Originating as a tiny, single-use machine, AeroPress brewing is loved worldwide by campers in the bush and 9-5’ers alike for its convenience and versatility.
And like any coffee brewing process, quality grinding determines an excellent or a bad cup of coffee. We’re here to break down the best grinders for AeroPress brewing.
But before we do that, what grinds should we aim for in an AeroPress? Let’s take a closer look.
What Grinds Do I Need For AeroPress Brewing?
It’s important for your grinder to be able to accommodate the best grind sizes for AeroPress so you can enjoy the unique, satisfying taste this brewing method has to offer.
Fine Grind — Not recommended for beginner brewers using an AeroPress for the first time, finer grinds, when paired with the AeroPress, produce a coffee more akin to espresso.
This is for a steady hand and baristas with more experience; too fine a grind and your bean may be overly pressurized, potentially soaking through and breaking the filter paper and ruining your coffee blend.
Medium Grind — The best way to enjoy AeroPress brewing, where the grind size optimizes the filter surface area and prevents most of the drip-through you’d expect to see from finer grinds while still being easy enough to press through.
Medium grinds create a more subtle and soft flavor experience when it comes to sipping your AeroPress java.
Coarse Grind — Not recommended for AeroPress; over-saturated coffee grounds with below-par extraction make your coffee a watery and bland cup.
Best Grinders At A Glance
- 40 grind settings
- 40mm commercial-grade conical burrs
- Automatic pulse button operation
- High-quality ceramic burrs
- Can fit directly inside the AeroPress tube
- Durable stainless steel body
- 60 adjustable grind settings
- Solid frame and sleek aluminum engineering
- Dual-bearing shaft for a more consistent grind
- Lightweight and compact for travel
- Wear-resistant, tasteless burrs
- Static-free grinding
A Closer Look At Our Top Picks
Baratza Encore
Summary: The top pick of grinders for AeroPress, with a variety of coarser grind settings, a range of grind sizes, and operated automatically and intuitively.
With 40 integrated grind settings, the Baratza’s automatic burr coffee grinder operation allows you to fully customize your grind easily. Whether coarse grind or medium-fine, you can grind your coffee beans your way by accessing the straight-forward, easy-to-use pulse button and rotary dial.
The uncomplicated interface makes this a great entry-level grinder for coffee lovers new to grinding their own beans. Plus, you’re able to grind with an extensive range of options, including AeroPress, Hario V60, Chemex, or French Press.
The burrs are sourced from stainless steel engineering with a 40mm diameter size. The larger the burr, the quicker and more evenly your coffee will be ground. For grinding in general, burrs are always preferable to blades, as burr grinding promotes consistency, quality, and uniformity of your grind.
The Baratza has a low rpm, which in the case of coffee taste is good, as you are less likely to prematurely extract the coffee’s flavor. For some, however, slower speed will definitely be seen as a drawback. Another drawback of the Baratza is that it isn’t portable and requires electricity; great for hotel rooms and kitchens but not so much for the great outdoors.
- 40 grind settings
- 40mm commercial-grade conical burrs
- Automatic pulse button operation
- Uncomplicated interface
- Can brew for AeroPress, Hario V60, Chemex, or French Press
- An electric coffee grinder; isn’t portable
- Operates rather slow
JavaPresse Manual Grinder
Summary: The classically inspired manual coffee bean grinder with heavy-duty durability and 18 burr adjustments.
With a classic design sourced from stainless steel, you can rely on the JavaPresse for sustained performance over time with durability and confidence. Plus, the body fits directly inside the AeroPress tube, saving you the square footage in your backpack.
The dual-plated ceramic conical burrs will also give you a better-tasting coffee. Ceramic grinders don’t conduct heat the way steel burrs do, allowing for a more true-to-bean taste as the oils are unaffected. Ceramic burrs also last 5 times longer than their stainless steel counterparts.
And with the low and attractive price tag, better cups of coffee won’t have you digging through the couch trying to come up with the cash.
For operating, there is no included indication on the machine or in the instruction manual of how many spins of the crank handle the JavaPresse needs for different coffee brewing methods. That said, after doing some research, I was able to find it:
| Coarseness | Brewing Method | Clicks |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | Espresso | 1-3 |
| Medium-fine | AeroPress (2-3 mins. brewing) | 4-6 |
| Medium | AeroPress (3+ mins. brewing), Pour-Over | 7-9 |
| Medium coarse | Drip coffee, Chemex | 10-12 |
| Coarse | French Press, Cold brew | 13-18 |
A drawback of the JavaPresse is its compact size; the diminutive stature gives the JavaPresse a small chamber. The smaller hopper means you may be spilling your whole beans more than siphoning them into the chamber to crank.
- High-quality ceramic burrs
- Can fit directly inside the AeroPress tube
- Durable stainless steel body with an attractive design
- Affordable price
- Statistically better coffee flavor
- No indication of grind coarseness
- Slim chamber can be messy
1Zpresso Q2 Mini Grinder
Summary: A manual burr grinder boasting an impressive 60 settings for adjustable grind size or coarseness with a solid build of alloy steel burrs.
With 60—that’s right, 60—settings for grind size and coarseness, you can tailor-make the perfect grind to you. You can also easily switch between settings by using the adjustment wheel. The built-in adjustable grind selector has clear indications to help you predict your coarseness.
And with the dual-bearing shaft with triaxial design, you’ll have better stability over the grind process and uniform, ground bean coffee.
This is a grinder designed to be quickly disassembled and reassembled, taking all the effort out of regular cleaning. The solid, sturdy aluminum frame gives the 1Zpresso a polished look from the outside, while the quick-disassembly design on the inside makes the real cleaning effortless.
This is a small but mighty grinder, as the 1Zpresso is estimated to last through grinding an equivalent of nearly 300 kilos of ground coffee beans; that’s a whole lot of coffee and a whole lot of time! Or the equivalent of almost 10,000 cups of coffee
Online reviewers corroborated this fact, with some saying their machine has lasted them over 10 years. 1Zpresso also has a one-year warranty should any already compromised machines slip through the testers.
Some reviewers also claimed, however, that it doesn’t grind espresso beans that well, attributing to an, at times, inconsistent grind quality. Uniform grounds are hit or miss the finer you go with the 1Zpresso.
- 60 adjustable grind settings
- Pristine condition with sleek aluminum engineering
- Dual-bearing shaft with triaxial design
- Very durable
- Not the most consistent grind quality
- Doesn’t grind espresso well
Porlex Mini Grinder
Summary: Smaller than a soft drink but with as much power and delicious coffee taste as the big guys.
The Porlex Mini is tiny, making it perfect for travel. Measuring in at product dimensions smaller and lighter than a soda can, this is an excellent option for coffee lovers looking for a portable grinder.
But don’t be fooled by its size, you’re still getting a robust grinder, just without the footprint of one. The ceramic conical burrs feature 13 customizable settings and are engineered using wear-resistant, tasteless materials; your burrs are built to last and won’t impart any unwanted taste into your coffee.
The Porlex also makes for a quality grind with precision. An accurate grind is so important as it determines the contact time your beans have with water and, therefore, your coffee’s taste.
Depending on your grind rhythm, it’ll take around 1-3 minutes until you have your beans ready to brew in the AeroPress. The static-free grind process means you won’t be cleaning up messy coffee grounds with the Porlex.
Like most compact, manual grinders, the bean capacity is only 20 grams or one cup at a time. While this matches AeroPress’ mantra of single-use coffee, it’s a bit impractical for multiple cups or coffee addicts.
I also found adjusting the grind size a bit awkward. You have to tighten the screws all the way until the burrs are together and make the adjustment from there. For AeroPress, I recommend you make 5-8 clicks.
- Lightweight and compact for travel
- Wear-resistant, tasteless burrs
- Static-free grinding
- Precise and consistent grind
- Excellent customer service
- Small capacity
- Inconvenient grind adjustments
Buying Guide
Price/Value
How your grinder is priced is dependent on a lot of factors, but the main ones boil down to automation level and/or durability.
Automation—Electric burr grinders will, of course, be priced higher than manual coffee grinders based on the technology involved.
Electric grinders are very convenient as they grind automatically without you having to put in any work. Many come with a range of options and make the process foolproof. If you have less than $100 to shell out, I would suggest you go for a manual grinder. It will likely be of higher quality and will most likely outlast an electric grinder on the same budget.
Durability—Cheap plastic or cutting corners in engineering will give you a better-looking price but will ultimately lead to a lot of headaches in replacing parts or hoping for excellent customer service.
Aluminum or stainless steel conical burr grinders far outweigh plastic when it comes to durability and strength while also proving to be easier machines to maintain in the cleaning process.
Consider how much wiggle room you have and how automation level, durability, and additional design features will add or subtract value from your coffee routine.
Size
The most important consideration to think about when it comes to size is whether or not you need your grinder to be portable.
Electric grinders are generally larger housing units that also require electricity to operate. While most electric kitchen grinders won’t clutter up your countertops, they’re certainly unsuitable for backpacking trips.
Meanwhile, manual grinders like the JavaPresse and Porlex Mini are small enough to fit directly inside the AeroPress tube, perfect for on-the-road coffee brewing styles or camping trips. You are, however, compromising the ability to make multiple cups at a time (i.e., larger capacity grinders).
Consistency
Your personal coffee grinders burr design will be the biggest factor in achieving a quality grind with consistency.
Ceramic (JavaPresse, Porlex Mini)—Best for upholding coffee taste and lasts 5x longer than stainless steel; conducts less heat leading to an even grind distribution.
Stainless Steel (Baratza, 1Zpresso Q2)—Best formedium to fine grinds, with an even small grind and particle distribution; perfect for AeroPress and espresso-sized grinds, pour-over, or French Press. Commonly found in automatic drip brewers and/or automatic drip machines.
Settings
For coffee brewers who rely on a variety of brew methods and enjoy spicing things up, you’ll need a type of grinder like the Baratza or 1Zpresso, with multiple coarseness settings corresponding with different brew styles.
For beginner brewers or for creatures of habit, you can look to a machine like the Porlex Mini or JavaPresse with limited settings, but will ultimately get the job done and bring you that sweet coffee flavor.
The Verdict
We set out to bring you the best grinder for AeroPress, a practical and versatile single-use brewing method; the Baratza has come and delivered.
With intuitive, automatic grinding and with a range of brew methods, coarseness settings, and strong 40mm steel burrs, this is the perfect beginner machine to help you fall in love with AeroPress brewing.
With 40 grind settings and its 40mm conical burrs, the Baratza Encore is our favorite grinder for the AeroPress. Operated easily and intuitively, this automatic grinder is ideal for coffee lovers just getting started.
