Recommended Espresso Coffee Grinders

The Capresso costs around $140 ($90 online) and is easily the best grinder you can get for the price. It's great for normal coffee, but only just manages to produce an acceptably consistent and uniform grind for espresso.

The Capresso performs well, but is not particularly sturdy, so don't expect it to last for years if used on a daily basis. Like many low-cost grinders, it creates a lot of static electricity which makes the process of grinding coffee quite messy.

Recommended only if your budget simply can't stretch to buying a Maximo or Gaggia MDF grinder.

The Saeco is a powerful 160 watt high-speed grinder with 30 levels of fineness control. It produces a consistently uniform grind and is more solidly constructed than the Capresso - you could expect 2 to 5 years of use before it's time to upgrade due to dull burrs or poor performance.

Like the Capresso, it creates a lot of static electricity and is recommended only if your budget can't stretch to buying a Maximo or Gaggia MDF grinder. It costs around $175 ($120 online).

Excellent value at around $130. The Maximo is a rebadged version of the La Pavoni Conical Burr espresso grinder that usually sells for $200 or more. It's probably on a par with the Gaggia MDF.

The Maximo can produce a proper grind for espresso. It uses (replaceable) commercial conical burrs and features a stepless grinding adjustment system.

Many consider the MDF to be the bottom of the line true espresso grinder.

The MDF is a low-speed gear reduction grinder. It uses 50 mm commercial flat plate burrs and has 34 grind settings, with over 10 settings just in the espresso range. It generates very little static and the gear reduction system provides plenty of torque and will not bog down. It costs around $200.

The Rancilio Rocky costs around $290 and is by far the best grinder on the market in this price range. It produces an excellent, even grind and is built to last. Rancilio borrowed the super heavy duty motor from their commercial grinder, the MD40. It runs at a very quiet 77db.

The Mazzer Mini is simply the best-built, commercial espresso grinder for home use: cast aluminum housing, quiet 250 watt motor, 58mm diameter 100% hardened Swedish steel burrs, stepless grind adjustment...

At around $770 (amazon.com sometimes sells it for around $450), the price may seem high, but is actually great value considering the quality of this grinder.