A manual coffee grinder will help make a wonderful cup of coffee, even if you don’t have an inverter or don’t want to spare the power for an electric one.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my Krups Coffee Grinder, which works wonderfully and takes very little power. I still recommend it, but if you don’t want to use electricity, you need another option.
And thanks to two readers, there is one. Both left comments recommending the same manual coffee grinder, also made by Krups. It also gets high marks from Amazon customers.
It’s the Kyocera Ceramic Coffee Grinder, pictured here. I do not have one and haven’t used it, so I’m basing this recommendation on that of two trusted TBG readers who have given good information in the past, as well as numerous Amazon reviewers. (NOTE: Since publishing this, I’ve published a second article with two more manual grinders for those needing something smaller or with a very tight budget — see More Manual Coffee Grinders.)
Pros:
- Ceramic blades are extremely hard and will never rust.
- Adjustable from fine to coarse grind.
- Easy to clean — with no electricity, all parts can be washed (several Amazon reviewers suggest using a toothbrush to clean the grinding burrs).
- Not difficult to grind (many cheaper manual grinders are virtually impossible to use, as are many decorative grinders).
Cons:
- At a hair over 16″ high, you need to think where you’ll store it (this is what Amazon reports — a user says it’s actually more like 6 inches and easy to store — see his comment below).
- Glass bottom could break — although it’s fairly heavy glass. If you store it in a tube sock and wedge it in, it should be just fine.
- About twice as expensive as the electric model.
- Base can be difficult while grinding to hold if you have small hands.
- A couple of reviewers say it’s difficult to use if you have arthritis and suggest an electric grinder instead.
I will definitely say that freshly ground coffee is SO much better than pre-ground. It’s one of the little luxuries that Dave and I love!
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Kelley - Sailing Chance says
I just got this coffee grinder from Amazon for about $30 and so far I LOVE IT. It’s also ceramic and won’t rust. Best of all, it’s small, and the crank removes so that you can store it super easily. It’s worth a shout out for those wanting to save the electricity on board.
Hario Mini-Mill Coffee Grinder
Tate says
We have the Kyocera grinder. It works pretty well. It does take about 3-5 minutes to grind a pot’s worth of coffee. A few notes, in the con’s you write about the breakable glass base, but it does seem extremely strong. It also comes with a soft plastic “Boot” which will prevent it from sliding when set down and protect the glass as well, so storing in a sock might be overkill. I find it easy to use, but I could see how this would be right out for someone with arthritis.
Richard says
I would highly recommend the Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder. I have used it for a few weeks now and love it.
Pros: All of the above, but I have yet to need to clean the ceramic grinders. No glass to break. Stainless won’t rust. Easy to store canister that is smaller than a 16oz beer can. Not too expensive.
Did I say that I love it? Yes I do.
Marc Castells says
I have this grinder! I make espresso with an aeropress and need to set the grind as fine as possible. It takes a looong time to grind up the beans which I don’t really mind but my wife likes to make fun of me about it. The problem I’ve had is that at the finest setting, the burrs can get clogged up, and I’m still working on figuring out how to unclog it without dropping partially ground beans into the already finished grinds.
Lauren Soutiere Weisenthal says
I too have this grinder and it does a great job. There are 2 things I’d change about it – 1. It’s made of glass and 2. The top does not have a cover, so the beans go shooting out.
Marc Castells says
Mine came with a cover. Hope you didn’t throw it out by mistake
Lauren Soutiere Weisenthal says
Marc Castells nope, no cover. I’ll bet it’s awesome when it come with one! Good to know.
The Boat Galley says
Lauren Soutiere Weisenthal Write the company an email and ask for it — tell them yours didn’t have one and you just found out it should have!
Marc Castells says
I know you guys are handy enough to make one too. Rubber band and a piece of cloth with a hole cut in the middle should do fine.
Patti Holma says
We have it too so we can use fresh beans for our French press- takes only a few minutes to fill the glass container.
David Lake says
this is why we have 2 gensets
Rachel Olivia Hunter says
We bought this for home use as it’s known to produce a very consistent grind unlike many electric types. Now it’s moved onto our cruiser.
Richard Kokemoor says
There must be a typo – the grinder is about 6″ tall, not 16″. The grind is adjustable so can make the coarser grind for a French press. Coffee made from beans freshly ground with this tastes strikingly clean, though it probably requires frequent thorough cleaning to keep rancid oils from collecting and spoiling the taste. But it is much easier to clean thoroughly than an electric grinder is.
Pat House says
Got one and love it!
Joe Maneri says
Sherri Brown-Betts you should follow the boat galley!