If you are a coffee junkie like me, then you can definitely appreciate a quality cup of black coffee or espresso. If you don’t have a coffee grinder yet and you are worried about the noise it can make (they can be pretty noisy), then fear not. I’ve taken the liberty to put together a comprehensive guide about the best quiet coffee grinders on the market.
Personally, I don’t have a need for a coffee grinder, since I own an automatic espresso machine. But honestly, I kind of miss the morning ritual of grinding my coffee. Although with the consumption amount of coffee that I have in my house I decided to switch to full automation for the convenience’s sake.
But for all of you, who use a coffee grinder on daily basis, or for those who are about to purchase their first, I hope that my guide will save you time and effort, since it took me several hours to find the very best and quiet coffee grinders for you.
Before we dive directly into the list, we have to first understand that there isn’t just one type of coffee grinders, but several and each works differently.
Types of Coffee Grinders
There are three types of coffee grinders that you can purchase – manual, burr and blade. People usually mention only two of them, burr and blade, since they are automatic grinders. Actually, it’s a bit more complicated; since burr grinders can be manual and automatic. But for the convenience’s sake, we will separate them into these three categories. I believe will be trending again in the upcoming years.
Now let’s discuss features and pros and cons of each type.
Manual Coffee Grinder
This type is the oldest one. I can just imagine our grandparents and their grandparents using manual tea and coffee grinders. Naturally, this is the quietest type, since there is no motor. Actually, you are the motor. These grinders require manual work to properly grind your coffee, usually using canonical burrs as a grinder. You can get them in various materials, like metal and wood. On one hand, manual grinding can get tedious overtime, especially if you are a heavy coffee drinker, but on other hand, they are indeed very quiet and this kind of manual work can be very ritualistic.
Automatic Burr Coffee Grinder
These grinders possibly have the greatest selection on the market and they range from a few bucks to several hundred bucks. The mechanism works via burrs that are being utilized by electronic mills, which pulverizes coffee beans. After the pulverization, the grounded beans are usually transported into a chute. Most of the burr grinders also have several settings for coarseness. There are lots of arguments about burr vs. blade pulverizing and the end result quality of the coffee, but that is a topic for another day.
Automatic Blade Coffee Grinder
Blade coffee grinders are quite popular among users for their simplicity, compact design and price. They use a pair of blades which rotate at high RPMs – just like a blender – and grind the coffee beans. The result is grounded beans that usually stay in the same container, although there are some exceptions, depending on an actual grinder design. Blade grinding is the fastest method for grounded coffee beans, although these machines also generate a lot of heat. Experts also argue that increased heat, which causes oxidation, can have various effects on the coffee beans.
6 Best Quiet Coffee Grinders on the Market
If I should include only the quietest coffee grinders on the market, then I would have to include only manual ones. But since I don’t plan to make a guide about each grinding type, I have taken the liberty to include two very best of each grinding type in my guide. If you decide to go for a different grinder, at least you will have the knowledge what to look for, right?
Note: The grinders are sorted by the type, not by our personal rating.
1) Grocery Art Electric Blade Coffee Grinder
Automatic blade coffee grinder by Grocery Art is one of the best quiet blade coffee grinders currently on the market.
This egg-shaped coffee grinder is a great combination of quality features and eye-catching design. There are four settings for different coarseness, thinnest taking about 25 seconds to grind. The grinder needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet and the due of steel blades will take care of the rest via push of a button. The button needs to be held for as long as you want the grinding to continue. The egg shape and the easily-disassemble parts are easy to clean. While it has a powerful motor, thanks to the isolated design it still a lot quieter than most blade coffee grinders.
Pros and Cons
- 4-grinding settings
- Thinnest coarseness grind done under 30 seconds
- Cable can be stored inside the container when not in use
- Very easy to clean
- Only 1-year warranty
- Grinding chamber is not detachable
Our rating: 4.7 / 5
2) Wheroamoz Manual Coffee Grinder
Let’s start with a manual grinder. Wheroamoz has been on the market for some time now and makes quality and affordable coffee grinders.
It comes in a convenient and compact design. It’s made of food-grade stainless steel and industrial grade plastic, which are quite easy to clean. Wheroamoz features high quality ceramic burr grinder for the best end-result taste. It also has several coarseness settings, which will coffee junkies find very useful. The hand crank is removable for easy transport. This is one of those manual grinders that product practically non-existent noise. The manufacturer also offers lifetime warranty.
Pros and Cons
- Small and compact
- East to clean
- Several coarseness settings
- Affordable
- Coarseness booklet offers no information, so you have to figure out the settings by trial and error
Our rating: 4.7 / 5
3) Fumao Hand Wooden Coffee Grinder
The 2nd manual coffee grinder on our list is made by Fumao.
This time I’ve search for a quality wooden coffee grinder, since I didn’t want to list two similar ones. The Fumao grinder’s body is made of solid wood, which is carved from one wood block. It uses the canonical burr system, which is not ceramic but rather premium iron cast. Also, it is ergonomically and compactly designed with adjustable thickness grinding. It can be easily disassembled for easier cleaning. Fumao offers lifetime warranty.
Pros and Cons
- One-block quality wood
- Several bean thickness settings
- Ergonomic design
- No metal/plastic odor
- Wood parts are harder to clean
- It’s quite small
Our rating: 4.6 / 5
4) Hamilton Beach 10oz Electric Grinder
Electric blade coffee grinder by Hamilton Beach also made it to our list of the quietest coffee grinders because of its simple, yet effective functions.
The machine is compact in shape and in comparison with other blade electric grinders, it has detachable coffee bean chamber. It has 3 different coarseness settings and can grind up to 10 tablespoons of coffee at one sitting, which is enough for 14 standard cups of coffee. You can also set estimated number of coffee you wish to grind (for 4, 8, 12, and 14 cups). The duo of stainless steel blades will make short work of every coffee bean. Thanks to the plastic cover and convenient design, which limits the noise, making it very quiet compared to other electric blade coffee grinders.
Pros and Cons
- Detachable coffee bean chamber
- Very quiet considering the powerful electric motor
- 4-settings for coffee amount grinding
- Plastic cover has to be locked in the exact arrow-pointed position, which is a bit difficult to see
- Cable is not detachable and cannot be stored in the grinder
Our rating: 4.5 / 5
5) Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr
Next on our list is an automatic burr coffee grinder made by Baratza.
This is by far the most expensive coffee grinder on our list and is designed for demanding coffee maniacs. It is also an award winning grinder, which is preferred by coffee professionals. It has a 40-second digital timer that can be adjusted to the one tenth of a second (crazy, right?). The LED backlit grounds bin takes care of dosing coffee very accurately. The commercial-grade 40-mm hardened alloy steel canonical burrs offer a total of 40 grind settings, which allows you to explore coarseness basically for every possible coffee drink. The design is a combination of black plastic and sculptured metal. Thanks to the design and also doesn’t make a lot of noise. Baratza offers 1-year warranty.
Pros and Cons
- Made for coffee professionals
- 40 grinding settings
- Adjustable time to the tenth of a second
- Commercial-grade 40mm hardened alloy steel canonical burrs
- Only 1-year warranty
- Pricey
- Takes a bit of space
Our rating: 4.5 / 5
6) Ariete – Delonghi Electric Coffee Grinder
Famous brand DeLonghi Ariete is well known for their coffee makers, but they also make pretty neat coffee grinders. One of them made it to our list.
This machine is quite similar to the Virtuoso by Baratza, but it doesn’t have some many settings and is not equipped with a LCD. It has 15 different grinding settings, from ultra-fine to coarse. The bean hopper can hold up to 13.33oz and the ground coffee container is limited to 6.5 oz. You can also simply choose the grinding time according to your needs. The grinder is made of stainless steel parts and plastic compartments. The parts are also removable for easier cleaning. The manufacturer offers 1-year warranty.
Pros and Cons
- Produces great ground coffee, even for French press
- Quieter than most automatic burr grinders
- Takes only a few seconds of grinding
- Removable parts
- The design could be better in regard to ground coffee waste – it really gets everywhere
- 1-year warranty only
Our rating: 4.4 / 5
Conclusion
There you have it. That’s our list of the best quiet coffee grinders. As mentioned above, I’ve picked two of each grinding type mechanisms as to not overwhelm you with choices. It took me several hours to come up with these six beasts, so hopefully you have just found your winner. Don’t forget to properly check every feature and if something is not clear and I haven’t stated it, I’d suggest reaching out to the respective manufacturer.
Now if you will excuse me, it’s time for a cup of coffee.