<p>A manual coffee grinder like the "Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-15T16:35:36.637Z
Mine is very quiet, and is OK for a cube farm.
David I.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-27T22:22:40.400Z
2015-01-27T22:22:40.400Z
caleb
<p>Well even decibel ratings did not prove to be quite best thing to measure, because they also depend on different things, some noises aren't as disturbing as others,... There are hand grinders, which are quiet but the question is - do you really want to grind by hand?
So you want to see some grinders which are designed to be quiet. That can be hard to find though. Capresso infinity is calling itself the quietest grinder - at least I read so in this detailed review on <a href="http://www.coffeegrinderworld.com/capresso-infinity-conical-burr-grinder-560565/" rel="nofollow">coffee grinder world</a>. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-26T17:44:40.113Z
2015-06-26T17:44:40.113Z
Stephan
<p>Well, sharing my experience about this, i was in need of a coffee grinder and my first requirement was it should be quiet or i will not buy it. After searching it manually on LA market, could not find a good one that is quiet and then decided to give a try to search it online. Came across <a href="https://quietgadgets.com/quiet-coffee-grinder/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Quiet Gadgets</a> from google and after reviewing every grinder in the list bought the Bravile BCG 820 and i am quiet happy with it.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T15:52:17.833Z
that site is amazing for the quiet gadgets, very useful for reviews and for products in a cube farm, or an open office environment.  The Bravile BCG 820 is what my brother-in-law uses at home and he says its really quiet.
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-10T15:01:06.463Z
The BCG 820 is no longer on that page, seems the list was updated this year.
Mast
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-26T08:52:01.370Z
2019-09-26T08:52:01.370Z
Hamza Ali
<p>The Comandante Hand grinder or another similar grinder would have to be the best option. The grind on a Comandante is superior to most other hand grinders on the market, though the price is rather high. In the $200 range I believe. It is worth every penny for the discerning coffee snob.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-01T22:54:58.807Z
2018-11-01T22:54:58.807Z
BescaRoasting
<p><a href="http://www.wholelattelove.com" rel="nofollow">WholeLatteLove.com</a> actually provides decibel ratings for many of their coffee grinders such as the <a href="http://www.wholelattelove.com/products/mazzer-mini-electronic-type-a-coffee-grinder" rel="nofollow">Mazzer Mini</a>. Perhaps you could compare some grinders there.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-27T22:30:48.523Z
2015-12-03T06:03:50.980Z
2015-12-03T06:03:50.980Z
Kyle Macey
<p>Based on my experience, a hand grinder is the absolute quietest that you can buy, but it also take a bit of elbow grease. And if you're shopping for an older parent (like I recently did), then those arthritis hands can't handle that manual grinder. Like others, I did my research on places like <a href="http://www.quiethomelab.com/best-quiet-coffee-grinders/" rel="noreferrer">Quiet Home Lab</a> and Amazon reviews. I also ended up buying the Capresso Infinity for my dad. He seems to enjoy it - and it is quiet compared to his last grinder, so I call that a win!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T15:50:29.720Z
The elbow grease I think is important as if you are knocking around on the desktop either accidentally or trying to keep it still or just by holding it to the table, then that could be louder and more disruptive than a small electric.
I still vote, and use the manual hand daily though in a cube farm without concerns.  My boss tried it, thinking it was cool, and he was knocking it everywhere and it was the loudest its ever been.  He wasn't use to the elbow grease needed
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-15T18:31:39.307Z
2016-02-15T18:31:39.307Z
Jen
<p>First, lets ignore blade grinders entirely.  Any grinder that doesn't have a motor will be relatively quiet.  You'll be at the mercy of the crunching beans, but that's it.  Add to this that the more the grinder weighs, or the more "heft" it has to it, the quieter it will typically be due to the additional mass damping any vibration.  When adding a motor to the mix, each step between the motor and the burrs adds an opportunity for noise.  As such, a direct drive grinder will typically be quieter than anything involving a gearbox.   </p>

<p><strong>The pecking order is basically...</strong></p>

<p>Hand Grinder --> Direct Drive Flat Burr --> Direct Drive Conical Burr --> Gear-Reduced Burr</p>

<p>While Decibel ratings are available from most manufacturers, they're difficult to translate into a subjective estimate of "harshness."  I deal with these regularly and found that some of my favorite grinders are technically louder than several others, including the Baratza Vario. The difference is that they have a much more mellow drone rather than the gear motor's quieter whine.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-04T17:09:18.693Z
Sorry, that was just a typo on my end.  

Alternatively (and more sarcastically), you could also imagine that I intended to write it as "Blād Grinder."
Andrew Sanjanwala
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T15:47:14.257Z
I have an electric grinder and a hand grinder.
The electric is fairly quiet, though you still get a small whirring sound  
[Electric](https://www.amazon.com/Electric-LOFTER-Portable-Stainless-Grinding/dp/B07P5LJ88Z/ref=sr_1_56?qid=1569944606&s=kitchen&sr=1-56)
[Manual]
(https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Grinder-IMAVO-Vintage-Grinders/dp/B06XKKZM7L/ref=sr_1_22?keywords=coffee+hand+grinder&qid=1569944721&s=home-garden&sr=1-22)
I could measure the decibals if you want.
The bigger difference I find in regards to sound is the length of time.  The electric is only 5-10 secs, and the hand is 60+
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-01-27T22:36:32.920Z
2018-11-01T15:06:21.670Z
2018-11-01T15:06:21.670Z
Andrew Sanjanwala
<p>Perhaps my question should be "What is the best type of grinder to use at my desk if I work in a cubicle and use a French Press?". </p>

<p>I have tried finding decibel measurements on Amazon's website, but most of the coffee grinders listed don't specify them.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-30T16:39:22.073Z
You might try grinding the beans at home and bringing in freshly ground coffee.  If you keep the freshly ground coffee in an airtight container you should be able to do this only once a week without the coffee going stale.
PJNoes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-14T18:09:34.367Z
You considered the noise that would come out from your cubicle. Have you also thought about the aroma that would also come out of it? That's the reason I had to stop brewing at work.
J.A.I.L.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-02T14:32:32.897Z
What kind of monster would say anything against coffee aroma?
avocado1
<grinder>
Which type of coffee grinder is the quietest?
Mark Iannucci
# Which type of coffee grinder is the quietest?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-01-27)

Perhaps my question should be "What is the best type of grinder to use at my desk if I work in a cubicle and use a French Press?".

I have tried finding decibel measurements on Amazon's website, but most of the coffee grinders listed don't specify them.

**Tags:** grinder

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You might try grinding the beans at home and bringing in freshly ground coffee.  If you keep the freshly ground coffee in an airtight container you should be able to do this only once a week without the coffee going stale.  
> **username_2**: You considered the noise that would come out from your cubicle. Have you also thought about the aroma that would also come out of it? That's the reason I had to stop brewing at work.  
> **username_3**: What kind of monster would say anything against coffee aroma?  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_13 on 2015-01-27. Score: 15 | Accepted answer

First, lets ignore blade grinders entirely. Any grinder that doesn't have a motor will be relatively quiet. You'll be at the mercy of the crunching beans, but that's it. Add to this that the more the grinder weighs, or the more "heft" it has to it, the quieter it will typically be due to the additional mass damping any vibration. When adding a motor to the mix, each step between the motor and the burrs adds an opportunity for noise. As such, a direct drive grinder will typically be quieter than anything involving a gearbox.

**The pecking order is basically...**

Hand Grinder --> Direct Drive Flat Burr --> Direct Drive Conical Burr --> Gear-Reduced Burr

While Decibel ratings are available from most manufacturers, they're difficult to translate into a subjective estimate of "harshness." I deal with these regularly and found that some of my favorite grinders are technically louder than several others, including the Baratza Vario. The difference is that they have a much more mellow drone rather than the gear motor's quieter whine.

> **Comments:**
> **username_13**: Sorry, that was just a typo on my end.    Alternatively (and more sarcastically), you could also imagine that I intended to write it as "Blād Grinder."  
> **username_8**: I have an electric grinder and a hand grinder. The electric is fairly quiet, though you still get a small whirring sound   [Electric](https://www.amazon.com/Electric-LOFTER-Portable-Stainless-Grinding/dp/B07P5LJ88Z/ref=sr_1_56?qid=1569944606&s=kitchen&sr=1-56) [Manual] (https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Grinder-IMAVO-Vintage-Grinders/dp/B06XKKZM7L/ref=sr_1_22?keywords=coffee+hand+grinder&qid=1569944721&s=home-garden&sr=1-22) I could measure the decibals if you want. The bigger difference I find in regards to sound is the length of time.  The electric is only 5-10 secs, and the hand is 60+  

---

### Answer by username_11 on 2015-01-27. Score: 6

[WholeLatteLove.com](http://www.wholelattelove.com) actually provides decibel ratings for many of their coffee grinders such as the [Mazzer Mini](http://www.wholelattelove.com/products/mazzer-mini-electronic-type-a-coffee-grinder). Perhaps you could compare some grinders there.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-01-27. Score: 5

A manual coffee grinder like the "Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill".

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Mine is very quiet, and is OK for a cube farm.  

---

### Answer by username_12 on 2016-02-15. Score: 5

Based on my experience, a hand grinder is the absolute quietest that you can buy, but it also take a bit of elbow grease. And if you're shopping for an older parent (like I recently did), then those arthritis hands can't handle that manual grinder. Like others, I did my research on places like [Quiet Home Lab](http://www.quiethomelab.com/best-quiet-coffee-grinders/) and Amazon reviews. I also ended up buying the Capresso Infinity for my dad. He seems to enjoy it - and it is quiet compared to his last grinder, so I call that a win!

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: The elbow grease I think is important as if you are knocking around on the desktop either accidentally or trying to keep it still or just by holding it to the table, then that could be louder and more disruptive than a small electric. I still vote, and use the manual hand daily though in a cube farm without concerns.  My boss tried it, thinking it was cool, and he was knocking it everywhere and it was the loudest its ever been.  He wasn't use to the elbow grease needed  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-06-26. Score: 3

Well even decibel ratings did not prove to be quite best thing to measure, because they also depend on different things, some noises aren't as disturbing as others,... There are hand grinders, which are quiet but the question is - do you really want to grind by hand?
So you want to see some grinders which are designed to be quiet. That can be hard to find though. Capresso infinity is calling itself the quietest grinder - at least I read so in this detailed review on [coffee grinder world](http://www.coffeegrinderworld.com/capresso-infinity-conical-burr-grinder-560565/).


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2019-09-26. Score: 2

Well, sharing my experience about this, i was in need of a coffee grinder and my first requirement was it should be quiet or i will not buy it. After searching it manually on LA market, could not find a good one that is quiet and then decided to give a try to search it online. Came across [Quiet Gadgets](https://quietgadgets.com/quiet-coffee-grinder/) from google and after reviewing every grinder in the list bought the Bravile BCG 820 and i am quiet happy with it.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: that site is amazing for the quiet gadgets, very useful for reviews and for products in a cube farm, or an open office environment.  The Bravile BCG 820 is what my brother-in-law uses at home and he says its really quiet.  
> **username_9**: The BCG 820 is no longer on that page, seems the list was updated this year.  

---

### Answer by username_10 on 2018-11-01. Score: 1

The Comandante Hand grinder or another similar grinder would have to be the best option. The grind on a Comandante is superior to most other hand grinders on the market, though the price is rather high. In the $200 range I believe. It is worth every penny for the discerning coffee snob.


---

