OXO Coffee Grinder Review

There’s just no getting around it – a good quality burr grinder is a vital part of your coffee making setup. If you’ve been torturing your poor coffee beans with a blade grinder and want to change your ways, an OXO coffee grinder might be a good bet.

Available for just $67.99 on Amazon, the OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is an affordable way to enter the wonderful world of consistent grind size.

The OXO coffee grinder comes pretty highly recommended, so I ordered one from Amazon to play around with. I’ve been using the OXO grinder for a variety of preparation methods over the past couple of weeks, and I’ll share my experiences using it a little later.

In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at this cool conical burr grinder.

OXO Coffee Grinder Overview

While spending over $100 on a grinder may seem crazy to some of you, just trust me when I tell you that the effects it’ll have on your coffee will astonish you. In a good way.

The consistency you’ll achieve from the OXO coffee grinder’s stainless steel conical burrs will allow you to brew coffee that’s more well-rounded and complex, especially if you’re using a Chemex, French press or drip coffee maker.

It honestly looks pretty sharp sitting right next to the OXO Brew 8 cup coffee maker.

I will say that the OXO coffee grinder isn’t the best bet if you’re making espresso. For a consistent espresso grind, you’ll need to invest quite a bit more money.

Quality

OXO is known for producing kitchen products that are functional, durable and attractive. The OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder is no exception.

The grinder features an elegant, streamlined design, and there’s plenty of sleek stainless steel in evidence. My only issue with that is the difficulty involved in cleaning my fingerprints off the thing; it’s hard keeping the grinder looking its snazzy best!

The OXO coffee grinder is fairly compact, meaning you shouldn’t have any problem fitting it in your kitchen. It fits nicely under my overhead cabinets, which can’t be said for all coffee grinders.

The 12 ounce bean hopper is larger than anything you’ll see on many similarly priced grinders. That may or may not be a good thing … I’ll talk more about that later.

Below the hopper, the grind adjustment dial allows you to choose from 15 grind sizes, as well as make micro-adjustments.

The OXO coffee grinder comes equipped with a timer and a one-touch start button. This means the machine will save your most recently used settings for the next time you make coffee.

There’s also a stainless steel grounds bin that, in theory, should help reduce static buildup. I’ll discuss my experiences with that particular theory later on.

OXO Coffee Grinder Features

As I’ve said elsewhere, I’d never consider buying an electric coffee grinder for under $100, unless it’s a manual hand grinder. Grinders below that price point produce less consistent results, so it really is worth spending a few bucks more.

The OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder sits just above my cutoff point, but it actually offers a few features that are absent on some of its more expensive competitors. Let’s take a look.

Bean Hopper

The OXO coffee grinder hopper is one of its best features. With a generous 12-ounce capacity, the hopper is large enough to fit an entire bag of coffee beans.

Ordinarily, I’d recommend you use a coffee storage container instead. However, this hopper is UV tinted and has an airtight lid.

If you’ve read my guide to storing coffee beans, you’ll know that these two features in combination are ideal for keeping coffee fresh. Way to go OXO!

Timer Function

You can set the timer function on the OXO coffee grinder to work from zero to 30 seconds. You’ll have to experiment a little to find the optimal time/dose setting.

Still, once you’ve got it dialed in, the OXO grinder remembers your settings for the next time. This feature is ideal if you use the same amount of coffee each day.

Just keep in mind that changing brewing methods or coffee beans will send you right back to stage one. Each brewing method and bean requires some tweaking because of grind size and quantity requirements. Check out my coffee grind size chart for more details.

Stainless Steel Conical Burrs

The OXO coffee grinder features 40 millimeter stainless steel burrs, and you can choose from 15 grind settings, with room to make micro adjustments in between.

The upper burr is fully removable – you simply grab the wire handle and twist the burr clockwise. This not only allows you to clean the upper burr but also to access the lower burr. I found that a wire brush and a vacuum cleaner were very effective at cleaning the inside of the grinder.

The debate between flat burrs and conical burrs rages on, with many folks claiming flat burrs offer more consistency. As far as I’m concerned, the OXO grinder’s conical burrs are pretty great, especially when you consider that this is a relatively inexpensive grinder.

Grounds Bin

The OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder comes equipped with a stainless steel grounds bin, which catches the ground coffee as it exits the dispensing chute.

If you’ve ever used a grinder with a plastic grounds bin, you’ll likely know how static buildup can ruin your morning.

I had high hopes for the OXO grinder’s metal grounds bin, but ended up pretty disappointed. The static buildup I experienced was as bad as I’ve ever seen, and the badly fitting plastic lid didn’t help matters.

To be honest, this coffee grinder makes quite a lot of mess, as the static also affects the dispensing chute. Let’s just say it’s a good idea to keep a brush handy to sweep up rogue coffee grinds.

What’s in the OXO Coffee Grinder Box?

Here’s what’s included with the OXO coffee grinder:

How to Use the OXO Burr Grinder

Using the OXO coffee grinder is fairly straightforward, especially if you already have experience using a conical burr coffee grinder.

First, load up the hopper with freshly roasted, high quality coffee beans. Then, select the grinding time using the rotary dial. After that, it’s just a matter of pressing the OXO button and the grinder will do its thing.

Of course, you’ll need to dial in your grind, but only do this while the machine is grinding. You can expect to waste some coffee beans, especially as you’re getting to know the grinder, so it’s a good idea to use some cheaper beans with a similar roast profile for dialing in your initial settings.

My Tips for Using the OXO Burr Grinder

Now that I’ve tested the OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder, I’m able to give you some grinder setting recommendations for different brewing methods. These should save you some time and effort and have you enjoying delicious coffee as soon as possible!

How Loud Is the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder?

As part of my testing, I always measure a coffee grinder’s loudness. It’s unrealistic to expect a whisper silent machine, but some grinders make a lot more noise than others.

At the finest setting, the OXO coffee grinder produced around 85 decibels while grinding. This increased to around 100 decibels at the coarsest setting. Those numbers are about what I’d expect from an affordable burr grinder.

However, I should mention the slight unpleasant whine that comes along with the noise — if you happen to be sensitive to high-pitched frequencies, this might not be the grinder for you.

OXO Burr Grinder Specifications

	OXO Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Manufacturer	OXO
Name	Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Type	Electric coffee grinder
Grinder	Stainless steel conical burrs
Grind levels	15
Power	240 watt
Voltage	110 volt
Weight	6.58 lbs
Dimensions	5.3 x 7.75 x 12.8 in
Suitable for	French press, AeroPress, Chemex, cold brew
Notes	12-ounce UV-tinted bean hopper with airtight lid, 30-second timer function
Current price on Amazon	$67.99

OXO Coffee Grinder vs the Competition

Once you start shopping for a coffee grinder, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of machines out there. Don’t worry, though; I’ve been comparing the OXO coffee grinder with a few of its biggest rivals. Let’s take a look.

OXO Coffee Grinder vs Baratza Encore

If you’ve read my review of the Baratza Encore, you’ll know it’s one of my favorite conical burr grinders.

Although the Baratza Encore costs $149.95 on Amazon, it’s still in what I consider the entry-level bracket for burr grinders.

Anyway, if you’re serious about improving your coffee game, the Baratza is well worth the investment.

The Baratza Encore is sturdy and easy to use. It’s especially well-suited for drip coffee and Chemex grind sizes. Like the OXO, it’ll struggle to provide a consistent grind for your espresso machine.

OXO Coffee Grinder vs Capresso Infinity Plus

Capresso is a Swiss company that’s owned by Jura, the manufacturer responsible for some of the most impressive super automatic espresso machines around.

The Capresso Infinity Plus is a solid, reliable conical burr grinder that’ll only set you back $93.00 on Amazon.

With 16 grind settings, the Capresso Infinity Plus will serve you well at the coarser end of the spectrum. However, you’ll see a lot of blockages and static electricity buildup when trying to use the extra-fine setting.

OXO Coffee Grinder vs Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder

I’ll admit to really liking the way the Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder looks. The way the bright red buttons contrast with the black housing really floats my boat.

The price is right, too: you’ll only pay $79.95 on Amazon for this thing.

However, the reality is that this coffee grinder is pretty limited in the grind consistency it offers. Plus, you can only grind for 20 seconds, after which, the manufacturer recommends waiting until the motor cools down a little.

On the plus side, the borosilicate glass grinds bin really cuts down on static buildup. Unlike other models, the Bodum has a friction clutch to protect the grinder assembly if a stone gets in there. What’s more, the Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder is infinitely better than a cheap blade grinder.

OXO Coffee Grinder vs Breville Smart Grinder Pro

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Breville products. The Australian manufacturer produces awesome espresso machines, as well as the Precision Brewer, one of my favorite coffee makers.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro costs $199.95 on Amazon, which is quite a chunk of change.

The Breville certainly looks expensive – there’s a fancy LCD display, 60 grind settings and a digital timer. Plus, it comes with two portafilter cradles to make dosing for espresso easier.

However, your bubble will burst when you try to get a consistent espresso grind from the Breville Smart Grinder Pro. This is still an entry-level grinder, no matter how cool it looks.

OXO Burr Grinder vs the Competition Comparison Chart

	OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder	Baratza Encore	Capresso Infinity Plus	Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder	Breville Smart Grinder Pro
Manufacturer	OXO	Baratza	Capresso	Bodum	Breville
Name	OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder	Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder	Capresso Infinity Plus Commercial Burr Grinder	Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder	Breville Smart Grinder Pro
Type	Electric coffee grinder	Electric coffee grinder	Electric coffee grinder	Electric coffee grinder	Electric coffee grinder
Grinder	Stainless steel conical burrs	Stainless steel conical burrs	Stainless steel conical burrs	Stainless steel conical burrs	Stainless steel conical burrs
Grind levels	15	40	16	12	60
Power	240 watt	240 watt	100 watt	160 watt	165 watts
Voltage	110 volt	110 volt	110 volt	110 volt	110 volt
Weight	6.58 lbs	6.82 lbs	4 lbs	4 lbs	6.4 lbs
Dimensions	5.3 x 7.75 x 12.8 in	6.3 x 4.7 x 13.8 in	6.7 x 13.7 x 9.1 in	7.6 x 7.1 x 12.5 in	8.5 x 6 x 15.5 in
Notes	12-ounce UV-tinted bean hopper with airtight lid, 30-second timer function	Pulse button, two-way on/off switch	Prone to static electricity buildup on finer settings	Borosilicate glass grounds bin, friction clutch	Digital timer, LCD display, portafilter cradles
Suitable for	French press, AeroPress, Chemex, cold brew	French press, AeroPress, Chemex, cold brew	French press, cold brew, pour over	French press, cold brew, pour over	Pour over, moka pot, French press, cold brew
Current price on Amazon	$67.99	$149.95	$93.00	$79.95	$199.95

Verdict: OXO Burr Coffee Grinder

There are plenty of affordable burr coffee grinders on the market, so OXO has its work cut out for it to stand apart from the crowd. Still, from what I’ve experienced, the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder offers enough nice features to make it a serious contender for your hard-earned cash.

I had high hopes for this durable entry-level coffee grinder before I tested it, and I’ve been really impressed with how well it performs. I wasn’t expecting to be able to use the OXO grinder with my moka pot, so extra points there! For those of you that need consistent grind results for pour over and drip coffee makers, your search might just be over!

OXO Burr Grinder FAQ