If you’re looking to take the next step in your espresso game then you’re probably in the market for a fresh grinder. A great grinder can elevate any half-decent espresso machine, so it’s arguably the most important part of your espresso setup. We’ve got three great options for you over our three Best Of 2022 categories: Crowd Pleaser, Top Features, and Ultimate Pick. We’ve also got an honorable mention for some niche users. Let’s get started!
Crowd Pleaser
Our Crowd Pleaser category is all about ease of use and accessibility. Performance matters in all of our categories on this list, but Crowd Pleaser also places emphasis on options that’ll work for the widest range of users. For this year’s Top High-End Espresso Grinder Crowd Pleaser we’ve selected the Baratza Vario+ Espresso Grinder.
The Vario+ is a great grinder because it offers fantastic performance without sacrificing usability. With 220 stepped grind settings you’re getting great adjustability and can still look to other users for advice on grind settings, unlike a stepless adjustment. This might mean a little bit less precision, but it’s great for ease of use. This great balance between performance and accessibility is further enhanced by timed programming and easy to use portafilter hooks.
The + in the name refers to the Vario+’s enhanced build quality as well. We love how solid this is, and we think it’ll serve you well for years to come. Those 54mm flat ceramic burrs make quick work of your beans too. We know you’ll love this grinder as much as we do if you’re searching for something simple, effective, and powerful.
Top Features
Our Top Features category is all about those extra odds and ends that put an espresso grinder over the top. The Eureka Oro Mignon XL is our pick for this year’s best high-end espresso grinders because of one key element.
Before we get to that, let’s talk about all of the obvious bits it gets right. This grinder is high-performance, with 65mm burrs that grind fast and consistently without clumping or too much retention. You can also use its simple touch screen interface for programming, and the convenient portafilter hook on the front lets you go hands free. But the real reason we have this grinder in this category is its stepless grind adjust.
Like we mentioned in the previous category, stepless grind adjust gives you a bit more precision than stepped. While a stepped adjuster is easier to use, the stepless functions like a screw, giving you infinite settings. This means that you can perfectly dial in tricky single origins for the perfect flavor. Combined with what we noted above and the incredible build quality of the Oro Mignon XL, this grinder was an easy choice for the category.
Ultimate Pick
Our ultimate high-end grinder pick represents the very top of the mountain for espresso grinders. Given this, we really couldn’t select anything other than the Eureka Atom 75 Espresso Grinder.
Equally viable for home and commercial applications, the Atom 75 has all the programmability you could ask for, massive 75mm burrs, and professional grade construction and components. This grinder gives you all the power and features you need to turn your kitchen into a professional cafe when paired with a high-end espresso machine.
While the Atom 75 may be too much for some users, it’s also likely the last espresso grinder you’ll ever need to buy. Its stepless grind adjust is perfect for getting just the right setting, and everything else it does will blow you away. This grinder may carry a hefty price tag, but it's for a reason, and we really can’t stress enough what a knock out it truly is in every single way. It’s an easy pick for our ultimate high-end espresso grinder of 2022.
Honorable Mention
For our best espresso grinders of 2022 honorable mention we’ve selected the Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose Espresso Grinder. This grinder is hard to recommend to every user, but it’s going to be the perfect choice for some. This is why we wanted to give it the nod even if it didn’t quite make it in as one of our category picks. So what is the Oro Mignon Single Dose?
If you’re not familiar, single dosing is when you store your beans in a separate container specifically designed for coffee, then only add what you need to your grinder. This method of coffee storage and grinding can keep coffee fresher since it can be vacuum sealed instead of letting it sit in the hopper. It also allows you to rotate your coffees day to day rather than needing to empty the hopper before trying something new. The Oro Mignon Single Dose supports this method of grinding by having a small hopper and no programming (since none is necessary).
The Oro Mignon instead justifies its price with its high-quality 65mm diamond inside burrs, canted positioning, dedicated dosing cup, sound insulation, anti-static technology, and grind chamber clearing bellows. These features make this grinder the dream for the right customer.
So who is the right customer? It’ll be someone who sees brewing espresso as a serious hobby, and someone who wants to use a lot of different coffees with zero waste. If that sounds like you, there’s no better grinder out there. That’s why the Oro Mignon Single Dose gets our honorable mention for best espresso grinder of 2022!
We hope you’ve enjoyed these picks, and that they can help you pick out that shiny new grinder upgrade!
