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Using a Chemex or other pour-over coffee maker lets you enjoy the freshest tasting coffee since it allows the coffee grounds to blossom and acquire their full flavor over time, but you need to know what the best coffee grinders for Chemex are.
Consequently, a coffee grinder is needed to ensure the coffee you’re using is fresh. Since there are so many options, it may be challenging for you to sort through them all.
This is why we put this review together. The following are reviews of the best coffee grinders we’ve come across.
The 6 Best Coffee Grinders for Chemex Out Of The 10 That We Reviewed
Capresso 560.04 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder —Best Chemex Coffee Grinder
To make pour-over coffee, we recommend the Capresso 560.04 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder; this is due to its effectiveness in creating a consistently coarse grind size.
It offers 16 settings, and the interface is quite user-friendly. The transparent hopper can hold up to 8.8 ounces of beans in terms of volume. Our favorite feature of this grinder was the timer and that it shuts down when it’s done grinding.
The conical burrs are made of stainless steel, and the housing is zinc die-casting; these are very durable and efficient materials.
The only potential issue we discovered with this one is that it might become clogged if not cleaned regularly. Fortunately, it comes with a cleaning brush. However, to avoid clogging, we recommend cleaning it after each usage.
Pros
- It is made with materials of superior durability and quality
- Extremely simple to operate
- There are 16 different grinder settings.
- It has a timer built-in.
- It is a reasonably priced option.
- Automatically shuts down when 8.8 ounces of beans have been ground
- Uses conical burrs instead of flat burrs.
Cons
- If not cleaned regularly, it clogs easily.
OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
The Oxo coffee grinder is a long-lasting stainless steel grinder with a 40-millimeter burr that produces a uniform grind every time, allowing maximum flavor extraction. It is exceptional at grinding for fine, medium, and coarse grind sizes.
Design that is both beautiful and clean-looking, with sparkling silver and sleek matte black accents. Despite its considerable power, this coffee grinder is surprisingly quiet compared to other models with the same size motor.
This is a great coffee grinder that gives you precise coffee grounds which is what you need no matter what method you’re using for brewing coffee
Pros
- Start time with a single touch
- There are 15 different options.
- Flavor extraction at its best
- A pretty quiet grinder
Cons
- The grind bin does not have a lock, which allows it to vibrate off now and again.
- It is impossible to clean the bottom burr since you can’t remove it.
Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder
The Baratza is a fantastic grinder suitable for a wide range of coffee enthusiasts. More than 40 distinct settings, including one for medium-coarse (Perfect Chemex Ground Size), as well as speeds of up to 450 RPM, are available to you.
This enables you to grind in a variety of techniques while still retaining a quiet engine and overall lowered noise level, which is particularly useful. However, because the equipment weighs close to ten pounds, it isn’t easy to move around and is more suited to sit on your counter or coffee bar.
The hopper can hold eight ounces of beans and the bin container has a capacity of five ounces.
Pros
- A tiny physical footprint
- There are 40 different grind settings.
- DC motor with a lot of power
- One-year manufacturer’s warranty
Cons
- You can’t grind a custom amount
Breville BCG820BSSXL Smart Grinder Pro —Best To Splurge On
If you’re searching for a high-capacity grinder with professional-level performance, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro is an excellent choice. It includes 60 different grind settings and a hopper that holds 18 ounces of coffee beans.
The precision electronic timer lets you fine-tune the grind setting to your required specifications. In addition, we enjoyed the fact that you could grind directly into a portafilter. Last but not least, the LCD screen makes it simple to view the grind setting and the amount of time spent grinding.
It is, however, a little more expensive, as you might expect from a high-end professional grinder of this kind.
Pros
- There are 60 different grind settings
- Conical burr coffee grinder made of stainless steel
- Capacity for 18 ounces of coffee beans
- Electronic timer with high accuracy
- Grind directly into a portafilter.
- Display on liquid crystal display (LCD)
Cons
- The motor is a little loud
- Pricey
- Easily becomes clogged
Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder
The Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder is another excellent option for use with Chemex brewers since it features 12 adjustable grind settings and conical burrs, making it an excellent all-around model.
While employing the pour-over method, you will be able to select the optimal grind type for your personal preferences. It has a capacity of 7.75 ounces, which is a significant amount of beans. In addition, both the hopper and the catcher are made of glass, which makes cleanup a breeze.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that the burr grinder is constructed of stainless steel, the gears are constructed of plastic. As a result, the motor has frequent failures.
Pieces of coffee beans and grinds frequently become lodged in the burrs, necessitating daily maintenance to prevent the burr coffee grinder from becoming clogged.
Additionally, the motor seems to be underpowered to handle the large volume of beans being fed into this electric grinder, as it struggles to keep up. As if it wasn’t bad enough, grinding is slow. If you need to brew a lot of coffee at once, this might not be the best solution.
Pros
- There are 12 different grind settings to choose from.
- Both the hopper and the catcher are constructed of glass.
- The hopper holds just under 8 ounces of beans.
Cons
- Plastic gearing degrades with time.
- The motor is prone to failure.
- Easily becomes clogged
- The engine is not powerful enough.
Secura Automatic Grinder CBG-018
The best feature of this model is the 18 grind size settings it gives you to make micro-adjustments from espresso to French Press. This is important since you need a consistently coarse grind for your Chemex.
It carries a regular eight ounces of ground coffee, and the container holds five ounces of ground coffee.
One unusual characteristic of this machine is that it features an automated shut-off feature that activates after the device is finished grinding or if the container is removed while the machine is grinding.
The machine may grind enough coffee for one cup of coffee at a time or enough coffee for up to ten cups at a time. It also has simple to clean parts and comes with a straightforward one-year warranty.
Overall, it is an affordably priced grinder with a good number of capabilities for getting things going.
Pros
- Durable will last for years.
- Easy to clean
- very affordable
Cons
- Very messy, grinds end up everywhere
- Noisy
- Hard to grind a fine enough size for espresso
Which Grind Size Should You Use For Chemex
If you are still uncertain about what a Chemex is or how to use it, take a look at this little video first before continuing to read this article.
To get the best flavor you need to use a Chemex coffee grinder that will grind your beans to a medium-coarse consistency.
Although it will take longer to prepare your coffee, it has a specially designed filter that is braided tighter than most, resulting in it being thicker overall. The result will be a smoother cup of coffee that is free of the bitterness that can come from traditional brewing methods.
You’ll also notice a more developed flavor due to the longer filtering time.
As a result, it is critical to utilize a medium-coarse grind, as a finer grind would result in a longer brewing time, which may cause the coffee beans to be over-extracted.
If you use a finer grind, the water will have difficulty moving through the grounds, and it will over-extract your coffee.
You want to keep the brewing time between four and five minutes. When brewing time exceeds this, you may want to experiment with a coarser grind for your beans.
Questions To Ask When Buying The Best Coffee Grinder For Chemex
You should consider several factors when buying a coffee grinder to use with your Chemex. As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the most crucial characteristics to search for.
How Big Is The Grinder
Grinders are available in various sizes, so you’ll need to select where you’re going to put them and measure the space to see which one would work best.
If you intend to keep it on your counter all of the time, make sure to measure the distance between your counter and the bottom of your cabinets(this is often overlooked).
If you plan to store it when it’s not in use, you’ll want to choose a model that isn’t too large and doesn’t weigh a lot since this will make it easy to store in a cabinet or pantry.
What Features Are Included
Some of the grinders in our list are equipped with features such as an electronic timer, an LCD screen, or an automated shut-off. If you’re purchasing one of the more expensive grinders, it’s reasonable to expect that it will come with a number of accessories.
These features aren’t required to purchase a good coffee grinder; instead, they serve as enjoyable additions.
Is It A Blade Or Burr Grinder
As far as grinders go, there are three typical types: conical burr, flat burr, and blade grinders. Of course, the most affordable is a blade grinder, but the most consistent is a conical burr grinder.
Because blade grinders tend to be the cheapest, they tend to be the worst at cutting the beans into uniformly sized pieces. They are compact and have propeller-like blades that can only slice in one direction, much like a spice mill.
Burr grinders, with their teeth-like blades, are more exact in cutting the beans, but they are also more time-consuming, primarily when used as a manual grinder.
When it comes to cutting beans evenly and effectively, conical burr grinders have the most precise level of exactness. Beans are chopped into tiny pieces and pressed into two cones with teeth in between. Typically, these are the priciest grinders on the market, but well worth it.
What Are The Burrs Made Out Of
Burrs will be manufactured of stainless steel or ceramic.
However, steel, especially nitrogen-cooled, is more durable than ceramic in terms of sharpness retention.
Ceramic burrs are more durable than steel burrs, lasting roughly twice as long on average.
Because ceramic burrs are more brittle than steel, an extremely hard rock hidden in the beans could chip ceramic.
Nevertheless, because steel generates more friction, it heats up more quickly, which can cause your beans to be burned, resulting in an unpleasant bitter flavor. Ceramic does not behave in this way.
Is It An Electric Burr Grinder Or Manual Model
Grinders are available in electric models, which can grind more quickly but at the expense of increased noise. They are also more powerful, giving you a more extensive selection of grind size adjustments.
A manual coffee grinder is portable, which is helpful in situations when power is not available, although it does require some hand strength to operate.
I love waking up and grinding my beans with my Comandante 240, but I admit that I don’t do it every day; for the most part, I use my electric I use my Smeg Grinder.
How Many Grind Settings Does It Have
Chemex suggests a medium-coarse grind; therefore, a grinder with customizable grind settings will be ideal for this task. The more grind settings it offers, the greater the amount of control you’ll have over the exact output.
For example, you may discover that you prefer your Chemex grounds to be a little coarser than you usually would. A grinder that allows you to make modest adjustments might assist you in finding the optimum grind for your personal preference.
All of the grinders on this list give you this capability.
How Long Does It Take To Grind
Whenever feasible, you should grind your beans as close to when you will be brewing your coffee to ensure that you get the freshest taste cup of coffee.
If you’re like me, you want your cup of coffee sooner rather than later; this is why all of the grinders on our list are some of the quickest on the market while still delivering consistent grind sizes.
Many manual grinders are great for a Chemex coffee maker but aren’t favorable due to only grinding small amounts and having to be manually powered.
They are easily portable, stylish, and great if you find yourself in need of a caffeine hit but without electricity.
Our favorite manual grinder for a Chemex, read our Timemore review.
What’s The Size Of The Hopper
Hoppers are available in a variety of sizes, from small sizes, such as that used with manual grinders (which can hold only around five tablespoons or so of coffee beans at a time), to big ones, such as the Breville Smart Grinder Pro, which has an 18-ounce bean capacity. It all depends on your requirements as to which one is the best.
If you plan to grind a lot of beans in the morning, a larger hopper capacity is advised. On the other hand, capacity matters less if you’re only going to use the grinder for a couple of cups of coffee.
What size Chemex do you currently own or plan to purchase? They are available in three different cup sizes:
Are The Materials Used To Build It Durable And Stylish
Given that this is a machine that will be put to extensive use, it must be constructed of high-quality materials such as stainless steel or ceramic, with no internal plastic components whatsoever.
Inferior parts can fail quickly. As a result, it is worthwhile to ensure that it is constructed with materials that will last.
Does It Have A Warranty Or Guarantee
If you discover that the machine does not meet your requirements or has a manufacturing problem, you should always choose a machine that comes with a guarantee or warranty.
Conclusion
As you can see in the table above, there are various factors to consider when selecting the best coffee grinder for Chemex brewing machines.
Some of the most important considerations to make during your search is the grind size consistency and the container options available from the grinder, among other things.
The Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder, in my opinion, is the clear winner out of this group of products. This machine is fantastic since it has 40 various settings, making it suitable for any size of grounds, including medium-coarse grind, without sacrificing performance.
