If you only upgrade one thing, make it the grinder. A consistent burr grind unlocks more flavour than almost any machine change, because uneven grounds extract unevenly.
Which grinder depends on what you brew, and the honest answer splits in two. Conical burrs that build a forgiving espresso puck also make the fines that blunt a pour over, so the best filter grinder and the best espresso grinder are rarely the same machine at the same money.
- 17.6/10
GrinderBudget · approx $150Baratza Encore
The filter pick, and the cheapest. Consistent for the price and famously repairable with off-the-shelf parts. Not an espresso grinder, and it does not pretend to be.
- 27.7/10
GrinderBudget · approx $200Baratza Encore ESP
The espresso pick on a budget, and our highest value score. The same grinder as the Encore with the first twenty steps rescaled to about 20 microns per click, which is the whole reason it can dial in a shot.
- 37.3/10
GrinderBudget · approx $200Breville Smart Grinder Pro
The one-grinder-for-everything pick. 60 settings from espresso to press, a dosing timer and both portafilter cradles in the box, for about $200. You trade precision at the fine end and you will deal with static.
- 48.1/10
GrinderPremium · approx $629Niche Zero
The espresso pick, at roughly three times the price. Single dosing with almost no retention, stepless adjustment and 63 mm conical burrs. Buy it for espresso and the workflow, not for V60 clarity.
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