Which Manual Coffee Grinder is Best in 2020? Introduction to Hario Manual Coffee Grinder Pros and Cons

FrontStreet Coffee - Hario Home Manual Coffee Grinder Pros and Cons Review

For coffee lovers, a cup of freshly ground coffee at home or during a work break is one of life's simple pleasures—which brings us to the magical little tool known as the manual coffee grinder. As the name suggests, it is a portable device, small, lightweight, and perfect for home use, and a good one says a lot about your taste for the finer things.

The trouble is that the market is flooded with hand grinders at wildly different prices. How do you pick the right one on a limited budget? Let's take a close look at one of the most mainstream options out there.

Hario Mill Slim Mini

Practicality and Design

This is the lightest grinder in its class: a compact hard-plastic body with a charming look is its competitive edge, and at only 8.75 ounces or 247 grams it makes a superb travel companion. Lighter, more ergonomic grinders do exist—Porlex among them—but grinding with the Mini Mill takes more arm and hand strength. Its grounds container is also smaller than standard, holding only about 22 grams at most, though that is more than enough for a cup or two. The smaller ceramic burrs mean grinding takes a bit longer, and you should avoid cranking too hard—if the handle is not fastened securely it can pop off. Adjusting the grind, however, is effortless: open the grinder and tighten or loosen the plastic screw at the bottom to change the grind size.

Review

The Mini Mill is the cheapest grinder of its kind, and as the name suggests it is an excellent travel partner. The grounds are not as consistent as what pricier grinders produce, but they are entirely sufficient on the road—and the plastic body shrugs off the knocks and bumps of travel far better than metal would.

Knowledge Extension: Coffee Grinder Burrs Generally Come in Three Types: Flat Burrs, Conical Burrs, and Ghost Tooth Burrs

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A hand grinder is only half the equation—the beans make the other half. For light-roast fans, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe natural Red Cherry is a classic: one of the first lots ever processed as full red-cherry natural, roasted medium-light to bring out ripe fruit aromas, a distinct fermented sweetness, berry notes, then citrus acidity, a creamy smoothness as it cools, and a juicy ripe-grape finish.

If you like your cup sweet and versatile, Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon from FrontStreet Coffee is the all-rounder—happy in a pour-over, French press, moka pot, or espresso machine. This natural-processed lot from a boutique Brazilian estate shows nuts, cream, sugarcane, and a gentle fruit acidity after a medium roast. For something more perfumed, the Strawberry Sugar Geisha Blend pairs washed Panamanian Geisha with honey-processed Costa Rican coffee, showing caramel, raisin, dried fruit, and a sweet rose fragrance; and the Musicians Series Mozart bean, raisin honey-processed, offers Kyoho-grape sweetness with pineapple and osmanthus aromas, plus raisin, rose, and winey fermented notes.