Guide · Grinders
Best coffee grinder for pour over: grinders that give an even V60 grind
Pour-over rewards an even, medium grind. We compare electric and hand burr grinders sold in the UK, with prices checked on 3 Oct 2026 and the trade-offs of each.
Choosing the best coffee grinder for pour over comes down to one thing: how evenly it grinds at a medium setting. A V60, Chemex or Kalita brews in a few minutes, with water passing through a bed of coffee, so a mix of big chunks and dusty fines can make the cup taste sour and bitter at the same time. Any burr grinder will beat a blade grinder here. The differences between burr grinders are mostly about range, ease of adjustment and how much you want to spend. We haven’t tested this in person. This guide is based on makers’ published specs, UK retailer listings and prices checked on 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
Best coffee grinder for pour over: the short answer
Get the Baratza Encore if you brew pour-over most days and want an electric grinder built around filter coffee. John Lewis lists 40 settings and conical burrs, with a grind range of 250 to 1,200 microns. Check price at John Lewis.
Who it isn’t for: anyone on a tight budget, or anyone who mainly wants espresso. It’s a filter-first grinder.
Get the Melitta Calibra if you’d like to weigh your dose as you grind. Melitta UK lists a steel cone grinder, 39 settings and a built-in digital scale, and it puts filter coffee in the middle of the range (settings 6 to 26). It was £89.99 at Melitta UK, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone short on worktop space, or anyone who’d rather use a separate set of scales they already own.
Choose the Timemore C3 Pro if you brew one or two cups at a time and don’t mind turning a handle. It was £74.95 at Redber, checked 3 Oct 2026, and Redber lists a capacity of about 25g of beans.
Who it isn’t for: anyone brewing a full Chemex for four. Hand-grinding a large batch every morning gets tiring.
Skip the extras if money is tight: the Krups Expert Burr GVX231 was £62.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, and covers filter and cafetière settings.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants fine control in the medium range. Currys lists 17 settings in total, so the steps between them are bigger.
Why pour-over needs an even medium grind
Pour-over is a balancing act between flow and contact time. Grind too fine and water drains slowly, pulling out harsh flavours. Grind too coarse and it rushes through, leaving a thin, sour cup. An uneven grind gives you both problems in the same brew.
Burr grinders crush beans between two cutting surfaces set a fixed distance apart, so the particles come out closer to the same size. Blade grinders chop at random, and how fine you get depends on how long you hold the button. That’s fine for a cafetière at a push, but it makes pour-over hard to repeat.
You’ll see two burr shapes. Conical burrs are a cone inside a ring and are common in home grinders at this price. Flat burrs are two parallel rings. Both can work well for filter coffee. In practice, the build quality of the grinder, how steady the burrs are and how finely you can adjust them matter more than the shape on its own.
Who it isn’t for: if you only drink pre-ground coffee and are happy with it, a grinder adds cost and a daily step you may not want.
Electric grinders for pour-over
- Baratza Encore: check price at John Lewis. John Lewis lists 40 settings, conical burrs, a grind range of 250 to 1,200 microns and a hopper that holds about 8oz of beans. You change the setting by turning the hopper. See it at John Lewis
- Melitta Calibra: £89.99 at Melitta UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, and £98.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change. Melitta UK lists 39 settings, a steel cone grinder and a built-in scale with three grind programmes, including grinding by number of cups or by weight. 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, but doesn’t state the burr type. See it at Currys
- Moccamaster KM5: £329.00 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026. Currys lists 50mm flat steel burrs, 9 settings and a 5-year guarantee. It’s a premium filter grinder, and nine settings is a short range, so it’s aimed at people who grind for filter and not much else. See it at Currys
Who it isn’t for: electric grinders take up worktop space and need a socket nearby. If you brew one cup at a time, a hand grinder costs less for similar burr quality.
Hand grinders for pour-over
- Timemore C3 Pro: £74.95 at Redber, checked 3 Oct 2026. Redber lists steel burrs, a stepped adjustment, dual bearings for a steadier shaft and a capacity of about 25g of beans, which is enough for one large mug or two small cups. See it at Redber
- OXO Brew Manual Coffee Grinder: £55.00 at John Lewis, checked 3 Oct 2026. John Lewis lists stainless steel conical burrs, 40 settings and a hopper that holds up to 40g. It’s wipe-clean only. See it at John Lewis
Hand grinders are quiet, need no power and pack away in a drawer. The catch is effort: grinding 30g at a medium setting takes a minute or more of steady turning.
Who it isn’t for: anyone with wrist or grip problems, or anyone making coffee for a household every morning.
All-rounders that also do espresso
If you might buy an espresso machine later, a grinder with a wide range can cover both jobs. The Sage the Dose Control Pro was £149.95 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change. Currys lists 60 settings, stainless steel conical burrs, a 340g bean capacity and an electronic timer for dosing. See it at Currys
The trade-off is that switching between espresso and pour-over means moving a long way along the dial each time, and you’ll need to re-find your setting. If you mostly brew filter, a filter-first grinder like the Encore is simpler to live with.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who will never make espresso. You’d be paying for fine-end range you won’t use.
Getting the rest of the setup right
A grinder is only one part of a repeatable pour-over. A gooseneck kettle gives you a slow, steady pour, and a set of scales lets you weigh beans and water so you can change one thing at a time. Our guides to gooseneck kettles and coffee scales cover both. If your budget is tighter, our guide to burr grinders under £50 looks at the cheapest options worth considering.
Start at the middle of your grinder’s filter range, brew, and taste. If it’s sour and quick, go a step finer. If it’s bitter and slow, go a step coarser.
Who it isn’t for: if you’re happy with a quick, rough-and-ready brew, scales and a gooseneck are nice to have, not essential.
Downsides to know about
- Prices move. Check price at John Lewis for the Encore, and Currys prices can change, so check on the day.
- Some specs aren’t published. Currys doesn’t state the burr type of the Krups, and Redber doesn’t list a number of settings for the Timemore.
- Static and mess. Electric grinders can leave grounds clinging to the chute, and you’ll need to brush them out now and then.
- Fixed ranges. The Moccamaster’s nine settings make it a filter specialist, not an all-rounder.
Where to go next
- Our guide to burr grinders under £100 explains what this budget can and can’t do.
- Compare more models on our coffee grinders page.
FAQ
What grind size is right for pour-over? Medium is the usual starting point, a little finer than a cafetière and coarser than espresso. Melitta, for example, puts filter coffee at settings 6 to 26 on the Calibra. Adjust from there by taste.
Is a hand grinder good enough for pour-over? For one or two cups, yes. A hand burr grinder like the Timemore C3 Pro or OXO Brew Manual can give a consistent medium grind. It just takes more time and effort than an electric one.
Can you use a blade grinder for pour-over? You can, but the grind will be uneven and hard to repeat. For pour-over, moving to a burr grinder is usually the single biggest upgrade.
Do you need a grinder with a built-in scale? No. The Calibra’s scale is handy, but a separate set of coffee scales does the same job and also weighs your water.