If you love french press coffee, then it goes without saying you’re going to want to grind your coffee beans to the perfect coarseness just before brewing.

By investing in the very best coffee grinder for french press, you’ll achieve the perfect grind every time.

The Best Coffee Grinders for French Press

If you’re in the market for the best grinder for french press coffee, you are in the right place! 

In our coffee grinder for french press reviews, I not only explain the different types of french press coffee grinder options and various features but also compare some of the best coffee grinder french press options currently on the market.

This post is specifically for French Press coffee grinders but if you are looking for an overall grinder you can check out our other post on the best coffee grinders here. We’ve also written a guide on the best manual hand grinders here.

So, whether you’re after the best burr grinder for french press, the best manual coffee grinder for french press, or just the best budget coffee grinder, I have no doubt you will find a french press grinder that’s just perfect for you in this guide.

Our Top Coffee Grinders For French Press

1. Akirakoki Manual Coffee Bean Grinder

The Akirakoki manual coffee bean grinder comes with a cast iron burr grinder which makes it stand out from the crowd.

Cast iron burr grinders don’t produce the heat that other (non burr) grinders do meaning you won’t have the coffee’s essential oils that are produced during the grind negatively affected by heat.

This hand grinder is ideal for French press coffee maker due to is burr grinder as well as the coarse and fine settings.

What’s more, there is no metal odor and no rust. This grinder can be adjusted for coarse or fine grind. The wooden part of this grinder comes in one piece of high end wood and it won’t crack.

We chose this grinder as the #1 spot on our list not only because of above reasons but also because of its lifetime warranty. Yes it is a bit pricey but quality has its price.

Pros

• Cast Iron Burr Grinder
• High End Wood

Cons

• Pricey

2. Triple Tree Manual Coffee Grinder

The Triple Tree manual coffee grinder comes with fine or coarse grind settings as well as a ceramic burr grinder. Natural coffee essential oils are not affected by this grinder.

With lengthening handle, the manual coffee grinder can save you effort when grinding beans. Though it is still slow, it is faster than other manual grinders, comfortable to enjoy the fun process of grinding beans

This hand grinder is ideal for the budget buyer and still produces a great coffee grind.

Pros

• Great Value
• Ceramic Burr Grinder
• Long Handle For Even Grind

Cons

• Delicate

3. JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder With Adjustable Setting

This coffee grinder by Javapresse is a high-grade stainless steel and lightweight coffee mill perfect for traveling or those who love pour-over coffee.

This manual coffee grinder allows you to have full control over the coarseness of the coffee grind, making it very versatile to brew various types of coffee.Well, you do not have to look beyond the Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder that is made using the highest grade stainless steel.

The Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder is also extremely easy to use, even for those who have never used a coffee grinder before. Here are all the attractive features you’ll get when purchasing this grinder:

This manual coffee grinder comes with an inbuilt grind selector – allowing you 18 different variants of coffee coarseness. This is perfect for those who love different coffee brewing methods such as French Press, Pour Over, Turkish, Espresso, etc.

It’s compact and portable. You can fit this manual coffee grinder anywhere! Super handy for travelers.

The hand crank mechanism is 90% less noisy when compared to electric/automatic coffee grinders.

Very easy and simple to use.

It comes with an all-inclusive coffee grinding guide, perfect for those who want to learn about a wide-range of different coffee brewing methods.

Pros

• 18 Different Grind Settings
• Ceramic Blades
• Portable Coffee Grinder
• High-Quality Stainless Steel Design
• Easy To Dismantle For Cleaning

Cons

• The Coffee Grind Is Not Consistent
• The Plastic Parts Are Not Sturdy

4. Porlex Jp-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

The Porlex Jp-30 manual coffee hand grinder is made in Japan and comes with high end materials.

Although the most expensive grinder on the list this grinder has been on the market for many years and consistently proven to be one of the best grinders out there.

As all other grinders on this list it comes with fine to coarse grind settings as well as a ceramic burr grinder.

This grinder is easy to clean, portable and with its long handle perfect for French press coffee grinds.

Pros

• Ceramic Burr Grinder
• High End Material

Cons

• Expensive

5. Vintage Antique Wooden Hand Coffee Grinder

Ok we have to be honest here. This model is far from being the best on the markets but we felt its inclusion is necessary. Not only does it have a vintage design and work properly but also serves as a great gift for the coffee lover.

Apart from that it does come with a iron burr grinder has a large opening so you can also mix in other foods or spices like nutmeg, cinnamon etc. Just a fun product overall that does work well for the French press coffee maker.

Pros

• Antique Design
• Iron Burr Grinder

Cons

• Coarseness Not Adjustable

Why Purchase A French Press Coffee Grinder?

So why buy a french press coffee grinder anyway?  Can’t you just get your coffee beans ground at the store, buy good quality coffee grounds or use any coffee grinder?

For the perfect tasting french press coffee, the coffee needs to be ground right before brewing.  If you let ground coffee beans sit too long, they quickly lose the aroma and natural oils that deliver much of the flavor in your cup, which is the reason you love freshly brewed coffee after all.

Plus, when it comes to french press coffee, the beans need to be ground at a larger grind size compared to espresso.  The best grind for french press coffee is somewhere between a medium to coarse grind. Not all grinders are capable of producing a consistently good coarse grind.

If you have a grind too fine, you’ll risk having coffee grinds slip through the mesh filter, leaving sediment or gritty coffee in your cup.  If the beans are too coarse, then you won’t extract the right amount of flavor from the bean, resulting in a weak tasting coffee. 

So to have the perfect french press grind and the very best tasting coffee every single time, it’s well worth investing in the best french press coffee grinder.

Things To Consider When Buying The Best Coffee Grinder For A French Press

When it comes to the best grinder for french press, there are some great options on the market. There isn’t one size that fits all, as everyone has their individual preferences.

To purchase the best french press grinder for you, consider the following factors.

1. Types Of Coffee Grinders

The first thing you will need to decide is whether to invest in a burr, block, or blade grinder as well as decide between ceramic or steel.

Block, Blade or Burr Coffee Grinder

When it comes to grinding coffee beans for french press coffee, you want a consistently coarse grind.  Unevenly ground coffee results in under or over-extraction and a weak tasting brew. 

While the best burr grinder for french press coffee tends to be more expensive than blade grinders, burr grinders produce the perfect french press coffee grind – every time.  With a good quality burr grinder, you can expect consistency in terms of the grind size.

Low-cost grinders tend to have blade grinders.  This type of grinder uses blades to slice up the coffee beans into a fine grind, similar to a spice grinder.

The main disadvantage with using a blade grinder for the french press is they don’t create a consistently coarse grind size needed for great tasting french press coffee.  I don’t recommend blade grinders and none have been listed in this guide.

Block grinders are a step up in quality from blade grinders. They offer better consistency of grind than a blade coffee grinder, but the burrs are flatter than either conical or flat burr grinders, resulting in more fines in the grind which isn’t ideal for making the best french press coffee.

Finally, good quality burr grinders come in either a flat burr grinder or conical burr coffee grinder.

A conical grinder has two cone-shaped burrs with ridges that grind and crush the coffee, whereas a flat burr grinder has two sets of serrated rings of burrs.

Both styles of burr grinders are great options for french press coffee brewing and we include both in our coffee grinder reviews.

Ceramic or Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

Overall ceramic grinders tend to be longer-lasting given they don’t rust or deteriorate when exposed to heat and moisture. 

However, having said that they don’t tend to do well under sharp and sudden impacts such as any knocks to the machine or foreign material in the coffee beans.  Many coffee lovers claim that ceramic grinders create a better, more traditional, and better-tasting coffee.

These days most good coffee grinders are made from stainless steel components.  Stainless steel is corrosion resistant and doesn’t rust when exposed to moisture. 

However, unlike ceramic, they do tend to be more affected by hot environments which shortens their lifespan overall.  Also note that some stainless steel grinders tend to lose their overall sharpness much quicker than ceramic grinders, particularly at the lower end of the quality scale.

Manual Or Electric Grinder

You’ll also need to decide whether you prefer a manual or electric grinder.

A manual (or hand) grinder operates with a hand crank.  The best hand grinder for the french press is much quieter than an electric grinder, cheaper and more portable. They are great to take to the office with you or when traveling.  Manual grinders are also easy to keep clean as they have fewer parts.

But if you want your coffee beans ground with minimal effort, an electric grinder is the way to go.  The best electric coffee grinder for french press works easily with a flick of the switch, but they do tend to be more expensive than a manual grinder.

Close up of coffee beans in a manual coffee grinder – best coffee grinder for coarse grind coffee 

3. Number Of Settings

Although you’re after the best coffee bean grinder for french press, it’s still a good idea to get a grinder with several grind settings. 

This will allow you to make great coffee for friends and family who might like different types of coffee brews.

Plus it allows you to grind coffee to the right consistency when you might want to experiment with different kinds of coffee or just don’t have the time for a french press brewed coffee.

4. Hopper Capacity

Consider the size of the bean hopper, which impacts how much coffee you can store and grind at once in the grinder.

When considering hopper capacity, think about how many cups of coffee you’re likely to be brewing at once. 

If you generally make coffee for a few people at once, the best grinder french press for you will be one capable of grinding enough coffee for everyone in one go.   If you tend to brew a single cup french press, hopper size is not so important.

5. Grinder Size

It is important to consider how much space you have in the kitchen for your grinder.  The grinder should ideally be set up on your coffee station close to your coffee machines.

The best manual grinder for french press takes up next to no space at all, while some of the electric grinders can be a bit bulkier. 

Be sure to consider this, to avoid getting your grinder home, only to realize you don’t have enough counter space.

6. Cleaning And Maintenance

If you end up with a coffee grinder that’s easy to use but a pain to clean, then you won’t love it and might stop using it altogether. 

Make sure you have an idea of what will be involved in cleaning before you buy it, so you know how involved the process will be.

The more features and components the grinder has, the more likely it will need more time to clean.

Final Thoughts

As we have just seen, there are abundant options to choose from when it comes to coarse, french press grinds.

There is no one ‘best’ coffee grinder for french press brewing, but any of the grinders we discussed will grind the beans just right for your ideal cup, take your pick!