Unfortunately not all of us can afford to buy the best £400 burr coffee grinder just to feed our caffeine addiction, so what is the best option for those of use who want the great taste of freshly ground coffee at an affordable price?

Do a search on Amazonand you’ll find a wide variety of grinder at a range of prices but it is always difficult to make a choice on which to buy if you don’t have experience using a certain type of product. In our search for a quality electric coffee grinder we can quickly discard those which are not burr grinders. Burr coffee grinders are a level above those which use blades to chop up your beans and are the only choice of someone who is serious about brewing good coffee at home.

The burr coffee grinder is renowned for being an expensive purchase but if you have a look on amazon you will find many models which retail from as little as £30. Such a low price will hopefully set off warning signals if you are in the market for a quality model.

Krups coffee grinder

The Krups Expert GVX231 is a case in point. You can pick one up for £35 but what you get for your money is something that isn’t going to keep you happy when you start to use it. This is especially true if you have an espresso machine at home and are looking for a grinder which can grind your beans to a fine enough consistency that the coffee will be delivered nice and slow with a thick crema.

I’m convinced that for this price it would be impossible to build a machine that was capable of providing a grind which was suitable for espresso machine use. If you are just looking for something to make a course grind for a caffitierre coffee then this model will do a good enough job but for an extra fine result you are better looking elsewhere.

What’s wrong with the Krups Expert GVX231 (and most other burr coffee grinders at this price point)?

1. The machine struggles noticeably when you ask it to grind beans fine enough for an espresso coffee machine.

2. The bean feeder doesn’t do a good job of delivering beans to be ground meaning you have to give the machine a shake every so often

2. The amount of coffee that the grinder feeds into your portafilter is variable meaning you have to judge the correct volume for yourself.

Its not that the Krups coffee grinder is a particularly bad piece of equipment, it really does a fine job for the money you pay. Its just that when we are looking for something a little bit special we need to be willing to reach deeper into our pockets.

Dualit coffee grinder

The Dualit Coffee Grinder is a much better choice for anyone who wants great value in their purchase. At twice the price of the Krups machine it can’t exactly be called cheap but in terms of build quality and ability to grind coffee beans its way ahead of most of its competition.

I have to admit that I’ve got a bit of a mental block when it comes to espresso making equipment when it isn’t made in Italy. I know its a bit ridiculous in this day and age, any company from any country has the potential to produce a fine electric coffee grinder. But I’m a creature of habit and like to stick with what I know. That’s why was such a surprise to me that the Dualit coffee grinder did such a fine job at producing a quality of grind that could be successfully used in an espresso machine.

What’s Good about the Dualit?

1. Capable of grinding your beans nice and fine just the way they need to be if you are going to make a perfect espresso.

2. Great build quality for the price – You can really tell the difference in price when using this in comparison to something like the Krups.

3. Great Value – You’ll be hard pushed to find a grinder that can do as good a job at such a low price.

If you have only got around £70 to spend on an electric coffee grinder than you can’t go wrong with the Dualit. They also make some reasonably efficient espresso machine which will make a decent coffee for a budget price.

When I think about it logically I realise that spending so much money on drinking coffee may indeed be slightly mad and I understand why many people are looking to spend a little less to make good coffee at home. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to discuss the Hand Coffee Grinder.

Obviously for many individuals the idea of investing £300 in a coffee grinder seems ludicrous and with that being the price of a really good model its lucky that there are other alternatives. Its not just a case of buying a top of the range Mazzer or not having good coffee although I get caught up in the coffee world and start to believe that it is.

If you are not getting a top quality electric burr coffee grinder then your choice comes down to two options. One, you can buy ready ground coffee from the high street which I have talked about before and we’ve decided is a route than any coffee lover should be avoiding if possible. Secondly you can instead buy yourself a great hand coffee grinder for a very respectable price.

Now, hand coffee grinders will take a little more effort to create a coffee in the morning seeing as you have to physically grind the beans with your own hands but I actually get a strange satisfaction from doing the hard work and feel like I really deserve my cup of coffee when I get round to drinking the finished product. Using a manual coffee grinder really adds to the ritual of creating a coffee and can make the experience as a whole more enjoyable.

Its true that this method might make you less inclined to drink coffee when you can’t be bothered to go through the rigmarole of operating the grinder by hand but if you are looking for an economical solution to making good coffee you need to look no further.

You should be able to buy a great hand coffee grinder for around £80 in the UK so you can see that there is big price saving from the electrical models even if you opt for the best available.

My favourite model is the Zassenhaus Manual Coffee Grinder which is a very well engineered device with a cam driven grinding mechanism and a beech wood box.You can tell this grinder is really well made and produces great, fine coffee grounds. For the £90 retail price you really can’t go wrong and it makes a great Christmas present for any coffee lover.