11 Best Small Coffee Grinders For home in 2024

Welcome along to my guide to the best small coffee grinders.

Whether you’re looking to save some room in the kitchen or you want to pack light on your next camping trip, you’re in the right place. Because I’ve been checking out all the latest and greatest grinders that will save you space.

The best mini grinder I’ve come across is the Fellow Opus. This is one of my favorite coffee grinders in the world right now as I think it makes a great cup of coffee for a very fair price. 

But that’s just one example. Another one of my top 11 might be better suited to you, so make sure you stick around to find out what they are. 

Let’s get started. 

Looking for a commercial grinder? Check out our small commercial coffee grinders.

Top 11 Small Coffee Grinders

Check out my top picks against the categories I’ve picked them for:

• Best overall: Fellow Opus
• Best premium model: Monolith Titan
• Best for under $100/best budget option: Capresso Infinity Burr
• Best for under $50/strictest budget option: Hamilton Beach Coffee Grinder
• Best for espresso and Aeropress: Baratza Virtuoso+
• Best for French press and cold brew: De’Longhi KG49
• Best manual coffee grinder: 1Zpresso JX-Pro-S
• Best budget manual coffee grinder: Timemore Chestnut C2
• Best for the UK & Europe: Gastroback 42642 Design Advanced Plus
• Best for home brewing: Fellow Ode Gen 2
• Best for Australia: La Pavoli Jolly Dosato Lusso

The Best Small Coffee Grinders in 2023

Let’s go into some more detail about each of my top picks.

#1 Best Overall – Fellow Opus

You’re probably reading this article because you’re looking for a fantastic, all-rounder coffee grinder that will still fit neatly onto a small kitchen surface. And you’ll find that with the Fellow Opus conical burr grinder.

The 40 mm stainless steel burrs will work well to make most types of coffee. It makes a fair espresso but you can also change the settings for it to make an even, coarse grind if you prefer filter coffee and French press.

And for our US and Canadian readers, the Fellow Opus is a good option for a drip coffee as well. 

You might think that a coffee grinder this versatile would be a little expensive but that’s simply not the case. The Fellow Opus is below average in price, which is really impressive.

It’ll grind up your coffee really quietly as well. That makes it a great option for those living with housemates or not wanting to wake up their families early in the morning. 

Even though it’s only a little thing, the bean hopper isn’t mega small. It’s 110 g, and that’s enough coffee for 8-10 cups. 

It’s a great option for any home user, but perhaps not so much for the pros as the espresso it produces isn’t going to be as good as some other more expensive models.

There really isn’t much to not like about the Fellow Opus. That’s why it’s my number one small coffee grinder in terms of pure value for money. 

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#2 Best Premium Model – Monolith Titan

You might think that a coffee grinder with the words ‘monolith’ and ‘titan’ in the name would be pretty enormous, but it’s actually not the case. This is the best coffee grinder in the business that won’t take up too much space in your kitchen.

It’s a small coffee machine but it does have large burrs, which is important for premium coffee grinders. Large burrs create a faster and more even grind.

The Titan saves space in a couple of other key ways: clever design and a small bean hopper. The capacity of the hopper is only 40 g, which will be enough for 3 or 4 cups of coffee at most. 

So, it might not be the most practical option if you want to make coffee for a lot of people quickly. 

I’m glad the burrs are big though, as they sure do grind up a good cup of coffee. You’ll be able to grind up a fantastic cup of espresso or change the settings for a coarse grind if you prefer French press, for example. 

In fact, this grinder is so finessed that you could just about get away with making a Turkish grind with it. 

One of the other benefits of this grinder is that it comes with five years of warranty, five times more than most other grinders. 

This means you can have the extra peace of mind of knowing that you can take it back to the manufacturer should you have any issues with it in that timeframe. Monolith must really trust the build of this thing!

A key endorsement of the Titan comes from James Hoffman, the coffee expert. He chose it as one of his top five premium grinders in the world. Enormous praise for a small machine!

The only real downside (other than maybe the small bean hopper) is that it’s expensive. I’d only recommend it for professionals or highly experienced amateurs for that reason. If that’s you and you want to save space, it could be the perfect option.

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#3 Best Under $100/Best Budget Option – Capresso Infinity Burr

On a budget and looking for a small coffee grinder? My top pick for you is the Capresso Infinity Burr. It makes a pretty decent cup of certain types of coffee for under $100.

The area that this grinder specializes in is finer grinds as it manages to sustain a pretty even blend. It’ll make a reasonable cup of espresso but it’s probably better suited to pour over coffee and aeropress.

Some people have even said that this is a good grinder for Turkish coffee as it manages to grind to a very fine degree.

I wouldn’t recommend it for a more coarse grind though. That’s because the settings are rather limited, so it’s not good for the likes of French press or filter coffee.

The Infinity Burr uses clever design to still incorporate a reasonably-sized bean hopper. It has a 250 g capacity, which means enough coffee for 20+ cups in one grind. 

You might think that the combination of the small size and the low price would make this thing pretty loud. There’s not as much material to soak up the vibrations but the build quality is fair so it’s not as noisy as you might have thought.

For this reason, it’s not a bad option for those living with housemates. Especially in a smaller home with less kitchen space!

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#4 Best Under $50/Strictest Budget Option – Hamilton Beach Coffee Grinder

It’s possible to get a small coffee grinder for even cheaper if you opt for the Hamilton Beach grinder. You can pick one of these up for less than $50!

Personally, I’d recommend spending a little more than this as there are a few issues with the Hamilton Beach.

For a start, it’s really not good for finer or even medium blends. For this reason, I’d only even think about using it with French press or filter coffee.

It’s also very loud. I wouldn’t have guessed that something so small could make so much noise, but it really does. Avoid it if you’re worried about waking anybody up. 

Nonetheless, I have been able to get a fair coarse grind out of it so it will suit the aforementioned drinks. And for the price, that’s not bad.

So if you’re on a particularly strict budget and you need a small coffee grinder quickly, the Hamilton Beach might be your best bet. Although it’s probably worth saving up a little more cash and opting for the Capresso Infinity Burr if you ask me. 

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#5 Best for Espresso and Aeropress – Baratza Virtuoso+

There aren’t many coffee grinders south of $500 that’ll make a better espresso than the Baratza Virtuoso+.

Usually, we see grinders with large, flat burrs making great espresso or aeropress. Except this thing only has 40 mm conical burrs, but they grind in a very fine way, making for very even coffee.

I wouldn’t go so far as to use this grinder for Turkish coffee but it’s not far off the mark for even that. 

The build quality of this grinder is very good and as a result, it’s pretty quiet. Furthermore, the sleek design means that it manages to boast a 227 g bean hopper (enough for over 20 cups of coffee in one grind) but still staying small enough to fit in this guide. 

Sure, the price is a little high so it might be overkill for some. But then again, if you spend much less than this price point, you could well be compromising on the taste of your espresso or aeropress.

Overall, this is my favorite small coffee grinder for espressos. I’d recommend it for anyone with a little experience in making coffee, all the way through to less experienced professionals.

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#6 Best for French Press and Cold Brew – De’Longhi KG49

If you only want to make coffee drinks with a coarse grind (such as French press and cold brew), then you can get away with using a blade grinder instead of burrs.

And I think the best value blade grinder right now is the De’Longhi KG49.

I’ll explain more about what a blade grinder is in the buying guide of this article but for now, you should know that the only types of coffee drink it’s good for are those with a coarse grind. I’m talking about French press, filter coffee, cold brew and such. 

That’s because the blades shred the coffee beans very unevenly which is pretty useless for espresso etc.

Nonetheless, the De’Longhi KG49 is very affordable and does a good job of coarse grind, as far as blade grinders go. And, it’s very small!

So if you just want coarse grinds and you want to save some cash while keeping things on the small side, you could definitely have a look at the KG49.

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#7 Best Manual Coffee Grinder – 1Zpresso JX-Pro-S

The beauty of manual coffee grinders is that the vast majority of them would fit into the “small” category”. And the best example of these is the 1Zpresso JX-Pro-S.

You can take this grinder on the go with you as it doesn’t need power to be used. And, it’s going to fit into your suitcase with ease.

As far as manual grinders go, the JX-Pro-S is good for just about any type of coffee drink. It’ll grind fine enough for espresso if you put the work in for it. Or, you can grind it for a shorter period of time to make a coarse grind for the likes of French press.

I’ve rated the price of this grinder $$ but that’s by comparison to other manual grinders. It’s at the other end of the manual grinder price bracket. But compared to most electric grinders, it’s still cheap.

It comes with a 30 g bean hopper which is enough for 3 cups of coffee or so. And it’s not the smallest manual grinder in the world, but it’s still definitely small overall when you look at coffee grinders as a whole. 

So if you’re not worried about electrical power and you want to save money with a small, versatile coffee grinder, the 1Zpresso JX-Pro-S has got to be worth a look.

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#8 Best Budget Manual Grinder – Timemore Chestnut C2

Want to spend under $100 on your manual coffee grinder? Thankfully, it’s a lot easier to obtain a high quality when you do that. And a great example is the Timemore Chestnut C2.

Again, I found that this manual coffee grinder could cope quite well with grinds for most types of coffee drinks. It’s not as versatile as the JX-Pro-S but the difference is fairly negligible. 

Another benefit of this grinder is that it looks great. It’ll turn some heads on the campsite when you pull it out of your suitcase!

The bean hopper here is a little smaller at 25 g. You’d be stretched to get three cups of coffee out of one grind. If you’re making coffee for your family, you might need to grind in two sets.

But there really isn’t much to fault about the Chestnut C2. It’s a great value, small manual grinder that’ll make you a good cup of coffee. What more could you want?

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#9 Best for UK and Europe – Gastroback 42642 Design Advanced Plus

If you’re over the pond in the UK or Europe then you probably do your coffee a little differently. Espresso is the most popular grind in that part of the world and one of the best small espresso coffee grinders I’ve found is the Gastroback 42642 Design Advanced Plus. 

The 51 mm conical burrs always produce an even and fine blend which is exactly what you’re looking for for the likes of espresso, aeropress and drip coffee.

I wouldn’t recommend this grinder for coffees that require a coarse grind though (such as French press and filter coffee). The features are a little limited so it tends to grind quite fine all the time.

The good news is that the Gastroback has a pretty decent bean hopper even though it’s a small device overall. It’ll hold an impressive 400 g of beans which is enough for 30+ cups of coffee. Not bad at all.

So the fact that it’s not such a great option for coarse grind coffee is just about the only downside to this coffee grinder as a whole. That’s why I’ve picked it as my top coffee for home brewing fans. 

It’s small, well-priced and makes a good espresso which is all a lot of people are looking for.

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#10 Best for Home Brewing – Fellow Ode Gen 2 

Another brilliant option for home brewing coffee fans is the Fellow Ode Gen 2 . It’s one of the best ways to get a solid cup of espresso for a reasonable price.

With 64 mm flat burrs, the Ode Gen 2 will make one of the best espresso grinds you can find without having to spend thousands of dollars.

This much burr power adds to the size a little. It’s a touch bigger than my number one pick, also from the manufacturer Fellow. But it’s still smaller than average and deserving of its place in this article. 

Strangely, even though this is a small coffee grinder, it is rather heavy. You might not be able to move around the kitchen as easily as some grinders.

It’s also a bit more expensive than my number one overall pick but I’m confident that it justifies the jump up in price with the extra level of quality. 

I’m pretty sure that part of the reason for this grinder’s success is that it has been heavily endorsed by the most famous coffee expert from the UK, James Hoffman. His word is a real testament to the quality of it.

So, coffee drinkers with a slightly larger budget (but still looking to save on space), this might be your next coffee grinder. 

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#11 Best for Australia – La Pavoni Jolly Dosato Lusso

Down under, lattes are the most popular coffee drink so it’s going to be important for Australian coffee fans to get a coffee grinder that makes a good cup of espresso.

If that’s you and you’re looking for something small then I have a fantastic recommendation for you: the La Pavoli Jolly Dosato Lusso. 

The main reason this grinder is so good for espresso is that it has 50 mm flat burrs. Flat burrs are perfect for espresso coffee as they create a finer grind.

But flat burrs are expensive and that’s reflected in this grinder. It’s certainly on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for in terms of quality.

At around 30 cm, this grinder is slightly taller than the rest of our top picks but it’s still shorter than average. And the compact design means it’s not so wide or deep, so it won’t take up much space. 

I also found it to be a little on the loud side for an expensive grinder but it’s still nowhere near as noisy as my budget picks, for example. 

A benefit of this compact design is that they’ve managed to pack in a pretty decent 250 g bean hopper. This is going to hold enough coffee for around 20 cups. 

This is a fantastic option for Australian espresso enthusiasts who have the budget to justify buying it.

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Small Coffee Grinder Buying Guide 

Stay tuned, as I’m about to show you how I made those 11 calls. This will help you make the right decision for yourself as to which small coffee grinder to buy as well. 

And if you get to the end of this section still finding yourself wanting to know more about buying a coffee grinder, you should check out this guide. 

Checklist	Why it’s Important
Manual vs. Electric	One’s more convenient, one’s more portable
Materials	Which is more durable and better performing?
Burr Type & Size	Different burrs are better for different coffee grinds
Grind Levels	Each grind finesse will be better for different coffees
Price	Are you willing to spend a little more to guarantee quality?
Bean Hopper Size	Larger hoppers equal more coffee but can be bulky
Grinder Brand	Better brands means better quality, warranty and support

#1 Manual or electric grinder

The key here is that manual grinders are typically smaller (and cheaper) than electric ones. But electric grinders offer a better cup of coffee and are easier to use.

I can’t tell you which of these to go for over the other as it depends on what you’re looking for. But, I’d still opt for an electric grinder if I had to choose. I value the taste of my coffee and I know an electric grinder is going to do a better job of helping me with that. 

Nonetheless, manual grinders are great for taking with you on the go. So if you like to go camping, for example, they’re a crucial piece of kit. 

Manual grinder benefits

• Better for traveling
• Smaller overall
• Cheaper

Electric grinder benefits

• Make a better coffee drink
• Easier to use 
• More versatile 

To learn more, read our article on manual or electric coffee grinders.

#2 Burr material

If you opt for a conical or blade grinder, you’re going to need to decide between ceramic and steel burrs.

Steel burrs are the status quo. This is because they’re more affordable and they can be very durable. In fact, steel can last for up to 10 years even if you use them every day. And sometimes even longer with a manual grinder!

Stainless steel varies in quality a lot though, so you’ll need to spend a little more to get the most durable quality and the sharpest blades.

Ceramic burrs can actually last even longer and they’re super sharp which is great for grinding. The only issues are that they’re more expensive and they can crack if you’re unlucky.

I have heard that people believe ceramic burrs are better as they don’t heat up as much. They claim that the heat of steel can ruin the taste of coffee but I don’t see that being a problem myself. 

The material of your burr isn’t going to affect the size of your coffee grinder, by the way. You can get a small grinder with either ceramic or steel burrs. 

Steel burr benefits

• More affordable
• Less likely to break

Ceramic burr benefits

• Has potential to last longer
• Super sharp

• To learn more, read our article on steel burr vs ceramic burr.

#3 Flat burrs vs conical burrs vs blades 

Flat and conical burr grinders are typically better for every coffee grind but you can get away with using a blade grinder for more coarse grinds (e.g. for French press and filter coffee).

In general, flat burr, conical burr and blade grinders are around the same size. None are going to make your grinder smaller than the others. 

But two key benefits of blade coffee grinders are that they tend to be smaller than burr ones, and they’re a whole lot cheaper.

So you might be wondering why I’ve only included one blade grinder in my list of the best small grinders. That’s because I’m not a massive fan of them overall. 

They’re quite noisy most of the time and they’re no good for espresso, aeropress, drip coffee etc.

You can read more about the differences between blade and burr grinders in this article. 

Flat burr benefits

• Very fine blend
• Fast

Conical burr benefits

• More affordable than flat
• Versatile with coffee drinks

Blade benefits

• Tend to be smaller
• Super cheap

#4 Grind level 

Each burr and blade (and each coffee grinder, at that) is better for specific types of coffee. You’ll have to spend a lot of money to get a coffee grinder that’s perfect for all types of coffee. And it’s less likely that you’ll find one that’s still small! 

Check out the table below to find out which type of grinder and grind level is best for which type of coffee. 

Coffee grinder	Grind finesse	Best for
Flat burr	Extra fine	Espresso, Turkish, pour over, aeropress
Conical burr	Fine but versatile	Drip coffee, some espresso, French press, cold brew, moka pot, drip coffee
Blade	Coarse, uneven	French press, filter coffee, Cold brew

#5 Your budget 

Small grinders can be cheaper, but sometimes they’re marketed as ‘compacted’ which can actually make them more expensive!

Either way, it’s important to think about how much you want to spend on your new small coffee grinder. 

If you have no idea, my recommendations for each area of experience are as follows:

Experience Level	Avg Price Recommended (Electric)	Avg Price Recommended (Manual)
Beginner	$100	$50
Experienced home user	$200	$80
Pro barista	$1000	$80

These numbers are for coffee grinders in general. You may find that you can spend a little less if you’re opting for a small coffee grinder. But don’t spend too much less or you’ll end up sacrificing quality! 

#6 Bean hopper capacity

The size of the bean hopper is going to be pretty crucial if you want to keep your grinder small. 

In case you didn’t know, a grinder’s bean hopper is the place where the coffee beans go.  

So, the bigger your bean hopper, the more coffee you can grind up in one go. Although, as mentioned, you might want to prioritize overall product size if you haven’t got a lot of room in the kitchen (or in your suitcase) to work with. 

#7 Grinder brand

The better the brand, the more likely you are to get a good quality coffee grinder. There’s a reason brands become more prestigious!

As well as this, you’re likely to get better customer service which could prove important should you have any issue with your grinder. A good brand will also be more likely to honor any warranty claims you might have to make. 

Some key brands that I recommend for small electric and manual coffee grinders are:

• Krups
• Smeg
• KitchenAid
• Breville
• Barista & Co.
• Monolith
• Option-O
• Fellow
• Cuisinart
• Rancilio

#8 Speed of grind

The faster your grind speed, the more even and fine your grind is going to turn out to be. As well as this, a fast grind could save you a few precious seconds if you find yourself running a little late for work!

Grind speed is usually measured in RPM. In my experience, these are the best RPM speeds for each type of coffee drink.

A lot of coffee grinders will allow you to change the RPM in the settings but some come fixed. It shouldn’t really make a difference whether you’re looking at a small or a large grinder. 

So if you want to make a particular type of coffee drink, make sure to check out the speed situation with the grinder you’re looking at. 

RPM Range	Suitable coffee types
Up to 200 RPM	French press, filter coffee, cold brew
200 – 1000 RPM	Pour over, moka pot, drip coffee, cold brew
1000 – 3000 RPM	Aeropress, espresso, pour over
3000 RPM +	Espresso

To learn more, read our article on grinder speeds.

#9 Quality of life features 

You may be able to take advantage of some (or all) of these features if you opt for a small electric coffee grinder:

• Timer: Shows you in seconds how long your grind has been lasting. 
• Auto stop: You can usually set the timer to stop at a certain time so that you don’t have to clock watch. 
• Digital interfaces: Check out the timer, speed and more on a digital display.

Each of these will really help to make your life easier when you make your morning cup of coffee. And, they can help improve the quality of the taste as well by grinding it to be the perfect degree. 

#10 Noise level

I have noticed that small coffee grinders can often be louder than larger ones as there’s less overall material to dampen the sound.

So, if you’re worried about waking up your neighbors, you might want to pay attention to how loud your grinder is going to be.

Typically, more expensive coffee grinders will be quieter as they are of a better build quality. This means they vibrate less and produce less sound overall. 

To learn more, read our article on coffee grinder’s noise levels.

Small Coffee Grinders: The FAQ

See below for a few more important pieces of information regarding purchasing and using a small coffee grinder:

My Verdict the Best Small Coffee Grinders 

Here are the top three small coffee grinders one more time:

1. Best Overall – Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder: My top pick offers great coffee for a low price and it comes in a small package, not taking up much space on your work surface. As such, I think it’s going to be the best option for most people.

2. Best Premium Option – Monolith Titan: This ironically named coffee grinder is small and powerful and will make light work of the vast majority of coffee drinks. You’ll need to pay a premium for it but it’s a strong option for pro baristas working in small cafes. 

3. Best Budget Option – Capresso Infinity Burr: Want to save money and keep things small? You won’t need to worry about losing too much quality when you cut down size and price with this option. 

The Fellow Opus reigns supreme as my number one small coffee grinder overall. It’s the perfect option for most people as it offers good value for money, grinds up a good coffee batch and won’t take up too much space on your work surface at all.