The Best Coffee Grinder for Cold Brew (2026): Burr Grinders for a Coarse, Even Grind

For most people, the best coffee grinder for cold brew is the Baratza Encore. It makes a reliable coarse grind, it's simple to use, and you can repair it. On a tighter budget, the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder works and has a large hopper for big batches. If you mostly make cold brew and pour over and want the best grind for brewed coffee, get the Fellow Ode Gen 2.

How we chose: We have not tested these grinders hands-on. Our picks come from manufacturer specifications, what cold brew needs from a grinder (an even coarse grind, enough capacity for large batches), independent lab results where they're published (such as Consumer Reports), and long-running patterns in owner reviews. Check current prices before you buy.

Quick picks

What cold brew needs from a grinder

Cold brew steeps for 12 to 24 hours, so it needs something different from a grinder than a 4-minute French press or a 30-second espresso shot.

• An even coarse grind. Fine particles over-extract over a long steep and make the coffee bitter and muddy. They also clog filters, so straining takes forever. This is why burr grinders beat blade grinders here: blades leave a lot of powder.
• Capacity. Cold brew uses a lot of coffee. A liter of concentrate at a 1:5 ratio takes about 200 g of beans, roughly what a household might otherwise brew over several days. A large hopper or fast grinding speed helps.
• Real coarse settings. Some grinders are built mainly for espresso and drip and don't go coarse enough. All of the picks below can grind coarse enough for cold brew.

Not sure how much coffee your jar needs? See our cold brew coffee ratio guide, or let the coffee ratio calculator do the math.

The best grinders for cold brew

Best overall for cold brew

1. Baratza Encore

The long-running default entry-level burr grinder. Its 40 settings run from fine to very coarse, and its coarsest settings are what cold brew and French press need. Baratza also sells replacement parts, so it's built to be repaired rather than replaced.

Burrs

Conical, steel

Settings

40

Best for

Cold brew, French press, drip, pour over

What stands out

• Reliable coarse grind for cold brew
• Simple one-dial adjustment
• Replacement parts available

Trade-offs

• Not for espresso (that's the Encore ESP)
• Louder and slower than premium grinders

Check price on Amazon

Best budget electric grinder

2. OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder

A popular budget burr grinder with 15 main settings plus micro-steps between them, and a large hopper that suits the bigger batches cold brew needs. Consumer Reports has rated it highly overall.

Burrs

Conical, stainless steel

Settings

15 main settings plus micro-adjustments

Hopper

About 12 oz of beans

What stands out

• Low price for a burr grinder
• Large hopper for big batches
• Easy to use

Trade-offs

• Some reviewers find its coarsest settings less even than the Encore's
• Mostly plastic build

Check price on Amazon

Best premium grinder for cold brew and filter

3. Fellow Ode Gen 2

A grinder made only for brewed coffee, not espresso, with 64 mm flat burrs and 31 grind steps. Cold brew is one of the methods Fellow designs it for, and it suits people who weigh each batch of beans before grinding.

Burrs

64 mm flat, stainless steel

Settings

31 steps

Capacity

Up to about 100 g per grind (single dose)

What stands out

• Large flat burrs for brewed coffee
• Quiet, compact design
• Grinds a ready-to-drink batch in one go

Trade-offs

• No espresso
• A 1-liter batch of concentrate (200 g) takes two loads
• Expensive

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Quiet budget alternative

4. Capresso Infinity

Steel conical burrs and 16 settings from extra fine to coarse. In Consumer Reports' testing it ran quieter than the OXO, which matters if you grind a big cold brew batch early in the morning.

Burrs

Conical, steel

Settings

16

Best for

Cold brew, French press, drip

What stands out

• Quiet for an electric grinder
• Wide grind range at a budget price

Trade-offs

• Fewer settings than the Encore
• Grind is less even than premium grinders

Check price on Amazon

Best manual option for small batches

5. Timemore Chestnut C3 (hand grinder)

A steel-burr hand grinder that does a good coarse grind for very little money. It's fine for a small jar of ready-to-drink cold brew, but grinding a big concentrate batch by hand is real work.

Burrs

38 mm stainless steel, conical

Power

Manual

Best for

Small cold brew batches, French press, pour over

What stands out

• Inexpensive and quiet
• Steel burrs, not ceramic

Trade-offs

• Slow for 100–200 g of coffee
• Small capacity per fill

Check price on Amazon

For more hand grinder options, including ones that also handle espresso, see our manual coffee grinder guide.

How to dial in your grind for cold brew

1. Start at or near the coarsest setting. On most burr grinders, cold brew sits in the top few settings.
2. Brew a small test batch at your usual ratio and steep time.
3. Taste and adjust one thing at a time:
   • Weak or thin → grind one step finer (or use more coffee).
   • Bitter, woody or muddy → grind coarser or shorten the steep.
   • Very slow to filter → grind coarser; your grind has too many fines.
4. Write down the setting that works. With the same beans and ratio, you'll get the same result every time.

Do you need a separate grinder for cold brew?

Usually not. A good all-round burr grinder like the Encore or OXO also handles drip, pour over and French press, so one grinder covers your hot coffee too. The exception is espresso: grinders designed for espresso fine-tune best at the fine end, and switching them back and forth to a cold brew setting is a hassle. If you make both, a second inexpensive grinder (or a hand grinder) for coarse grinds is a common setup.

Still choosing a brewer? Our best cold brew coffee makers guide covers jars, pitchers and filters, and cold brew vs. iced coffee explains when each one is worth it.