(Pocket-lint) – Coffee. That beautiful, brown, warm life-giving morning juice is delightful.

But, if you’ve only ever bought pre-ground packaged coffee from a store shelf, then you’re missing out. Nothing tastes better than freshly ground coffee, and the best way to achieve that is to buy your own coffee grinder and do it yourself. 

• The best coffee machines: Our pick of the best bean-to-cup, ground and capsule machines

Whether you have some money spare to really splash out, or you don’t want to pay too much, there’s something for everyone. 

We could argue all day about whether you should get a manual or electric one – being a tech site we’re gonna stick to the ones you have to plug in – but either way, your coffee will taste better if you’ve only just ground up the beans before pouring your hot water on them. 

Our guide to the best coffee grinders to buy today

SMEG

Smeg CGF01 Coffee Grinder

For a combination of looks and capabilities, it doesn’t get much better than this superb grinder from Smeg.

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There’s no denying this is a bit of a pricey number, but it’s a truly fantastic machine. Of course, a big part of its appeal is that it has that classic Italian styling to it that Smeg is synonymous with. If you already have one of their coffee machines, this matches perfectly. 

Everything just feels sturdy about this machine. It’s solid and stays put without any of that annoying ‘wasps caught in a lawnmower’ buzzing you might get from a cheap and cheerful machine. You’re definitely paying for quality here, but if you’re serious about coffee, you need a serious grinder, and this is definitely that. Without going extreme and buying commercial machines, the Smeg delivers in every way. 

DeLonghi

De’Longhi Dedica Style KG521

If you want something that looks a bit more modern, for the same, price, De’Longhi’s got the perfect grinder for you.

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Feature-wise the De’Longhi offers many of the same benefits of the Smeg. You can grind coffee directly into your espresso filter/cup or into a container directly below the shoot, offering minimal waste and spillage. 

It doesn’t have quite as many different coarseness settings as though – offering 18 – but the modern styling, smaller footprint and 2.1-inch LCD display on the top may appeal to those who don’t want Smeg’s huge, retro machine on their countertop. 

Melitta

Melitta Calibra

This grinder’s speciality comes down to the degree of control it gives you over coarseness.

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For the coffee obsessed who have their brewing down to a fine art, the beauty is found in the small details. This is where the Melitta comes in. 

Melitta’s Calibra grinder has 39 different coarseness settings to choose from and has a built-in digital scale for weighing up the exact right amount of ground coffee. 

This kind of setup is incredibly versatile and will allow you to get your pour-overs, espressos or filter grounds exactly right for whichever type of brewing method you want. For those who just want it easy, it might seem a bit too granular, but at this price, it offers a lot for the money.

Sage

Sage Smart Grinder Pro

Representing the top-end of the market in price terms, it makes sense that this grinder is also brim-full of features.

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If you want to go all-out and spend proper money on a coffee grinder to get one of the best looking, technologically advanced and versatile grinders around, then this could be your dream machine. 

It has so-called ‘intelligent settings’ to help you get the right kind of grind for the specific type of coffee you’re brewing, all shown on a lovely cool blue-backlit LCD display on the front. 

You can grind directly into your espresso filter basket, or a canister, or your regular drip filter paper. Just don’t look at the price point, it might make your eyes water. 

Bodum

Bodum Bistro blade grinder

If you want a far lower price, and a far smaller device, this could be a great option.

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Moving way down in terms of price and size here, the Bodum Bistro grinder is pretty small in comparison to the large, countertop options listed so far. Unlike the bigger machines, you don’t get a lot of the fine-tuned control over grind coarseness, and you definitely don’t get any real bean storage. 

What makes this worth checking out, however, is that it’s compact, inexpensive and you can grind up to eight cups of coffee using the blade inside the machine. It has a transparent lid, so you can see how coarse or fine the grind is. To make it finer, you just keep grinding it for longer. 

The results may not be as consistent as a solid stainless steel conical grinder might offer, but it’s an easy-to-use machine that’s also easy to take with you whenever you’re travelling. Plus, if you’re low on counter space, it’s not going to hog too much real estate in your kitchen.  

Dualit

Dualit Coffee Grinder

A great mid-range option from Dualit, this grinder is a good middle ground.

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Think Dualit, and you’re more than likely thinking of the best toaster in the world, but the company does more than just heating up pieces of bread. They also make a surprisingly inexpensive countertop coffee grinder. Granted, you don’t get the volume of bean storage or variety of coarseness settings on offer from the bigger machines, but it’s a good middle ground between the compact machines and the larger ones. 

Dualit’s short and stocky machine has a hopper on top capable of storing 250 grams of coffee, which is the exact right size for those standard small bags of coffee beans. It grinds directly into the container below without spilling, and it couldn’t be simpler to use. Turn the dial on the side to select one of 10 grind settings and then press the big button on the front. 

Cuisinart

Cuisinart professional burr grinder

Another impressive option for those working with a smaller budget, it might not be the prettiest grinder but it’s great at this price.

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As far as value for money goes, there’s not a lot out there offering the capabilities of the Cuisinart grinder in terms of volume, price and practicality. 

The hopper on the top holds 250 grams of beans – again, enough for a full regular sized bag – with a large 18 cup container on the bottom. What’s more, it offers 18 different coarseness settings and is made from durable stainless steel housing. If that wasn’t enough, a lot of the parts are removable and dishwasher safe.  

For those wanting to keep costs down and still get a practical and sturdy grinder, there’s not a lot out there that competes with it at this level of cost. 

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Max Freeman-Mills.