Guide · Grinders
Best coffee grinder for a cafetière: coarse, even grinds without the sludge
A cafetière needs a coarse, even grind, and that's where cheap blade grinders struggle. We compare burr and hand grinders sold in the UK, with prices checked 3 Oct 2026.
Looking for the best coffee grinder for French press? UK kitchens mostly call it a cafetière, and the right grinder for one is simply a grinder that goes coarse and stays even. A cafetière steeps coffee for a few minutes and then pushes it through a metal mesh. Big, even pieces stay behind the mesh. Fine dust slips through, which is where the gritty sludge at the bottom of your mug comes from. That’s why a basic burr grinder is the upgrade that matters, and why the fanciest grinder isn’t needed. We haven’t tested this in person. This guide is based on makers’ published specs, UK retailer listings and prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
Best coffee grinder for French press UK: the short answer
Get the Melitta Molino if you want the cheapest electric burr-style grinder that’s built with cafetières in mind. Melitta UK lists a stainless steel disc grinder with 17 settings, and says settings 13 to 17 suit a French press. It was £40.00 at Melitta UK, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who also wants espresso. Melitta keeps only settings 1 to 3 for espresso, so the fine end is limited.
Get the Lakeland Conical Burr Coffee Grinder if you’d like a clearly labelled coarse range and a dose selector. Lakeland lists 35 settings, with 26 to 35 marked for French press, and a 2 to 12 cup selector that stops automatically. It was £64.99 at Lakeland, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a long track record. It’s Lakeland’s own model, and we haven’t found owner feedback to cite.
Choose the OXO Brew Manual if you make one cafetière at a time and want something quiet. It was £55.00 at John Lewis, checked 3 Oct 2026, with stainless steel conical burrs and 40 settings.
Who it isn’t for: anyone filling a large eight-cup cafetière every morning. John Lewis lists a 40g hopper, so a big pot means a lot of turning.
Skip a blade grinder if sludge is what’s bothering you. Blade grinders chop beans unevenly, so you’ll always get some fine dust.
Who it isn’t for: if you only drink one cafetière a week and don’t mind a bit of sediment, a blade grinder will do at a push.
Why a coarse, even grind matters for a cafetière
Cafetière coffee is a steep, not a drip. Ground coffee sits in hot water for around four minutes, then the plunger’s mesh holds the grounds back while you pour. Two things go wrong with the wrong grind:
- Too fine: the coffee over-extracts and tastes bitter, the plunger gets harder to push, and the fines pass through the mesh into your cup.
- Uneven: even if most of the grind is coarse, a blade grinder leaves dust mixed in. That dust is what clouds the last mouthful.
A burr grinder sets a gap between two grinding surfaces, so most particles come out a similar size. For a cafetière you want the coarse end of that range. Our guide to grind size for French press explains what coarse should look like, and our guide to the best cafetière covers the pot itself.
Who it isn’t for: if you buy ground coffee labelled for cafetières and are happy with it, you can skip a grinder entirely.
Electric grinders that do coarse well
- Melitta Molino: £40.00 at Melitta UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, shown as in stock. Melitta lists a stainless steel disc grinder, 17 settings (13 to 17 for French press), a 2 to 14 cup quantity dial, a 200g bean container and automatic switch-off. The upper grinding disc lifts out for cleaning. See it at Melitta UK
- Krups Expert Burr GVX231: £62.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026. Currys lists 17 settings and a 225g bean capacity, and describes the coarse settings as suited to filter machines and cafetières. It doesn’t state the burr type. See it at Currys
- Lakeland Conical Burr Coffee Grinder: £64.99 at Lakeland, checked 3 Oct 2026. Lakeland lists conical burrs and 35 settings, split into 0 to 14 for espresso, 15 to 25 for drip and pour-over, and 26 to 35 for French press. See it at Lakeland
- Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder: £99.00 at John Lewis, checked 3 Oct 2026. John Lewis lists stainless steel conical burrs, 35 settings, a cup-based dose control and a built-in ioniser to cut static. Currys had it at £98.99 but out of stock when we checked on 3 Oct 2026. See it at John Lewis
Who it isn’t for: if you make cafetière coffee for one, an electric grinder’s hopper and grounds container may be more than you need.
Hand grinders for a cafetière
- OXO Brew Manual Coffee Grinder: £55.00 at John Lewis, checked 3 Oct 2026. Stainless steel conical burrs, 40 settings and a hopper of up to 40g, according to John Lewis. It’s wipe-clean only. See it at John Lewis
- AdHoc Moro: £39.00 at John Lewis, checked 3 Oct 2026. John Lewis lists a ceramic grinding mechanism, an adjustable setting from fine to coarse and a container that holds about 25g of ground coffee. See it at John Lewis
Coarse grinding is the easiest job for a hand grinder, because the beans pass through quickly. That makes a hand grinder a better fit for a cafetière than for espresso.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who makes several pots a day. Hand grinding a full cafetière’s worth each time soon gets old.
Setting up and cleaning
Start at the coarse end of the maker’s French press range, brew for four minutes, and taste. If it’s thin and sour, go a setting or two finer. If it’s bitter or hard to plunge, go coarser. Keep the dose the same while you adjust, or you won’t know which change made the difference.
Brush out the chute and burrs every week or so, because old grounds and oils go stale. Melitta includes a cleaning brush with the Molino, and Lakeland lists a cleaning brush and a removable grounds container with its grinder. Don’t wash burrs unless the maker says you can.
Who it isn’t for: if you hate small cleaning jobs, a grinder adds one. It’s quick, but it’s there.
Downsides to know about
- Cheap grinders still make some fines. Even a burr grinder produces a little dust, so a drop of sediment is normal with any cafetière.
- Burr details are thin. Currys doesn’t list the burr type on the Krups, and Melitta calls the Molino a disc grinder rather than giving burr details.
- Stock varies. The Dualit was out of stock at Currys on 3 Oct 2026 while John Lewis had it.
- Limited espresso range. The Molino and Krups are filter and cafetière grinders first.
Where to go next
- If you also brew filter coffee, see our guide to the best coffee grinder for pour over.
- For more budget picks, read our guide to burr grinders under £100, or compare models on our coffee grinders page.
FAQ
How coarse should coffee be for a cafetière? Coarse and chunky, with pieces you can see individually. Melitta puts French press at settings 13 to 17 on the Molino, and Lakeland at 26 to 35 on its conical burr grinder.
Why is there sludge at the bottom of your cafetière? Usually fine particles from an uneven or too-fine grind slipping through the mesh. A burr grinder on a coarse setting cuts this down, and leaving the last bit of coffee in the pot helps too.
Is a hand grinder good for a French press? Yes, coarse grinding is quick by hand. Hand grinders like the OXO Brew Manual suit one or two cups at a time.
Can you use the same grinder for pour-over? Yes, all the grinders here have medium settings too. Just move back towards the middle of the range.