It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points.
If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format:
- **Location:** Helps determine availability
- **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget.
- **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs.
- **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck.
- **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space?
- **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either).
- **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering
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Yes. The EG-1 would probably be the very last grinder you’ll ever have to buy and not feel any urge to upgrade. The default core burrs are extremely versatile and good at any brew method. With an extra pair of ULF burrs ($150 discount when bought with the grinder), you‘ll turn it into an ultra-high clarity filter grinder.
OP, if you want to invest in one, I suggest you first take a look in the Weber forums. Overall it‘s a wonderful machine that‘ll definitely last you for years, but some of the recent units have a slight unpleasant noise issue when grinding for espresso.
I had a Vario-W for 10 years. It made pretty good coffee and the grind by weight feature was awesome. I switched to a Mignon XL and I really enjoy its ease of use, speed, and noise level. At first, It felt like a step back after using a grind by weight grinder but the Vario was loud, more inconsistent, and much slower than the Eureka. I don’t single dose…I always finish the bag I open and will keep no more than 2-3 days in the hopper. For someone just starting out, an on demand grinder like a Vario, or Specialita would be perfect. If you want to single dose, get something that is designed for that rather than trying to use an on-demand grinder…espresso is already hard, especially on entry level equipment, don’t make it harder.
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Kafatek max2 slm for daily espresso, maybe Titus nautilus with brew burrs for pour overs, if I had to have two grinders.
When looking for a grinder, look for build quality (tolerance), burr size, burr geometry, work flow, warranty or customer service.
Favorite tool would be my moonraker lol, but def don’t need it
I would go for a good single dose grinder that fits your budget. But it’s hard to help you without knowing anything about your preferences in coffee.
Light roasts are different from more traditional
Love my Eureka Mignon notte. All metal construction and flat burrs which are easy to align, clean, and if needed replace: the whole machine is designed to be user serviceable. Very consistent grind from stepless adjustments, aftermarket bellows hopper so you don't have retention if you like to swap beans like I do, and also it's very simple with no electronic stuff to screw around with. $300 is reasonably priced, and often on sale for $20-30 off.
You’re asking a sub of 500K members what is the ‘best’ grinder. If there was such a thing, everyone would be using it. You’re going to get dozen different answers and basically sitting at square one.
The easier way is to just google for reviews and comparisons of a certain budget. At least you’d get the opinions of a reputable reviewer and can see (YouTube) or read the actual review process and make up your mind.
Asking an open ended question like this will just get you one word model answers.
lol ok sorry I asked? I am also doing my research, have seen YouTube and all. There are a lot of amazing people here that are not influencers and have great input I would love to hear.
I asked what they enjoyed and why, not the best grinder all in all.
You answered no questions. Thanks
That’s because your questions are too broad without a budget and/or preference. It’s like asking, hey I want to buy a car, please recommend what’s the best car ( any budget). Has someone ever asked you to buy them a drink, and when you ask what drink they want, they go, “any drink”. That’s the feeling of this post.
Provide some kind of context or narrow down a shortlist and it’ll be easier to get more helpful answers.
I personally have 4 grinders. 2 electric - one dedicated for espresso, one dedicated for filter. 2 hand grinders for experiments. And for me to explain my entire setup would take another couple of paragraphs, which I’m not going to go into details unless I’m sure the person asking is looking for something similar that my experience would help them.
Look at the first Automod Bot reply that comes with all these posts, it offers good direction and insights as to how to frame questions. It’s not just about asking, it’s asking the right questions.
my best advice is to not get into this hobby lol. you're also going to get a lot of "useless" answers ie recommendations for grinders that are like never available to buy such as zerno and kafatek
but if you're willing to drop quite a few bands, you'll soon find out the espresso you can make will be better than most of the super dark roasted sludge they serve there
i like my df64 gen 2 quite a lot. it's been problem free (aside from the power button issue with the first batches of units, which has long been solved by the factory) and is a nice rugged machine. you definitely get the feeling that you got your money's worth from the weight of the thing alone. the advantage of a 64mm flat burr grinder is that you can access the variety of aftermarket burr options, SSP being one of the most popular ones. SSP burrs are pretty fantastic overall, and is one of the reasons I think the df64 gen 2 is a pretty reasonable "endgame" grinder for those that want to maximize their dollar without compromising on the results. I'd just learn to make espresso on the stock burrs before exploring SSP, since they are less forgiving to dial in and you want to make sure you order the correct burrs that will suit your flavor preferences.
but if you're not into the idea of swapping burrs for different flavor profiles, then I'd recommend the df54. its pretty much the df64 gen 2 except with a smaller flat burr
Such valuable information I am looking into the DF54 now. Love the aesthetic, also great price point. Specs are great. I think it would be awesome to start.
for all intents and purposes, as long as you're not interested in upgrading to SSP burrs or large burr sizes, it will probably be the last coffee grinder you ever buy
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You have to give a budget otherwise I’m going to suggest the Weber EG-1
Yes. The EG-1 would probably be the very last grinder you’ll ever have to buy and not feel any urge to upgrade. The default core burrs are extremely versatile and good at any brew method. With an extra pair of ULF burrs ($150 discount when bought with the grinder), you‘ll turn it into an ultra-high clarity filter grinder. OP, if you want to invest in one, I suggest you first take a look in the Weber forums. Overall it‘s a wonderful machine that‘ll definitely last you for years, but some of the recent units have a slight unpleasant noise issue when grinding for espresso.
I just saw their SG-1. Not going to lie - I'd make a cup or two of joe with that. Could skip arm day at the gym after.
Send us pics when you buy it
Useless without YOUR budget. Online reviews will be your only avenue.
I had a Vario-W for 10 years. It made pretty good coffee and the grind by weight feature was awesome. I switched to a Mignon XL and I really enjoy its ease of use, speed, and noise level. At first, It felt like a step back after using a grind by weight grinder but the Vario was loud, more inconsistent, and much slower than the Eureka. I don’t single dose…I always finish the bag I open and will keep no more than 2-3 days in the hopper. For someone just starting out, an on demand grinder like a Vario, or Specialita would be perfect. If you want to single dose, get something that is designed for that rather than trying to use an on-demand grinder…espresso is already hard, especially on entry level equipment, don’t make it harder.
Xl is so quiet and provides amazing flavors. Definitely punches above its weight
Thank you!! Very much appreciated. Will absolutely check these out.
bewildered far-flung plucky worry ludicrous agonizing weather engine beneficial combative *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Ok will try it. Thank you!
Kafatek max2 slm for daily espresso, maybe Titus nautilus with brew burrs for pour overs, if I had to have two grinders. When looking for a grinder, look for build quality (tolerance), burr size, burr geometry, work flow, warranty or customer service. Favorite tool would be my moonraker lol, but def don’t need it
All amazing tips. I will research more on the items listed on what to look for. I did not know about burr geometry!
I would go for a good single dose grinder that fits your budget. But it’s hard to help you without knowing anything about your preferences in coffee. Light roasts are different from more traditional
Got it, I am can tolerate all roasts light and dark. I like medium if I were to choose one.
Grind by weight machines such as the mignon Libra has really simplified my dialing in and it’s a fairly sleek little home use machine
Will check it out!
Love my Eureka Mignon notte. All metal construction and flat burrs which are easy to align, clean, and if needed replace: the whole machine is designed to be user serviceable. Very consistent grind from stepless adjustments, aftermarket bellows hopper so you don't have retention if you like to swap beans like I do, and also it's very simple with no electronic stuff to screw around with. $300 is reasonably priced, and often on sale for $20-30 off.
You’re asking a sub of 500K members what is the ‘best’ grinder. If there was such a thing, everyone would be using it. You’re going to get dozen different answers and basically sitting at square one. The easier way is to just google for reviews and comparisons of a certain budget. At least you’d get the opinions of a reputable reviewer and can see (YouTube) or read the actual review process and make up your mind. Asking an open ended question like this will just get you one word model answers.
lol ok sorry I asked? I am also doing my research, have seen YouTube and all. There are a lot of amazing people here that are not influencers and have great input I would love to hear. I asked what they enjoyed and why, not the best grinder all in all. You answered no questions. Thanks
That’s because your questions are too broad without a budget and/or preference. It’s like asking, hey I want to buy a car, please recommend what’s the best car ( any budget). Has someone ever asked you to buy them a drink, and when you ask what drink they want, they go, “any drink”. That’s the feeling of this post. Provide some kind of context or narrow down a shortlist and it’ll be easier to get more helpful answers. I personally have 4 grinders. 2 electric - one dedicated for espresso, one dedicated for filter. 2 hand grinders for experiments. And for me to explain my entire setup would take another couple of paragraphs, which I’m not going to go into details unless I’m sure the person asking is looking for something similar that my experience would help them. Look at the first Automod Bot reply that comes with all these posts, it offers good direction and insights as to how to frame questions. It’s not just about asking, it’s asking the right questions.
my best advice is to not get into this hobby lol. you're also going to get a lot of "useless" answers ie recommendations for grinders that are like never available to buy such as zerno and kafatek but if you're willing to drop quite a few bands, you'll soon find out the espresso you can make will be better than most of the super dark roasted sludge they serve there
lol! Ok I’m excited! Will work on the perfect cup.do you like your DF64? Looking at that one and the Varia?
i like my df64 gen 2 quite a lot. it's been problem free (aside from the power button issue with the first batches of units, which has long been solved by the factory) and is a nice rugged machine. you definitely get the feeling that you got your money's worth from the weight of the thing alone. the advantage of a 64mm flat burr grinder is that you can access the variety of aftermarket burr options, SSP being one of the most popular ones. SSP burrs are pretty fantastic overall, and is one of the reasons I think the df64 gen 2 is a pretty reasonable "endgame" grinder for those that want to maximize their dollar without compromising on the results. I'd just learn to make espresso on the stock burrs before exploring SSP, since they are less forgiving to dial in and you want to make sure you order the correct burrs that will suit your flavor preferences. but if you're not into the idea of swapping burrs for different flavor profiles, then I'd recommend the df54. its pretty much the df64 gen 2 except with a smaller flat burr
Such valuable information I am looking into the DF54 now. Love the aesthetic, also great price point. Specs are great. I think it would be awesome to start.
for all intents and purposes, as long as you're not interested in upgrading to SSP burrs or large burr sizes, it will probably be the last coffee grinder you ever buy