I’ve Tried Dozens of Coffee Grinders, But the Breville Is My Favorite

As a self-appointed Coffee Person, I’ve tried many, many burr grinders over the years. All of them had issues: They weren’t consistent enough, they took too long to grind, they spit coffee flecks all over my counter. My perfect grinder was elusive. That was until I tried the Breville Smart Grinder Pro.

Why It’s My Favorite Coffee Grinder

The Breville grinder combines performance, usability, and aesthetics. I know the latter seems trivial, but if an appliance is going to be a permanent fixture on my countertop, I want it to look good. I own the matte green Olive Tapenade grinder, but it comes in six other colors, too.

Back to performance and usability! Its grind quality is consistent (though, as we noted in our coffee grinder review, finer than our top pick from Baratza) and it has a whopping 60 grind settings. I love its digital screen that clearly displays the right grind size for different brewing methods, like drip, French press, and even espresso. (That said, I will point out it’s not the best espresso grinder.) The knob on the right side makes it easy to toggle between grind settings and the screen displays a countdown timer. There’s also a clearly marked start/stop button. 

I like the Breville’s catch bin, too. It has a small hole that coffee enters through and a lid (with a stopper, should you choose to use it). It catches grounds exceptionally well, keeping my counter clean. It’s also easy to twist off the hopper and remove the burrs for cleaning. I’m very happy with the Smart Grinder Pro—and that my coffee grinder search is over.

FAQs

How often should the Breville coffee grinder be cleaned? 

You should clean your coffee grinder every four to six weeks, and you can read how to do it here.

How loud is the Breville coffee grinder? 

Anecdotally, I can tell you it’s quieter than the Baratza and OXO grinders I’ve tried. I haven’t used a decibel meter (yet!) to back this up.

Why We’re the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director of Serious Eats. She’s been with the site since 2021. 
• Riddley's been testing gear professionally for more than six years. 
• She owns more coffee brewing devices than she can count.