Femobook makes a small family of battery-powered grinders. Over the last year, their A4Z-model got a lot of attention on this site, and in the coffee communities, for its filter clarity.
This is their smallest – and cheapest – model. Here are my first notes from the testing bench.
Quick Take
The A2 is a manual grinder with a battery attached. That sounds like criticism, but it isn’t. It’s actually a super smart idea.
In the cup, it lands at a similar level to respectable hand grinders. And that’s a very high bar at this super affordable price point.
First Impressions
When I opened the box my first impression was that it looks much more budget than the other Femobook grinders I’ve had. Those are sleek, elegant, almost s**y.
This one is not.
It reminds me more of a Costco bluetooth speaker than a coffee grinder.
Size and weight is similar to a hand grinder. Because it basically is one with a battery attached.
But there are some good things about the mostly plastic design. The lid is magnetic, and so is the catch cup. It just snaps into place. Small details. But they’re the kind you notice every morning.
On closer Inspection
Being used to manual grinders, I can’t say I prefer this workflow. Grinding by hand is almost faster. Which makes sense: the A2 turns at roughly 60 RPM, and I crank closer to 90.
But if you have low grip strength or problems with your joints, the electrified version could be a lifesaver.
There’s one button. Press it, and the grinder runs until the beans are gone, then stops by itself. It’s a capacitive button, though, so you’re not always sure you’ve actually pressed it.
Adjustment is internal, similar to how hand grinders worked 5-10 years ago. Pour over starts around one and a quarter rotations, and you can go finer from there. It’s a bit more cumbersome to keep track of where you are, compared to the many modern grinders with an external adjustment wheel.
Static is the other small annoyance. Some grounds stay clinging around the adjustment knob after grinding.
What I Liked
- Cup quality at “good” hand grinder level: bright acidity, some body, nice aftertaste.
- Magnetic lid and magnetic catch cup, small details that make it nice to live with
- Quiet, among the quietest electric grinders I’ve used
- Essentially zero retention. You get back what you put in
- User-replaceable batteries
- Light enough to bring on holidays
What I Didn’t
- Slow. A dose takes 50 to 60 seconds. But you’re heating water and rinsing a filter anyway, so it mostly disappears into the routine
- The stated capacity is optimistic. Treat it as a single dose grinder for one or two people
- The capacitive button can be a bit annoying; you’re not sure if you’ve pressed it or not.
- Let’s be honest; it’s a bit ugly 😬
- Prone to static grounds clinging to adjustment wheel
- Internal adjustment wheel. Less intuitive. More tricky to remember different settings.
Live from the Testing Bench
The A2 turns at roughly 60 RPM, which is slow. And that’s good in this instance. It means less heat and fewer fines. That’s probably a big part of why hand grinders, and battery grinders, keep beating electric grinders that cost more.
The cup has a nice bright acidity, some body and a good aftertaste.
I spent an afternoon conducting blinded side-by-sides against the Outin Fino, another budget battery grinder I’ve been testing. The Fino was a little more delicate: lighter body, a bit more clarity. The A2 was more punchy. More in your face. Neither is wrong. It depends on what you like in your cup.
In another testing session I pitted it against the Timemore S5 and Mavo Phantox Pro in two blind tests, controlled for draw-down and TDS (all cups were within 3 seconds and 0.04 TDS during both tests).
With a medium-roast Brazilian, the A2 produced a sweet, full-bodied and satisfying cup that I preferred over the S5, particularly as the coffees cooled. It was very close to the Phantox Pro, which had a slightly more elegant and focused aftertaste.
With a very light Ethiopian washed, the A2 was essentially tied with the S5 and ahead of the Phantox Pro. The S5 offered a little more body and sweetness, while the A2 was more delicate, with citric acidity and subtle flavor development.
(Sidenote: The Phantox Pro might have suffered from a lower brew temperature here, compared to the two others, which could explain the slightly lackluster cup).
The overall summary from all my testing is that Femobook A2 performs at a similar level as the medium-high end hand grinders.
Neither hand grinder consistently outperformed the A2. Across these two very different coffees, it remained among my preferred cups, with no obvious flaws.
The heptagonal burr set?
When I reviewed the A5, I noted that Femobook’s own A2 delivers comparable flavor at a fraction of the price. I still think that holds.
When I disassembled the A2 I wasn’t surprised to see that the cone burr was pretty much identical to the 1Zpresso Q2 (heptagonal version).
Five-six years ago this grinder had a bit of a cult-following. It used to be seen as the budget way to get the “Comandante C40 flavor profile”.
Since then we have of course seen similar heptagonal burrs in a multitude of grinders. The market has almost become a bit too saturated.
But that doesn’t change the fact that the heptagonal burr is still very enjoyable today.
Battery Grinder vs Electric?
A traditional budget electric grinder like the Baratza Encore has plastic impellers spinning at around 300 RPM.
They generate heat, regrind coffee that’s already ground, then push it into a chute where it can clump and get stuck. That’s three extra places for your coffee to pick up astringency before it reaches the cup.
The A2 has none of that. No chute, no impellers.
There’s a small gap under the cone burr, and the grounds simply fall into the catch cup.
That’s why the A2 lands closer to a good hand grinder than to a cheap electric one, even though it has a motor.
Unresolved Questions
- Whether espresso is viable in the long run. It grinds fine enough, but not sure how the motor will handle life as a dedicated espresso grinder.
- Precise measurements of battery life. For pour over, it has held up extremely well, not requiring frequent charging, but I haven’t measured it.
- Did the build quality go down hill? I’ve seen users report that the construction is less sturdy since the first production runs.
(Sidenote: Some users have been “modding” the grinder, making it run flat burrs from Pietro with various 3D-printing contraptions. This is putting a lot more stress on the motor and overall construction)
Verdict after the first sips
If you want all the manual grinder pros without the manual work then this is it. It tastes great, it’s portable, it’s quiet. There’s a lot to like here.
It’s more expensive than a Q Air, but cheaper than most of the premium models, so it’s a great bang for the buck option.
For people who either want a very capable electric grinder at a hand grinder price – or a grinder that is very quiet, this one ticks both boxes!
Bonus info: It’s often much more affordable on AliExpress compared to certain other shopping platforms.
Alternatives & Links
- Femobook A2: AliExpress | Amazon
- 1Zpresso Q Air: the manual route to a similar cup for less. Check price | My Q Air review
- Outin Fino: another battery grinder, a bit more delicate and clean in the cup. Check price
- Femobook A4Z: the step up if you mostly brew light roast filter. Check price | My A4Z & A5 review
- The full roundup: The Best Cheap Coffee Grinders
Specs
- Type: Battery-powered, conical
- Burrs: 38mm stainless steel, heptagonal
- Adjustment: Internal, 40 clicks per rotation, 18 microns per click (manufacturer figure)
- Batteries: 18650 / 10C, 2000mAh*2
- Charging: USB-C, works with a power bank
- Auto-stop: Yes
- Weight: 644 g
- Dimensions: 60 x 60 x 210 mm
- Colors: Black, white
