t take very long and I love that it’s quiet compared to all the noise generated by even the best performing electrics.
The Best Manual Grinder For French Press Coffee
As I continue my research on manual coffee grinders it occurred to me that I typically make one of three different types of coffees these days. I make coffee
- in my french press,
- my Moka Express,
- and I make large batches of coffee in my drip coffee maker.
In all cases the coffee grind should be different sizes.
A few days back I posted my thoughts on the best manual coffee grinders for sale but today I wanted to focus on just coffee grinders for french press – manual french press grinders that is.
Manual French Press Coffee Grinders
Considering the fact that I work from home and don’t have morning time constraints that some others have changing grind settings between coarse and fine is not that big of a deal for me. I can easily take the few extra minutes to change the grind size from medium-fine to coarse whenever I want but what I failed to take into account previously is that it’s a bit harder for an inexpensive hand grinder to produce consistent grind at coarser settings.
Hand grinding coffee beans for a french press is more likely to result in inconsistent grind size than it is grinding for drip coffee, moka pots, or espresso. Hand held (inexpensive) grinders are simply far more likely to create smaller particles even when set at the larger grind size setting… and mud or coffee dust is going to be created in larger quantities in these cheaper models.
The fine folk over at Prima Coffee echoed my concerns a while back and found that among the bestselling and most highly touted hand crank coffee grinders, the Skerton and the Mini Mill, the Hario Mini Mill was probably the best manual coffee grinder for french press coffee due to it’s spring loaded support mechanism for the movable burr.
Because movable burrs in stepped and fluid burr grinders are prone to – well, movement – coarse settings are frequently going to slip between fine and coarse grind through normal use. The Hario Mini Mill however supports the movable burr with a spring ensuring a more consistent grind size and less dust.
Although the Mini Mill may not be the best crank grinder for large amounts of coffee or even for espresso or other fine grinds it is probably far superior to the Hario Skerton for coarse grind coffee.
Long story short, assuming you are making a small batch of french press coffee the Hario Mini Mill is going to be your best hand crank choice.
It will also pair well with these travel friendly french press travel mugs.
For bigger batches of french press coarse ground coffee you can also use the Mini Mill or jump up to the Skerton if grid consistency is not that big of a deal. In the future I’ll have a page on this outlining the best coffee grinders but for the time being you’ll just have to wait and come back again. Drop your email in the box in the sidebar and I’ll keep you in the loop.
In all cases french press coffee is almost always going to leave a little sludge in the bottom of your cup so you won’t be stepping down too much for the extra volume.
Read this post for my favorite way of cleaning your french press without plugging up your drains.
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The Best Manual Grinders For French Press Coffee
If you have been using French press for quite some time, you will notice that there are three important things to remember to achieve that perfect, beautifully tasting French pressed coffee.
These elements are coffee grounds, water temperature and steeping time.
- Use only coarse ground coffee. The texture of your coffee grounds play an important role in determining the taste of your coffee. Too fine coffee ground will only end up in your cup. Coarse ground coffee is the perfect texture. The filter will also work effectively and prevent coffee grounds from mixing in your cup of coffee.
- Measure water temperature. Boiling hot water is not good for brewing coffee. Aside from the fact that it is scalding to the skin and can cause accidents, boiling hot water burns your coffee grounds and make your end product bitter. The recommended water temperature for optimum brewing is between 195 degrees Fahrenheit to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Some users of glass French press warms up the carafe with hot water, then they pour the needed amount of hot water. This maintains the temperature and keep the coffee pleasantly hot.
- Observe steeping time. The strength and flavor of the coffee lies in the perfect timing. Steeping the coffee grounds allow for the hot water to evenly penetrate all the grounds. This helps in bringing out the flavor of your coffee. But, do not over steep. It will make your coffee bitter for drinking. Recommended steeping times is 3 minutes.
Since coffee grounds play a crucial role in brewing coffee using a French press, buying a grinder for home use is a practical investment.
Different types of coffee grinders
There are different types of coffee grinders out there. Let’s take a look at what’s available in the market today.
Blade grinder
This is considered the cheapest kind of grinder. Your kitchen blender can double as a crude blade coffee grinder. Just like the blade of a blender, this type of coffee grinder slice, tear and smash coffee beans. However, it makes inconsistent grinding. Plus, the high RPM rate can burn the ground coffee. According to expert, if you are using a blade grinder, grind the beans for 20 seconds tops.
Burr grinder
Nothing beats old-fashioned, manual, hand-driven, burr grinders. It may sound so old school but the rhythmic fashion of hand grinding produce a consistent texture of the ground coffee. You will need a minute to grind coffee beans for a cup of coffee. You may need to pay a few more bucks for it, but it’s worth the investment.
Disc and conical grinder
Baristas prove that this type of grinder produces consistent coffee grounds that works well for coffee makers used in gourmet coffee shops. The beans fall in between cones and discs, ensuring consistent grind. However, they come at a price and may not be a reasonable purchase for average home users.
Choosing the best manual grinders for your French press
Depending on your brewing method, you need to have the correct type of coffee grounds. For French press, it is recommended to use manual grinders to create coarse ground coffee. Here are the best recommendations:
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill
- Improved design and functionality
- Stronger shaft and more stabilized burr
- Ceramic and conical burrs for consistent grind
- Non slip rubber case to keep the burr from slipping
Hario is a known brand for pour over coffee. They know too well the elements of a great coffee brew. They created this burr grinder to go well with their pour over products. But since pour over also relies on coarse ground coffee, you can never go wrong with this one.
JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder
- Very affordable grinder
- Ceramic burrs for durability
- Has a conical design to create even grind
- Can grind beans for 2 cups of coffee
It may not be the fastest manual grinder but it’s very easy to use. It is also lightweight and you can bring it with you anywhere. If you plan to use more coffee beans, you may have to use it several times until you achieve the right amount of coffee grounds.
Peugeot Antique Coffee Mill
- Unique design, old-fashioned cube shaped container
- It has a drawer that collects the coffee grounds
- Made of hardwood
- Assembled in Europe and the mechanism is from Italy
Some things just never grows old and this is true for this antique model. It’s as classic as it can be. It reminds you of quiet times in the rural areas as your mom prepares breakfast with a labor of love. It grinds fast, about a minute for two cups of coffee. Plus, you don’t really need to clean or wash it. Because the mechanism ensures that all coffee grounds are collected, no residue is left inside.
Why choose a manual grinder?
Here are some reasons why getting a manual grinder is helpful.
- It’s practical. Manual grinders are inexpensive. You don’t need to burn hundreds of dollars just to get a nice manual grinder. And if you own a French press, a manual grinder is your best partner in making the perfect cup.
- Manual grinders use burr instead of blade. This creates an even grind so you can have a consistent texture for your coffee ground.
- It’s easy to use. With a little bit of manpower, you can simply turn the handle and grind along. Even if you are out of the house with no electricity, armed with a French press a nice burr grinder and hot water, you can make a cup of coffee to enjoy.
What Kind Of Coffee Grinder Is Best For French Press?
I go through life coming in contact with all kinds of people. Among them are those who are coffee lovers. The most common place I come in contact with them is at coffee shops. A lot of the time we meet at a high-end coffee shop and this comment or question often comes up: “How do they make their coffee so well?”
As I do my research I find that it isn’t only about the kinds of beans or the coffee machine, a lot of it has to do with the quality of grinder that you have. Not just any grinder will do. If you are making French press you need to use the right kind of grinder.
What are the Best Coffee Grinders For The French Press
Zassenhaus Coffee Grinder – 156BUBaratza 485 Encore Coffee Grinder + Coffee Grinder Cleaner + Coffee Grinder Dusting Brush
Capresso 565 Infinity Stainless Steel Conical Burr Grinder + Coffee Grinder Dusting Brush + 3-pack 35G Grindz Coffee Grinder Cleaner
Breville BCG600SIL The Dose Control Pro Cofee Bean Grinder, Silver by Breville
The Best Coffee Grinder for the French Press
Having a coffee grinder is an important tool to have. Sure, you could grind your coffee in a food processor, but why not use the right tool for the job?
Grinding it right will give you the full-aromatic experience. You can choose the beans that you want instead of buying some already ground products, but trying to find the best coffee bean grinder for your home can be very hard. I mean, there are different styles, features, options and of course, prices. I am sure that you want to make the best decision when choosing your grinder; one that looks good in your home; one that comes with the features you need; one that has little effect on your pocketbook. People like to say that your coffee grinder should be at least 1/3 of the cost of your coffee machine to match the quality.
True coffee fanatics know that the best method of making the most superb cup of coffee is by using a French press. French presses are cheaper and come with a unique sense of satisfaction in your cup of coffee. Using a French press is actually pretty simple, but an important aspect of coffee brewing has been disgustingly overlooked. What I mean is that people don’t think much about the grind. The grind is very important, especially if you want to use the French press to its complete potential.
Related – Check out the following posts to see my favorite insulated French presses and the largest French presses I’ve experimented with.
So, as you look at those around you and look at the coffee life they lead, you will notice that this oversight is a real problem. This could be for various reasons:
- They don’t like to do their research
- Family traditions
- False advertising of grinder companies
There are many grinders out there. If you read reviews of each, you will come to find that they are all alike. By “alike” I mean that you will find that there are pros and cons to all grinders. People who brew coffee that requires fine ground coffee beans need to find the best grinder that achieves a consistent fine grind. People who brew coffee that requires coarse ground coffee beans need to find the best grinder that achieves a consistent coarse grind. However, if people want to produce different kinds of coffee, then they need to look for the best well-rounded grinder. There are grinders that use blades and others that use burrs to grind their coffee. I will explain in another article why burr grinders are better than blade grinders, but you will find as you do a little research on burr grinders that most have a specific setting for French press that supposedly gives you the desired coarseness for French pressing coffee. But mechanically, they are too incompetent to actually make this a reality. This seems to be a problem that impacts most cheaper burr grinders. Like they say, “You get what you pay for!”
Related Reading – French Press Coffee vs Stovetop Espresso
To put this simply, the best coffee grinder for a French press is one that is consistent in its production of a coarse grind. Uniformity is the key to success in this subject. Coffee grounds should be consistent in size. If you have too many chunks it will make your brew weak and too many finer particles will give you “mud” or “sludge”. In my experience, I found that the best way to give you an explanation of the desired coarseness for French press is by saying that coffee grounds should be SLIGHTLY finer than steel cut oats.
My title tells you the purpose of this article. I really want to open your eyes so that you can look past all these claims that manufacturers have set for themselves so that you can determine for yourself, with your new-found knowledge, what the best French press coffee grinder is, based on what you have read above and on what the French press expects from us. When choosing your coffee grinder, you need to educate yourself on several things:
- The features
- The convenience
- The performance
- The build quality
- The value for your money
Let me tell you that there are so many grinders out there that are incapable of giving you a coarse enough grind, and there are others that barely pass as competent, but among those here are some of the best: Kyocera VM-45CF, Breville BCG600SIL, Capresso 565, Zassenhaus 156BU, and Baratza Encore.
Now, I have found that many people prefer manual grinders due to the fact that they may be more consistent in their grinding. Many people seem to be pretty satisfied with the Zassenhaus brand. Here are what I have found to be most effective to use for French pressed coffee grounds: Zassenhous Santiago, Zassenhaus 156BU, and Zassenhous Brasilia 151DG.
There is a growing love for coffee everywhere that isn’t losing momentum. People are making sure they’re having the best experience in their coffee-drinking and coffee-making lives. You may live alone, have a family of your own or you may be living with your parents; you may have moved a lot, lost a job or lost that perfect girl or guy, but coffee has remained faithful to you throughout the years. The last thing you want to do is neglect it in return. There are so many things to learn about coffee. It is always good to educate yourself, especially about the things that you are most passionate about. I can only conclude that since you have read my article, coffee is something you are passionate about. As always, I hope that you are now more educated and equipped to face the world of coffee with great boldness and confidence.