I cupped four hand grinders with two Ethiopian coffees

I cupped four manual coffee grinders

the 1Zpresso K-Ultra, used by the 2022 World Brewers Cup winner;

the 1Zpresso ZP6, a manual grinder used by the 2023 World Brewers Cup winner;

the Comandante C40, a grinder used by multiple champions, including the 2024 World Brewers Cup winner;

and the German Kinu M47 with its pour-over burr, jokingly tagged “fitness equipment” and “real gold fears no fire.” Special thanks to @闹腾小子 for bringing all four together.

I split the cupping into natural-process and washed-coffee groups, using the same high-altitude Ethiopian coffees: 2026 Natural-process Huakui and Guji Washed G1. The coffee grounds had a color value of 85–90. Because the burr designs differ, I used each grinder’s usual setting for light-roast pour-over coffee. To reduce the effect of heat from grinding on flavor, I ground 8.5 g of coffee for each cupping.

Looking at the grounds, I could see that the particles from both 1Zpresso grinders and the C40 were fairly uniform. The M47 had some very coarse particles, estimated by eye at three to five times the volume of most of its grounds and particles from the other grinders.

All the grinders except the Kinu M47 have a cover over the grinding chamber. Anyone who often brews BOP Panama coffee should watch for beans scattering while grinding—though, as a joke, a bean dropped on the floor can follow the “three-second rule.”

The dry grounds from all four grinders had clear floral and fruity aromas. The ZP6 and C40 smelled more intense.

The wet aroma was similar to the dry aroma.

The flavor profiles brought out a different character in each grinder.

Hot stage

With both the washed and natural-process coffees, the ZP6 gave me more layers of flavor than the other three grinders.

The K-Ultra was just a little less intense than the ZP6, but brought slightly more sweetness.

With the washed coffee, the C40 had excellent acidity. Its flavor intensity and layering were a little behind the two 1Zpresso grinders, but not by much.

The M47 seemed to specialize in sweetness. With both the natural-process and washed coffees, its sweetness was the easiest to notice among the four grinders. It made such a strong impression that, even after we mixed up the tasting order, everyone could easily identify the M47 cup.

As the coffees cooled

As extraction time increased, flavor intensity from both 1Zpresso grinders declined with both the washed and natural-process coffees, but sweetness increased and helped support the flavor. The ZP6 still had more layers than the K-Ultra, while the K-Ultra was sweeter than the ZP6.

With the C40, acidity increased and the quality of the acidity declined in the washed coffee, while the flavor became less layered. The natural-process coffee fell apart somewhat and tasted thin. The grind setting may have affected how the flavors came through; extraction may have been slightly insufficient.

The M47 kept the strongest sweetness with both coffees. Although the flavor faded at lower temperatures, it was still a pleasantly sweet cup. After swallowing, I could detect a retronasal floral and fruity aroma not far from the ZP6’s.

Overall, all four manual grinders in the roughly 1,000-yuan price tier performed well. Their different profiles leave plenty of room to adjust your everyday brewing, making them fun to experiment with.

I tested a limited number of times, over a limited period, and with a limited range of coffees, so these results are partial and should be treated as a reference. I’m not rating the grinders as good or bad.