Manual vs. Electric Coffee Grinder: Finding the Perfect Grind for Your Coffee

To find the right grind for your coffee, you have a big choice to make – do you go with a manual or electric coffee grinder? This is not a simple case of choosing one or the other and calling it a day. Each comes with clear benefits – and associated downsides – that you have to consider.

A manual may seem the only choice if you consider yourself a hands-on coffee bean grinder. But do not ignore the benefits of an electric grinder, as the convenience factor may outweigh your purist’s instincts. To help you make your choice, we will dive into the battle of manual vs. electric coffee grinder options so you understand what you are getting with each.

What Is the Difference Between Manual and Electric?

Going manual means taking a more direct approach to your coffee. You will have a hand grinder into which you load your beans, setting the coarseness of the grind as you go. Cranking the shaft also requires some effort on your part, though that is often worth it for the individual who appreciates the ritual of making coffee.

Pros and Cons of a Manual Coffee Grinder

Pros and cons of an Electric Coffee Grinder

Choosing an electric grinder, such as the array of electric coffee grinders Logic Vending offers to buy or lease, means you are upping the convenience factor. There is no churning away using a crank because the machine does it all for you. Just plug in, load your beans, and press a button.

Now that you understand some of the basic differences, let us get down to it. A manual or electric coffee grinder – which should you choose? The answer depends on what matters most to you out of the factors we are about to highlight.

Factor 1: Price and Value for Money

Assuming we are sticking with entry-level prices for both types of grinders, you will spend less on a manual device than you would an electric one. That makes sense. An electric grinder has a lot of moving parts, and you will need to invest in a grinder that has burrs to get decent results. Expect a solid entry-level electric grinder to set you back around £150 where a good burr-based manual grinder costs about a third of that amount.

Electric grinders justify their higher cost because they offer greater convenience than manual grinders. If you do not want to strain your hands grinding out beans for multiple cups at once, you may be glad to spend the extra money. Throw in the extra features that come with an electric grinder – such as easily adjustable grind settings – and the higher price point begins to make sense.

Factor 2: Coffee Quality

Coffee quality often comes down to a key choice – burrs versus blades. With a burr coffee grinder, you get a machine that has a pair of revolving and abrasive surfaces that grind the bean efficiently without slicing it up. You get consistency, particularly in particle size, which means you also release more of your beans’ flavour profile. Blade-based grinders are pretty much just blenders. They can do the job well enough, but the grind is more chaotic, and you will likely not get as good a cup of coffee when you opt for blades.

So, when it comes to ensuring high quality, burrs beat blades every time.

Going back to grinder differences, we mentioned consistency above, and you may see a big difference between manual and electric grinders. The latter hits the same quality baseline every time because there is no variation in how it works. But you should make it your goal to find an electric grinder that delivers the level of coffee quality you want, with the workings of the machine being secondary. Meanwhile, going manual means you are as responsible for the quality of your coffee as your grinder. Even a high-quality manual grinder is not going to be much use in the hands of somebody who does not know how to use it. Practice makes perfect, but you may not want to put in the time to get good with a manual grinder when an electric one produces great results every time.

Factor 3: The Best Grinds for Different Brewing Methods

How you brew is almost as important as what you brew in the manual vs. electric coffee grinder conflict.

Starting with manual grinders, they are the obvious choice if you want to experiment with pour-over brewing. This far more traditional method of making coffee is all about taking your time and releasing your beans’ flavour profile using a nice and steady pour. We would also recommend choosing a manual grinder when you use a moka pot for similar reasons. However, bear the limitations of your manual grinder in mind. It will likely come with multiple grind size settings – espresso and French press being among the most common – but you do not get as many options as you receive with a good electric grinder.

Speaking of electric grinders, think of them as all-rounders in terms of what they can brew. They are the superior choice for many types of espresso because you can tweak the device’s settings to achieve super-specific grind sizes. Larger brewing volumes are also much easier to tackle with an electric grind than with the tiring hand-cranking of a manual device.

Factor 4: Convenience and Speed

We touched on the convenience factor earlier, and it is here where an electric grinder shines – in most circumstances. Large batches are no problem when you go electric, making these grinders great choices for busy households or offices fuelled on coffee. Ease of use adds to this convenience, as your only real job is to load your beans, with the electric grinder doing the rest for you.

The hand-cranking of a manual grinder cuts down on this convenience factor immensely. That is fine if you want to enjoy a nice slow brew, but it will be troublesome as you start brewing for more people. But convenience comes in other forms with a manual grinder. Have you ever tried to pack an electric grinder when you go travelling? It is unlikely because they are simply not portable—a problem you do not have when you go manual.

Factor 5: Durability and Longevity

We will preface this final factor by pointing out that the build quality of the grinder you choose is vital here. A cheap electric grinder will not come out on top in a fight with a top-of-the-line manual grinder because the build qualities between the two devices are so much different. The burr factor also comes into play here – burrs tend to hold up longer than the alternatives in both manual and electric grinders. 

Let us assume that you are considering grinders with approximately similar manufacturing levels. Should you choose a manual or electric coffee grinder when you want something that lasts a long time?

With proper care, a manual grinder should last three to five years (perhaps up to seven), assuming semi-regular usage. By “proper care,” we mean cleaning the burrs and grinder mechanisms regularly and per the manufacturer’s guidelines. Avoid twisting the manual grinder’s crank backwards, too, as this can damage its inner mechanisms.

An electric grinder usually has a longer shelf life – somewhere between seven and 10 years – with the caveat that it will require more maintenance. A standard lifespan incorporates around 500 pounds of coffee beans, so you can approximate your electric grinder’s lifespan based on how much coffee you brew. Stick to a maintenance schedule that sees you clean the grinder a couple of times per month – ensuring you remember the hopper – and you should maximise its lifespan.

Which One Should You Choose – Manual or Electric?

We now come to the key question in the manual vs. electric coffee grinder debate: which should you choose? The answer is not cut-and-dry, as your choice depends on considerations other than the highlighted differences.

• Your Approach to Coffee: The biggest determining factor is how you approach making coffee. If you see brewing as an intimate act in which you enjoy the ritual and the aromas you generate as you grind, an electric grinder may feel like an anathema. This is not to say that those who go electric have no love for their beans. But your choice may come down to how close you want to be to your brewing process.
• Your Budget: Money will always be a factor when choosing a grinder, with manual typically cheaper. We say “typically” because a high-end manual grinder can easily set you back several hundred pounds, though these are grinders reserved for true connoisseurs. Budgeting is a key factor that will often lead you down the manual route.
• Your Brewing Preferences: Beyond how you brew, there is what you brew to consider. Manual grinders are a good choice if you’re happy with limited brewing options in exchange for more closeness as you create your coffee. An electric grinder features more settings so you can really get granular with your grind.

A Manual or Electric Coffee Grinder – Make Your Choice

You are now equipped with all of the information you need to decide if a manual or electric coffee grinder is right for you. Our last piece of advice is simple: Take your time with your decision. Rushing into your choice could lead to you investing in a grinder that does not suit your brewing style, forcing you to spend more on a replacement later.

If you opt for an electric grinder, consider some of Logic Vending’s choices. We have options available from major brands – including Anfim, Fracino, and Mahlkonig – with most being available to buy or lease.