De'Longhi KG79
De'longhi
A Grinder Built to Bridge the Gap Between Bag and Brew
Buying pre-ground coffee is a bit like buying pre-cut vegetables — convenient, but you're trading away flavor you can never get back. Coffee starts losing its aroma compounds within minutes of grinding, which is exactly the problem the De'Longhi KG79 sets out to solve. It's a compact electric burr grinder built for people who've decided that fresh grounds, made to order, are worth the extra thirty seconds each morning. Before you add it to your worktop, though, it's worth understanding exactly what kind of grinder this is, what it does exceptionally well, and where its budget positioning shows through.
Design, Build Quality, and Worktop Presence
The KG79 is a tall, narrow unit rather than a wide, sprawling one, and that footprint is deliberate. At roughly 30cm in height but under 19cm in depth, it's designed to slot into the gap between a kettle and a wall, or sit beside an espresso machine, without eating up prime counter real estate. The body is finished in matte black, which hides fingerprints and coffee dust better than a glossy alternative would, and the transparent bean hopper and grounds container are both easy to see through at a glance, so you're never guessing whether it's time to top up.
Build quality sits exactly where you'd expect for a machine at this price point: solid enough for daily use, not engineered like a commercial unit. The control panel uses soft-touch buttons rather than mechanical switches, which keeps the front face simple and wipeable. On the side, a grind-coarseness dial gives you tactile, immediate control rather than burying settings in a digital menu — a small design choice that beginners will appreciate, since there's no manual to consult before your first grind.
De'Longhi has also built in a genuinely useful safety mechanism: pull out either the bean hopper or the grounds container mid-grind, and the motor cuts out immediately. It's a small thing, but it means you can top up beans or empty grounds without ever touching a spinning burr, and it prevents the machine running with a container missing.
One practical note before you buy: this is a hand-wash-only appliance. The manufacturer does not rate it as dishwasher safe, so factor a quick brush-and-wipe routine into your coffee ritual rather than assuming you can toss the parts in with the rest of your washing-up.
How the KG79 Actually Grinds Your Coffee
At the heart of the KG79 are two flat, stainless-steel grinding plates — what the industry calls a "flat burr" system. This is the single most important spec on the whole machine, and it's worth explaining why. A blade grinder, the kind found in cheap spice mills repurposed for coffee, essentially chops beans with a spinning propeller. The result is a chaotic mix of coffee dust and unbroken chunks in the same batch, which brews unevenly: the dust over-extracts and turns bitter while the chunks under-extract and taste sour. Burr grinders crush beans between two fixed surfaces set a specific distance apart, so the particles that come out are far closer in size to one another. That consistency is what lets you actually taste the difference between a good extraction and a bad one, rather than getting both in the same cup.
The KG79 gives you 16 positions on its grind-coarseness dial, moving from a fine, powder-like setting suited to concentrated brewing methods up through a coarse, gritty texture suited to steeping methods like a French press. In the middle of that range — where most filter coffee, pour-over, and moka pot brewing happens — the grinder is genuinely capable, producing a reasonably even, repeatable result that will outperform any blade grinder you've used before.
Where the Budget Burr Shows Its Limits
Where it's worth tempering expectations is at the extreme ends of the dial, particularly the finest setting. Because this is an entry-level flat burr system rather than a precision-engineered one, the plates don't hold quite the same tolerance as burrs found in pricier grinders. At the very finest grind, independent testing has found a tendency to produce a mix of fine dust alongside a small proportion of coarser fragments, rather than a perfectly uniform powder. For most filter, moka, and cafetière brewing this is a non-issue, since those methods are far more forgiving of minor particle variation. If your ambition is pulling genuinely balanced shots on a proper espresso machine, though, this is the honest caveat: the KG79 can go fine enough to attempt it, but grind consistency at that extreme is the machine's weakest point, and dedicated espresso grinders in a higher price bracket will out-resolve it.
Key Features and What They Actually Mean for You
16-position grind dial
lets you match texture to brewing method rather than being stuck with one generic grind for everything.
Cup selector (1 to 12 cups)
you tell the machine how many cups you're brewing for, and it grinds the right quantity and stops automatically, so you're not eyeballing portions or wasting beans.
Transparent bean hopper (120g capacity)
holds enough whole beans for around a dozen cups, and because you can see the level through the clear housing, there's no need to open the lid to check.
Removable upper burr
the top grinding plate lifts out, giving you direct access to clean out oily residue and stray grounds rather than fighting to reach into a sealed chamber.
Dual auto-stop safety
removing either the hopper or the grounds container immediately halts the motor, protecting fingers and preventing the grinder running empty.
Compact profile
sized to live permanently on the counter beside a filter machine, moka pot, or espresso setup without dominating the space.
Power, Grinding Speed, and Everyday Endurance
The KG79 runs on a modest motor by grinder standards — enough to drive the burrs through a batch for a dozen cups without straining, but not built for industrial-style continuous use. In practice this suits the machine's intended role perfectly: it's designed for short, repeated bursts — grind, brew, switch off — rather than back-to-back marathon sessions. A 120g bean hopper translates to roughly a week's worth of beans for someone grinding a couple of cups daily, which means you're topping up on a manageable weekly rhythm rather than refilling constantly.
"Endurance" here isn't about battery life, since this is a mains-powered appliance with a standard UK plug, but about mechanical longevity under daily use. The geared transmission driving the burrs is built for the stop-start rhythm of home brewing rather than commercial café volume, and the majority of long-term owners report years of reliable weekly use. It's worth being upfront, however, that a small number of buyers have reported early failures — a unit working perfectly on first use and then refusing to switch on again shortly after. This kind of early-life failure is uncommon based on the wider body of feedback, but it's present enough to be worth knowing before you buy, and it reinforces the value of registering the product for its one-year manufacturer's guarantee immediately after purchase.
One maintenance note directly tied to longevity: the bean hopper isn't vacuum-sealed, so beans left sitting in it for more than a couple of days will start losing freshness just as they would in any open container. Treat it as a short-term feeder, not long-term bean storage, and you'll get the most out of both the machine and the coffee.
Who the KG79 Is Actually For
This grinder is built for a specific kind of coffee drinker, and it's worth being honest about who that is.
It's a strong fit if you:
- Currently drink pre-ground or blade-ground coffee and want the single biggest upgrade in cup quality available at a modest budget.
- Brew primarily via filter machine, moka pot, cafetière, pour-over, or AeroPress, where mid-range grind consistency matters most.
- Want a compact, uncomplicated grinder that doesn't require calibration or a manual to operate on day one.
- Are feeding an espresso machine, bean-to-cup machine, or filter maker in a one- or two-person household, where the 120g hopper and 12-cup ceiling are plenty.
It's probably not the right choice if you:
- Are a dedicated espresso enthusiast chasing shot-to-shot consistency at the finest grind settings — the burr precision needed for that lives in a higher price tier.
- Need to grind large volumes regularly, such as for a busy household or light commercial use, where the hopper size and motor duty cycle will feel limiting.
- Want a silent grinder — like virtually all burr grinders in this class, it produces the expected mechanical whir during operation, and several owners note it's about as loud as you'd anticipate from a machine crushing beans.
- Plan to grind anything other than coffee — this is a coffee-specific appliance, and De'Longhi doesn't position it for spices or other ingredients.
How It Compares to the Alternatives
Shoppers browsing this price bracket are typically choosing between three broad categories of grinder. Here's how the KG79 stacks up conceptually against each:
| Grinder Type | Grind Consistency | Best Suited To | Typical Trade-Off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blade grinder | Poor — chops rather than crushes, producing a mix of dust and chunks | Absolute beginners, occasional use | Cheapest option, but undermines flavor extraction regardless of brewing method |
| De'Longhi KG79 (entry flat burr) | Good in the mid-range, less precise at the finest settings | Filter, moka, cafetière, pour-over, everyday espresso machine feeding | Strong value and real consistency gains over blade grinders, but not a specialist espresso tool |
| Premium conical/flat burr grinder | Excellent across the full range, including fine espresso grinds | Espresso purists, serious home baristas | Meaningfully higher cost for the precision gain |
Within its own budget flat-burr category, the KG79 sits alongside a handful of similarly priced rivals that use comparable blunt-tooth burr designs rather than the precision-ground plates found in specialist grinders. What tends to separate the KG79 from those alternatives in practice is its straightforward cup-selector interface and the clear visibility of its hopper and grounds container — small usability touches that matter more day to day than raw spec-sheet numbers.
The Honest Verdict
The De'Longhi KG79 does exactly what it promises for the coffee drinker it's designed for: it takes you from pre-ground convenience to genuinely fresh, reasonably consistent grounds, with almost no learning curve and a footprint that disappears onto any worktop. The flat burr system is the meaningful upgrade here — it's the difference between a cup that tastes balanced and one that tastes either bitter or sour because the grind size was all over the place. For filter coffee, moka pots, cafetières, and everyday espresso machine use, it delivers real, tasteable improvement over blade grinding, and the cup selector and auto-stop safety features make it easy to live with from the first use.
Where you should pump the brakes is if your ambition is precision espresso. The burrs here are built to a budget standard, and at the finest settings that shows up as slightly less uniform grounds than a dedicated espresso grinder would produce. It's also worth going in aware that a small minority of buyers report early failures, so registering for the one-year guarantee promptly is a sensible habit rather than an optional extra.
If you're upgrading from a blade grinder or pre-ground bags and your daily brew is filter, moka, cafetière, or a home espresso machine used without competition-level ambitions, the KG79 is a genuinely worthwhile purchase that will pay for itself in better-tasting coffee within weeks. If you're chasing café-grade espresso consistency specifically, treat this as a capable stepping stone rather than your final grinder.
What People Say
154 commentsGood entry-level coffee grinder.
I bought this because grinding by hand for my Moka pot was taking far too long in the morning. I read and watched reviews, and went for it.
It is a good grinder for its price range, with a few issues.
Pros:
1. The grind is perfect for a Moka pot. Not espresso, even at its finest setting, but perfect for a stove top pot and anything requiring anything coarser than that.
2. It is much, much faster than grinding by hand. A few seconds for a Moka pot basket. No more 5 minute hand grinds.
3. As a burr grinder, you will taste the difference to a blade grinder. I couldn't go back to blade grinding after my first burr grinder.
4. Its components can be removed for easier cleaning.
Cons:
1. It is loud. Not terribly so considering how short it's average grind time is, but it'll make you think twice about using it early in the morning.
2. Its grind consistency isn't great. It's not terrible, but it is noticeable.
3. Although I don't have an espresso machine to check, I'm not convinced it produces a grind fine enough for espresso out of the box (which I've seen mentioned in other reviews). It's finest setting looks close, but not as fine as pre-ground espresso. I've heard this can be adjusted, but I currently have no need to try.
By and large, I am very happy with my purchase.
Simple, practical, great VFM
I've been using this for about a month and I can't fault it for the price. It's simple to use, has 15 grind settings so you can have your coffee as coarse or as fine as you like depending on your type of coffee and how you're making it. It is fairly consistent in regard to grinding the whole load to the same degree of coarseness/fineness. It turns itself off automatically according to the amount you've set, although being a burr type grinder it can't over-grind anyway if you've set it correctly. The hopper holds enough ground coffee for about 10 cups, which suits me very well because it means I don't bother transferring the ground coffee to another container, I just take a scoop from the hopper where the ground coffee will stay fresh long enough for me to use it all. If you've never ground your own coffee before I think this will pleasantly surprise you as freshly ground coffee tastes better and is fresher even than pre-packaged vacuum sealed ground coffee. Nothing fancy, it just does its job, and it does it very well for the price. The only downside is because my coffee is now so much nicer, I'm probably drinking a bt too much of it.
Not for my Italian quality expresso!
I own the LaPavoni Italian expresso machine. It is the perfect machine to make an "espresso ristretto" as I find it in the top bars in Italy!
I needed a new grinder, and thought this one with its variable thickness of grinding would be good, but it does not grind fine enough to obtain that desired creamy quality of coffee ....
I need to look for a better one...meanwhile I get the coffee seller to grind it for me ultra fine a little at time!
Other down sides are its high pitch grinding noise that wakes up every one early in the morning ... I have been barred from using it in the morning; its angular containers makes them difficult to clean quickly every day....
Good sides: its grinding capabilities appears to be good enough for cafetieres, filter coffees, Italian Mokas, and probably for modern electric general expresso machines....
Seems good
I bought this 3 weeks ago and first of all must say retailers are often a bit too keen for a review when I find it takes a bit of time after purchase. I’ve now used this grinder a few times and I took it away with me to a family gathering over the bank holiday weekend. The noise isn’t a problem to me and seems normal. I like the two dials feature - one for coarseness of ground coffee and the other for quantity. I like the colour as it goes well with my other small appliances but I didn’t look to see if there are other colours available. I’ve got sufficient confidence in the brand. So far so good but obviously cannot yet give a more ‘look back’ style review. I’m happy I made the purchase after some research.
Excellent burr coffee grinder
Had this 3 weeks and really pleased with it. Amazing aroma noticeably more intense than with my old blade electric grinder. It definitely does grind fine enough for an espresso - in fact finest setting is a little too fine for my Delonghi machine, so I'm going to turn down the setting a touch. This is great as my old grinder struggled to get it fine enough. Love the fact that it times the grinding according to how many cups you set it to - makes it easy as you don't have to worry about judging how long to grind it for. No problem with noise, and it's quite quick to grind a good amount of coffee. Also looks really stylish. Not too difficult to clean. Great value, would heartily recommend.
Perfect for expresso maker
Very nice device. Had it for 2 weeks and grinds beautifully the coffee. With the blade grinders you never control the grain level and if you do it to fine you block the cofee machine, if you grind it to coarse you are making a sort of cofee soup.
Is very neat and keeps the beans and grinded cofee airtight in separate containers and the niceest thing is that you select the number of cups, press the button and it stops automatically once it grinded the required quantity.
Very easy to use. I should had bought it years ago.
The only "bad" point is that is noisy but I do not think that there is any "quiet" grinder, at least for this price level.
Handy And Healthy.
Bought this model as I've just moved home and it has a separate griddle too.
Being a bachelor for the second time round,I find this ideal for me and doesn't take a gourmet chef to work it.Also its healthy and quick to cook aswell as clean.Can highly recommend this to a mature single bloke or as a handy combined grill and griddle.
Staff and prices at Argos are the best as usual,so I'm happy.Only one thing though,you would think it being a dearer model it would have a spatula and tongs thrown in,but that's the only negative for me!
Quality grinder
I’ve tried a domestic blade grinder in the past and was never satisfied with the results but after my local supplier had grinding issues, I decided to try the De’Longhi KG79. I’ve used a De’Longhi Dedica coffee machine for several years and found it to be reliable so I had no problems choosing their burr grinder. It can be fine tuned to exactly how I like my coffee and so far the grind has remained constant. For the price I really can’t fault it in any way and I’m very satisfied with my purchase.
Used with AeroPress
I grind beans for an AeroPress. Been using this grinder for a while and I'm happy with the features for the price. I prefer to measure out the beans each time and grind them until finished rather than filling the hopper and setting the dial on the front. The container could be easier to get the ground coffee out but I've gotten used to it now. It could be quieter but at this price point, I'm happy the grind is consistent. That's the main point here. It's easy to clean doesn't take up much space.
Excellent overall but ensure lock the burr grinder
I choose this as a Burr Grinder is recommended over a Blade Grinder due to chopping rather than grinding coffee beans.
I've initially had the problem with the removable upper burr popping up when grinding (and not finding any information on the De'Longhi website or YouTube). This is explained towards the end of the
MAINTENANCE section about replacing the upper burr, however I would have expected this to be in the initial setup and also should mentioned the lock/unlock arrows on the upper burr.
Good machine but not for espresso
Neat and impressive little machine that is great value. If you want to make espresso then the grind is not fine enough and you will end up using more coffee to get the same flavour. I was going to take mine back but what I do now is to finish the grind off in my blade grinder for 20 secs and the result is superb. Bit of a pain but I dont want to pay top dollar for one that will take the grind down further. It gives a nice even grind and would be great alone for all other types of brewing.
Great grinder for the money
For the price this grinder beat all the others available. Being a burr grinder allows for consistent & accurate grind size, & the collector pot is generally pretty good at catching all the coffee without it spilling out.
The item is small, so easy to fit on the worktop, but holds more than enough beans to avoid constant refilling. The bean holder is also covered so keeps them fresh.
The best function on this is the ability to select how much coffee you want to grind with a simple turn knob.
De'Longhi KG79 Professional Burr Grinder
Two tips. If the grinder does not switch on, check that the coffee container lid is on correctly, If not fitted, the grinder safety device stops the grinder operating.
Also, you may find the grinder will not grind beans fine, but has a coarse grind even on fine setting. This may be caused by the top burr grinding plate not fitted correctly. Turn the top of the top burr grinder. I turned mine fully clockwise until it stopped. Beans are now very fine and suitable for automatic espresso machines.
Great Little Grinder at a Great Little Price!
I bought this to make sure my cup of Joe comes from freshly ground beans, and I love it! It’s compact and sits nicely tucked on a shelf next to a socket. It’s a bit noisy, but that’s only when it’s grinding those beans! There’s a choice of coarseness and you can grind anything from two cups’ worth, ideal for freshness purists. The drawer and its lid needs a gentle tap to get the ground coffee out easily, just pause a while to get a good noseful before brewing! Ideal for the home cofficiando!
Decent function, bad design
The grinder works well, and has a good-sized beans-hopper at the top. It is also a fair bit quieter than my last burr grinder, which sounded like a jet-engine. The dials have a nice soft-click feature, so you know where you are while adjusting the grind and amount. My biggest complaint is that despite the closed design of this one, when you remove the container after grinding, the grounds go all over the inside of the machine and counter every time. It's incredibly, inescapably messy.
Excellent, Great Coffee Grinder
I was nearly put off by the odd reviews that said it couldn't grind fine enough for espresso but im a glad I brought it now. I started off on the finest setting thinking it wouldn't be enough but it comes out finer than any pre-ground espresso coffee I've brought and my machine struggled to get the water through. I have had to turn it back off the finest setting now to get a good pull
The only down side is the minimum number of cups it grinds at a time is 2 rather than 1
Does what it says on the tin!
It's hard to review this product, as it's the first coffee grinder I've owned. It's straightforward and idiot proof to use. It won't even start unless the trays are inserted properly, so you can't really go wrong.
My coffee tastes great, it does the job well. I can adjust the amount of cups and also how fine the grind is. So it's all I need in a grinder!
As far as reliability goes, I cannot comment on this yet as it's fairly new. So I guess that time will tell!
not for proper expresso grind
Be warned do not buy this product if you need your beans finely ground for a proper expresso you will be dissapointed. Nice machine easy to use, but not a proper coffee grinder as it does not give you comeplete control. Maybe they can adjust it somehow to give you a finer setting. I should take it back but what i've resorted to doing is grinding my beans in this first, then fine grinding them for a short period in my blade grinder in order to acheive a finer grind.
Great grinder!
Was almost put off my someone else's review about this being no good for espresso machines, but glad i ignored it and tried for myself and felt I had to follow up with a review to counter the one that didn't make sense. It works perfectly for my Gaggia Espresso machine. Has the varied fine to course grounds and number of cups to grind for, so has all the features you need for a grinder. Works fine for me and would recommend for any freshly ground coffee fan.
Freshly Ground Coffee At Home
After some research, I recently purchased a De'longhi KG79 Coffee Grinder. It is simple to use and it is great to be drinking freshly ground coffee again at home. I like my coffee strong and to fill a large beaker so I had to experiment with the two settings (1: number of cups and 2: how fine to grind the coffee beans). I settled on the maximum cup setting and the finest grinding setting. It is quite noisy during the grinding process but worth the taste!
