How to · Espresso machines · Grinders
How to split your budget between machine and grinder
The most common mistake when buying an espresso machine and grinder is spending nearly everything on the machine. This guide explains how we divide a budget between the two, and when you can ignore the rule.
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With a fixed amount to spend, it’s tempting to buy the best machine you can afford and a cheap grinder with whatever is left. Most people who have done this would tell you not to. Even a good machine makes poor espresso from badly ground coffee, and nothing on the machine can make up for it.
Our quiz uses a simple rule that you can apply yourself. If you need a grinder, the machine gets between 55 and 75 per cent of the total and the grinder gets the rest.
Step 1: work out whether you need a grinder at all
In three situations you don’t need to buy a separate grinder, and the whole budget can go on the machine.
The machine has a grinder built in. All-in-one machines include their own grinder, so there’s nothing else to buy. They usually cost less than a separate machine and grinder of similar quality, though you can’t upgrade the grinder later.
You already own a grinder that can grind for espresso. Then the whole budget is for the machine. If you’re not sure yours goes fine enough, check whether the manual mentions espresso. Many cheaper burr grinders are made only for filter coffee.
You’ll use pre-ground coffee for now. That’s a reasonable way to start, as long as the machine comes with pressurised baskets, which are designed for it. Our guide to pressurised and non-pressurised baskets explains why. Plan to buy a grinder later, because it will improve your coffee more than anything else you could add.
Step 2: give the machine 55 to 75 per cent
If you do need a grinder, start by giving the machine about two-thirds of the budget. Move towards 55 per cent if you think you’ll mostly drink straight espresso or light roasts (the paler, fruitier coffees that many specialist roasters sell), because both show up a grinder’s limits quickly. Move towards 75 per cent if you’ll mainly have milk drinks such as lattes and flat whites. With those, the machine’s steaming makes more difference, and small differences in grind are harder to taste.
The table shows the split at the top of each budget bracket in our quiz, and at £2,000.
| Total budget | Machine | Grinder |
|---|---|---|
| £400 | £220–£300 | £100–£180 |
| £800 | £440–£600 | £200–£360 |
| £1,500 | £825–£1,125 | £375–£675 |
| £2,000 | £1,100–£1,500 | £500–£900 |
Treat these as rough ranges. A machine slightly over its range is fine if the grinder you want is slightly under its own.
Step 3: match the grinder to the machine
Once you know roughly how much to spend, the machine you choose tells you what kind of grinder to look for. When our quiz pairs grinders with a machine, it prices them as a share of the machine’s price, so an expensive machine is never paired with a bottom-of-the-range grinder. As a rough guide, a sensible grinder costs between a quarter of the machine’s price and a little more than the whole of it, depending on how far you want to go.
The biggest factor is which baskets the machine takes.
Machines with pressurised baskets only get much less from a better grinder, because the basket hides most of the difference. An entry-level espresso grinder is plenty, and starting without one is fine too.
Machines with both kinds of basket go well with an espresso grinder from the lower end of the range. You’ll get good shots with the standard baskets and can still use pre-ground coffee if you run out of beans.
Traditional and enthusiast machines take standard baskets only and can make very good espresso. Pair them with a grinder that adjusts in very fine steps, ideally a stepless one that has no fixed settings at all. With these machines it’s worth spending towards the top of the grinder range.
- The Dose Control Pro has conical burrs; the Mignon Specialità flat ones.
- The Dose Control Pro has stepped adjustment; the Mignon Specialità stepless.
- The Dose Control Pro is 20.4cm wide; the Mignon Specialità is 12cm.
| Dose Control Pro | Mignon Specialità | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £146.99 | £350.99 |
| Burr type | Conical | Flat |
| Grind adjustment | Stepped | Stepless |
| Burr size | 40mm | 55mm |
| Grind settings | 60 | — |
| Hopper | 340g | 300g |
| Height | 34.2cm (better) | 35cm |
The table compares a good entry-level grinder with a mid-range one. The Specialità costs a lot more, and its stepless adjustment and larger flat burrs are what let a capable machine do its best.
Step 4: leave a little for the small things
A few accessories make a noticeable difference, and they’re easy to forget when every pound is going on the two main purchases. Most people end up wanting scales that weigh to a tenth of a gram, a milk jug if the machine doesn’t come with one, and a better tamper (the tool for pressing the coffee down) if the one in the box is plastic. None of these costs much, but keep a little of the budget back for them.
Common mistakes
Spending too little on the grinder. This is the most common one. If the machine costs four or five times as much as the grinder, the grinder is probably holding it back.
Buying a machine that can’t use pre-ground coffee. A machine that only takes standard baskets needs freshly ground coffee. If you aren’t buying a grinder yet, choose one that comes with pressurised baskets.
Paying for steam you won’t use. Heat exchangers and dual boilers let you steam milk while the coffee runs, and they cost more for it. If you only drink espresso, there’s little reason to pay for that. Our guide to single boiler, heat exchanger and dual boiler machines explains what each design is for.