Maybe you’ve sipped on a French press coffee at your local café and loved it. You bought a French Press, excited to explore your new favourite brew method at home, then realized you need to find a high-quality coffee grinder to reach barista-quality bliss. 

But, what makes a grinder perfect for French Press? And how do you find a quality grinder to use at home? 

In this guide, you’ll discover how to pick the best French press grinder to suit your lifestyle, and we’ll give you 6 great options to choose from.

We’ll cover…

• Tips for choosing the best coffee grinder for French press (hint: it’s all about that coarse grind)
• Why you need a burr grinder in your life
• 6 of the best coffee grinders for French press brewing 

When you’re finished reading, you’ll be more than ready to make your coffee grinder purchase, and you’ll be on your way to dreamy French press brewing. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to French Press Coffee

The Best French Press Coffee Grinder In A Snap

Haven’t had your morning coffee yet, and need a quick pick-me-up? Here are the essentials to choosing a great coffee grinder for French press brewing:

• Choose a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. Burr grinders produce a consistent, coarse grind for French press brewing without generating heat that can damage flavour. 
• Choose a model that suits your needs. A manual, lightweight design is better for travel and brewing enough for a 3-4 cup French press, while a larger electric model is great for staying on the bench and grinding for an 8-12 cup French press.
• Look for a sturdy design and great reviews. Make sure you pick a reliable model. You’ll only spend more money buying a grinder that looks pretty, then breaks 5 seconds later when you just want a caffeine hit.

🏆 Our Top Budget Grinder: JavaPresse Manual Burr Coffee Grinder

We think our manual burr coffee grinder is tough to beat. At ~ $40, it’s a steal for the quality. It’s built with a professional-grade ceramic conical burr to heighten the natural flavors of your favorite coffee beans. 

The burr grinder provides an incredibly consistent grind for a variety of brews and makes little noise. And, its stainless steel frame and convenient size make it the perfect travel companion!

👉 You can buy our #1 rated Manual Burr Coffee Grinder here

What To Look For In a French Press Coffee Grinder

Choosing the best french press coffee grinder comes down to your needs and the quality of the design. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Coarse Grind Quality and Consistency

For the best French press at home, your grinder should grind beans coarsely and consistently. To achieve this quality, you’ll need a burr grinder, NOT a blade grinder. 

Here’s why:

• Burr grinders grind beans into a uniform, coarse size. If there are different grind sizes, you’ll end up with over and/or under-extracted coffee and an unbalanced flavor. This is particularly important for French press coffee as the grinds will be sitting in hot water for a while, so finer grinds will taste bitter and ruin your brew.
• They won’t cause heat damage from friction. A more even grind means you preserve the delicate coffee bean oils and preserve flavor. 
• With a burr grinder, you can make tiny adjustments to the grind until it’s perfect. Your grind size is everything when it comes to a well-balanced cup. 

Are you getting what we’re (not so subtly) putting down? For high-quality French press coffee, you need a burr grinder. 

Also Read: 6 Types of Coffee Grinders (+ How To Pick The Right One)

Size 

The right grinder depends on the size of your French press!

• If you have a 3-4 cup French press, a small, manual grinder is probably the best choice: perfect for just you (or for two!).
• If you’ve got an 8-12 cup French press, a larger, electric model may be the way to go so you can grind enough without feeling like you’ve just hit the gym. 

Remember: you only need to grind enough for immediate use (10-15 minutes post-grind, max), so the beans don’t lose their flavor. 

Materials

When it comes to the material of the grinder, you have three main options to consider: 

Here’s a quick rundown of each: 

• Stainless Steel — More likely to stand the test of time than ceramic or plastic models. It looks crisp and professional and is lightweight, which is perfect for travel or taking to the office.  
• Ceramic — Ceramic models can break or crack easily if not handled carefully, though they look classy. Best left at home, safe and sound in a cupboard. 
• Plastic — Functional and often cheaper than the other two materials. May scratch and dent, and depending on the plastic used, it can be less durable than the steel models. Generally best for larger models that will stay on the bench. 

The different materials won’t necessarily affect the quality of your French press coffee, so it’s up to your personal preference based on looks and durability! 

Design 

For the sake of practicality, pick a design that will slide right into your coffee routine without much fuss:

• If you’re on the go, manual grinders made with stainless steel or plastic are the best option. They’re small, light, and easy to throw in your backpack or suitcase to take to work or on the road. 
• Choose a quiet grinder. Manual grinders are the quietest, but there are some relatively quiet electric models on the market, too. Your morning coffee should soothe headaches, not create them! 
• A smooth grinding function. Electric models require little to no effort to use, but manual grinders can be very easy to work with if you pick up a well-designed model. 
• Make sure the mechanisms are easy to pull apart and clean. If it’s tough to pull apart, you’ll be less likely to clean it, and you’ll end up with old coffee oils ruining the flavor of your next brew. Manual grinders are generally easier to clean than electric models. 

Pick a grinder design that suits your lifestyle and needs: your brewing experience should be as carefree and joyful as possible. If you’re relaxed, your coffee will taste 10x better. 

Reliability 

No one wants a broken grinder. Find a reliable model that won’t break a few weeks in when you need it most. 

Look for: 

• Great reviews. If plenty of people are loving the grinder, you probably will too. 
• Burrs, not blades. Burr grinders are made with higher quality parts than blade grinders and are less likely to break. 
• A sturdy design. Your grinder shouldn’t have flimsy-looking parts. Stainless steel models are generally more resilient and reliable. 
• Our 6 recommended models are well-made and reliable, and you can bet they have fantastic reviews. 

6 of the Best Coffee Grinders for French Press

Here are six of the best coffee grinders for French press on offer, so you can start making barista-quality French press at home. 

🏆 #1: JavaPresse Manual Burr Coffee Grinder

If you’re looking to improve the quality of your French press brew and coax all of the delicious flavors out of your favorite beans, our #1 best-selling manual grinder may be your grinder soulmate. 

It's made with professional-grade ceramic conical burrs and produces a consistent, coarse grind for your French press without damaging the beans. It’s built with a super lightweight and durable stainless steel design, so it’s the perfect coffee travel buddy! 

• It has a built-in adjustable grind selector with over 15 settings, giving you 100 percent control over the coarseness of your grind. This means you can achieve that perfectly coarse, consistent grind for your French press and brew a rich, flavorful cup.  
• It’s the perfect size for a 3-4 cup French press. The grinder chamber can hold around 40g of coffee, and for a 3-4 cup French press, you’ll need around 20-30g of ground coffee, so it’s an ideal size if you’re brewing for one or two people. 
• There are no batteries, power, or long cords needed to operate the grinder, and it’s lightweight, so you can enjoy fresh ground coffee beans on your next camping or hiking trip or at the office.
• It’s whisper-quiet. Its smooth hand crank mechanism makes it noiseless and easy to use.
• Its burrs are built to last 5x longer than other grinders. The ceramic burrs undergo three quality inspections and are more durable than grinders built with stainless steel burrs.

Our manual burr grinder is affordable, reliable, easy to use, convenient, and most importantly, it grinds beans coarsely and consistently. This means you’ll have the ability to brew an unbelievably good cup of French press. 

Also Read: 5 Tips to Help You Find The Best Manual Coffee Grinder

#2 Baratza Encore

The Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder is a high-quality, entry-level electric model. It’s made with black plastic, looks sleek, and has great reviews. 

• It’s user-friendly. It has a convenient, front-mounted pulse button, plus a simple on/off switch, making it simple to grind fresh coffee.
• It has 40 grind settings. Engineered with 40mm commercial-grade steel conical burrs, it produces a consistent grind, and will achieve that French press coarse grind with ease. 

#3 Breville Smart Grinder Pro

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is a fantastic stainless steel electric grinder. It features stainless steel conical burrs and is ideal if you’re looking for a reliable countertop model. 

• 60 precise grind settings mean it’s easy to achieve that French press coarse grind and adjust to suit your taste.
• The stainless steel conical burrs minimize grinding heat, protecting the delicate coffee bean oils. 

#4 Hario Skerton Pro

The Hario Skerton Pro Ceramic Manual Coffee Grinder features a sleek, modern design and ceramic burrs. It’s designed with stainless steel and sturdy glass. 

• Ceramic conical burrs provide a precise, uniform coarse grind. And the new burr design comes with a simple grind adjustment mechanism.
• Stable grinding. The detachable handle and improved burr shaft, along with a non-slip rubber base, make grinding a breeze.

#5 TIMEMORE Chestnut C2

The TIMEMORE Chestnut C2 manual burr coffee grinder is novice-friendly and features a sturdy aluminum body with a practical design. Grinding coarsely for French press is smooth and easy, and the beans are cut fast and consistently with a nice uniform grind size. 

• Ability to grind coarsely and consistently for French press. Grinds smoothly and is easy to use. 
• Stainless steel design. Sturdy, reliable, and lightweight, with stylish color handles.

#6 Fellow Ode Brew Grinder

The Fellow Ode Brew Grinder is a powerful, precise, and quiet electric coffee grinder with café capabilities. It boasts professional-grade 64 mm flat burrs that deliver consistently ground coffee beans.

• With 11 settings, it’s easy to adjust the coffee bean grind size. The coarser grind makes for a rich, robust French press.
• Grind what you need right before you brew. It features a single-dose hopper for maximum bean freshness. 

Common Questions About Buying a French Press Grinder

Still unsure about purchasing a coffee grinder for your French press? We’ve got the answers to your biggest questions! 

Why Do I Need A Coffee Grinder For French Press Brewing?

If you want to make café-quality coffee at home, you need a grinder, regardless of your brewing method. And for French press brewing, it’s even more important. 

Here’s why: 

• For French press, you need a consistent, coarse grind, so the coffee doesn’t over-extract while it’s sitting in the hot water. If you use pre-ground beans, they’ll likely be too fine, so you’ll end up with burnt-tasting coffee rather than a rich, silky cup. 
• Fresh is best. Coffee starts to lose its flavor immediately after being ground. So, grabbing a grinder and whizzing the beans up right before you brew is the way to go for a truly delicious French press. 

If you’re serious about elevating your morning French press coffee ritual, you need a grinder in your life! 

Also read: Why Your Coffee Grinder is The Most Important Piece of Coffee Gear

Are Electric or Manual Coffee Grinders Better? 

Both can produce a consistently coarse grind for French press, but both offer pros and cons. So, choose based on your needs:

• Affordability — High-quality manual grinders are significantly cheaper than their electric counterparts. If you’re going electric, you'll need to spend a little extra to get a decent quality model. 
• Convenience — Manual coffee grinders are small, lightweight, quiet, and easy to travel with or take to the office. They’re also easier to clean. An electric grinder is ideal if you’re only grinding at home and you’re happy to leave it on the bench, though it may be a little noisy and trickier to clean. 
• Grind Quantity — If you’re only grinding for a small French press, a manual grinder is the way to go. But if you’ve got an 8-12 cup model, you may want an electric grinder so you can grind larger quantities without breaking a sweat. 

There isn’t one perfect answer here. Pick the option that’s best for you! 

Also Read: Manual VS Electric Coffee Grinders: How to Pick the Right One

Are Burr or Blade Coffee Grinders Better?

No matter what your brew method is: always choose the burr grinder. 

Why? 

• Burr grinders grind beans into a uniform size without causing heat damage, whereas: blade grinders chop beans into inconsistent coffee grounds (producing bitter and/or burnt tasting coffee) and heat the beans, damaging the flavors. 
• With a burr grinder, you can make tiny adjustments to the burrs to fine-tune your grind. This is ideal for achieving the perfect French press brew to suit your tastes. You can’t adjust blades; you can only alter the amount of time you blend for and hope for the best. 
• Burr grinders are built to last with quality burr materials. They can be a little pricier, but they're far less likely than a blade grinder to break at 7am when all you want is a caffeine hit. 

All of our top 6 grinders for French press brewing are burr grinders. In our opinion, they’re the only option. 

Also Read: Blades VS Burrs: What Is The Best Type of Coffee Grinder? 

Get Our #1 Rated on Amazon Burr Grinder!

Our Manual Burr Coffee Grinder is the #1 rated manual grinder on Amazon for good reason. With over 18,000 positive reviews, coffee lovers choose the JavaPresse manual grinder for its consistent coffee grind, affordability, reliability, and sturdy, lightweight design. It’s the perfect tool to help you brew a next-level cup of French press coffee. 

Check out the JavaPresse grinder.