Don’t let a tight budget stop you from having a great cup of coffee.
Switching from pre-ground coffee to fresh ground coffee is one of the easiest changes you can make to begin improving the taste of your coffee. Once coffee beans are ground, their flavor and freshness immediately begins to dissipate.
Many grinders on the market come with a hefty price tag, but grinding your own coffee beans doesn’t have to break your budget. If you’re not ready to put out the cash for and expensive grinder, don’t worry. You can find decent burr grinders for under $50 and start experiencing better coffee now.
Types of Coffee Grinders
There are essentially 2 different types of coffee grinders, blade grinders and burr grinders.
What are Blade Grinders?
Blade grinders are the cheapest and most inconsistent type of grinder. They are similar to small blenders that use a twirling blade to chop the beans.
There are a few problems with this type of grinder. The beans bounce around the chamber and are chopped at various sizes which causes problems while brewing. The beans closest to the center of the chamber are chopped the finest, and beans on the outside are chopped larger.
Smaller pieces will extract faster, and larger pieces will extract slower leaving you with a cup of coffee that does not taste very good.
Another problem is that the blade spins so quickly that the heat may actually burn the coffee, and change the flavor. It is essentially re-roasting your coffee while grinding.
Burr Grinders
Burr Grinders, on the other hand, crush the coffee beans more evenly. There are two types of burr grinders. There are conical burr grinders and flat disc burr grinders.
Both are significantly better than a blade grinder and will continue to crush the beans until they reach the desired size.
After the beans reach that size, the particles will exit the grinding chamber and fall through to the hopper. This gives you a consistent grind size, which will ultimately lead to a better cup of coffee.
This article will focus on affordable burr grinders under $50.
Best Manual Burr Grinders under $50
At this price point, if you are willing to sacrifice a little bit of convenience you can get a good quality manual grinder for a reasonable price.
A good thing about choosing a manual grinder is that if you decide to upgrade in the future you can still keep your manual grinder around as a backup or for travel. They pack up with ease and are great to bring along on vacation.
For grinders under $50, your best bet is going to be one of the following Hario Products.
Before we start looking at individual grinders under 50 dollars, a disclosure is necessary:
Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I am recommending these products because I believe they will be helpful.
Hario Skerton
This grinder holds up to 100 grams of ground coffee in its glass base. It is portable, lightweight, and stylish.
It is equipped with a ceramic conical burr and can be adjusted for different grind settings.
The grind size is set by adjusting a stop inside the hopper. The handle unscrews and is then removed. The rubber lid is removed and then the stop is removed. Under the stop, there is an adjustable wheel that moves burr up and down to alter the grind size. Getting the right size will take some experimenting, but it does the job.
One negative about the Skerton is that it loses consistency with coarser grinds. There is some movement in the shaft on coarser settings and this leads to some inconsistencies.
So, if your primary brewing method is french press, look to the Skerton Plus which is still under $50.
Hario Skerton Plus
The plus is pretty much the same as the previous model except it has been upgraded to include a stronger grind shaft and a stabilization plate for a more consistent grind. There is not as much rocking back and forth movement in the shaft, so it will perform better with coarser grinds. There is also a pro model, but it is more expensive.
Best Electric Burr Grinders under $50
Some will argue that in this price range manual grinders are better quality for your money, but If you are brewing more than 1 or 2 cups of coffee at a time, manual grinding can be cumbersome. So, if you want the convenience of an electric grinder without having to drain your bank account, the grinders below are great entry level grinders. With electric burr grinders at this price level, you will get much more consistency than a blade grinder and notice an immediate improvement in your coffee.
Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill
This grinder receives mostly good reviews. The main complaints with the grinder are that it produces a lot of fines and static. Fines are granules of coffee that are crushed finer than your desired grind. Cuisinart DBM-8 is a good entry level grinder and is a definite improvement over a blade grinder or using pre-ground coffee.
There are 18 grind settings from fine to coarse and you can adjust the amount of coffee that is ground by selecting the number of cups. The lowest setting in 4 cups, but you can set the timer between 4 and off if you want to do less than 4 cups. The setting controls how long the motor runs with an electric timer and will automatically cut off when the grind cycle is complete. The grinder has a cord keeper to allow you to conceal the extra cord under the base.
While this is not the best burr grinder on the market it is still going to be a nice upgrade from a blade grinder. It will produce coffee that is great for drip, pour over, and press coffee, but it’s not recommended for espresso.
Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder
Mr. Coffee has been around since the 1970s and has put a lot of time and research into equipment that will give us great tasting coffee. This is a good looking coffee grinder that will look great on your counter top.
The hopper will hold up to a ½ pound of beans, and it features 18 settings from coarse to fine. The cup setting ranges from 2 cups to 18 cups. An electric timer that automatically cuts off after the grind cycle is complete. This grinder is recommended for pour over, drip, and press brewing methods.
Complaints about this grounder are mostly centered around static and the number of fines produced. You will find similar complaints even with higher-end grinders. Overall Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Grinder is a solid choice for upgrading your coffee experience.
For a minimal investment, you can begin experiencing more flavor, and richness in your coffee. You can upgrade your coffee experience by purchasing a burr grinder for under $50. Using fresh ground coffee is arguably the most notable way to improve the taste of your coffee. Now that you’ve selected a grinder that is right for you, it’s time to order some freshly roasted beans. Have a look at this post about ordering freshly roasted coffee online. Thanks for reading!
