Best Espresso Grinder Under $200: Encore, Sette 270, and Niche Zero Compared

Here is the single most important piece of advice in home espresso:

Your grinder matters more than your machine.

It sounds counterintuitive. The machine is the expensive centerpiece. The grinder feels secondary. But espresso is made by pressing hot water through very finely ground coffee. The quality, consistency, and uniformity of that grind determines approximately 70% of the final cup quality.

A mediocre grinder paired with an excellent machine produces mediocre espresso. A great grinder paired with a mediocre machine produces surprisingly good espresso.

This is your guide to which grinders are worth buying in the sub-$200 bracket—and which ones to avoid.

---

The #1 Thing to Look For: Stepless vs Stepped Adjustment

Before we compare specific models, you need to understand the most important grinder feature for espresso: how you adjust grind fineness.

• Stepped grinders have fixed grind settings (like a "click" in one direction). Adjustments jump in discrete increments. This is acceptable for drip coffee but often makes dialing in espresso frustrating—you need to hit a precise grind between settings, and you simply cannot.
• Stepless grinders have an infinite, continuous adjustment ring. You can land on any fineness you want, including the exact point between two stepped positions. For espresso, stepless is vastly superior.

Almost all dedicated espresso grinders in the $150–$500 range are stepless. Avoid any budget grinder with fixed clicked steps for espresso use.

---

The Best Grinders Under $200

1. Baratza Encore ESP (~$195) — Best for Beginners

The verdict: The safest choice for someone buying their very first dedicated espresso grinder.

The Encore ESP is the newest update to Baratza's bestselling Encore, redesigned specifically for espresso. It features redesigned burrs optimized for the finer grind sizes required for espresso, and it has a front-mounted fineness adjustment dial (rather than their older internal dial) that makes adjusting much easier.

Pros:

• Industry-leading customer support from Baratza. They will sell you any replacement part, walk you through repairs, and their grinders are specifically designed to be owner-serviceable.
• The grind quality is surprisingly consistent for this price point.
• The front dial makes single-direction adjustment easy.

Cons:

• At very fine espresso settings, the Encore ESP can produce more fines (very tiny coffee particles) than pricier grinders. More fines can contribute to channeling.
• Stepped adjustment collar (though the steps are finer-grained than competitors at this price).

---

2. Baratza Sette 270 (~$349, frequently on sale for $249) — Best Performer in Range

The verdict: If you can stretch your budget or catch a sale, this is the performance leader in this class by a significant margin.

The Sette 270 is technically above the $200 price ceiling, but it goes on sale regularly, and its performance is so significantly better than anything under $200 that it earns a mention here.

It is a unique "direct drive" design where the burr set spins around the coffee bean rather than the other way around. This produces dramatically less mess (grinds fall straight down into the portafilter) and near-zero grind retention (meaning stale grounds don't sit in the grinder between uses).

Pros:

• Stepless adjustment with phenomenal precision.
• Near-zero retention means fresh coffee every time.
• Exceptional grind quality and consistency that rivals grinders at 2x the price.

Cons:

• The plastic chassis and gears feel fragile compared to its metal counterparts. It is not as durable long-term.
• It is louder than other grinders in this class.
• Customer support, while present, is not on the same level as Baratza's typically legendary service.

---

3. 1Zpresso JX-Pro (~$170) — Best Value for Money

The verdict: A hand grinder that produces flat burr quality that embarrasses most electric grinders at 3x the price, at the cost of physical effort.

Yes, this is a hand grinder—you twist a handle to grind. Each double shot takes approximately 45–60 seconds of pleasant (if slightly tiring) manual effort.

The 1Zpresso JX-Pro uses high-quality 48mm stainless steel burrs that produce an exceptionally uniform grind particle distribution. Independent lab testing has shown the JX-Pro's output is competitive with electric grinders at $400–600.

Pros:

• Best grind quality per dollar of any grinder in this guide.
• Completely silent.
• Compact for travel and small kitchens.
• Nearly indestructible.

Cons:

• Manual effort every morning. Not for everyone.
• Takes 45–90 seconds per double shot.
• Not practical if you make drinks for multiple people.

---

What to Avoid: The "Espresso Grinder" Trap

Avoid any blade grinder at all costs. These use a spinning blade to chop coffee into irregular chunks rather than uniformly cutting beans between two burrs. The resulting grind is wildly inconsistent—fine powder mixed with large chunks—which makes it literally impossible to pull a consistent espresso shot.

Also avoid cheap "espresso" grinders under $80 from brands you don't recognize. They universally produce grind quality so inconsistent that they will completely sabotage even a $500 machine.

---

The Bottom Line: Recommended by Budget

---