1Zpresso J Series:
Which Is The Best Grinder For You?

Unlike many coffee grinder companies, 1Zpresso never takes a day off. They’re constantly releasing new manual grinders and updating their existing range. We love them for it but also hate how confusing it can be to keep up with which grinders are available in which countries, and what they’re all designed for.

To help, we’ve put together this comprehensive 1Zpresso J Series overview based on our experience of using the grinders (and obsessing over the company.) It includes all the currently available models – the J Ultra, the J Manual, and the JE Plus – plus those that have been discontinued in case you’re trying to pick up a second-hand bargain.

With this guide, you should have all the info you need to pick out the perfect J series grinder for your needs.

To separate all their grinders, 1Zpresso split them out into different ranges: the J series, K series, X, Q, and Z. Within that there are grinders that specialize in espresso, pour over, or a bit of everything; there are different burr styles and different adjustment dial setups.

There used to be a pretty clear-cut reason as to why a grinder would fall under a certain series. But, over time, the lines have gotten blurrier as improvements have been made across the board. Nowadays, except for the Q Air or Q2 travel grinders, I wouldn’t confidently be able to place a new grinder in a particular series without being told.

So the J series as a whole isn’t specifically aimed at any one type of coffee brewer.

• They are mostly designed for espresso, but not entirely.
• They are at the larger end of the bean capacity scale so they’re not the most compact grinders.
• And the most recent offerings have the smallest micron adjustments per click.

Many of our absolute favorite 1Zpresso grinders have come from the J series. So whoever they’re aimed at, we fall somewhere near the top of the list.

Not all the models are available in all countries and some have been discontinued (though they hold their value really well if you want to pick up a second-hand grinder.) But to give you a quick overview of what to expect from all the J series grinders that have been released, you can use this reference table:

	J Manual	JE	JE Plus	JX	JX Pro	J Max	J Ultra
Burr	48mm stainless steel	47mm titanium-coated	47mm titanium-coated	48mm stainless steel	48mm stainless steel	48mm titanium coated	48mm titanium-coated
Adjustment	Internal Dial	Internal Dial	Top Dial	Internal Dial	Top Dial	External Dial	External Dial
Capacity	30-35g	30-35g	35-40g	30-35g	30-35g	35-40g	35-40g
Catch Cup	Screw on	Screw on	Magnetic	Screw on	Screw on	Magnetic	Magnetic
Foldable Handle	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Microns per click	25	25	12.5	25	12.5	8.8	8
Weight	25oz (705g)	24.7oz (700g)	29.6oz (840g)	23oz (650g)	27.5oz (780g)	27.3oz (775g)	23.6oz (670g)
Best For	Pour Over	Espresso	Espresso	Pour Over	Espresso	Espresso	Espresso

You may see some of these models with an “S” suffix. This is when 1Zpresso has added a foldable handle to a model that previously didn’t have it.

Currently, in the US, it’s only possible to reliably get the J Manual and J Ultra but occasionally we see the JE Plus S come back into stock. However, you might find people selling the other models second-hand, or be able to buy them from an Asian online store like AliExpress.

1Zpresso J Ultra

The J Ultra is aimed at espresso lovers who want extreme precision for dialing in their shots. The 8-micron steps are incredible for accuracy and the grounds are beautifully even.

You’re not just limited to espresso though as it has an insane range (5 rotations with 100 clicks per rotation) making any brewing method possible. So it’s suitable for any style of coffee lover. That said, you do have to consider how cumbersome the 8-micron steps can be to dial in for pour over or drip.

Also switching from espresso to drip involves multiple rotations. So I prefer to keep it as a dedicated espresso grinder and make small adjustments when I switch up my beans. But I’m also nerdy enough to have a different grinder for different brewing methods and appreciate that not everyone feels the same!

The J Ultra is suited to the serious coffee lovers out there. It’s a brilliant grinder and our go-to.

Read next: Our full 1Zpresso J Ultra Review

1Zpresso J Manual

The J Manual is aimed at budget-conscious pour-over lovers who don’t want to compromise on quality to save some money. In the 1Zpresso J series, it’s the most affordable (currently) but that doesn’t make it the cheapest grinder on the market. But it does deliver fantastic consistency and amazing flavor in the cup meaning you get great value for your spend.

Where it suffers is that there’s competition within 1Zpresso’s own range for only a little more. For pour over, we think the X Ultra is a better grinder but it does have less capacity (30g vs 35g on the J Manual).

If cost is your big limiting factor then the J Manual is perfect. It offers high capacity and good quality grounds that will help you brew fantastic-tasting pour over coffee.

1Zpresso JE Plus

The JE Plus is another espresso specialist grinder. However, it’s pretty hard to get hold of outside of Mainland Europe or Asia, and 1Zpresso has recently added the foldable handle so it’s listed as the JE Plus S (we used the old model.)

The 47mm burrs have been specially designed for espresso brewing and will help you pull amazing shots. We were really impressed with the fluffy consistency, minimal grind retention, and creamy flavor in the cup.

It’s quite expensive though so we prefer the J Ultra as it offers more precision and consistency. The JE Plus is also chunky and I struggled to grip it despite having big hands – my 5’2″ wife found it almost impossible.

That said, taste is subjective so you might prefer the espresso flavor from the JE Plus. If you can get one.

1Zpresso JX-Pro

The JX-Pro was an excellent espresso-focused grinder that sat in the middle of the 1Zpresso line-up in terms of price. It offered incredible value for money, far outperforming grinders that were significantly more expensive.

At the time of its release, it was hard to beat. But manual grinders just keep getting better and better so the imperfections are more glaring now. Imperfections like how difficult it is to grip especially if you have small hands, and that the grind consistency drops off at the finest and coarsest settings.

That said, this is still a great grinder particularly if you happen to see one for cheap somewhere.

1Zpresso J Max

The J Max used to be our favorite manual coffee grinder until it had a facelift and some performance improvements and is now the J Ultra (which we’re obsessed with). It was re-released after we tested ours with the folding handle (a recurring theme with us!)

Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the J Max – the precision, design, ease of use, and flavor in the cup were all amazing. And all that good stuff has been carried over into the J Ultra. But the latter also offers a nice slimmer body, lighter weight, and even more precise adjustments.

So, for me, it’s simply not worth trying to hunt down a second-hand J Max in the depths of eBay or Facebook Marketplace when the upgraded model is right there.

1Zpresso JX

A few years ago, the JX was the bargain pour over coffee grinder of choice. It was a well-made grinder with superb burrs, great accuracy, and a nice flavor profile but was later upgraded to become the J Manual.

When designing the J Manual, 1Zpresso mostly focused on improving the burrs and used a thinner thread on the screw-on catch cup. This was a welcome change as we found the catch cup would sometimes come loose whilst grinding on the JX.

The JX never achieved the coffee cult status of the JS (only released in Taiwan though there was a time they’d ship one to you if you asked really nicely). But it was still beloved by many as incredible value for money.

Read next: Take a deep dive into the JX vs JX Pro vs J Max

1Zpresso JE

The JE is the only J series grinder that we haven’t tested so this is based on conversations and feedback from our fellow coffee obsessives. (And why we don’t have a picture.)

It used the same espresso specialist burrs as the JE Plus but offered 25-micron adjustments, the adjustment dial was beneath the burrs, it had a smaller capacity, and no foldable handle. It was also the first 1Zpresso grinder released with the 47mm titanium-coated burrs. So it might have been a “soft launch” before the much better JE Plus hit the market?

If you’re looking for the best quality grinder that will work across all brewing methods, you should buy the J Ultra. I know it costs quite a bit more than the J Manual, but I honestly believe that it’s worth the investment for the precision, range, and ease.

We love our J Ultra and wouldn’t change it for anything… Until they inevitably release something even better in the next year or two!

But until then, this is the best 1Zpresso J series grinder you can get, no matter what coffee you’re brewing. (In fact, it’s the best across their whole range, period.)

Matt Woodburn-Simmonds

Matt's coffee obsession started in 2006 when working as a Barista. A tendency to turn up to work hungover kickstarted his coffee journey which quickly turned into a love affair. As he moved on to work as a Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, the obsession continued to grow. Now, his passion is helping others to enjoy better coffee at home.