Best (cheapest) coffee grinder for french press

[motobrewer]

ok, well i gave it a few more runs on the coarsest setting. I also changed my technique, i no longer go down halfway then up before plunging all the way down. just pour water onto coffee, wait 4 min, plunge.

much less sludge. almost unnoticeable. its also really nice to just turn the knob, count to 13 (about 8 Tbs for a full french press pot), and I'm 4 min away from coffee.

 

[Bopper]

As you are aware, the key to a french press is in the grind. You want fairly large granules so they don't pass through the screen. A blade grinder can't do this.

You would want a conical burr grinder for a french press. The manual models are much cheaper than the motorized. Check out Zassenhaus.

+1 I have a Zassenhous manual burr grinder and love it. While it may get old if you're making lots of cups of coffee/day, it works great for me since I only make a few cups a day. I enjoy grinding manually. At around $75, I'd be surprised if you'd find a cheaper burr grinder and the zassenhous is very high quality.

What's great about the zassenhouse is that you'll get a very even coarse grind which you'll need for the french press but you can also get fine enough for expresso.

Personally, I would not consider a blade grinder for FP since you'll get a very uneven grind full of dust and boulders which will prevent optimal extraction and, more importantly, the dust will get past the FP filter and you'll get more grounds in your cup than usual.

If you do decide to go with a blade grinder be sure to get a nylon filter to add to the wire plunger filter.


EDIT - Just realized that this was an old thread...most of what I just said has already been covered!