BEST GRINDER FOR COLD BREW: 5 TOP PICKS FOR TRUE BARISTAS
I love making homemade cold brew coffee in the summer, and these are the grinders I trust to do the job!
There’s nothing like a refreshing cold brew coffee on a hot day. But use the wrong grinder, and what should be delicious will end up acrid or bitter.
Don’t let that happen to you. My picks for the best grinders for cold brew guarantee you’ll get the sweet and smooth beverage you deserve.
The 5 Best Grinders For Cold Brew in 2026
Cold brew is a unique brewing method that requires specific qualities from a coffee grinder. It needs to be able to produce a consistently coarse grind without a lot of fines – otherwise, you’ll end up with over-extracted, bitter coffee.
Here are my favorite burr grinders for cold brew, including both manual and electric options to suit every budget. Pair any one of them with the best cold brew coffee maker, and you’re ready to brew something cool and delicious.
| image | product | details | |
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| No products found. | Baratza Encore |
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| No products found. | OXO Brew Burr Grinder |
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Orphan Espresso Lido Basic |
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| No products found. | Baratza Virtuoso Plus |
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| No products found. | Hario Skerton Pro |
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1. Baratza Encore
Style: Electric
- Grind settings: 40
- Hopper capacity: 8 oz
- Burrs: 40 mm steel conical
The Baratza Encore is one of the best-selling home burr grinders worldwide, delivering exceptional performance for its price point. Indeed, it’s the grinder I’m most likely to recommend to any up-and-coming coffee enthusiast.
It tops this particular list because it delivered impressively uniform grounds at its coarsest few settings. In my tests, only the higher-end Baratza Virtuoso Plus outperformed it – at the cost of an extra $100.
The Baratza Encore is impressively multipurpose. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for espresso, it’s a winner for cold brew, drip coffee, and everything in between. Its 40 mm stainless steel conical burrs are clearly manufactured by an industry leader. The grind quality and consistency are a cut above budget models like the OXO Brew or Capresso Infinity, despite being a fairly small step up in price.
2. OXO Brew Burr Grinder
Style: Electric
- Grind settings: 15
- Hopper capacity: 12 oz
- Burrs: Steel conical
I tested all the obvious budget electric burr grinder contenders when compiling this list, including the Cuisinart DBM-8 and the Capresso Infinity, and the OXO Brew was the best of the bunch. It produced the most consistent coarse grinds with the fewest fines. While it’s not my top pick for every style of coffee, it’s a clear winner in the cold brew department.
I love its easy-to-use design. Unlike many of its competitors, it uses a one-touch timer saves your previous setting, making it easy to grind the same amount of coffee every time—perfect if you don’t have a coffee scale. And the metal (as opposed to plastic) grounds catch bin definitely produces less static mess than the rest.
The OXO Brew doesn’t perform as well as the Encore, so I couldn’t give it the top spot. But at about $50 cheaper, it’s a great option for the cold brew fanatic on a tighter budget.
3. Orphan Espresso Lido Basic
Style: Manual
- Grind settings: Infinite
- Hopper capacity: 2.5 oz
- Burrs: 48 mm conical steel
Don’t be fooled by the brand name. Orphan Espresso may have been espresso-focused once upon a time, but the new Lido Basic definitely excels in the medium to coarse grind range.
The best reason to buy a manual grinder is to get a better burr set at a lower price. The Lido Basic delivers in that regard with the largest and highest-quality burrs on this list, plus a novel dual-bearing system that keeps them perfectly in line.
It produces a beautifully consistent and uniform grind distribution even at the coarsest settings.
This grinder uses a stepless grind adjustment system, which I have mixed feelings about. It’s fantastic if you want to dial in for a particular method, like cold brew, and lock it there. But it’s a bit finicky if you want to switch back and forth between settings. I ended up using dots of nail polish to mark my most frequently used sizes.
4. Baratza Virtuoso Plus
Style: Electric
- Grind settings: 40
- Hopper capacity: 8 oz
- Burrs: 40 mm conical steel
The second Baratza grinder on my list is the higher-end Virtuoso+ electric burr grinder. It’s the most expensive here, and it’s definitely a bit overkill for just cold brew. But it’s a really solid all-around grinder, and the price reflects that. It’s fantastic for everything from cold brew through Moka pot, and you can even dial in a decent espresso in a pinch.
In testing, it delivered the most uniform grounds in the coarse range. The Lido outperformed it only slightly in the medium and finer grinds.
Essentially, the Virtuoso+ is the Encore upgraded with a better burr set and a digital timer for reproducible hands-free dosing – plus a few more minor aesthetic and build quality updates.
Unlike most small appliances, Baratza coffee grinders are designed to be maintained and repaired rather than replaced. I love this initiative, which saves you money and benefits the environment.
5. Hario Skerton Pro
Style: Manual
- Grind settings: 10
- Hopper capacity: 3.5 oz
- Burrs: Ceramic conical
Japanese manufacturer Hario is perhaps best known for its famous Hario V60 pour-over brewer, but its other accessories are equally high quality (1). The Skerton Pro grinder is the latest update to the popular Hario Skerton line, and a few nice upgrades – a better hand crank, improved burr geometry, and grippy silicone base – means it offers even better value for money than its predecessors.
The Skerton Pro is clearly expertly manufactured. You can feel how well everything fits together, and the ergonomics are impeccable.
Grinding is smooth, fast, and comfortable, especially at the coarse setting needed for cold brew.
One thing that sets this hand grinder apart is its relatively large capacity compared to other manual options. If you’ve ever made cold brew, you know it takes a lot of grounds, so the 100-gram hopper here is fantastic.
Even better, you can replace the catch cup with any standard-size Mason jar. So you can literally grind directly into the jar you’re going to brew in!
How To Choose The Best Grinder For Cold Brew
Cold brew coffee doesn’t require a particular grinder, but it does require a specific grind, namely a coarse grind. So your burr grinder must have a reliable coarse grind setting.
Once you’ve chosen your coffee grinder, check out our ultimate guide to making cold brew coffee. You’ll be well on your way to a refreshing homemade cold coffee.
Blade Grinders: Just Say No
I know it’s tempting to save money with a cheap electric blade grinder, but this is not the place to skimp.
Blade coffee grinders don’t really grind; they chop, which leads to inconsistent grounds with a range of sizes (2). As a result, some will over-extract, and some will under-extract. Because cold brew coffee has such a long steep time, the off-flavors that result will be magnified.
A good burr grinder is more expensive but is a better calibrated, more precise, more consistent approach to grinding coffee.
Blade grinders also generate more heat as they grind, which can impart a burnt flavor to your coffee. I’ve found this is particularly noticeable In the case of cold brew because it’s brewed without heat.
Manual Or Electric
Manual or electric is the first decision to make when purchasing any burr coffee grinder. When it comes to making cold brew coffee, there are some unique factors to consider.
Manual coffee grinders that require you to crank by hand are less expensive and longer lasting. Because they don’t need a power supply, they’re great for travel and camping. The trade-off is that hand grinders require a bit of elbow grease, take a little longer to grind, and generally have small capacities.
However, the coarse grind required for cold brew is the easiest and fastest to achieve with a manual grinder, compared with the fine coffee grounds used for espresso, for example.
Electric burr grinders are more expensive, but they are undeniably easier and faster. Just touch a button for perfect ground coffee. If you plan to brew up big batches of cold brew coffee, an automatic grinder is probably a better choice, unless you relish a good arm work-out!
Prioritize A Good Coarse Grind
This is the most important cold brew-specific consideration. Cold brew requires a consistent coarse grind. Too many fines in the mix will result in an over-extracted coffee with muddy flavors.
This feature actually works in your favor because you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a grinder with tons of grind settings or a stepless adjustment – unless you want one do-it-all grinder (3).
Burr Material Matters
Coffee grinder burrs are typically either steel or ceramic. The material you choose affects the grinding mechanism and, to a lesser extent, the flavors in your cup.
Ceramic burrs are harder and last longer without getting dull, but they are more brittle and can chip. Ceramics don’t conduct heat as well as steel, so these burrs heat less during grinding (4).
Steel burrs are sharper, but they eventually dull. Technically, they get warmer during grinding, but personally, I can’t taste the impact when grinding coarse for cold brew.
Ceramic burr grinders yield coffee that is considered to be more complex, with a heavier body and creamier mouthfeel. Coffee from a steel burr grinder tends to be cleaner tasting with a lighter body, which is well-suited to single origins. This crisper flavor profile is often preferred for cold brew, but it is up to your taste buds.
How Much Cold Brew Are You Making?
A nice perk of brewing cold brew concentrate is that it keeps for up to two weeks in the fridge, always ready when a craving strikes. So it can be useful to make a large batch at a time. If this is your intention, I’d recommend an electric grinder with a larger bean hopper.
Hand grinders tend to have a lower bean capacity, usually between 1 and 3 ounces, which is excellent for travel or making small quantities but frustrating (and tiring) when prepping a large batch.
The Verdict
The most important thing when choosing the best burr grinder for the cold brew method is a reliable and consistent coarse grind setting.
My top pick this year is the Baratza Encore, the mid-range electric burr grinder beloved by baristas everywhere. The Encore is well-known as a drip coffee grinder, but in my tests, it performed just as highly at the coarser end of the grind spectrum.
Don’t mind doing a little manual labor in exchange for your cold coffee? Check out the impressively user-friendly Orphan Espresso Lido Basic, which sports the best burr set on this list – equally capable of fantastic cold brew or flash brew.
FAQs
You can use pre-ground coffee beans for cold brew. Unfortunately, most pre-ground coffee is ground too fine, which is why we recommend grinding your own. If you prefer to use pre-ground coffee, try shortening the steeping time to avoid over-extraction.
The best coffee for cold brewing is up to your personal taste. I love single-origin, medium roast beans with sweet fruit and nut flavors, but there is an equal case to be made for a full-bodied chocolatey dark roast – especially if you like to top your cold brew with cold foam.
Homemade cold brew tastes bitter when it is over-extracted. Try either shortening the steeping time or using a coarser grind; just make sure you only change on variable at a time. Any coffee, whether hot or cold, can also taste bitter if you use stale or low-quality coffee beans.
References
- Kumstova, K. (2018, May 16). The Story and Development of Hario V60. Retrieved from https://europeancoffeetrip.com/hario-v60/
- Burr vs. Blade Grinder. (2015, April 28). Retrieved from https://driftaway.coffee/grinders/
- Grant, T. (2020, January 16). How Cold Brew Captured the Millennial Market. Retrieved from https://perfectdailygrind.com/2020/01/how-cold-brew-captured-the-millennial-market/
- Rossi, R. (2017, December 15). A Brewer’s Guide to Choosing a (Good) Coffee Grinder. Retrieved from https://perfectdailygrind.com/2017/12/a-brewers-guide-to-choosing-a-good-coffee-grinder/
