With all the electric grinders available, it might seem counter-intuitive to purchase a manual grinder. Why is this something you need?

Manual grinders still have their place in the world of coffee. I love manual grinders for two key reasons:

1) The are your best option for brewing fresh coffee while traveling without the convenience of an outlet (camping, backpacking road trips, etc.)

and 2) There’s something satisfying and nostalgic about getting back to basics that resonates with me when it comes to manual grinders.

I use my Kuissential all the time when I’m not at home and I’ve found it to be a reliable tool. A few turns and I have enough grounds to make a fresh cup. The Kuissential, like a few other manuals, also offers ceramic burrs over blades, so a consistent grind isn’t something only automatics have to offer.

The three grinder options I highlight here are the best of the manual field. Grind coarseness is really important in getting to the ultimate end result of a solid cup of coffee and these three offer enough refinement to do a great job manually.

Another user recently also shared with me that the Porlex happens to fit conveniently into the plunger of the Aeropress, which is a great surprise feature, especially if you’re looking to purchase a manual grinder for a travel coffee kit and want to maximize space (thanks for the tip, mdNomad!).

Best Manual Coffee Grinder

• Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder, Mini

  Product Name
• 4.4Rating
• $Price
• Ceramic MillMaterial Type

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• Kuissential Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder, Hand-crank Coffee Mill

  Product Name
• 4.3Rating
• $Price
• Glass Storage Container and Non-Slip BaseMaterial Type

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• Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

  Product Name
• 4.5Rating
• $Price
• Stainless steelMaterial Type

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#1 Choice – Kuissential Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder, Hand-crank Coffee Mill

Let’s start with the Kuissential Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder, Hand-crank Coffee Mill—one of the handiest manual coffee grinders among the best manual coffee grinders currently available in the market. Indeed, designed to appear like a commonplace pepper grinder with a lady-like waist, the aforementioned manual coffee grinder can fit cozily in your palm without slipping out of it. To make it truly safe to use, the manual coffee grinder comes with a hopper lid, which helps ensure the coffee beans won’t spill out of the glass coffee bean container, which lets you easily see your progress while you grind; as well as a non-slip base, which lets you put down the manual coffee grinder on a slippery surface without worrying that it might slip away and break.

Thanks to its ceramic burr, we also believe that the Kuissential Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder, Hand-crank Coffee Mill will be one of the sturdiest and most effective manual coffee grinders you’ve ever used. Apart from they will never rust, compared with steel burrs in general, ceramic burrs in general last longer, absorb less heat, emit less noise, and won’t alter the flavor of the coffee beans you’d use. Apart from being capable of these, the ceramic burr of the manual coffee grinder is designed to produce uniform-sized ground coffee, which is needed in making great-tasting coffee. But this doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with just one ground coffee size. The manual coffee grinder comes with several different ground coffee sizes among which you can easily select the size you’d like. The rest of the useful features of the manual coffee grinder are an easy-to-clean design and a storage container for leftover ground coffee that is conveniently attached to the bottom.

Although the Kuissential Manual Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder, Hand-crank Coffee Mill appears to be an effective manual coffee grinder indeed, a few consumers have complained about it online. According to them: The manual coffee grinder doesn’t enable the user to grind coffee beans as easily as expected, it doesn’t really produce uniform-sized ground coffee, and it takes awhile to produce fine ground coffee. The manual coffee grinder, however, has received a rating of 4 and a half stars out of 5 on Amazon.

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#2 Choice – Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

Last, but certainly not the least, is the Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder—not only the sturdiest manual coffee grinder on this list; one of the sturdiest among the best manual coffee grinders currently available in the market. Indeed, the aforementioned manual coffee grinder comes with ceramic burrs and a sleek, static-free, stainless steel body; enabling you to use the manual coffee grinder even outdoors without worrying that it might easily break.

If you’d worry that the Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder might be too heavy to use conveniently, it weighs only 1.4 lbs, which makes it as handy to use as both of the manual coffee grinders reviewed previously. Like both of these manual coffee grinders, the manual coffee grinder can also grind coffee beans consistently, and is a cinch to clean. Having a maximum capacity of 30 g, which is more or less 4 tbsps of ground coffee, the manual coffee grinder will be able to produce enough ground coffee even if you use a large cup.

According to a few consumers, like both of the manual coffee grinders reviewed previously, the Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder takes time to produce fine ground coffee. The other drawback to using this manual coffee grinder that they’ve noted is its handle not being as sturdy as it should be. To be specific, they say that it wore down after only a brief period of use. Nevertheless, the manual coffee grinder has received a rating of 4 and a half stars out of 5 on Amazon.

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#3 Choice – Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder, Mini

Next is the Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder, Mini—not only the handiest manual coffee grinder on this list; it’s easily one of the most convenient to use manual coffee grinders among the best manual coffee grinders available commercially. Indeed, coming in at a mere 11.2 oz (1 pound when shipped), the aforementioned manual coffee grinder will likely be one of the lightest—if not the lightest—manual coffee grinder you’ve ever used so far. Like the manual coffee grinder reviewed previously, the aforementioned manual coffee grinder was also given a ceramic mill, a hopper lid, a transparent coffee bean container, and a design that makes the tool secure to use, easy to clean, and able to consistently grind.

Given how similar it is to the manual coffee grinder reviewed previously, you might ask yourself, what sets the Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder, Mini, apart? We assure you, there are several things about this manual coffee grinder that makes it stand out.  To begin with: The manual coffee grinder comes with a knob that you can easily turn in order to adjust the resulting ground coffee’s texture to your taste, which makes sure that the coffee it will yield will be to your liking. Since its handle is detachable, you’ll be able to store the manual coffee grinder even in a small container; enabling you to save space if you like, or when you need to do so.

Despite the several useful features of the Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder, Mini, a few consumers say that it isn’t as convenient to use as promised. To be specific: They say the manual coffee grinder’s size significantly limits the amount of ground coffee beans you can use, and it takes awhile to produce fine ground coffee. Nonetheless, the manual coffee grinder has received a rating of 4 and a half stars out of 5 on Amazon.

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While trying our best to improve everything by way of continuous technological advances, we mustn’t always assume that everything can be made better. As we hope to have made you realize, by giving you our brief but detailed reviews of three of the best manual coffee grinders currently available in the market, certain things are as perfect as they can ever be already.

Questions? Leave a comment below!

Chatting about coffee is my passion! Leave me a question in the comments, I answer each and every one and would love to get to know you better.

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