CREMA.CO’S SINGLE DOSE GRINDER, 2025 BUYING GUIDE

Jamie Radtke (#26036)

Brendon Oakes (#52173)

Travis Papadelis (#53827)

I’m not sure what I’m asked more: A) “what is the best coffee” or B) “what grinder should I get”?

I think I get the question partly because there is an almost ridiculous over-abundance of coffee grinders to choose from.  How do you know which brands are reliable?  What makes for a good a grinder? Do I want handheld, pour over, espresso or a combo? stepped or stepless?… and the list goes on.

First and foremost I will go ahead and reiterate what you probably already know by now (especially if you read the Sunday Sippin long form on the 6th): never get, and if you can help it, never use, a blade grinder.  If you have one, I’m really not trying to make you feel bad and actually, in all honesty, today’s Sippin’ is especially for you.  You get the importance of grinding fresh as you’re already doing, we just need to upgrade your hardware to be on par with your delicious coffee selections.

So, the only choice is clearly burr grinders all the way, everyday.  Fortunately most new grinders are burr grinders: but also unfortunately, because there are so many to choose from - analysis paralysis becomes prevalent so you kind of end up deciding based on the price you're wiling to pay.  On the 6th we addressed the differences between conical and flat burrs, particle size in microns, and stepped vs stepless grinders, so we’re ready to move on to grinder options being that we’ve covered all those bases.

Now - let me let you in on a little piece of advice, for the most part any burr grinder will generally work fine.  At the end of the day there’s not a lot of wrong answers so long as your grinding fresh with a burr grinder.  You can certainly get “granular” (pun intended) with data on how uniform the grinds are and the longevity of the burrs over multiple grinds.  You can geek out over RPM’s, Torque and Power Output (aka Wattage) if you want.  These things are at least somewhat interesting to compare, but in my experience, for home coffee enthusiast applications, it’s not going to make a ton of difference so don't fret for a second if you're grinder isn't at Rolls Royce level.  Don’t get me wrong, we don’t buy hot rods, luxury and sports cars because we’re able to drive over 100 mph on our daily commute or to do errands but it’s sure nice knowing we can and get to look good doing it - in style.

So, in large part, and I know others will probably give me guff for saying it, but honestly, most of the time it comes down to what looks cool to you and how much you’re willing to pay when it comes to choosing a grinder.  Yeah, there are some super cheap burr grinders on Amazon from the likes of Cuisinart, Krups and a whole host of non-branded Chinese manufacturers Amazon is famous for hawking.  And yes, for these I’d remain weary.  However, they’ll get the job done for a while, just maybe not a super long while as eventually you will notice the particle size becoming more and more uneven.  And they’ll probably be pretty messy doing it - that’s a common issue.  Nevertheless, just know that any burr grinder (in safe condition) is better than no grinder or a blade grinder.  Don’t fret about price- if that’s your main determining factor, that is certainly ok - go with what feels comfortable.  Fresh ground is all that truly matters.

I should also touch on the sher frustration that comes along with switching the settings (grind size) for drip/pour over coffee (sometimes referred to as filter coffee in Europe) to espresso and vice versa.  Dialing in a grinder for two very different grind sizes is, no matter how you do it, is a perpetual thorn in the side.  Some of the grinders have some nifty features to help with doing this and some have bellows to push any remaining coffee out of the drop-spout but nothing really ever fully solves the problem - of making it easy and without waste.  Getting all residual coffee out of the burrs and spot is the first problem and getting the burrs to where they need to be is the 2nd.  Even if you have earmarked settings (and you should record these btw) it may take an initial throw-away grind to ensure proper size and to actually get grind-size uniformity throughout.  Sorry to be a downer here, nor am I hinting that you need separate grinders for espresso and pour-over, although that’d be nice.  If you foresee this being a regular thing for you and two grinders are out of the question than opt for a grinder that makes the switch as simple as they can - I highlight which grinders have features to assist with regular grind size changes.

To that end, today’s Sippin is a list of grinders I think are cool for one reason or another.  Often times the aesthetic is even the main factor, sometimes it’s the chaff reduction factor I’m after.  Actually, personally, if there is one thing I am after more than all else, it’s chaff reduction or possibly/hopefully even full elimination.  If a manufacturer were to start selling a combo coffee grinder and small hand-held vacuum (like they fit together in a single unit), they might end up being the huge winner in the grinder game.

The other thing you’ll notice is that with the exception of one, they are all pretty much single dose grinders.  This means you weigh out the beans first, then pour just that amount in the grinding chamber, no bulk hopper sitting on top.  The one grinder with a hopper has a scale built in to the port-filter holder, so it weighs for you.  I prefer single dose grinders not just because they look cooler imo, but mostly because I’m a huge stickler on coffee’s freshness.  Keeping the beans in a hopper for several days while oxygen breaks them down is a definite no-go.  Only busy espresso bars should be filling up a hopper because they are filling it up at least once every day (at night they should remove and reseal any unused beans).

Warning - I’ve definitely thrown in some sports/luxury car level grinders here.  They’re Super lux and arguably overkill for home use but there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with seeing it on your counter - or maybe it’s from others seeing it on your counter.  Refer to my comments above about most burr grinders doing the trick and remember, these are the grinders I am personally coveting.  No push to break the bank here.  I’m still saving my pennies, perhaps same as you, in hopes that someday, some way, one of these bad bays will be gracing my coffee bar.

The following are not in any particular rating/order of suggestion.  The only semi-order is maybe a little bit by price (descending) since we start with the most expensive.

Staying on the expensive end of the spectrum, is the aesthetically similar Orbit grinder from Acaia.  Acaia initially gained fame for their espresso scales.  The Acaia would potentially be my first choice for a grinder, as it has the credibility, design, and better price point than the Weber (the cheaper of the expensive grinders) going for it.  However the cylindrical shape, while still attractive, is steadily gaining popularity everywhere in grinding, meaning we’re seeing more and more copycats (Acaia wasn’t the first either).  It’s nice for now to get away from the quintessential boxy look (like a cheap American suit) all grinder manufacturers were previously clinging to, but is the herd now all going the cylindrical way?  You’ll notice this as we go through the rest of the list.  Very much not for the faint of heart (price-wise) but these babies from Acaia are top of the top if you ask me.

We have one last super high-end, lux grinder for this list as I’d be remiss not include the Zerno Z1.  Starting at $1349.00, this might be your best in the top-end category.  It’s worth noting that unlike Weber and Acaia, these are all hand-assembled in the US (Chicago), so they possibly won’t be as affected by tariffs- though the components may be a different matter.  The Zerno is currently doing waitlist ordering (will cost $10 to get on the waitlist), but they announced they will be moving away from their waitlist shortly (around June I think) and open it up to normal online ordering.  Again this grinder follows the modern cylindrical design we are seeing a lot of, but you do have some customization options such as choosing a hardwood (cool to pair with a Ratio 8 of the same wood) and several Burr choices, as well as some accessories like a Pelican hardcase.  

Just an honorable mention to the newest flagship grinder from Mahlkonig, the EK Omnia Allround Grinder.  Technically, I don’t think this really belongs on our list because it’s very bulky in size - thus the honorable mention and no number.  Unless you have built out a large espresso bar, it’s not ideal for the counter or home espresso bar.  Nevertheless, the EK series has been the cool kid of the specialty coffee cafe grinder scene for a long time and the Omnia is the new darling of the lineup.  Showing this bad boy off will earn you enormous coffee clout right off the bat, expect accolades.  Oh, and expect to pay, though it’s still on pre-order (despite saying it’d be available in the 2nd quarter of 2024) it's going for $3700.00.  The entire Mahlkonig EK line has been geared towards high volume, high quality, consistent grinding for any application - espresso or pour over.  The drawback, as I relentlessly bring out, is the frustration that comes with resetting the particle size for each brewing style and god-forbid, for each kind of coffee.  This is where Omnia shines, you can save the bean name and target coffee grams as recipes in the library (up to 10 recipes can be saved), then have EK Omnia automatically adjust to that saved grind size and dose - this feature alone kind of has me sold.  A drawback that EKs are infamous for is the chaff, and it doesn’t look like they took any steps to rectify that with the Omnia, so you may want to also order an Acaia Ion Beam and mount it next it to it.

Now we can move in to a little more affordable category.  We start with Turin.  Although they make a plethora of coffee grinders, I personally only like the Turin DF83V Variable Speed Coffee / Espresso Grinder.  At $729.00 it’s cheaper than the 3 mentioned above.  That said, it rivals the lux 3 above in terms of specs.  It boasts a wide variance in grinding speed, as low as 300 RPM to 1600 RPM and a 680W motor.  It also mentions an “innovative plasma generator to minimize static”.  As said at the outset, the mess of chaff with grinders is my biggest pet peeve.  You’ll quickly notice the design element closely mirrors all the rest and while they call themselves a US company, everything is manufactured in China.  Their website isn’t the most sleek but I do appreciate how many videos they put out of their of the grinders in action, especially this one.  Like all the others so far, this one touts being both an espresso and a pour-over grinder, but that doesn’t mean resetting the grind size is any easier.

Another single dose grinder that looks like all the rest (told ya you’d see this cylindrical shape everywhere in our list) is the Mazzer Philos.  Going for $1195.00 puts it near the high-end luxury ones mentioned above but I had to draw the line somewhere.  The reason for this grinder making the list, and why you should seriously consider, is Mazzer is far and away the most legit grinding company on this list.  This is attested to by the fact that most of the other grinders use or offer Mazzer burrs.  A couple cool things about the Philos is 1) you can switch between Stepped and Stepless for selecting grind size.  Stepped grinding is the general standard for home grinders, whereby it has preset grind settings that you can select by rotating a collar and these work perfectly fine for pour-over for just about all of us.  Stepless grinding is nice for espresso applications though because it allows you to get a lot more finite in your particular size so you can continuously make micro-adjustments to account for humidity, for example.  Stepless allows you to choose a grind size anywhere in between the stepped presets.  And 2) is, since this is another dose grinder made for either pour-over or espresso grinding, and changing sizes is a total pain, they helped ease Some of that pain with their “Dose Finisher”.  Basically a canister, that fits in a slot behind the face plate when not in use.  Then for use while the motor is still going, you insert the dose finisher in the chute at the end, and rotate it clockwise and anti-clockwise to clean the last grounds out. Afterwhich, you hopefully kept a note of the grind setting you want to get back too.

The next grinder is one I initially started following on Kickstarter, and not going to lie, I very nearly ordered it.  But after buying a few pieces of coffee equipment through Kickstarter over the years, and waiting months or often times more than a year, I decided to wait.  And currently they are still on Pre-order, their website saying they expect to start shipping in May - as in that May change.  The Geimori: ZERO Scattering Coffee Grinder from Wirsh, who is a relative newcomer to home coffee equipment mfg.  What drew me in is their claim of NO chaff promise, they put “no scatter” right in the name.  To achieve such a colossal feat they also employ the use of "plasma", calling it their proprietary “Plasma Anit-Static Technology” (but I expect to see this become common, i.e. Turin grinders).  “The plasma neutralizes static electricity by generating ions that interact with charged surfaces, effectively eliminating static buildup and its associated issues”, according to the Geimori website.  Plasma is a state of matter characterized by high energy and a high degree of ionization, meaning it contains a significant number of free electrons and ions.  In addition, for the GU64, the lid to the bean hopper holds water and lets you lightly mist the beans before they drop into the grinder - a very old-school, somewhat rudimentary, step which they say isn’t necessary with the plasma but gives additional assurance of zero scatter.  It has some other nice bells and whistles like being stepless for more dialed in particle size control, variable RPM adjustability, and a pre-breaker.  I wonder if would that help with large but light-weight bean varietals like Maracaturra that just pop back up like popcorn.  The larger size, 400w motor model, GU78 (which also has the integrated misting lid), will set you back $600.00.  And the smaller in size, 200w motor GU64, is selling for $300.00 - not bad prices overall.

A further curious/interesting feature is their active ionization needles to neutralize the static charge of grounds entering a removable dosing tube.  The Varia VS6 will set you back $749.00, on their website.  Alternatively, their earlier, home-specific model, the VS3, is only $270. The VS3 lacks features such as the ionization needles, RPM adjustment, and only comes compatible with Conical burs - although they do have multiple options for these.

And lastly, before this list grinds to a halt, are the Fiorenzato grinders, specifically the All-Ground Sense and the All-Ground ProBrew.  The All-Ground Sense is the only grinder to make the list with a small hopper to hold beans and has the most traditional shape in terms of espresso grinders.  Nevertheless, it makes the list for a few reasons.  First, it covers a niche application that some of you at home may be after - for those who are doing several espressos a day, and pretty much only espresso.  I know from speaking with many customers that a good amount of you fall into this category, so this grinder may be your best option.  As mentioned at the outset, keeping beans in the hopper for multiple days is not right so please continue to empty this hopper each night and reseal what’s left until the next morning.  However, it’s tediously annoying to be pre-weighing several shots ahead of time.  This grinder addresses that wonderfully by putting a scale in the arms of the portafilter holder and also allowing you to pre-program your shot weight so it stops automatically. 

The All-Ground Probrew, which is the counter to the Sense, in that it is strictly for filter coffee (i.e. drip brewer, pour-over, fresh press, Chemex, etc) also comes in the same cool colors.  So, pairing these could look cool should you have a need for both.  The ProBrew has its own set of Flat burrs designed for filter coffee grind sizes, which reduce fines, and are also treated to their Dark-T recipe which Fiorenzato says greatly lenghtens their lifetime.  The All-Ground ProBrew is this time a single dose grinder - no scales built into this one.  To help with zero retention (coffee left in the chute) it comes already outfitted with a low retention bellow instead of a hopper.  Simply pumping the bellow after grinding pushes air through the chute to help clear out the grinds -there is no knocker on this one.  The All-Ground ProBrew runs for $1200.00

In a future Sunday Sippin I will send out a list of all the hand grinders I like.  I was initially going to include them here but it turns this into a bit of an info-overload.  Besides, you need both for proper travel purposes, so you may as well shop/review them separately.  

I’m often asked what grinders I use and the truth is none of these... well not yet.  Most likely one of these grinders will be my next purchase when/if I can stack enough pennies.  It took me a long while to understand how much grinding affects coffee, but more so, as mentioned at the beginning, I want a single dose grinder that makes it super easy to switch between espresso and pour over and eliminates the chaff - no static.  

Today I just use a Fellow Ode Gen 2 for my medium (pour-over/drip) grind, primarily used in my Ratio brewer.  Would I ever recommend a Fellow grinder?  No.  While they are prolific and maintain a good price point, are somewhat of a single dose grinder (has a small bean hopper) I have never loved it.  It's very much a stepped grinder with wide presets that are prone to brew-stall  And more than anything, it makes a total mess (although it’s not alone in that) in terms of chaff.  I also personally dislike their design language but that's not the determining factor.

The other grinder I use is the Mahlkonig X54.  It’s been very-decent and tbh, even though it’s a home version, for an actual Mahlkonig grinder, you can’t beat the price.  However, I use it strictly for espresso, it looks and feels like an espresso grinder but more than anything, the difficulty of changing up the grind/particle size is a determining factor.  It’s touted as an all-in-one and can definitely grind for any application but switching between brewing applications (grind-size) is rather unfriendly.  I have converted it to a single dose espresso grinder by ordering a Bellow attachment for it from Etsy.  

Finally, I have a hand grinder, except it electric so it’s a little heavy (every pound matters when they weigh your luggage at check-in) and it’s also crazy messy with chaff, but I still do like it a lot.  What is it? You’ll have to wait for the hand grinder list (eye-roll).  I’ve also had various Baratza grinders in the past but won’t go back to them.  Their price is wonderful but they’re kinda ugly and like the rest, make a massive mess - a whole lot of plastic parts.

In conclusion, I want to say that most of these grinders are quite new, that’s in part because high-end, single dose grinding has become increasingly popular so there’s a bit of vacuum here that manufacturers are seemingly all looking to fill.  And I’m sure there’s more to come.  Some will be cool and will make a future list some day.  Others will look cool but be a total fail (like the Goat story grinder I wish I never bought).  Meanwhile, others will just have us scratching our heads wondering how and why that ever made it to market.

When crema.co first started we only sold whole bean, and even today 80% of the coffee ordered is whole bean.  Which means you totally get it: grinding is vitally important.  Study results vary but they all show that between 50 & 80% of volatile compounds are lost in ground coffee within 10 minutes.  When it comes to buying a grinder, as long as it’s a burr grinder, get whatever appeals to you.  Maybe it’s based on price, that’s totally fine.  Perhaps it’s ease of changing the grind size, or how minute you can dial it in, or maybe it just all comes down to how clean it is - how well it can eliminate static.  (Yes, it’s probably a combination of these factors).  And ok, while I may sound a little like a broken record, here I go again: specialty coffee is all about experience, and a great grinder is as much a part of the experience as what you use to brew it, and almost, but not quite, as important as the coffee you brew.

(my espresso grinder set-up below)